by Lynda Filler
“Here’s the deal, Alice. We get ready for bed, and we can watch the movie in mommy’s bed. But first, we have to brush Dolly’s teeth.”
Alice gave Samaar a very stern look, her tiny eyes twinkling. “Mommy. Dolly hath no teeth!”
Samaar laughed and grabbed Alice in a huge hug tickling her until her giggles could be heard all the way down Yelapa Beach.
“Vamonos little one.”
Fifteen minutes into the movie Alice was sound asleep. No Disney princess PJs for her. They’d spent the last few years on the run, and she and Alice wore travel tights and a t-shirt to sleep in. They were ready to go at a moment’s notice.
She moved her to the single cot placed not far from her own bed. Even after six months, Alice still had nightmares. Samaar’s guilt overflowed. What did she think when she made the decision to carry Alice to term? How could an ex-Mossad assassin, once on loan to MI6, ever expect to survive never mind be a mother, and provide a healthy life for her child?
“Samaar.”
Lorena interrupted Samaar’s thoughts. She’d rarely used her Israeli name until she arrived in Mexico. Now she found it more suitable to her lifestyle. Lorena had taken over this safe house for Luke Raven when she retired from the FBI. It was the perfect set up. Lorena felt secure living on her own. She wasn’t running from anything but rather wanted a place to retire after working on the OBL task force; and in return, she did the occasional favor for Luke when his teams were in Mexico. His most recent request—to house an on-the-run mother and child, though, had become a more permanent arrangement. It perfectly suited both agents and the child Lorena was helping Samaar bring up.
“Samaar. I want to thank you.”
Samaar looked surprised.
“Before you say anything, I know I’ve given you a place of refuge, but you and Alice have given me so much more. After I lost both my unborn child and my husband in 9/11, I never thought I could be truly happy again. You’ve given me back my life and created family for me.”
Samaar was uncomfortable by Lorena’s sisterly love—but slowly getting used to it. She’d never allowed attachments but so desperately wanted a home for Alice.
“I have to tell you something, Lorena. I promised Raven I would help him with a personal mission and I will be gone for probably a week. I was going to tell you in the morning. I hate goodbyes. And I trust you to love and look after Alice.”
Lorena was relieved. She always worried that it would only be a matter of time before mother and daughter would leave. But this was different. Samaar was leaving without Alice so for sure she’d be back.
Samaar’s phone vibrated on the table. Only one person had that number. She rose quickly, studied the message and yelled at Lorena.
“Go, grab your bag and Alice. We’re out now!”
Samaar rushed towards the hidden entrance to the vault, put in her code and grabbed her go-bag, a weatherproof pouch and weapons. She closed the door quickly, activated a timing mechanism and ran back to her room.
She pulled on her black combat boots, slung a stuffed knapsack on her back, her Glock in one hand and the other hand on the front door. Lorena was carrying a drowsy Alice and was halfway down the steps to the dock.
They’d rehearsed this drill so many times yet prayed they’d never have the need to use it.
A speedboat waited at the pier closest to them. The three women boarded quickly, and before Alice was fully aware of her surroundings, they roared out of the cove and broke into the open waters of the Bay of Banderas.
Five minutes later, a powerful explosion lit up the night sky behind them. Neither of the women looked back.
Samaar was gone and Luci, the ex-assassin, was back.
4
SAMAAR HEAVED A deep sigh of relief. She stroked the butt of an AK47 she’d removed from a hidden compartment on their boat.
Lorena steered their fast boat and mourned the loss of her home.
“Do you have any idea what this is about?”
“Luke’s text was simple. South America. That means the cartels found me again.”
Lorena knew Samaar’s story, how she’d absconded with millions in diamonds, and conveniently relieved a rogue CIA group—and the cartels—of their money in Switzerland. The money was part of a drugs-for-guns deal that no one could prove. Samaar was forthcoming with Lorena about many things in her life but what she refused to talk about was her relationship with Luke Raven. Lorena knew Samaar and Alice needed a safe place to live and Lorena owed Raven big time for allowing her to live in the Yelapa house all these years. The arrangement had been perfect, until now.
