Displaced

by Lynda Filler

  Luci worked her way down the side of a four-story single-family Greystone home and crossed the street towards the Parc. She took the black iron fence at a run. Her thin gloves grasped the pointed gilded rods twelve feet in the air, barely acknowledging the sharp pain as she connected and swung her body over the edge. She was out of practice. All she scaled in Mexico was palm trees and rock faces.

  Scaling down the fence was easy. She took off on a running path like a gazelle. The alcohol oozed from her pores. After forty-five minutes she collapsed on the ground. She lay back observing the stars and tried to find the constellations. She felt her watch ping and looked down at a message. Luke was looking for her. It was 1 a.m. What could be happening? She effortlessly scaled the locked gate at Parc Monceau and headed back towards the apartment to shower.

  The limo was waiting. Same driver. Same smile.

  “Nice workout?”

  Luci was unnerved. She’d been out of the game for six months, but she was sure she’d neither been followed nor observed. Sloppy.

  “Yes. What’s up?”

  “The boss says your presence is required at the Palais Élysée now.”

  “Okay, give me five minutes.”

  Didn’t that guy sleep? And then it hit her. “Luke.” He knew her propensity for late runs and would have made sure she was protected, day and night.

  She smiled, entered her apartment, did her usual safety checks, and stripped. She dressed quickly in yoga pants and a sweater, grabbed her Louis Vuitton bag with the Glock and headed back to the waiting car.

  Her security guard didn’t know much about this enigmatic Middle Eastern beauty, but Raven said to guard her with his life, and that’s what he would do. He’d been alerted to her movements from the moment she exited her apartment. She was good. He hadn’t seen disciplined training like that since his Special Forces days in Kabul. He almost wished something would happen. They’d make a great team.

  Luci watched Luke’s motorcycle team move in on their flank. It seemed like overkill to her but then she hadn’t been in Paris when the machete-wielding terrorist hit the Louvre. Her phone vibrated. She read the message.

  “I heard you’re on your way. We have a situation. I’ll speak to you when you get to the Palais. President Matisse and Simone will be waiting for you.”

  “Welcome to our humble home.” Everyone laughed breaking an invisible tension that Luci didn’t realize she was feeling.

  “Thank you. I’m honored.”

  “Come. Petit café or Americano?”

  “Espresso, merci.” Luci needed the shot to calm down. She’d thought she’d worked it out. But it seemed she was still wound tight.

  “I’m sorry to bother you so late at night, but if Luke is calling, it must be a matter of national security. He’s asking we find a private secure room and pull him up on a Raven Group link I have here.”

  The President and the first lady smiled unaware of what was happening. But Simone watched Samaar’s eyes and knew this was about something entirely different than the proposal they’d discussed over dinner.

  “Of course. Pablo, we will go to one of our rooms at the DGSI office. It’s the only place I can be sure we are totally secure. Let me arrange it now.”

  Simone used her secure cell and spoke rapidly in French.

  “Let’s go.”

  “First, sorry to interrupt your sleep. Congratulations Monsieur le President and Madame Simone.”

  “It’s a pleasure to ‘meet’ you also. I must say, Mr. Raven, we like your proposal very much. It seems you may know more about the République Française than I do!”

  “I doubt that sir.”

  “Well, we like it, and with the urgency and the security issues we have in France right now, this is an excellent solution. Actually, I think it may be our only option on a global scale. It may take time to implement, but I think it will pass smoothly.”

  “That’s great Sir.” Luke continued, urgency obvious in his tone of voice. “I have something that you need to be aware of that can’t wait. Simone, I need you to approve something. My lines are secure, but I need to break protocol and talk about something your DGSI outsourced to our intelligence division. Are you okay with that?”

  Simone was hesitant. She stood with two people who were not in the loop on all matters of national security in France. But she trusted the Raven Group. If Luke said it was urgent, it must be. “Yes, go ahead.”

