Strike Force

by Mary Alford

  But he had to try because right now they had nothing. He’d have to be within ten feet to engage the clone app, but Kaiden had no way of knowing where Evans was within the warehouse and the building was vast. They’d obtained a copy of the blueprints for the space, which showed several offices and a large open area surrounded by the manufacturing equipment.

  Kaiden slipped back into the shadows and removed the high-powered microphone that resembled a small stethoscope head. He plugged the device into the radio receiver and stuck it on the wall and out of sight. Thanks to James’s tweaking, the device would transmit the conversation through to James’s computer and into their earbuds. The high-precision instrument could pick up even a whispered conversation. Unless the device was detected, they should be able to clearly hear the conversation going on inside.

  “I have the listening device in place,” he whispered low enough not to be heard by Evans. One more step to go. He wouldn’t stop until it was finished.

  Keeping his phone shielded from view inside his jacket, Kaiden clicked on the cloning app which included a SIM reader that could read a phone’s unique cryptographic key and transfer it to another phone.

  “The vehicle’s almost on top of you.” Sidney’s panic filtered through the earbud. “Get out of there. Now.”

  He watched the app start the process of cloning Evans’s burner. Ten percent. Twenty. The green bar slowly moved across the screen.

  “I almost have it.” Come on, he whispered under his breath. The app hit one hundred percent and he ducked low and hurried to the back of the warehouse as the SUV’s headlights flashed across the side of the building, barely missing him.

  Kaiden flattened himself against the wall until the vehicle passed by, then he made a run for the bluff where Sidney waited. Once he reached the top, he dropped to the ground beside her.

  “We’ve got the phone cloned.” James’s confident voice came through the earbuds. “I’ll go through it and see if there’s anything useful. Once the conversation begins inside, we’ll transmit it to you and Sidney.”

  Without responding, Kaiden took out his night-vision binoculars and focused on the SUV. “I can’t see inside. What are they waiting for?” he asked when no one left the SUV.

  “I don’t know, but someone else is approaching.” Sidney pointed below as a third vehicle eased down the road.

  “I thought this was supposed to be between Evans and one other person,” Kaiden said. The third vehicle rolled to a stop. At last, two men exited from the front of the parked SUV. Kaiden didn’t recognize either, but they were both heavily armed.

  “This isn’t good,” Sidney murmured. Kaiden’s thoughts exactly. “I’m zeroing in on the men and snapping their photo. I’ll send it to you, James. Hopefully your facial-recognition software can identify them.”

  Three additional men got out of the second car.

  The SUV’s driver opened the back door and a tall, thin man stepped out into the cold night.

  “Wait, is that—?” Kaiden asked, unable to believe his eyes.

  “It is,” Sidney confirmed. “I can’t believe it either. Evan’s is meeting with Ahmad Hassanzai.”

  Hassanzai, a distant relative of the Afghan royal family, used his work with the Afghani ambassador in Washington D.C. as cover to remain in the States and go undetected as he pursued his real cause. He was one of the few people they knew to be part of Legion.

  There’d been no sightings of Hassanzai in months, not since the chemical weapons had gone missing from the strategic locations where Legion had stationed them in preparation for an impending attack on US soil. Thanks to Strike Force, and in particular James’s band of brothers who’d joined the team, they’d been able to confiscate almost all of the weapons before they could be used.

  “So Evans is meeting with Hassanzai. But why here?” Sidney asked, her forehead creased in a frown.

  Kaiden shook his head. “Don’t know, but I’ll see if I can clone Hassanzai’s phone and place trackers on both vehicles to see if we can get some answers.”

  “Negative.” James’s resounding rejection of the idea came through Kaiden’s earbud loud and clear. “Hassanzai knows you and Sidney. Even though you’ve changed your appearances somewhat, if he sees you, there’s a chance he’ll recognize you. It’s too risky.”

