Serve in the Shadows Recruitment, page 11
Opening the marked crate first, Georges found a folded piece of paper that lay on top and read over the instructions within. Eyes opening wide at the task, he looked down at the crates and began quickly to work.
Removing the backings from the front center seats and installing the packages took a few hours, but when he looked at the finished work, no one could tell the difference.
Cleaning up took a few minutes, and then he hurried home to get a few hours’ sleep. Knowing he had to show up for work tomorrow morning to keep up appearances made his stomach churn. As to the alternative, he didn’t even consider it.
*****
Daniel just left the Swiss Raiffeisen bank in Geneva, Switzerland, where he transferred the total sum of the latest deposit into two separate Cayman accounts.
Stopping at the garbage can out front of the bank, he took his passport and driver’s license and tucked them into a paper bag along with his cell burner phone and shoved them deep into the garbage can.
Dan automatically rolled his shoulders forward and changed his gait, developing a small limp, while keeping an eye out to see if he is being watched or followed.
Thirty years with the CIA taught him a few things, but in the end, it is always look out for number one. His contacts throughout the decades, sat on both sides of the fence. When he heard the offer to switch alliances, those many years ago it didn’t take much thought. Setting up his nest egg of funds to disappear from the government, and retire were deemed worth it. It was all part of the game. A game at which he loved to play.
Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a ball cap and placed it on his head while merging into a group of tourists walking east along Rue de Marche. One could never be too safe when doing an automatic surveillance detection route. An engrained habit.
Humming to himself, he eagerly looked forward to watching the news tonight.
Chapter 28
Having emptied out a small supply room, Derek double checked the ropes holding the unconscious man to the chair. He was very big and strong, and he would be very pissed off shortly.
Picking up a bucket of water, Derek turned it upside down on the man’s head.
It didn’t take too long before his eyes opened wide and he lunged toward Derek, straining against the restraints.
Cupping his hands, Derek slammed them into the side of the man’s head, causing instant pain to explode through his ears. He stopped short of imploding the eardrums. It was too soon for that level of interrogation, and he needed him to be able to listen to questions.
“I need answers, and if you give them to me, you will be fine,” Derek started. “Got it?”
Emmanuel started to take a deep breath and Derek stepped to the side and brought a right hook across his jaw.
“No spitting.”
Shaking his head from the blow, his eyes opened wide, “You are a dead man! I will kill you!”
“It isn’t looking too good for you right now, Emmanuel.”
The bound man looked surprised.
“I have had a little time to learn about you. And you have the information on bombs brought in from Yemen.”
Emmanuel grinned, ignoring the pain in his shoulders and said, “I know nothing.”
“Let’s find out.”
Looking around, Derek had found something that would work from the guard’s office. During survival training, they learned a few things about gel hand sanitizer. Due to its high alcohol content, it could be used as a fuel source for cooking, or for emergency cauterizing of a wound.
Bringing up the bottle, he opened the top and placed it against Emmanuel’s left shoulder, the bottle opening right over the bullet hole.
Squeezing, he shot the hand sanitizer straight into the wound.
Emmanuel’s eyes squinted in pain and he started sweating.
“Fuck you, if that is all you got!”
Smiling, Derek said, “We are just getting started.”
Pulling out a lighter, he brought it up to the hand gel, and with the extremely high alcohol content, it caught fire immediately. A bright blue flame rose from the gel and began to accelerate.
The skin around the bullet hole started to cook and bubble, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.
Emmanuel started to thrash and scream, and once the gel started catching fire on the inside, his struggles intensified.
“Where did the bombs go?” Derek shouted at him.
Emmanuel kept his head back, as the fire started burning away inside his shoulder.
Reaching up toward him, Derek pulled and ripped the shirt fully down, exposing the right shoulder. A similar exit wound mirrored the left.
The ropes were holding and Emmanuel had no room to avoid the bottle as it squirted into the second hole, shooting the hand gel deep into his shoulder.
Scum like this would aid and help those that would kill women, children, and many innocent lives. They had brought this upon themselves. Derek felt no remorse for his actions, and in fact, he felt justified.
“Ready for a long night, Emmanuel?”
Derek brought up the lighter and smiled at his captive, while he opened the top of his pants and poured the gel all over Emmanuel’s groin.
Screams and yelling were heard throughout the mansion as Derek started round two.
*****
Standing in front of the security office, Derek felt drained. Emmanuel knew quite a bit of information, but Derek believed he withheld some right up to the end. A fully trained interrogator would be more successful in this situation, but they were restricted to certain “rules and procedures” that Derek did not have to follow.
Wiping his hands on the back of his pants, Derek walked into the security office. The remaining guard was lying on the floor all tied up and gagged. His eyes widened in fear as he tracked Derek crossing the small room.
“Derek, look at this.” Grant had followed Derek from the hallway and pointed to one of the security monitors.