“I always knew this could happen. We’re safe, that’s all that matters.” There was no judgment rather disappointment and sadness in Lorena’s voice. The last six months had been idyllic. Alice seemed immune to the sudden change in her surroundings and had quickly fallen back to sleep as the speedboat raced across the Bay.
Lorena’s long black hair tied back in a braid hung down her back to her waist. Her eyes looked at Samaar with resignation. Lorena had found peace here and created an untraditional family. Now all that would change.
“Keep watch for me while I change.” Luci had left the house in yoga pants and a crop top. She changed quickly into black jeans, a Lycra t-shirt and pulled a lightweight black jacket out of her knapsack.
Her phone pinged. She read the message and looked over the sea at a boat racing towards them.
“It’s okay Lorena, we have company, and we’re switching rides.”
Lorena was still in her jeans and a t-shirt but pulled a sweatshirt from her knapsack.
“Look, I don’t want you to worry. We’re joining Raven in Washington State. Luke is sending me on a diplomatic mission to Paris. He needs my linguistic abilities and a connection I have in Paris. I understand it’s critical or he wouldn’t have contacted me. I was going to tell you in the morning and sneak out on Alice. But you can be with Alice at the compound in Washington. Are you okay?”
Lorena nodded and looked back towards Yelapa.
“I’m so sorry about your home,” Samaar spoke softly to her friend. “You’re the sister I never had. I trusted you with my life and Alice’s when I made the decision to come here and stay with you.”
Luci, the assassin, would never have allowed herself to form attachments, but Samaar had. And now these two women were sisters for life. Lorena remained silent watching Alice sleep.
“You know you’re my family, right?” Luci continued. “We will rebuild a life somewhere else.”
Lorena wiped her tears and shook her head in acknowledgment. They slowed their boat down to idle. A similar vessel pulled close along-side them. The skipper threw a grappling hook over and pulled the boats as close as possible.
“Hola ladies. I’m George. Raven sent me. Let me grab those bags for you.” He had a Glock pointed directly at his heart. He noticed the AK47 on the bench. He seemed to take both in stride.
Luci quickly scanned the speedboat. Typical speed junkie toy; probably confiscated from some Mexican drug dealer. “George” matched the photo Luke had sent through. She lowered her weapon.
“Tell me something. Why does every SEAL boy call himself George?” Lorena smiled for the first time, while George reached towards Lorena to take her backpack. Lorena climbed over between the two vessels—easier said than done. Alice held her mother’s hand rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Mommy, venture?” An uncertain face looked up expectantly.
“Yes Alice, we’re going on an adventure! We’re going to see Luke. Here, let me pass you over to George.” She eyed him sending an unambiguous and dangerous message.
“Whoa, ma’am! I’m the savior here.”
She knew she was hard on the guy. He might as well get used to it.
The sandy-haired surfer dude laughed. His loose-limbed casual style didn’t fool a keen observer like Luci. He grabbed Alice, muscles ripped and told the little one how beautiful she was. Really?? Luci had worked on joint missions w
ith SEAL boys before and most fit his profile. She should be used to the charm and cocky attituded by now.
“And don’t tell me I’m that easy to read.” George was smiling but concerned at the same time. He was supposed to be undercover here in Mexico. The stunning jade-eyed Middle Eastern woman took one look at him and nailed him. He watched her great butt as she easily maneuvered herself over the side of her boat and onto his. She exuded a quiet sensuality, but she underplayed it. Maybe she’d give him her number if he asked politely.
“Don’t even think about it. And stop staring at my ass.” Luci gave him a look.
How the hell did she know what he was thinking? He tossed an object into the now empty boat and opened the throttle on his. He made a full turn back and headed in the direction of the North side of the bay.
