“You should tell that girl, Ethan. She might be able to help…after all that training to take over arms dealing.” Antione’s words were difficult for Ethan to hear, knowing that his daughter was the only backup in this fight. He got up, walking into the bedroom and stripping off his shirt. The Kevlar felt terribly familiar as he strapped it on before throwing on a white button up shirt, a tie on over the collar. For a moment, he stood staring at the closet before pulling open the second drawer. The guns felt comfortably in his hands, the cold metal molding with his skin. Zara was sitting at the table with Antione when he returned.
“Zara, how much training did you receive in recon and surveillance?” The sweat was forming on his hairline, voice sharp with stress.
“Ahmed gave all of his employees the same training – modeled after the special forces. So…similar to you?” She wrinkled up her forehead in confusion. “Why?”
“There’s a girl being held hostage for my freedom. You’re the only person who has the training to be my backup.”
“I’ll get ready. You can give me more information on the way.” She leapt to her feet, then turned to him. “What about Amber? You promised that you wouldn’t leave her.”
“I don’t have choice.” His eyes dropped to the floor, guilt flooding over him from the lie and the broken promise.
“Let me go…alone.” Her hand was on his arm, willing him to let her go and finish this mission for him.
“No. This girl’s life is on me. Get ready, I’ll be in the car.” Antione watched him walk away, observing the shaking of the shoulders and could only imagine the battle of pain going on in his chest. That is a true hero, giving up everything that he loves for a woman whose life is in danger – a woman who he does not know.
18
As the vehicle sped down the road, Zara pulled her long blonde hair back into a tight ponytail with the help of a leather band. “What’s the plan?” Her question remained unanswered, her father unable to reply. “You don’t have a plan.”
“The intel didn’t give me much time to prepare one.” Lights showed the terror behind the mask on his face, revealing the sweat pouring down the sides into his collar. “Pull open the police data base and trace the number on this phone. We can’t go in blind.” She began to type, eyes staring at the screen and watching the code move.
“Got it. It’s a warehouse just outside of the city near the waterfront. Owned by a…fake name…oh dear.”
“What?” He turned to look at her, keeping a supportive hand on the wheel and eyes flicking up to the rearview mirror.
“Gaspar Patricks. A known criminal mastermind in this city. No one has been able to pin anything on him though, has a lawyer for a close friend. We’re in trouble.” He nodded, directing the car to the side of the road.
“Ahmed raised you to take over the company. Is it still a viable option for you to return and take control?”
“I lied. I’m already in charge of the company. Before going after you, a business deal was in progress. My men were waiting to assist me to kill you…if necessary.” Her tone was apologetic, eyes trying to meet his own.
“Good. Call in a favor, get them to meet you just two miles away from the warehouse. I’ll go in alone, get the girl out.”
“They could kill you!” Her face was surprised, upset that she might lose him after finding a family. “No. This is insane.” The hair moved into her eyes as she shook her head in disbelief.
“Look at me, Zara. We can’t mess around with this young woman’s life. She’s a civilian under fire. It’s our duty to preserve her safety, no matter the cost to ourselves. Either help me or go back to Amber.” His voice was close to a yell, making her flinch as though a blow had been dealt.
“Alright, I don’t like this though. There are too many risks, especially with your life and safety.” She pulled out a phone as the vehicle nosed back onto the road. As they neared the warehouse, he pulled up to the curb next to a night club and let her out. Zara watched the car disappear into the darkness of the evening, tears sliding down her face. Her phone rang, almost falling to the ground as she struggled to answer it.
“Zara, where are you and Ethan?” Amber’s voice was sharp with worry, the tone shaking from fear.
“Your ex-husband has a young woman under threat of death…if Ethan doesn’t show up. He’s on his way there now, my mission is to pull him out after the girl is released.” Zara’s voice was full of pity, her heart aching for the woman who had accepted her as a daughter.
“Oh, my goodness!” A glass shattered across the line, several other sounds following it. Zara could picture the woman sinking into a chair, unable to stand from the knowledge that her fiancé could die because of her ex-husband’s insanity. Then the sobbing began – a woman breaking down.
“I’m sorry, Amber. He loves you.” She hung up as a large black suburban pulled up to the curb and a young man leapt out, throwing open the door.
“Miss Hassan.” The men in the vehicle were heavily armed, eyes trained on her face. “What are your orders?”
“There’s a man negotiating a hostage situation at a warehouse, two miles from here. We want the captor…alive or dead. He’s working for a rival company owned by Gaspar Patricks. It’s time to ruin the competition.” They grinned, eager to get in a conflict with a man who had constantly thwarted many of their operations. “First, we need a headquarters for Dhamar to set up his stuff. Surveillance is key to knowing when to strike. The man working for me went in without any communication equipment. It’s up to us.” The driver directed the vehicle into a neighboring warehouse, letting everyone out in an instant. A man pulled out a case and began to link cords to power sources quickly. “Dhamar, the man working with me…he’s my father. Find him…quickly.” He met her gaze, nodding and beginning to type quickly on the briefcase computer.