It showed a small room, with a mattress on the floor in one corner.
A small figure lay curled up on it.
Reaching down, Derek removed the gag from the bound guard and pointed to the screen.
“Who is this?”
“I do not know! She was brought in tonight and put in there.”
“Where is this?”
“Corridor off of the hallway outside this office, last room on the left.”
Reaching down Derek put the gag back into his mouth and said, “If you give me any problems or troubles, I will come back here and kill you. Understood?”
The guard nodded.
“Let’s go.”
Derek followed Grant outside, and after opening a few doors, they found one leading to a long hallway.
Sitting outside the last door on the left was a small green carry-on piece of luggage. The door had a large metal sliding bolt lock.
Kneeling down, Derek looked over the suitcase. Seeing no obvious signs of tampering, he opened the two latches and looked inside.
Neatly folded inside, lay some clothing for a small child, and a doll.
“Derek, if this is who I think, she may have gone through quite a bit. Be gentle.”
“No problem … let’s do this.”
Sliding back the bolt, Derek paused and then gently opened the door.
The room was very small with only a single mattress lying on the floor in one corner. A red light from the security camera blinked in the opposite corner. A little girl was curled up under the blanket, sleeping.
Walking over to the corner, Derek knelt down and gently shook the sleeping little girl.
“It’s time to get up, we are going to leave here now.”
Leaving the blanket wrapped around her, Derek scooped her up. She barely stirred and weighed almost nothing.
“Derek, grab the case and get out of here.”
“Ideas?”
“In the security room, you can open the front gate and get a car from the garage.”
A few minutes later, Derek behind the wheel of a new Mercedes, pulled over to meet with a contract field team that Hubble had chosen for their discretion. Handing over the still sleeping girl and the suitcase, they just shook hands and went their own ways without a single word being exchanged.
*****
Utterly exhausted, Derek opened the door to his hotel room, and after a brief look around, flopped onto the bed.
Five hours later, a ringing cell phone woke him up.
“Derek, the little girl is fine. They had her drugged up from the flight.”
“Will you be able to get her back to Mustafa?”
“That is already being arranged. She was being held so he would cooperate. Good job.”
“Thank you, sir. The intel helping out?”
The Assistant Deputy John Hubble could be heard shuffling papers around and tapping on the keyboard of his computer.
“They are working on Emmanuel’s cell phone right now, and the Saudi prince is holed up at his embassy.”
“Target location?”
“Being narrowed down. NSA is tracing phone numbers from the cell phone.”
“Any fall out from my … visit tonight?”
“Nothing from local police. In my experience, the Saudi’s like to deal with problems by themselves. They throw lots of money at issues until they are resolved, that is how they usually operate.”
Derek kicked off his boots and lay the Sig Sauer beside him.
“Give me a call. I am here to help if needed sir.”
“I am keeping this very compartmentalized, the team in Madrid reports only to me and no one else, and I hope the same applies to yourself as well Sergeant.”
“Roger that.”
“I will call you soon as I know more.”
Falling back on the bed, Derek fell asleep within moments.
Chapter 29
03:00
Saudi Embassy
Madrid, Spain
Abdul-Hamid Al Saud Saraf sat in the lounge on the third floor of the Saudi Arabian Embassy, looking at his guards.
“Try again, someone should be answering at the estate!”
“We are constantly trying, your Highness,” said one guard bowing slightly.
“Not acceptable!” he said, slamming his hand down on the table.
“The team that went to the estate should be reporting in soon.”
Security for the estate was handled by Omar Khaled Al Saud Nasser, the ambassador for the embassy. Appointed by the king, Omar Nasser also acted as station chief of intelligence for the area and reported directly to the king. Omar was also his cousin and is in a direct line to the throne above Abdul-Hamid.
Omar and his family accepted the ambassador appointment several years ago, and have settled into Madrid, living in a modest home not far from the embassy.
Another guard walked into the room and whispered to his section commander.
“What is going on!” Abdul was definitely not used to this.
“Your Highness, it is possible there was an assassination attempt on you tonight. There are only three guards alive at the residence.”
“What about Emmanuel? I have not heard from him!”
“It appears he was subject to torture and died from his wounds.”
At this, Abdul sat back in the chair, mouth agape. Emmanuel has been with him for over seventeen years, and he also knows all his secrets. Nothing was mentioned of his prisoner, which only meant she had been taken.
Keeping quiet on this, Abdul knew this is no coincidence, and the timing could not have been closer. Unsure of what has been revealed Abdul-Hamid knew he needed to get out of here quickly and retreat to safety.
“Inform the ambassador that due to pressing safety concerns, I will be leaving immediately. Have my jet ready and get me to the fucking airport now!”
More than glad to be rid of him, the guards moved quickly, while calls were being made.
