Agent of Influence: A Thriller by Russell Hamilton Page A

immediately purchased two tickets and sidestepped some teenagers debating whether or not they should ride. He slipped in behind Dan Stevens and his wife just as they stepped into the long line for the roller coaster.  
    Now that he was in behind them he relaxed a little, but his paranoid nature would not let him rest. He began to lo ok for the woman he had called and he made two more calls before she finally appeared after twenty long minutes.
    “Darling! I’m over here,” Solomon shouted as he waved his arms in the air. As soon as she was close enough he grabbed her by the arm. “Just stay close to me and be quiet, I just need you to stand here and look pretty,” he whispered in her ear. Everything was now in place.
    Two of Aman’s employees who were also security guards for the hotel were already in place at street level, ready to be the first ones on the scene. They would confirm the deaths, quarantine the area, and discreetly confiscate any cell phones belonging to the deceased. An operation out in the open was very risk but Solomon was willing to chance it. If it could be pulled off properly, it would look like a freak accident to the public, and a freak accident focused attention on things like the hotel’s safety measures. Solomon’s companion was a showgirl. She was not particularly bright and did not ask questions. Her only concern was how much they paid her. This made her easy to control. She was also physically exquisite, with lustrou s blonde hair and long legs that attracted admiring looks from many of the men, and glares from most of the women. She fit perfectly into Solomon’s plan. No one around them would remember his face because of the attention drawn to her. Solomon turned his own attention back to his quarry. He could tell the argument was over, and the man was now beginning to focus on his fear of the roller coaster.
    Their conversation betrayed nothing that sounded as though they may have possession of anything that did not belong to them. He knew his people should be turning their hotel room upside down at this very moment. They were now approaching the front of the line. One of the attendants ushered them into a maze of railings like a traffic cop monitoring an intersection. The attendant opened the gate for two people at a time to walk up to the solitary railings that stood next to the tracks of the roller coaster. The seating for the front rows filled up first, and Solomon watched as the Stevens’ took a spot near the back. Solomon put his arm around his girl in a show of affection as the attendant opened the gate and motioned them towards their choice of seats. Walking towards the back, Solomon and his girl ma de a minor commotion as they pretended to bicker over what seats to occupy before finally settling on the two spots directly behind the Stevens’.
    Glancing across to the other side of the tracks, Solomon made brief eye contact with Augustine. His hotel employee’s uniform shirt was un-tucked and hanging out on the left side, signaling that everything was safe to continue. The far away noise of the roller coaster began to grow louder, causing Solomon to tense up. The rumbling of the coaster announced its arrival a few seconds before it came roaring into view. The slowing of the ride was met with the typical shouts of “Wahoo!” and “Hell yeah!” It slowed to a halt, and the bars that held everyone in their seats simultaneously clicked and rose up so the passengers could disembark, and make their way towards the exit that would funnel them back into the casino.
                  Solomon let his lady friend slide in first, taking the left seat for himself. He brushed his shaggy black hair away from his pale forehead. Each car could hold a total of four people, and Dan Stevens and his wife sat down directly in front of them. The U-shaped metal bars lowered simultaneously to lock everyone in their seats. The attendants moved quickly up the cars, giving the metal bars