“Why are these men smuggled into the United States?” asked Sara.
“No one told me,” he smiled.
Like a flash, Sara spun toward Igor, her blade attaching his hand to the table. Igor wailed as his chair fell away and he struggled to stand, his hand spewing blood with every movement.
“Lie to me again and I will carve you into little pieces. You understand me? Now one more time, what are these men doing in the United States?”
“I don’t know, the man said to kill Jake Stryker,” he screamed.
“Anything else you want tell us?” asked Sara.
“No,” he whispered as she jerked the knife free.
Rachel and Sara left Igor in the room and relayed the information to Stryker and Herb.
“Do you believe him?” asked Stryker.
“Somewhat, but he’s holding back. There are others involved would be my guess,” replied Rachel.
“Why didn’t you kill him?” asked Herb.
“We are not done with him, he will provide us with additional information in the future,” said Sara.
“I’m not surprised the Russians and Iranians have my file and would want me dead after what we did to their drug operation in Afghanistan. I’m surprised he talked. I was told he was a hard ass,” said Stryker.
“We have ways. You will see when you enter the room,” replied Sara.
Oh shit, thought Herb.
Rachel and Sara returned to the condo and left Herb and Stryker to deal with Igor. Both men put on masks and went back into the room. Igor gave them a sullen look, holding his bloody hand.
“Igor, I want you to deliver a message to your father and his friends. Tell him should we find out Russia has more involvement than what you have told us there will be grave consequences. Also, give your father this picture,” said Stryker.
Igor looked at the picture of his father and family at their “dacha.” The picture was recent. Anger spread across his face and then a hood was thrown over his head and he was cut free of the chair. His hands were rebound in front of his body and he was driven into the City and let out. Igor pulled off the hood and watched his captors drive away. He found a man on the street who cut his hands free for ten dollars.
For the first time in his life, Igor was worried and mad. He had been lucky but knew they would come for him again.
Back at the condo, Rachel and Sara discussed what they learned from Igor and suggested Herb return with them to Tel Aviv and meet with Daniel.
Stryker called Sparks to have him check for anyone asking about his whereabouts. Sparks called back several hours later and informed Stryker a Dirk Morgan had inquired as to his whereabouts. Stryker thanked him and told him he would get back to him.
“Sparks just told me the name of a killer who has made recent inquiries about me.”
“Who is he?” asked Herb.
“An American who served with me in Iraq.”
“Why do you think he is the killer?”
“Because when he left Delta, he started doing “wet work” for different clients and Igor mentioned Europe. Should something happen to me remember his name. I am going to meet him and see why he is looking to find me.”
“Rachel, can you check your sources on a former Delta soldier named Dirk Morgan? He has been asking around about me. Might be nothing, but I need to know. Sparks gave me a heads up, but a second look would be good,” said Stryker.
“Sure, consider it done,” replied Rachel.
“Rach, I’ll owe you big time.”
“It will cost you another vacation at some point in your near future, you know that right?”
“Yeah, everything about you is high maintenance.”
“Jake, just remember back on the beach in St. Kitts, running around naked and laying in the sand.”
“Well I don’t remember the running around part, but the naked I will never forget.”
“Men,” she replied and punched him as Herb and Sara looked on amused and laughing.
7
New York City, New York
2015
Riley returned to work in the New York field office after extensive questioning concerning what occurred in the park.
She could have remained on leave, but she was restless. Visiting her friend Ann was taking a toll on her emotionally and she needed to stay busy. Ann remained in a coma since the attack, her condition worsening each day. Riley wanted answers but there had been no leads. They were definitely terror or drug related but the reason surrounding the attack was foggy. Because she was a witness, the case investigation had been assigned to other FBI agents within the office. She was kept out of the loop for the most part. The only information she was able to obtain came from her own sources. She never revealed the man who helped her in the park. She gave a truthful statement of facts to the FBI including calling her uncle. The agents still did not have the man’s name and Riley was not asked for details.
If they wanted her help, they needed to assign her to the case. She planned to work on her own time dealing with members of the NYPD for information. At least she could stay in the loop.
Riley was summoned to the hospital two days after returning to work. She went through the doors and saw Ann’s family gathered at the end of a long hallway. She would never forget walking toward them, for she knew Ann was gone.
Detective Ann Connors was buried with full honors by the New York City Police Department. Ann was twenty-nine years old. She was loved and respected as evidenced by the large number of people in attendance. There would be hell to pay for those responsible for her death. The NYPD took care of their own.
