Smuggling Blood

by Mike Gomes

  Pulling on the skirt that dropped beyond knee length, Gabriella looked at herself in the mirror, making sure the weapons were concealed, showing no indication that she was anything more than the average tourist. Taking a scarf and placing it upon her head, she tied it underneath her chin and donned a pair of glasses, the same ones that Tyler had given her earlier.

  "I hope these things have more function than they do style," Gabriella laughed, looking at the glasses and mocking them for their clunkiness.

  Then, she took a deep breath and gave herself a nod in the mirror as she spoke, "Alright, Gabriella, time to go to work.”

  Eight

  Disembarking on the ship was something that needed to be done in an orderly fashion. The days of letting everybody off in one mass group and providing the chaos on the deck down that led to the port was always a mess. For Gabriella, it was a sense of frustration and anger that she never understood, but this time, the ship did something different, calling off sections of people, group by group, and allowing them to enter into the city, limiting the disruption to each other and having the whole operation go faster than rather just sounding the alarm for people to go ashore.

  Making her way down the steps, Gabriella kept her eyes open, making sure William was nowhere to be found. The last thing she needed was to have him feeling like he had been rejected and then speaking about her to others. Those kinds of conversations usually led to nothing, but you never know who's sitting at a bar when someone's telling their tale of woe about a woman that rejected them.

  Moving down the ramp, getting to the shore, Gabriella moved with a group of people, appearing to be connected to them and engaging them in conversation. A group of Australians who had come to see the lower Asian countries smiled at her, asking her where she was from and what she was doing. As the groups got to the port below, they all walked towards the exiting gate that was on the dock.

  "I hope you folks have a great trip. Maybe when we get back on the ship, we can bump into each other at dinner. I'm at the second one. I'm usually at the back end of the room," said Gabriella, waving to the people as they walked away, assuring her that they would love to meet up with her for conversation and drinks at any point she would like.

  Scanning the area for just a moment, Gabriella looked to see if anyone seemed out of place. Good agents didn't get caught out that way, but bad agents did. Taking the time to be secure and smart was the prescription that every person needed, and now Gabriella was sure that the man to engage her would look like a local, providing her with nothing more than a triggering question that waited for her response to let the two know they were on the same team. Walking her way along the shoreline from above on the dock, Gabriella strolled, looking down into the waters while she smiled and listened to the raucous city and the goings-on of the daily people of New Delhi.

  It's quite beautiful, isn't it?" asked a man who held a thick Indian accent. "I have lived here all my life and I've always found beauty in the ocean."

  "It is quite beautiful. I grew up near an ocean myself," said Gabriella, making conversation with the man, trying to assess his intent in talking to her. "There's something about sea air as it hits in upon you. It changes who you are. It always makes me feel like I want to slow down."

  "Yes, to slow down is good, but New Delhi is its own place, and it doesn't like for people to slow down," said the man, looking at Gabriella and doing his own assessment of her. "Have you ever been to Brazil in the fall?"

  The words struck immediately into Gabriella's ears, letting her know that this was the man. His skillful use of dropping the phrase code into conversation quickly alerted her that the man wasn't someone who was new to the game, and had had the opportunities to develop his skills over a period of time.

  "I have been to Brazil in the fall, it's the apple trees that I miss. Have you had apple trees?"

  "Only in the winter, during the happy times of Siberia," said the man, completing the interaction of give and take of code phrases that allowed them to know they were completely secure.

  "My name is Gabriella." She stuck her hand out for the man to shake.

  "My name is Sayeed," he said, smiling back as he took her hand in his and shook it profusely. "If you would like, I can take you around the city. I'm a cab driver."

  "I think that would be good, the best way to see all the sights." She nodded, knowing that the exchange held different meaning than the words the two were both saying.

  "Right this way, ma'am," Sayeed said, pointing forward and guiding her to a rusted out old car that had the word Taxi spray-painted on the side.

  "Deluxe accommodations," Gabriella said as Sayeed held the door open for her, and she sat down inside the back seat.

  Working his way around the car, Sayeed sat down on the driver's seat and started the engine, then pulled away slowly.

  "You'll have to excuse me, Gabriella, but I wanted to maintain the cover until we got out of the area and started moving," Sayeed said, changing his tone to one that was more authoritative and holding strength. "My name is Sayeed, and I am your contact on this mission. I understand you're here for Patel."

  "Well, that's quite direct of you, isn't it?" said Gabriella, struck by the man speaking so openly. "No time to even feel each other out and see what angle we're coming from?"

  "We don't have time for that. This bastard's killing people left and right," Sayeed said, frustrated with what was happening in his home city. "I had requested to take this mission on my own, I have a background in... Getting information from people."

  "Getting information from people?" asked Gabriella, quite sure that she knew what the answer was.

  "Yes, in my previous life, before I moved to New Delhi, I had worked doing some interrogation work for the authorities in Pakistan," Sayeed explained, offering more than she had expected. "It wasn't the kind of work I enjoyed, but I will say that I was extremely good at it."

  "So how does an interrogator go from there to driving a fake taxi and picking me up as a connection?"