  While Kaiden didn’t like losing the opportunity to gather more intelligence on Hassanzai, James had a point. Both he and Sidney had stood face-to-face with the man. He’d know them if he came into contact with them again. And he’d realize Ben wasn’t a friend of Legion. Ben’s cover would be blown. They couldn’t afford for that to happen. The team needed eyes and ears within Legion.

  He and Sidney homed in on the activity below them. The listening device picked up bits of conversation. Hassanzai was warning his men to be on alert. Did he suspect something was off?

  After another couple of minutes of exchange, Hassanzai headed inside the warehouse. Two of his goons took position near the entrance while two others searched around the outer perimeter. The fifth stood guard next to the vehicles. Kaiden prayed their listening device wouldn’t be detected.

  Through the earbud, Evans and Hassanzai’s conversation began with a greeting. Kaiden imagined the two men shaking hands. Hugging even. Disgust rose inside Kaiden once more at Evans’s betrayal.

  A short discussion followed about the location of the meet. Hassanzai made it clear he liked nothing about being summoned to a rundown building.

  “It was necessary, my friend. You of all people know the importance of Texas to our cause.”

  Those chilling words filled Kaiden with dread.

  “What do you think he means by that?” Sidney asked the question foremost in his mind.

  “No idea.” Yet Kaiden had a feeling that it wasn’t good.

  “Check and see if either men have a connection to the state,” Kaiden said.

  “Already on it,” Abby Temple, one of James’s people, answered.

  Kaiden’s full attention returned to the men in the warehouse.

  “Do you mean—?” Hassanzai asked with surprise in his voice.

  Evans chuckled. “That’s right.”

  More silence followed. So far, nothing about the conversation made sense. Kaiden watched the men below and tried as he tried to discern what Evans was talking about.

  One of Hassanzai’s people moved close to the hillside where he and Sidney were hidden. A flash of lightning lit up his appearance. Dark hair. Stocky build. Not much to go on in identifying the man.

  Sidney clicked his photo.

  Someone called out to the man before he started up the hill. What sounded like an angry exchange took place between them before the man stormed back to the front of the warehouse.

  Sidney blew out an audible breath. “That was close,” she whispered.

  Kaiden kept his binoculars on the men roaming around the front of the building. A few were smoking. Bits of discussion between the men below mingled with the conversation taking place in the building, making it hard to distinguish between the two.

  “I do know how important Texas is, which is why I have to wonder if you think it wise to meet here of all places. Especially with the stored cargo. And after what’s happened in recent months,” Hassanzai said.

  “We are grateful to you for procuring what was needed, but this is why I wished to speak with you in private. We may have some . . . problems that need taking care of.”

  “What type of problems?” Hassanzai asked, his words curt.

  “A traitor on our team for one. Someone is leaking information to our enemies, and we need to find out who it is and take care of them. Now. We can’t afford any more delays. He won’t like it.”

  The foreboding words washed over Kaiden. Who was Evans speaking of?

  “As soon as I have the identity, I’ll be in touch. Until then, you know what must be done here. I need your people watching this place day and night. No one can come near here,” Evans said.

  Kaiden trie
d to understand Evans’s cryptic message. Legion now knew someone within their inner circle was working against them. Did they realize it was Ben?

  Chapter Two

  “If he knows about Ben, this could be bad.” Sidney voiced her fears aloud. If Evans figured out Ben was working against them, then his life was in danger and they’d need to get word to him in D.C. that his cover had been blown.

  “I sure hope not,” Kaiden said. “I’m zeroing in on the warehouse. Evans and Hassanzai are leaving the building now.”

  “You said there were more problems,” Hassanzai spoke with an edge to his tone.

  The two members of Legion stopped a little ways from the entrance. “Yes. I have a meeting with Duncan tomorrow to smooth the waters, so to speak. He’s been on edge ever since his person started asking questions about Anana Harbor.”

  Right away, Sidney was on alert at the mention her former Alaskan home.

  “James, are you getting this?” she asked.

  “I am. I’ll run a search of anyone connected to Evans and see if I can come up with someone named Duncan.”

  Evans and Hassanzai continued speaking, though the vocals were getting harder to make out.