Luci watched Alice and Lorena whisper and giggle like this was another routine night in their lives.
“An untrained observer might not recognize it—if you want to take that chance—but you need to let your hair grow longer. It’s still too short. And throw some bleach on it. And see what the locals are wearing on their feet. I guarantee it’s not Yeezys.”
“So where are you from?” George badly needed to change the subject. She really made him feel like a tadpole, a damn recruit! They were going to be together for at least an hour. They had to race across the Bay then hug the coastline and pull into a mostly uninhabited estuary and locate an obscure fishing pier.
“Look. It’s not personal, but I’m not in the mood to talk.”
“Well, maybe not now but if you give me your cell phone number, I could call you later.”
Even Lorena laughed at that one.
“I like your persistence Navy boy, but the answer is still no.” He gave her a cute and sexy grin. In another time and place, she might. No, if she’d been interested in a relationship, she would have stayed in one of Luke’s homes in Canada in the Pemberton Ice Fields or Seattle. Her heart couldn’t take any more breaks. She was still picking up the bloody pieces from the murder of Alice’s father.
She gazed out into the bay. It was pitch black, other than the white spray of the boat’s wake.
“Can you see that light out there? Looks like another fast-moving boat closing in on our speedboat. Are we being followed?” Luci’s fingers tightened their grip on the AK47.
Navy boy grinned, tapped out some numbers on what looked like an iPhone, and waited. Then Luci looked up at him and realized why they were operating dark. Several miles away another explosion lit up the sky.
“No one’s following us any longer. Two for the price of one.”
“Nice work.” Luci smiled in the dark.
Lorena looked away. First, her home exploded, and now her boat. The life she’d carefully constructed imploded. She felt like a refugee.
5
British Columbia, Canada
RB pulled into a gas station in Squamish. He had an hour to go before he hit downtown Vancouver. He was always in awe of the magnificence of the year-round snow-capped mountain ranges along the Sea to Sky highway—God’s country—if you believed God existed in this screwed up world.
He finished filling up the truck, checked the tires and continued down the road. Five minutes later he pulled over to watch mountain climbers testing their skills on the breathtaking deadly slate wall called The Chief.
On days like today, he missed the casual lifestyle he and Luke had lived at Caltech. Luke was a professor, and he was a grad student. But their mutual passion for all things computer brought them close and cemented what has become a life-long friendship and business association. RB was sharp, but Dr. Raven was the real genius.
When Luke’s wife and daughter were murdered in the Bahamas, something changed inside Luke. He blamed himself for leaving his family vulnerable to attack by his enemies. Luke’s intensity was still there, but his passion and direction changed. He no longer designed and explored for the fun of the discovery and the money. Now his determination was focused and fierce.
RB remembered the day Luke dropped the news.
“I’ve got a business proposition for you. This is not a company I’m creating. This is a mission. We are going to be doing things way above, and around the law. Governments and businesses the world over will come to us to solve problems. We are going to form a team to fight world injustice in our own way. No borders or boardrooms to make our decisions or give us direction. You will become a millionaire many times over. But, you are either all in—or completely out.”
Luke took the proceeds from his patents and the investments he’d made since he was a teenager and formed the Raven Group. He was already a billionaire many times over; Luke could pick and choose the battles he wanted to fight and the research he wanted to pursue. And RB never really had any choice. Luke was his teacher, his mentor, and his best friend. He’d never seemed to find time for any outside relationships, so he really sacrificed nothing by dedicating his heart and soul to the work they did.
Still, RB knew Luke was unhappy. The millions he earned while helping nations, corporations, and militaries around the world did not bring him the happiness he had when he was married.