One of the men tossed a rifle at her, the catch clean and swift on her part. “We’re going to need the big weapons for this shark.” His smile spread across his face, the gleam of bloodlust in his eyes.
“Always gunning for a fight, Esmail.” She returned the smile, a little strained because of the stakes that she was fighting against. He hugged her, kissing the side of her face in respect.
“Of course, little sister. To defend the friend of our leader is always worthwhile. Allah will bless our mission.” Her eyes went sad, remembering the loss of his cousin two years ago and the words that had been said. Allah’s will. It sent an electric shock of rage through her body.
“Esmail, the man working for me…he’s my father.” Esmail stared at her, dropping his gun and swinging her around by the waist.
“Brothers! Our sister has found her father.” The men crowded around, asking questions and barely allowing her to breath between back crushing hugs. Dhamar suddenly pointed at the screen, revealing a man exiting a vehicle behind the warehouse. He leapt out, crouching low along the side of the building. Then the figure disappeared into one of the openings, the screen showing nothing but the building and the empty wharf.
Ethan sat crouched on the top floor of the warehouse, watching the group of men below him with a practiced eye. Good form, poor guard. He sighed heavily, before pulling off the jacket, shirt, and tie. The Kevlar lay on the floor as he dressed again. No other weapons other than a handgun. Zara’s men would rely on surprise for their attack, better let the opposition think that he was alone. His objective sat unconscious in a chair, held there by bands of duck-tape. She would be unconscious. It would make extracting her more difficult, he didn’t like the odds. To his left there was a ladder leading to the power box, but it was exposed in the lighting. On the other side, there was more cement flooring and metal railing.
“The woman promised that she would turn the soldier over to us.” A large man spoke, his hand gripping a large machete and the eyes glinting with excitement for blood.
“To the hunter, patience will bring him a great prize.” Wade replied, turning to look up at the top of the office room. Ethan
stepped back quickly into the shadows, sweating from the heat and stress. One wrong move could end in the girl’s death. It didn’t occur to the man to think about his own life. He’d been born in an unstable situation, learning to fight for survival from day one. His time would come, probably at the end of a knife or the barrel of a gun. The question – Was it today? “They’ll show soon.”
Ethan picked up an old pipe, weighing it in his hand and considering the distance to the rack to the right of the roof. Taking a deep breath, he hefted it with all his might before quickly running to the ladder and leaping up onto the third level before flattening on the cold cement. He could hear footsteps running in the direction of the sound, then rolled over and slid to the side of the manager’s office. Two steps to the breaker, gripping the lever and slamming it down. Instantly the warehouse was bathed in darkness, the men’s shouts echoing against the walls. He guided himself to the stairs using the metal railings, then started to climb down, trying to muffle the sound of his feet by going slower. At the floor, someone attempted to pinion his arms behind his back. A step backward, rammed the man into the wall and his arms were released. He whirled around and used the pistol to swing at the dark form, until it slumped to the ground.
“I’ll kill the girl, Ryde.” Wade’s voice came from his left, a whimper coming from the girl. The lights came on, revealing three men with their guns aimed at his chest. “Put the gun down.” Ethan bent slowly, laying the weapon on the floor and kicking it over. His hands were in the air as he straightened, then collapsed to the floor as one of the men struck him on the back with the butt of a rifle. He blacked out, waking up on the floor at the feet of Wade and another man.
“Let the girl go, she’s just a civilian.” The words were spoken in a painful cough as he tried to struggle to his feet. Wade kicked his hand out from under him, gesturing for a man to pick up the gun.
“We’ll be sure to take care of the lose end after your death, Major.” Saliva hit Ethan’s face as he got to his knees before a blow hit him in the stomach, doubling him over from the pain. A man gripped him by the collar, pulling him to his feet and dragging him to the chair by Tessa. His arms were pulled around, the elbows nearly together before they were bound with duct-tape. Wade glared at him with the terrible weepy eyes that mocked his helpless position. “What could the woman see in you? A pathetic army cur.” Ethan met his gaze with a defiant look, barely able to keep back the utter revulsion on his face. His head was forced upwards as a man placed his machete against the skin of the throat. “You’ll pay for your insolence. Then she’ll pay for her betrayal, but first you’re going to tell us where she is.”
Gazini leaned down in Ethan’s face, his machete swinging dangerously close to the prisoner’s throat. “You were a soldier. Hard to break from the training. This is going to be enjoyable.” The mask on Ethan’s face wavered, the fear fighting to take control of his actions and emotions. He felt the blade begin to break the skin on his throat, the blood sliding down into his collar. “Where is the traitor wench?” Anger surged through Ethan’s chest, but he refused to respond. Then the sharp metal ripped through the material of the jacket and into the muscle of his right arm. His mouth moved to stop the groan of pain, eyes focused on the floor. “Don’t look for your friends, they won’t find you. Mr. Patricks took care of that.” For a moment, Ethan’s face blanched then his control was back. But his eyes flicked around the warehouse, saw the different structure and realized that there was no backup to rescue them from this situation.