  “Get in touch with him immediately. Is he still in Afghanistan?” Evans asked.

  Sidney’s gut churned at the hint of another player being involved. Whoever it was, both Evans and Hassanzai seemed afraid of him. She strained to hear Hassanzai’s response but it was inaudible.

  “Nevertheless, he should take care of this himself and soon—before this woman realizes Duncan is stonewalling her and she goes to someone else for help. We have to keep this contained. Too much is at risk.” Evans’s voice.

  “I will contact him, of course, but you of all people understand how volatile he can be. Ordering him to do anything is not a good idea, and it could backfire on us. He’s capable of doing heinous things.”

  Evans sighed audibly. “I realize that, but we need him. He and his team are the only ones who cannot be traced. And he won’t take it as ordering if it comes from you. He considers you a friend.”

  Hassanzai’s laugh dripped with sarcasm. “Because I provided him refuge when he and his men had nowhere else to go.”

  Silence followed. Who were they were talking about? Whoever it was, she had a feeling this new player was someone she didn’t want to meet.

  “Be careful, my friend,” Evans said. “We are reaching a critical stage now and we can’t afford any more problems like the ones in Alaska.”

  A chill sped down Sidney’s spine. She homed in on the front of the warehouse where both men were moving toward their prospective vehicles.

  Evans got in his car and drove away. Hassanzai and two men neared the SUV. Sidney zeroed in on the two. While one appeared Afghani, the second was Caucasian. From what little they knew about Hassanzai, he chose to use men from his native country of Afghanistan as soldiers because of their loyalty to him.

  The three men climbed inside the SUV and followed Evans.

  “They’re stationing guards at the warehouse. Whatever’s inside is important enough to make sure no one stumbles upon it,” Kaiden said and shifted to her. “We need to find out what it is.”

  Was it the last bit of missing VX gas they hadn’t been able to confiscate or something far more deadly?

  “Evans and Hassanzai are heading your way now, Lincoln.” Sidney warned. James’s men, Lincoln Miller and Garret Craig, were stationed at the intersecting road out of sight. Miller, the thirty-eight-year-old former SEAL, had kept in touch with James through the years. He’d willingly agreed to join the Strike Force because he, too, had been a victim of Legion.

  “You and Garret follow Hassanzai and see what you can find out where he’s going,” James told the men. “We’ve got a tracker on Evans’s vehicle. I’ll monitor his movements.”

  “Roger that,” Lincoln confirmed.

  The three remaining men positioned themselves strategically around the warehouse.

  “Something’s up.” Kaiden explained what was happening to James’s ground team.

  “Let’s hope they don’t look too closely. They’ll find the listening device and know we’ve been there. You two should clear out of there before the storm hits,” James warned. “We’ll rendezvous at the plane.”

  “See you there,” Kaiden said. Avoiding the edge of the bluff to stay out of sight, he jumped to his feet and shouldered the backpack containing extra weapons and ammo they’d brought with them in case they were forced to defend themselves.

  Sidney stood as well. She could tell from the way Kaiden’s shoulders hunched he blamed himself for not putting the tracker on Hassanzai’s vehicle.

  “You did all you could do,” she said. “If you’d went down there, you could have been killed.”

  “I know. But I hate we can’t track Hassanzai’s movements. He’s smart. There’s a good chance he’ll pick up on Lincoln and Garrett following him.”

  Together they headed to their vehicle parked some distance away. Everyone on the ground team was being cautious. The last thing they needed was to alert Evans of their presence.

  “It’s only a matter of time before we fit the pieces together and have the evidence we need to arrest them all.” Sidney clasped Kaiden’s hand in hers and he smiled over at her.

  Side-by-side, they headed away from the warehouse at a fast click.

  Someone yelled behind them, “I see two people on the bluff above. Go after them. Don’t let them get away.”

  The look Kaiden gave her was terrifying. “Run,” he said, and they took off across the uneven terrain as fast as the dark night would allow.