*****
A few hours after sunrise, the Royal Princess and heir to the Spanish Throne walked across the stage with her friends. They would be the opening act tonight so all the dancers felt nervous, a bit giggly, and full of energy.
Nathalie Volkoff let the girls have a few minutes of fun, before clapping her hands to get their attention.
“We will start in two minutes! Get to your places, everyone.”
A flurry of activity followed her announcement, as the young girls ran to their spots and did their last-minute stretches.
Nathalie walked off stage and sat in the first row, clipboard and paper with a pen ready to take notes.
A young man stood off to the side of the stage watching, and when Nathalie nodded to him, he went into the sound booth and began the music. Classical piano notes filled the room as the dancers began their performance.
Crossing her legs Nathalie tapped her pen in time to the music while her trained eye followed the dancers.
They are ready, she thought.
Chapter 30
07:30
Ambassador Residence
Madrid, Spain
Omar reached over and answered the phone, with dreams of sailing vanishing in a puff of smoke. One day of the week to sleep in, and something always happens.
After a few minutes listening, he hung up and started getting dressed quickly while going downstairs into his office. Locking the door to avoid any interruptions from his family, Omar sat behind the desk, dreading the next few calls he had to make.
He would be informed within the hour after sending a report to the king. Already knowing what actions to take, Omar began to contain and keep this whole mess quiet.
Another phone call started the arrangements for a cleanup crew to arrive discretely at the mansion. He had never used them previously, but their contact information was one of the trade family secrets. Pay them enough and the problems go away.
Picking up the phone, Omar called the new head of security for the Saudi mansion.
“Status update.”
“Your Royal Highness.” Omar cringed inside, hating the honorific title. “I have pictures and video of the assassin, captured from the security system. Sending them to you now.”
“And my cousin?”
“His Royal Highness is unharmed, and he is boarding a jet and is off to Switzerland.”
Checking the computer, Omar saw an email arrive. Clicking on it, he found several pictures taken of the assailant.
How one person could cause that much disruption amazed Omar. He seemed slightly larger than average height and extremely fit. Attached were a few small video clips, making the guards look like fools before they died.
The king’s head of the royal guard oversaw many aspects of the country, not just the royal family’s security. He had contacts that would help find and eliminate this man.
This was not the first, and probably not the last, attempt on the Royal Family.
“The cleanup crew will be at the mansion shortly. Compensation to the guard’s families will be taken care of. In the meantime, bring in replacements and stay vigilant. We do not have confirmation of the actual target at this time.”
“Yes, your Royal Highness.”
Hanging up, Omar leaned back in the office chair closing his eyes.
This was not how he had wished to start his day. At times, he felt being a prince and in the Saudi family was as much a curse as it was a blessing. Ambassador to the king in Spain was a great position, and he has grown to love Madrid as much as his family does.
His thoughts were interrupted, as his daughter arrived home from practice still excited and laughing. Hoping this situation would blow over and not further ruin the day, Omar went out to say good morning.
Chapter 31
Villa De Vallecas
Madrid, Spain
Sitting back in his chair, Derek took another sip of his expresso while casually looking around. The café patio took over the sidewalk on the east side of a six-story apartment building, along with a few other shops. A few tables surrounding him had green shade umbrellas. The service was quick and the espresso tasted good. The only other customers were an elderly couple at the far end of the outdoor patio having some pastries and tea.
“How are you doing?” Grant appeared sitting in the chair across from Derek.
“Doing good. This is work that needs doing and is just as important as being in the field with my section.”
“Any word yet?”
Shaking his head, Derek put his espresso down and looked at Grant. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“How is it that you are here? Where do you go when you are not here?”
Grant closed his eyes and appeared to be thinking.
“I have been thinking about how I am here as well. Thinking a great deal on this matter, to be honest.”
“Go on.”
Opening his eyes, Grant looked at Derek. “The actual answer is, I don’t know, but I have an idea that might make some sense.”
Leaning forward on the table, Derek tried to make it look like he isn’t having a conversation with himself, with his chin resting on his hand.
“I am fairly sure I have not met God, or any God, as far as I know. No one that I know of sent me back here, but what I do know is that energy cannot cease to exist. So, all the synapses and firing of neurons in our brains transmit electrically and chemically to form patterns. That pattern is me and all my memories of my whole life.”
Grant leaned back in the chair and raised his arms. “That energy had to go somewhere when my body died. Scientists can measure the energy in a brain to the quantum level and further to at least eleven dimensions, and it’s just possible that I am operating in another dimension. The twelfth dimension? Sorry, that is my best guess.”
“That’s a lot to think about, and I am not sure I understand it all.”
“I am not sure of a Heaven or Hell. I am here now, and just maybe people create their own afterlife? With a lifetime of creating certain pathways of energy within their brain, they move on to their own creation…”
“Regardless, I am glad you are here.” Derek would have to mull this over.
