Ian's phone rang early in the morning a couple of days later. Ian rolled over in his bed and grabbed the phone. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and looked at the display. Unknown number. Since the bank robbery, he had been very good at keeping up his bills. So, it would not likely be a collection agent. That would reasonably make it Dave, who liked his privacy, or one of the gang working to spring Dean from his captivity calling his phone.
Dave would more than likely just walk in the door. He knew where Ian hid his spare key. So, it must be one of the gang. Likely Lauren, as she had contacted him before.
"Hello Lauren. Do you realise what time it is?"
"It's not Lauren." A booming male voice came over the phone. Ian tried to fix it. Was it Rab? Moussa? Even Bill? "We are getting everyone together this morning. We think they might be moving Dean today. We need to get him out before they do. We need to sit down."
A hundred thoughts flashed through Ian's brain. Dean's being moved. Oh, my goodness. He had no clue what the plan was. Had no inkling on his role. He hoped the other has done their job, but if they made as much progress as he had on his, then they were well behind the power curve.
"Is there a place to meet near you?" came the question from Rab, Moussa or Bill.
"Uh, yeah. A diner. Just off Lewis and Clark near Horton park. It's called the Sunshine Diner. I am regularly in there."
"OK. We will meet you there at 9 am this morning."
With that, Rab, Moussa or Bill, whoever that had to be, hung up.
Ian thought about laying back down for another half hour. Sunshine Diner was quite literally a thirty second walk from his door, and by his look at the clock, it was just 6 am. He had plenty of time to dress and go.
But it hit him. If Dean was being moved today, then they needed to spring him before he was moved. That meant that they were acting on that information today, in a couple of hours. His mind started racing again. When he was betting, something he had been weaning himself from since the bank job, he would master as many of the variables involved, so he knew exactly how they played out, and he could take advantage of the effects of those shifting variables. For example, during the race from the Central Mall to Trailhead Monument where he met Kate, Ian selected the start time to be just before rush hour. The traffic would be bad enough for a car, but not nearly as bad for a bicycle. However, the selection was not so overt that buddy in the car would immediately realise that he would be blocked in traffic.
Here, he knew nothing of breaking Dean out. Could not control or even be aware of the variables at play. He felt vulnerable.
Then, he thought about the larger problem he was supposed to resolve. Kate. Two days ago, he found her number. He had yet to call. Initially, it was a case of waiting until the next day, which was yesterday. But yesterday, Ian balked, and procrastinated. The rational part of him talked him out of it due to the sensitivity of the questions he needed to ask. "Do you work for a manipulative Benefactor that throws people in psych wards?" But the emotional side of him talked him out of it because he was smitten, and wanted to see her, and wanted to spend time with her, and he feared that his fantasy life with her would be crushed the second she knew he was calling about her being a front for the Benefactor.
Now, the others were ready to move on their jobs, and he had sat on his for over 24 hours. His brain was swimming in confused emotion and stress.
Rolling out of bed, he decided that he needed to get a coffee, toast and at least a shower in right away. He needed to wash off the stench of failure from him before he faced his co-conspirators.