  “As you know I have a business that often helps out foreign governments. Especially in top secret areas that would take too much time to go through regular channels for approval. Plus, unfortunately, we all have major security leaks and questionable loyalties, within our own governments.”

  Luci didn’t like this at all. She could feel Luke’s tension and something more than that. Could it be fear?

  “One of our partners in the project I have before you is Jack Stone who created one of the wealthiest foundations in the world. Let me get to the point. One of his philanthropic projects is the eradication of diseases in third world countries. He’s particularly focused on health for children.” Luke stopped, took a deep breath, a sip of his Starbucks coffee and continued.

  “He has an extensive secure research facility in Seattle.” He stopped, choosing his words with care. “A top Syrian biologist is missing. He disappeared in the last twenty-four hours. We believe there are connections with persons of interest in France. We have a threat level of severe and possibly critical.”

  The President of France, the head of DGSI France, and a lethal international assassin were speechless.

  24

  Serbian/Hungary Border

  THERE WAS COMFORT in knowing she was safe amongst other refugees in the overcrowded school. The musty sweaters, the wet blankets, the cooking odors, all attested to others who’d gone before and made it across the Hungarian border. But for the moment, they had a roof over their head, and food in their bellies. This brought some semblance of security to both mother and daughter. She allowed her mind to wander to happier times with her husband, the downtown cafés of Damascus, the friends, and the parties. She would have to build a new life now. Create new memories.

  Rasha and Amira found a corner away from the crowds, sheltered, with some privacy. Tonight, Rasha relaxed with the promise of a good night’s sleep indoors. Amira struggled with her dreams but eventually settled down. Rasha soon followed.

  She began to thrash back and forth, unable to breathe, an anxiety attack rising to the surface. Her mouth was covered, and her arms felt heavy. In a few moments, she felt both helpless and weightless. She was no longer capable of moving, but the sensation of floating left her serene.

  Sometime later, her eyes still heavy, she awoke in a fog. One arm ached, and her clothes were in disarray. She felt for Amira. Her gentle snores were comforting. But something was very wrong. She tried to sit up but felt woozy. She noticed a rag by her head that wasn’t there before and reached over to pick it up. It smelled strange and had blood on it. She shook her head and rubbed her arm, surprised by the tenderness above her right elbow. She couldn’t remember why her head would hurt, but when she reached up to touch her forehead, her fingers came away with blood on them. She reached down to retrieve her money belt and gasped. It was gone!

  She cursed in Arabic and removed her dagger from her leg brace. It was too late for this now. Would it have saved her anyway? They must have waited until she was asleep, covered her mouth and injected her.

  Silent tears streamed down her face. Thousands of Euros were gone. She still had her wool coat. Her finger traced the outline of the document sewn in the lining. She thanked her husband for sewing Euros throughout her garment and in Amira’s jacket also. She thanked Allah that they hadn’t stolen her coat.

  But she cursed her husband at the same time.

  “What have you done to put your family is so much danger?”

  25

  Paris, France

  “LUKE, WHAT WAS he working on?”

  “
Here’s what we know. The assistant Dr. Sahar Faisal went on the run when her boss, Dr. Azar went missing. Jack told her to go to his hideaway in West Seattle. We went to find her, and we weren’t the only ones that were after her. Weapons were fired. We had to rescue her out of Puget Sound this afternoon.”

  Luci gasped, closed her eyes and whispered. “Bioweapons?”

  “Yes. It was supposed to be immunization, but Jack does a lot of work on cures for things the world at large is not ready to know exist. Everyone that works in the labs signs non-disclosure agreements. Here’s where it got weird. A couple of weeks ago, two agents showing United States Government identification visited Dr. Azar. They said he’d been selected to work on a top-secret project on behalf of the government. His assistant was not supposed to know what she was working on. Of course, the project had the full approval and knowledge of the foundation. Dr. Azar signed on letterhead for the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. Dr. Azar agreed with all terms and conditions; disagreement was never an option. But the doctor kept his own secrets. He never admitted that all ideas and projects were shared with his assistant Dr. Faisal. After all, he wasn’t getting any younger, and Sahar was his protégé.” Luke stopped to let all this information sink in.

