“You don’t exist. You have disappeared off the face of the planet. No one can help you. No one knows where you are.” She released his head and walked back to her side of the table. “Like they say in the movies, ‘you can make this easy or you can make it hard.’ It’s up to you.”
She pulled the door open. “I won’t be seeing you again. That’s kind of a shame. They use some really effective nude techniques to extract information here. You have a delicious body. Too bad it will be withered and broken by the time we finish with you.”
She stepped through the door and shut it.
Holy shit. I’m so in over my head. I want to say goodbye to Mama, Hope. He sat and stared at the walls. What can I do? Should I tell them everything? That would get me off the hook, but I’d still spend the rest of my life in prison. If I hold out, they’re gonna hurt me bad. And what will it get? Can I still trade information for my freedom?
His stomach churned, and he could hardly breathe. He took deep, slow gulps of air. He felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. The room faded from focus.
God damnit. Get control of yourself.
With a supreme effort of will-power, Ted brought his breathing under control. He cleared his mind and thought about Maria.
They were on a beach. A lone sailboat was anchored in the lagoon. The turquoise water was bath temperature, and the sun beat down relentlessly on the white sand.
They were on a blanket under a palm tree, a bucket of Coronas at hand, they lay naked in the sun.
Her body was incredibly beautiful and soft. She had long legs and a perfect round ass. Her tiny breasts bobbled and pointed towards the sky. Fair skin, green eyes and red hair made her flawless.
Somewhere in the distance, Ted heard a baby crying. Mijo, I’m coming. It was his son. Soon he’d find a way to meet him, be part of his life…
Two large men in back fatigues, with a pistol on one hip and a police baton on the other, burst into the room. “On your feet.”
They grabbed Ted and pulled him up. They took hold of his upper arms and dragged him out of the room.
By the time Ted had his feet underneath him, he was halfway down a drab white hallway. The men led him to a steel door, like all the other doors in the hallway, and unlocked it.
“Inside,” one said.
Ted stepped into a room with half a dozen dog-sized cages. What do they need kennels for? Do they use dogs here?
“Strip,” the guard said.
“Huh?”
“You heard me, strip. Take off your clothes.”
Ted hesitated.
The other guard slammed the end of his baton into Ted’s gut. Ted let out a surprised gasp and bent double.
“When we say jump, you say how high? Got it?” the second guard growled.
“Uh … yeah.” Ted pulled off his T-shirt and unbuckled his jeans.
When he was naked, the first guard unlocked and opened one of the cages. “Get in.”
“Huh?” It wasn’t big enough for a man.
The guard smacked his baton against Ted’s head. “You’re a slow learner, aren’t you? I said get in.”
Ted got on his hands and knees and crawled in.
“Turn around.”
Ted complied. The second guard grabbed his left hand and snapped it into a cuff at the top of the cage. Then he secured Ted’s right hand. Ted was partially suspended by the cuffs, half his weight on his knees and the other half pulling his arms from his shoulders.
“See ya in a couple a days,” the first guard said. They turned and locked the door behind them.
Chapter 28
The buzzing and vibration in Bear’s desk drawer brought him out of his trance. He stared at the drawer for a moment, then pulled it open and grabbed his burner phone.
“Yeah…”
“I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” a female voice said. “Which do you want first?”
Bear ran his hands through his bushy red hair. “Give me the bad.”
“I couldn’t find out where they’re holding Higuera.” There was a note of sadness in the Joker’s voice. “He’s disappeared off the face of the Earth.”
“Shit.” If the Joker couldn’t find Ted, then nobody could.
“I do have some good news though.”
Bear perked up a little. “What?”
“How would you like some information on the head of the TAO?”
Bear pulled at his fuzzy red beard. “TAO?”
“Yeah, the Tailored Access Operations. They’re the NSA’s cyberwarfare group.”
“Never heard of them.”
“That’s because they’re a gray organization. Congress funds them, but no information about them is ever released to the public.”
What does this have to do with Ted? Bear sighed and gazed around his cubicle. The Star Wars bobble heads on his desk stared back at him in silence.
“They’re the ones who made Ted disappear,” she continued.
“Huh?”
“I found a document passing custody from the NSA to TSO. I also found presidential authorization to do ‘whatever is necessary to collect pertinent information’ from Higuera.”
“Oh, God.” Bear rubbed the back of his bushy red head.
“Here’s the good part, Dr. Elaine Jefferson has been a very bad girl.’
****
A tall, slender red-haired woman sat at the head of the table. Dressed in a powder blue power suit, with four-inch heels and finely manicured nails she emanated power. Her blue eyes scanned the four dark-suited men around the table and then fell on the monstrous Harlequin Great Dane who sat on the floor at her side.
“I hear we have a problem,” she said in Spanish in an icy voice.
“I’m afraid so, Reina,” a man with a scar down the left side of his face and a Pancho Villa mustache replied in Spanish. “But first, more pleasant things. How is the bebe?”
The woman smiled. “Eduardo is doing fine. He’s strong and handsome, like his papa.”