  With her pulse echoing each step, Sidney glanced over her shoulder. A flashlight’s beam spread across the bluff. The men were almost to the top. Once they summited, they’d pick off her and Kaiden quickly enough without any means of cover.

  “They’re almost on the bluff,” Sidney said, her breaths coming quick. The lengthy recovery time showed itself in her lack of energy. She was fading fast. Kaiden must have heard the weariness in her voice. He wrapped his arm around her waist and all but carried her toward the car.

  Still some distance from the vehicle, the dark night erupted in a storm gunfire. She and Kaiden scrambled for the limited coverage of a whisper-thin mesquite tree.

  Kaiden immediately returned fire, backing the men up. “Let’s go. That won’t keep them away for long.” He grabbed hold of her once more.

  “Sidney, Kaiden, come in. What’s going on? We heard the shots. Are you two safe?” James’s frantic tone came through their earbuds.

  Sidney managed to get words out. “We’re okay, but we’re under fire.”

  “We’re coming to get you.” James didn’t hesitate to assure her.

  No matter what, she couldn’t let James’s team get caught in their ambush. “Negative. Head to the plane. We’ll see you there.”

  “Sidney, you’re outmanned,” James’s insisted, his concern evident in his tone.

  “We’ve got this. Whatever you do, don’t come back here. We’re almost to the car now. We’ll be okay.”

  “There it is.” Kaiden pointed ahead and hit the clicker. The sight of the lights flashing was a huge relief. Sidney rounded the back of the car and all but fell into the passenger seat while Kaiden climbed behind the wheel, fired the engine, and floored the gas pedal.

  The car sped through the dark night as the storm finally reached them and let loose a downpour.

  Sidney peered back through the sheets of rain in the direction they’d just come. Two flashlight beams grabbed hold of their vehicle. Seconds later, barrels flashed. Bullets clipped the back of the car, shattered the rear window.

  “Get down low,” Kaiden yelled. She ducked. The car careened off and on the road without slowing down.

  Gunshots continued firing into the rain-drenched night, but they were now out of the gunmen’s reach.

  Sidney slowly sat up. “They’ll keep coming,” she said. “They can’t affor
d to let us go. We need to get off this road.”

  Kaiden reached for her hand. “We’ve got a head start. Still, the sooner we’re out of sight, the better.”

  The evening’s efforts had left her as weak as a kitten. On the flight to Texas, Doctor Oviok had cautioned Sidney not to push herself beyond her limits. She’d need to hit the weights as soon as they returned to Wyoming to regain her strength.

  “You okay?” Kaiden asked, picking up on her distress.

  She forced a smile for his sake. “I’m fine. Just not a hundred percent yet,” she added when Kaiden didn’t appear convinced.

  He typed their location into GPS. “There’s a county road up head. According to what I’m seeing, if we take it, we can work our way back to the plane. It may take longer, but at least we’ll be out of sight.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes, though her mind wouldn’t shut down. What had Evans meant by Texas being important to the cause? Was he talking about whatever was stored in the warehouse or something more? A military base? She didn’t believe so. They were missing something key. Hopefully, with the cloning of Evans’s phone and the tracker, they’d gain something useful.

  Beside her, Kaiden slowed the vehicle and she opened her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” She focused on the side mirror. Headlights.

  “There’s a car behind us.” Kaiden’s jaw tightened. “I don’t like it.” He grabbed his cell phone. “We need backup right away.” He gave their location from GPS.

  The vehicle closed the space between them quickly.

  “Thanks, Peter.” Kaiden ended the call and shoved the phone in his jacket pocket.

  “They’re moving in for the attack,” Sidney told him. The car picked up speed. Bright lights lit up the inside of their car. The vehicle was just a few feet off their bumper.

  She’d barely gotten words out when the car slammed full force into them. Sidney jerked forward, smashing her head into the dash. For a second, her vision blurred.

  Kaiden pushed the accelerator. “I’m going to try and lose them.” The car sped down the rain-slick road.

  She kept her attention on the side mirror. The vehicle wasn’t backing down. It remained inches from their bumper then slammed into them again.