  “From what she can tell us, they assumed Jack Stone knew what the scientists were working on for all branches of the government. It’s his facility, and he has the agreements with Washington. How could anyone just walk in off the streets and present themselves as government agents? But lately, several unusual things were happening that made Sahar nervous. First, the agents were Muslim and only spoke Arabic in the doctor’s presence. And the day before he disappeared, the doctor was acting strange, making phone calls to his wife, and muttering about his family in Syria.”

  “What? He has family in Syria, Luke?” Luci was immediately alert. “This doesn’t sound right. Did Jack have any idea what was going on?”

  “Not until he had a conversation with Sahar. You have to understand, Jack travels constantly. He and Sandy work more with PR and have meetings with heads of state in Africa, the Middle East, and South America.” Luke shook his head.

  “When Sahar got through to him yesterday, Jack realized this could be a serious problem and immediately told her not to return to the office but instead to go to his place in West Seattle.” Luke was shaking his head.

  “Then Jack came over here for a final discussion of our Paris plans, he told me what he suspected. I sent men to retrieve her.”

  Bioweapons developed in Seattle. No. This can’t be happening. The President of France was in deep thought.

  “The team picked her up,” Luci interjected.

  “Yes, literally. She kept her cell phone on, and they found her. Lucky for her she decided to kayak. We rescued the Dr. in Puget Sound.” He sighed.

  “What does this have to do with France?” Ever pragmatic, Luci put her emotions aside and got down to the reason for the call.

  “We intercepted some chatter on someone we are watching for US Intelligence. Totally top-secret. Way outside any box. I have to ask Simone. Are you aware that we are listening to the conversations of Syrian nationals in Paris who hold sensitive positions? This one works at the Syrian Embassy. But we’re talking home phone now.”

  Simone looked over at Pablo who raised his eyebrows quizzically.

  “Can you give me more detail please?”

  “This is the phone number, and the names of the persons and the time of the call.” Luke read off some details.

  Simone immediately typed out a message on her cell.

  “What’s most important is the people in question were not home. We have someone in Paris who went over to check, and he tells us the couple has not returned to their apartment. First I suggest you check with the Embassy to see if they are on a scheduled vacation.” Unfortunately, Simone knew precisely whom Luke was talking about. So far, they had both been perfect citizens but due to their positions and the instability of their government, rebel forces and ISIS, they were being monitored and they had outsourced this work to the Raven Group. He was being very kind to advise her in such a way in front of the President of France. He knew damn well that we had missed something or not acted on it yet.

  Simone spoke up. “Yes, I can confirm we are aware of the message that came in earlier.”

  “Listen to the message carefully. We believe there’s a link to our scientist.” Simone answered a knock at the door and stepped outside.

  “What’s going on Luke?” Luci had a bad feeling about this.

  “We’ve heard rumblings, chatter about something massive being planned. Not a hundred people but an event that will make the whole world pay attention to ISIS. We don’t like the relationship Assad has with ISIS. He’s using chemical weapons on his own people. And Assad sees now that the West is turning against him but is not prepared to actually do anything to him. If he worked both sides and helped ISIS make a huge violent statement, then all eyes would be distracted. Then he could perpetrate something crazy on the opposition to his regime that would give him the victory he needs.”

  Pablo was listening, thinking; and Luci’s mind was racing.

  “What are you planning Luke? I know you.”

  Just then Simone returned.

  “Okay Luke, I’ve located and listened to the translation of this communication. How does this tie into what you’re referring to?”