Last summer when Luci showed up, RB thought maybe things were changing for Raven. Luke met Samaar when he and Luke had found a way to get the Mossad to take the Raven boys inside their operations, train them, and show them their company culture. There had been something between the two of them back then, but the timing was way off. Then last summer after Luci saved Alice from kidnapping by human traffickers, she’d taken Alice and walked out of Luke’s life like he meant nothing. Luke built that wall back up higher and thicker than ever before.
His phone vibrated.
“Are you ready?”
“Sure Luke.”
“You’re my emissary, and we represent a non-political ethical group that will be verified as we proceed to the next stage. Don’t give up more than you have to. You want an unequivocal message sent to the Élysée Palace. But you don’t want anyone knowing exactly what we are talking about.”
“Relax Luke. I know what we’re trying to achieve. We’ll make progress.”
“Good. I’ll see you here tomorrow. And RB...”
“Yes?”
“Samaar is on her way. You can tell the President of France that Samaar will be our emissary in Paris.”
Luke disconnected. RB was conflicted. He could hear the excitement in Luke’s voice. He smiled to himself.
Life was never boring around Luke Raven.
Clouds rolled in, the snow gave way to clear highways and warmer weather. Big difference between the altitude of snow-covered Pemberton Ice Fields and the sea-level West Coast Vancouver spring-like conditions. But today wasn’t about weather
RB pulled his SUV up to a side entrance of a parking structure off West Pender in downtown Vancouver. A security group watched his arrival on CCTV while two French Special Forces officers asked for his papers and scanned his vehicle.
“Passport.”
An eyebrow was raised at RB’s diplomatic passport. They hadn’t been informed of the arrival of any dignitary, and his license plate revealed nothing about him.
“One moment.” RB identified six sets of visible eyes focused on him. They checked their log and waited while a facial recognition program, designed and sold to France by the Raven Group, verified his identity.
RB understood. The challenges existing in France right now went way beyond what the newspapers were printing. ISIS was determined to take over this European nation and establish it as their seat of power in the Western world. From the center of Paris, they planned to spread their violent culture over the entire Western hemisphere. France was under siege on many fronts. And the tourists were oblivious.
“You may proceed.”
He was directed to the left where another set of gates opened slowly allowing him and his vehicle, access to a section little known to the citizens of Canada. Armed guards in riot gear held their HK MP5’s at full alert stat
us.
RB exited his vehicle slowly and walked through another x-ray system. A tall African woman in black oversized Dior glasses smiled, held the door, and used a remote-controlled device to propel their elevator to an unmarked floor.
“He’s here.” A young man nodded, straightened his YSL tie and shrugged in true Gaelic fashion. “Let’s see what the billionaire and his organization want from the République Française!”
6
Somewhere near Bosnia
THE WOMAN AND child followed the other refugees and dragged their tired bodies onto a run-down grime covered bus. She had no idea where it was going or if it would make it. As long as it would keep them going in the direction of her map, she would take it.
Rasha choked on the exhaust fumes. At least they would be protected from the snowstorm looming outside. She and the child on her lap were wedged into a two-person bench with two other persons. Rasha and Amira were the lucky ones leaning up against the window. Others screamed, begging to be allowed on the last vehicle leaving that station today. Five hundred US dollars ensured she and Amira would at least make it to the Bosnian border without walking.
She watched a man enter the bus with a large insulated chest. He murmured something in a language very few understood; but from the excited chatter and smiles, Rasha knew he must have hot food for sale.
She pulled more dollars from her money belt and waved them in the air. The older man wove his way slowly down the aisle and handed over two sweet-smelling vegetable pies in return for one hundred American dollars. The child welcomed hers and offered a tiny smile to the greedy vendor.
They ate quickly watching the mountainsides and steep curvy roadways. Soon they both fell asleep.
“Momma, Momma,” the child pulled at Rasha’s elbow. The woman shook herself awake and stared out the window. On their left, an old Lada lay turned over and burning. Black swirls of smoke rose, people screamed, and armed military guards were firing smoke bombs into the crowd. Rasha covered Amira’s eyes.