  "Some people say that I cracked, some people say I found a conscience, and other people said I just hated who I was working for," Sayeed said, not looking back to Gabriella as he spoke.

  "What is it that you say, Sayeed? Why don't you do that kind of work anymore?" Gabriella asked, wondering if she was pushing too hard to get the man to divulge things about himself. If he had been in the spy game for any amount of time, he knew that information was the one thing that could always help you. No matter how small the detail or how big, a good spy could learn to use the information to their advantage and manipulate the emotions of others. The question was, was Sayeed telling the truth, or was he just putting it out there to distract her from who he really was?

  "Gabriella, my training and my abilities were quite strong. I enjoyed the work I did. I felt I was doing it for my country. I felt like I was helping," he explained. "Most of the people I dealt with had come out of Jerusalem. And other parts of Israel. As you know, just like everybody else in the world knows, most of the nations around here don't get along well with Israel."

  "I think I read that in the news somewhere." Gabriella smiled at the man as he caught her eye in the rear-view mirror. "Why would they send someone like that to you in Pakistan?"

  "It's how a lot of the secret services operate. When you interrogate someone, you don't necessarily do it on your own land, or you allow another nation to do it. It separates the people that caught them from the people who do the interrogation. It's a way to make sure people get lost and never get home," said Sayeed in a matter of fact tone. "Despite being pretty good at it, I really wasn't cut out for it. I'm kind of a ground-force guy, hand-to-hand, intense action. This was torture, slow and easy. Make sure the person gave up the information, and when it was all over, send them to the goons that would either kill them or put them in prison for the rest of their life."

  "And that wasn't to your liking?" she asked, seeing if Sayeed would divulge any more to her than he already had.


  Turning the wheel to the right, he cut down a side street and pulled the car over. "Ma'am, I don't like talking a lot about my prior life. There's really no need to, and as we both sit here right now, I can let you know that I have no desire to interrogate anybody ever again. But that doesn't mean I don't do my job, and it doesn't mean that I won't go to the furthest degree to make sure my job gets done. If you're wondering about whether I'll kill, yes, I will." Sayeed then turned to face the front again and put the car back into gear.

  "Just as long as you don't kill me," Gabriella grinned, noticing a small smile on the side of Sayeed’s face. "So where do we go from here?"

  "I believe your friend Tyler had some gifts sent for you. We're gonna stop by my place, my wife and kids are there, but you're welcome to come in, have a seat, and I'll get you all your things."

  "It's very hospitable of you, Sayeed. I appreciate it," Gabriella replied, instinctively pressing her arm a little tighter against her body, making sure that the daggers were still in place.

  Over the next twenty minutes, the two spies sat alone in the car, driving to Sayeed's home in silence. Both knew that keeping their mouths shut was a priority, and that if they hoped to get anywhere in the mission, it would take a certain amount of believing in each other, and strength that the two of them would need to possess together.

  "Here it is, the Taj Ma Sayeed," he said, laughing at the rickety home that was obviously on the lower-class levels on the outskirts of New Delhi.

  Entering through the doorway, Gabriella looked around, seeing that there were no more than three rooms that contained the home. A large open area with a dirt floor and four children playing, not even raising their heads to notice the woman that came in, a small cooking area at the far end that was separated by a small wall to contain the smoke before it billowed out the window, and a bedroom that sat to the side, still with a dirt floor, but providing the parents a spot to return to when they wished to be on their own.

  "Gabriella, come here. Let me introduce you to my wife." Sayeed waved his hand to Gabriella, urging her go to the center of the room.

  "Joti, come here, love," he said, smiling broadly as the woman, who in the Western world would have been considered frumpy, came from around the corner dressed in a beautiful sari that fell down around her body.

  "I'm sorry, ma'am, is it Jodi or Joti? Gabriella asked, extending her hand to shake the woman's.

  "It's a Joti with a t," said the woman shaking Gabriella’s hand and bowing her head slightly at the same time. A small nose-ring adorned her face that held a simple and classic beauty that had made many Indian women a beauty standard throughout the world.

  "I am thankful that you allow me into your home. I will show you the greatest of respect, and if I fail to, I expect that you'll tell me so I may apologize," Gabriella said, making sure to acknowledge that the home was the woman's and nothing that she intended to infringe upon. "Your children are beautiful. Are all four yours?"

  "Those four and one more," said Joti, rubbing her stomach and smiling at her husband. "I have told many people that Sayeed can get me pregnant just by looking at me."

  The group laughed and held themselves relaxed as they enjoyed the moment before knowing what was to come next. Joti’s open and friendly tone seemed distant from the kind of feelings that women that married agents typically had. People were often more aloof than trusting, but Joti had a different sense altogether. She seemed proud of her husband, the home she had, and everything that connected her to the people around her.

  "Gabriella, let me go into my room and get those things for you."

  "Thank you so much, Sayeed. I know my friend sent those things here, I hope it wasn't an inconvenience for any of you."

  "No inconvenience at all, dear," said Joti looking at Gabriella, holding a strong and lasting gaze upon her." Sayeed moved into the room, taking a small bag from beside his bed and rushing back out before handing it to Gabriella.