  “Here’s what we’ve been able to figure out. The Syrian Diplomat is also a scientist. His area of expertise is nuclear. His brother and another family member, possibly the wife’s brother, were working with the Assad regime in Damascus. They both disappeared ten days ago, in some kind of purge we think. His family is no longer in Syria also. There’s no record of them boarding an aircraft either. They’re not using their passports. There’s a relationship between this family in Seattle, your diplomat in Paris and the woman on the phone. I will play the message now for Luci. Listen carefully.”

  Luci spoke Arabic flawlessly, as well as English, French, and Hebrew. The desperation and fear in the woman’s voice made her heartbreak. She could hear a child in the background calling for her mother.

  “She’s stranded on the Serbian side of the Hungarian Border. She has a Syrian passport, some money, and a little girl. You’re aware, I’m sure, that Hungary has closed all their border points disallowing any refugee transit through their country. She’s begging her family to come and rescue her. I don’t know how she made it this far. But it’s the last part that makes it so critical. She has a message from her husband that must be delivered to the West. I assume this is why she didn’t travel by plane or any manner that could be intercepted by Syrian intelligence.”

  Luci looked at Simone. Pablo turned from the window a look of fear on his face. This was much too close to home. He had to protect his country.

  Luke spoke up.

  “Dr. Sahar Faisal mentioned family in both Syria and Paris and something about the embassy. We’re certain it’s the same family. Connected. We all need to find Rasha and get whatever information she’s carrying.”

  Luci was stunned. She was on a simple visit to Paris to see old friends. “Deliver a message for me, Luci, they know and trust you.” And now this.

  “Luci, you know what you need to do. Everything you require is on a plane at Le Bourget. I’m sending you the coordinates she mentioned on the recording in case you didn’t write them down. RB has satellite images you will receive on your iPhone. We have no photo of the woman and child, but we’re working on getting a message to her. We know her real name is Rasha and her daughter is Amira. We assume her husband provided her with false documents and forced her to run. With thousands of refugees leaving Syria daily, there’s no way we can locate the names they’re traveling under.”

  Luci closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

  A woman on the run with a daughter. Déjà vu.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to get her to Paris. The best timing woul
d be for me to go in tomorrow, or in the next eighteen hours, after dark.” She hesitated. “Luke…”

  “Yes, Luci?”

  “Take care of Alice for me. And tell Maggs no junk food.” Luke smiled.

  “And Luke…”

  “Yes?”

  “If anything happens to my child, I will hold you personally responsible.”

  “Understood.”

  Simone looked down at the floor. Pablo watched Samaar. The steel in her voice made it very clear that she was the Israeli assassin, Luci, he’d read about.

  “And, Luke?”

  “Yes, Samaar?”

  “If I don’t return, take care of my little girl.”

  26

  Anacortes, WA

  “WHAT HAVE YOU got RB?”

  Sahar Faisal looked up from her laptop when Luke Raven entered the room.

  “First, I tapped into Dr. Azar’s personal computer and cell phone from information provided by Sahar. Neither is on, but he’s near Wi-Fi. A piece of cake for me.” RB brought up a photo on the screen overhead. “This is the satellite locator, and he’s near SeaTac Airport. Let’s zoom in so I can give the boys the address. They’re very near. I’ve remote accessed his second computer. He erased some files this morning, but I’ve found them.” He worked his computer equipment like a croupier in Vegas.

  “Okay, here he is.” RB typed a message into his iPhone.

  “I’ve downloaded everything Sahar tells me is important. It’s encrypted, but that should be easy to open.”

  “Okay. Good.”

  “Wait.” RB looked down at his cell phone. “The boys are in the lobby and have a room number and key card.

  Raven waited.

  “The visual RB?”

  “The boys have photos, right?”

  “Yes. Dr. Azar’s photo. We accessed the airport security tapes from this earlier and have grainy shots of the “Homeland Security” man who pulled Dr. Azar aside. Sahar says it’s one of the agents she met at the foundation.”