19
Dhamar pointed to the screen, a young woman was walking out of the warehouse. “Let’s go, boys.” Zara grabbed a rifle, leading them in the attack. The street was empty, dark and quiet. Around the corner, their extraction objective was waiting for someone to pick her up. One. Two. Three. They whirled around the corner to face a road with no girl in the middle. Esmail took off running into the warehouse before she could protest. As they entered the doorway, she stopped short. It was empty, no trace of the men or their captives. “Dhamar, check the security cameras again.” Inside their headquarters, he was bent over the screen and groaning from frustration.
“They switched out the video feed remotely. Wherever your father is…there’s no way to track him electronically.” She sank onto a metal case, leaning against the vehicle in despair. The sad ring of the phone startled her, the voice on the other end breathless with anticipation.
“Are they alright, Zara?” It was Amber impatiently waiting for the good news about her fiancé and the young woman’s safety.
“We’ve lost them.” Zara wasn’t prepared to sugar-coat the news, her nerves rattled from the thought of failing the mission. She heard the clatter of a glass hitting the floor, then shattering. A low sob echoed in her ear, the sound of a woman broken from the bad news. Then Amber’s voice came across the line.
“What are we going to do?” There was hopelessness in her voice, the tone shaking from the tears threatening to brim over. “I can’t sit here and do nothing.”
“We’re going to need help…not the authorities though. Patricks has them on his payroll, they’ll just send us searching in the wrong direction. Can that military woman be an asset?”
“We haven’t made any contact with her since the highway accident.” Amber’s voice was tense with worry.
“Her vehicle was outside last night, according to the video feed that Dhamar was able to pull. Ethan dragged her out of the house before she left, with her right leg either shot or broken. She had a man with her…a driver of some sort. Checking his face against the FBI database.” There was silence, the thoughts running through Amber’s mind. “Do you have a means of contacting her?”
“Send me a location, I’ll find her myself.” Amber’s voice was full of determination, a sense of purpose relieving her from the helpless waiting. Zara looked at Dhamar who was typing quickly, before pointing to a blinking red dot on a map.
“I’ll transfer the address to your text feed.” He said, fingers flying over the keyboard. “She’ll have to request information regarding a room, but the woman’s name is Colonel Almira Morgen. Your father’s superior officer in Afghanistan before he requested a resignation, was denied, and transferred to the Korean conflict. Woah…some old files point to a connection between them before the military…” Zara leaned over his shoulder and looked at the lines of code coming in. “They’re encrypted, it will take me a while to crack it. Maybe…not now.” He saw the look on her face and guiltily switched to scanned the street cameras for signs of the missing persons.
“I’m on my way to the hospital now. If she’s got any idea where they might be, I’ll call.” The hum of a vehicle echoed in the large warehouse from the small phone.
“I’ve sent out a text to all our men on the payroll, searching for the vehicle that appeared on the camera. It might be a longshot, but it’s the only lead that we have right now.” Dhamar pushed the glasses up on his nose with a trembling hand, nervously watching his boss’s reaction.
“Good.” Zara said, tossing the phone onto the desk and pulling on a heavy black jacket against the evening chill. “We’re going to be working from old data, that puts us a step behind the enemy. Who knows when the camera feed was switched to a previous recording, but it definetly creates a big problem. Esmail, take a team to scan the waterfront. I’ll take five men and begin checking out abandoned buildings. Don’t take on these men on your own, they have the authorities on their side.”
“Yes, sister.” He gripped his gun, bowing his forehead to the butt with a smile. “May Allah protect and guide you.” Solemnly, she bowed and watched them leave before climbing into the truck.
Across the water, the muffled cries of a man were heard in an abandoned warehouse – the only sympathetic audience a bird perched on the mooring. Sweat and blood covered his body, a wracking painful cough doubling him over. “Tell us where the woman is!” Gazini struck him in the face again with a large fist. Ethan couldn’t reply, only shake his head and
struggle to get his breathing under control. His eyes met those of the girl who was sobbing, the screaming had stopped long ago. He attempted to smile, but when his torturer drew the machete across his neck again, failed. “Are you willing to die for a pathetic wench?” The venom in his voice made the girl flinch, her sobs turning into a whimper of fright. “Shut up, I’ll be taking care of you later.”
“No…you won’t.” Ethan’s voice was breathless, the constant battering on his chest making it difficult to speak. “Put a hand on her…I’ll rip it off and beat you to death with it.” He paid for the threat as the angry man kicked the chair over onto the hard cement floor, then began to ram his foot into the wounded soldier’s body.
“Our men have located the girl.” Wade broke in, putting a hand on Gazini’s arm to stop the attack. “It’s time to get the most out of this piece of trash.” A knife appeared in his hidden hand, slashing the bonds that held Ethan to the chair. Gazini pulled him to his feet, then let go. The wounded man just sank to the floor, his legs buckling underneath his weight. “Get him in the car, I’ll follow with the girl.” Jerked up by his collar, Ethan nearly choked from the pain and groaned as he was dragged along. His eyesight was blurry, blinded by the overwhelming sense of helplessness and pain.
Water Page 9