  "This is the good stuff, so it should be all ready for you."

  "Tyler does think of everything, doesn't he?" said Joti, flashing a quick smile to Gabriella, causing her to react internally to the knowledge that Joti had.

  "I'm sorry, Gabriella. I seem to have held back from you part of who I am."

  "I'm sorry, ma'am. What do you mean by that?" Gabriella asked warily. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

  "What I mean is that I do the same kind of work you do."

  "The same kind of work I do? I'm here for business."

  "Oh, dear, you must be kidding," said Joti, shaking her head at the young woman. "Don't you think my husband would let me know what he did for work?"

  Unwilling to yield a different expression, Gabriella held tight.

  "Gabriella, she knows and she's one of us," said Sayeed, handing the bag to her. "She was in this kind of work even before I was, and she's got a good reason for it too."

  "Well, considering that you're with Sayeed and he and I have already affirmed the connection through our passwords, I guess it's okay for us all to at least admit the kind of work we're in."

  "It's a hard line of work. One that I never expected," Joti sighed. "When I was a young girl, I wanted nothing more than to be married, have a bunch of kids, and live a life of a simple common person. There was no need for any of the extras or for anybody to feel like they had to do more for me."

  "Well, since we're on the subject, how did you get in this line of work?" Gabriella asked, before noticing the change on Sayeed and Joti's face. "If I've gone too far, I apologize. It's just that it was put out there, and I was wondering, it sounds like it's an interesting story."

  "It is a great story," said Joti. "Sayeed often says that my life should be made into a movie, but nobody would ever believe it. When I was young, maybe six years old, a man came to our town promising riches and fame for women. He spoke about Bollywood, and said that all the beautiful faces he saw in our neighborhood would someday grace the screens all over the country."

  "I think I see where this is going." said Gabriella. "I think we've all had men that have tried to trick us in that way."

  "Not like this, Gabriella." Sayeed shook his head, letting her know she was nowhere close to knowing what had happened to his wife.

  "What the man was, was a sex trafficker," Joti said, turning away for a moment to look at her kids. "He had come to fill our heads with grand ideas, and once we went back with him for a shoot with the four of us, we were given tea to relax and have fun. Once I woke up from whatever was placed in that tea, I found myself in a dark room, shackled and handcuffed. The man had no use for us other than to sell us into the black-market sex trade. But I had different ideas."

  "What did you do?" asked Gabriella, fascinated by the woman and the strength that she possessed.

  "I was hard to handle. No matter if they beat me or if they treated me with disgrace and shame, they couldn't break me," Joti explained. "The only positive thing out of it was that they never did anything sexual to me. They didn't want to break my purity. They wanted to make sure that they could get top dollar for me, but I kept attacking people and hurting them."

  "She's a woman of great strength," said Sayeed, holding tears within himself, but having a fierce pride for the woman he loved. "There's something in this woman that is stronger than anybody I've ever known."

  It's a sense of survival," said Joti. "It wasn't enough just to fight them, it wasn't enough just to take beatings. I needed to do something more. So I eventually confiscated a small piece of wood that had been stuck to a person's shoe when they came in. The sandals are always getting things caught under them. And this small stick that was no longer than three or four inches, was about a quarter of an inch around. It was enough that when they were out of the room, I could file, hiding it from the other girls. Too many of them were willing to give others up in order to save themselves. I don't blame them, it's survival."

  "And once you got the stick to where you wanted it, what happened next?" Gabriella a
sked with a large smile on her face.

  "I killed every last one of them." said Joti in a cold and hardened fashion. "It started with the man who came through the door. I plunged it into his left eyeball, removing it and jabbing it into the other eye. Once I had done that, I took the dagger that sat on the side and drove it into his throat, ripping it up to the top of his neck and down as far as the collarbone. The strange thing about it is that I felt no remorse. I took the gun from him and walked through the door. Everyone I saw, man or woman, I shot immediately. The feeling of that air hitting my face when I went through the door to the open land, and could see the sun for the first time in three months was the best day of my life. I ran as far as I could, just creating as much distance as I could to get away."

  "And once I couldn't run anymore, I hid myself in a dumpster, slept the night fighting off the rats and the other creatures that stir around after all the lights are out. But they were a lot better than the animals that I had had to deal with back when I was confined. Since then, I had looked for ways to help others that had been caught in the situation I was. And that's when I met Sayeed. We bonded immediately. And once he felt comfortable enough to let me know what he did, I joined his ranks immediately. Your friend Tyler was the one that showed me the way. He came all the way here to India to speak to me and let me know what good and what bad could come from a job like this. He's a great man."

  Gabriella sat stunned at the trauma the woman had faced, and that she had now still continued to thrive, making her own life better for herself, her husband and her children.

  "This is as far as I take you" said Sayeed after loudly clearing his throat. "Inside the bag, you'll find the information you need. There are two addresses, the first one is for Patel and where he has his standard office. The second address is the one we believe he has the people trapped and is having the blood farmed. There'll be lots of guards and lots of problems, but I don't go farther than this."