Maria Gonzales, a Mexican-American woman, the head of one of Mexico’s most infamous drug cartels, started out her professional life as the curator of the pre-Columbian exhibit at Museo Nacional de Antropología, the National Anthropological Museum, in Mexico City.
She met and fell in love with an American boy, and transferred to teaching at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Her father was killed in Mexico’s drug wars, and she returned home to take over the family business, bringing her unborn child with her.
“Tell me about this computer problem.”
“Señora,” a slender light-skinned man on her left said. “We have been attacked by the CryBaby virus. If we don’t pay the ransom, all our data will be lost.”
Maria reached over to pet her Dane’s, head. “So, how bad will that be for us?”
“It will be a disaster,” a tall, thin man, known as El Razor, said. “All of our client information, supplier information, all of our business is there.”
“How much do they demand?”
El Razor, the jefe of accounting, looked down at his notebook and said, very softly, “One hundred million dollars, U.S.”
Maria’s face was cold as stone. “That is outrageous. What can we do?”
Martin Flores, a young man in his late twenties, spoke up. “Señora, I suggest we pay the ransom. We cannot operate without that data. Then we find out who did this to us and we make them pay.”
Maria’s eyes rolled skyward and drew a deep breath. She knew what she had to do but couldn’t bring herself to do it. “How will we find out who did this?”
Martin gave Maria a sad smile. “You know, Señora.”
****
Chris sat at his desk, bouncing the eraser on his pencil on a yellow note pad.
What else can I do?
He had exhausted every legal avenue to secure Ted’s release. The Federal Government was no longer even interested in talking.
His gaze fell on a framed photograph of a blue sailboat
taken from a helicopter. Dressed in red foul-weather gear, the crew hung over the side as his father steered the Defiant on a close tack. He was the small red figure hanging off the rail.
God, it’s been a long time.
His dad’s boat, the Defiant, had led Ted and him on their first adventure. Ted saved his life after the al-Qaeda cell filled his body with bullets. What could he do to save Ted now?
The phone on his desk rang.
“Mr. Hardwick, it’s a David Jones,” the voice said.
“Put him through.”
“Hi, Mr. Hardwick, this is Bear.”
“Bear?” he scanned his internal memory banks. “Please, call me Chris.” He turned his pencil business end down. “You work for Ted.”
“That’s right, and I’ve got some information for you that may helpt.”
“Don’t say another word. This phone line is not secure. We need to meet in person.”
“Okay, where?”
Chris thought a minute. “You know the Shilshole Bay Marina?”
“Yeah…”
“Meet me there in half an hour. Dock D. I’ll be waiting at the gate to let you in.”
****
A wind stirred ripples on the bay and seagulls circled overhead, cawing. It’s been too long, Chris thought as he waited by the gate. I’ve got to get back on the water when this is over.
A short, stalky man with fiery red hair and a bushy beard got out of a blue Volkswagen Tiguan. Chris knew him from Ted’s office. He was some kind of super-nerd.
“Chris Hardwick?” Bear asked.
“Yep, that’s me.” Chris extended his hand.
Bear shook his hand and looked around. “We’re going to meet here?”
“Let’s go down to my boat.” Chris unlocked the gate and led the way.
In slip D-56, a bright red boat rolled gently to the breeze. The forty-three-foot sloop looked like a sailing Ferrari sitting at the dock.
“Holy crap,” the red-head said, “this is your boat?”
“Yeah. The last present my dad gave me.” Chris hopped aboard and spun the combination lock on the cabin door. “Come below. We can talk and not be afraid of any listening devices.” He climbed down the companionway ladder.
Bear followed and spun his head in awe. “I didn’t even know they made boats like this.”
The teak walls and bulkheads were highly polished. A table hung on a brass pole that ran floor to ceiling. The galley, to Bear’s left, looked like it was ready for a gourmet chef. Wine glasses hung in a rack above the sink.
“Beer?” Chris asked.
“No thanks. You got a Coke?”
“Sure.” Chris retrieved the can from the fridge and pulled out a Dos XX for himself. “What do you have for me?” He waved Bear to the starboard settee and sat opposite him.
“I had one of my hackers looking for Ted and he found some interesting information. I don’t know if you can use it or not, but I thought you should have it.”
“Okay.” Chris studied Bear’s blue eyes. He seems earnest. Can I trust him?
“It’s about a Dr. Elaine Jefferson…”
“I’ve met her. She’s the head of the TAO.”
“That’s right.” Bear couldn’t suppress his grin. “She’s been a very naughty girl.”
Chris leaned forward. “What did you find?”
Bear leaned back and crossed his legs. He took a long drink of his Coke set the can on the table and twirled it around. “There’s a warning in her file. It seems several people in her employ filed sexual harassment charges.”
“What?” Chris started as if he’d been hit by an electric shock.
“That’s right.” Bear’s smile lifted his beard at least an inch. “She used her position to pursue her employees.”
Chris ran his hand over his long, blond hair and down his pony tail. “I don’t get it. How did she harass male employees?”
“Not just male, some women filed complaints too.” A smile crossed Bear’s face. “This gets even better. The women say that she showed them pictures of various penises, then told them who they belonged to and how good they were in bed.” Bear put his elbows on the back of the settee. “I’ve got the files. Would you’d like to see them?”
“No, thanks.” Chris had to gasp for air. Could this really be true? It might be the key to get Ted out. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“I have photos of her having sex with several different men in her employ.”
Chris popped up the computer screen in his head and replayed his meeting with Dr. Jefferson. There it is. He focused in on her left hand. She’s wearing a wedding band. “She’s married?”
“Right oh. Two kids, both going to expensive private schools in D.C. I don’t think her husband knows anything about her behavior.”
“Christ. Is there more?”
“I’m just getting started.” Bear uncrossed his legs and leaned toward Chris. “She’s had two of her paramours fired and one transferred.” His voice lowered. “The fourth man just disappeared. His name is Daniel Wilson. No one knows what happened to him.”
“Jesus God,” Chris just stared at the super-hacker for a moment, his mind totally blank. He his head clear. “You have evidence, proof of these claims?”
Bear dug in his computer bag and pulled out a memory stick. “It’s all here. And the cover-up. The Department of Homeland Security swept this under the bridge. The secretary himself said she was too valuable to fire.”
A smile slowly spread across Chris’s face. “Okay, anything else?”
“Would you like to know her favorite food? My hacker found out everything about her.”
“Who the hell is your hacker?”
“The Joker.”
Chris whistled. “I’ve heard of him. How did you get him working for you?”
Bear leaned back again, his face split by a smile. “Oh, I pulled a few strings.”
“How did he get this information?”
“You don’t want to know.”
****
Chris flipped through his file of business cards in his head until he reached the “J’s.” He pulled out his phone and dialed her number.
After several rings, a voice came on the line. “Department of Homeland Security, how may I help you?”
“I would like to speak to Dr. Elaine Jefferson.” Chris felt the storm of wasps in his stomach.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but she wants to talk to me.”
“Who may I tell her is calling?”
“Daniel Wilson.”
****
Ted couldn’t remember the last time he slept. He was so exhausted, he wanted to die. The pain in his shoulders was excruciating. His knees cried out for relief and his back was on fire. He was too tired to realize how thirsty and hungry he was.
How long had he been in this cage? He was in a white concrete room with no windows. The lights stayed on twenty-four hours a day. Rap music blared from the speakers 24/7. He had no sense of time.
He was naked, on his knees with his hands chained to the top of the cage. There was no way to get comfortable.
He closed his eyes. Maybe this time they’d let him alone.
As he slumped off to sleep, the door opened. One of the black-clad guards entered with a bucket in his hand.
“Wake up, Higuera,” the man said as he doused Ted with the ice water.
“Huh?” The water pricked Ted’s skin like a thousand ice picks.
The guard unlocked the cage. “We’re going for a little walk.”
The first guard stepped back as a second guard unlocked Ted’s handcuffs.
“Get up.” The guards grabbed Ted under the arm pits and hauled him to his feet. One guard pulled Ted’s hands behind his back and the other slapped on the cuffs.
“Let’s go.”
Ted couldn’t stand. The two men easily lifted his one hundred and eighty pounds and dragged him out the door.
They hauled him to yet another white-wall
ed interrogation room. This room had a device that looked like a giant wooden X standing vertically in the center. On the backside of the X was a table with gimbles to allow the X to move in any direction. Along one wall was a workbench covered with neatly ordered power and hand tools.
A tall, well-muscled man stood behind the X. “Let me introduce myself. I’m TJ MacLeod, I’ll be your interrogator today.” He had a sly smirk on his face.
A tiny skinny black man with a shaved head sat behind a computer in the corner of the room.
Ted looked at the interrogator. His blue eyes were like machines with trace of humanity. He wore a tight white T-shirt from which his muscles bulged.
MacLeod nodded at the guards. They led Ted to the giant X and strapped his hands and feet to it. He couldn’t hold himself up and sagged towards the floor, his wrist straps held him upright.
The interrogator laid the X flat. Ted looked up at the torturer. McLeod reached down with large, calloused hands and flipped Ted’s balls up and down.
Ted’s face reddened. Madre de Díos. “Leave the privates alone, dude.”
“You need to understand that you’re totally helpless.” McLeod spun the X around and around until Ted was dizzy.
MacLeod turned back to the table with the tools and picked up a leather apron. He put on the apron, then a pair of latex gloves. Finally, he pulled a pair of goggles over his eyes. His movements were slow and deliberate. He hummed “Margaritaville” to himself.
“Mr. Washington here is going to ask you questions.” He nodded his head toward the man sitting behind the computer. “You will answer them.”
Washington got up and attached electrodes to Ted’s chest, wrists and thighs, then strapped Ted’s head down and put more electrodes to his forehead.
McLeod picked up a cordless electric drill and walked back to Ted.
“Make no mistake, you will talk.” He pulled the trigger on the drill and let it run long enough to make Ted shiver.
MacLeod put the drill in his left hand and slapped Ted in the abdomen with an open right hand.
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