Riley returned to work several days later, wanting to stay busy and keep her mind clear. Since her return to the office, she had been relegated to desk and paper work until her superiors believed she was ready to go back into the field. Riley did not have to wait long since the office was active with more cases than agents to work them. She was assigned to assist in a case involving the murder robbery of a senior news reporter named Paul Jackson. The senior FBI agent in charge was Mike Kelly.
Kelly was known for his ability to close cases and had a keen knack for details. He was the senior agent in the office and worked almost twenty-four seven. Although, the case was in DC, Kelly had been picked by the Director to investigate. Kelly’s wife had passed away several years prior and Kelly put all of his time into his work. He was very proficient and Riley was excited to work with him.
Riley visited with Kelly and he seemed pleased to have her work with him. Kelly was working several large and complex cases and needed the help. Riley immediately located the reporter’s file and started filling herself in on details. She learned the reporter had been killed from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head at close range. He was found near a sidewalk during a snowstorm at night. The DC Police had worked the crime scene not realizing the man was a news reporter, at which time they called in the FBI. Riley read the medical examiner’s report, which placed the time of death near 7:00 p.m. The bullet was a 9mm and remained inside the skull. The police report noted no tracks, shell casings or footprints were found at the scene. The only witness was a male waiter who worked at a restaurant less than a block away. He found the body while walking to his car sometime after closing which was near midnight. Washington DC Police canvassed the area for witnesses but none were found. Cameras in the area provided no clues due to the snowstorm and poor visibility. The case was at a standstill, at least for the moment. Riley made notes and came up with a plan to interview co-workers, friends and family of Paul Jackson. Paul Jackson lived in Atlanta so a road trip was in order. She and Kelly discussed the order of interviews and she made a list to get started.
Riley tossed and turned in a half dream state where she was talking to Ann. Ann had always been with her. They had shared everything: hopes, dreams and what they would do when they retired. Both of them depended on each other for advice and help no matter what the issue.
Riley woke in a sweat after dreami
ng of men beating Ann and hearing her screams for help. No one came. Riley cried and cried and cried.
Why God? Why did this happen?
All she could hear through her breathing was the rain hitting the windows. She got out of bed, turned on the lights, and checked the clock. It was 4:15 A.M. and Riley Clark realized she was all alone.
I have to get it together for Ann and I have a plane to catch, she thought.
8
Berryville, Arkansas
2015
Stryker flew to Little Rock and had his pilots stay with the plane while he drove to Berryville to check on his property. He arrived just before dark, turned off the security system, and increased the heat. He started a fire in the fireplace and made himself a drink.
The drive through snow and freezing rain had been slow. Arkansas weather was unpredictable this time of year.
Stryker needed time alone to think. Meeting with Rachel had been pleasant since both were making their relationship work from a distance. The ability of Stryker to fly back and forth helped make a difference and Rachel seemed happy with the arrangement, at least for the moment.
Without her close, Stryker found himself retreating inwardly as he had during his Delta years. His mind and actions were returning to full on “Delta.” He had hatred and killing on his mind and bad things generally happened as a result.
After leaving the military things seemed simple. He would find and terminate those responsible for the death of his men but that all had changed when he met Rachel. He learned the world was much more complex. The political system had killed his men not just the RPG fired into the Black Hawk. Stryker accepted the fact that he might never find those responsible.
America’s future wars would be fought by skilled contractors operating outside of the rules. Politicians could claim deniability and hide from accountability. He saw these changes in the growth of Herb’s company. Herb needed help and wanted him to join Alpha Security as an equal but silent partner. He would speak with Herb soon and was thinking seriously about the offer. He had an agenda which he hoped Herb might agree with given their partnership with the CIA and Mossad.
What he wanted to do was make those who hated America fear the consequences of their actions.
That was the simple answer, make them pay a price, nothing more than war without rules of engagement, he thought.
The warning by Mossad that terrorists were moving into the United States using the open southern border weighed heavy on his mind along with the assassin chasing him.
He awoke the next morning still in his chair. The sun was peaking over the horizon and a cold wind blew from the north. He located coffee and started a pot brewing. After several cups, he sat at the table with a pen and paper and started making a random list of thoughts, which came to him during the night. After he finished, he showered, put on clean clothes and went to the garage. Everything seemed to be in place so he locked up and headed to Little Rock to go meet Herb in Washington, DC.
They met at the St. Regis Hotel at eight o’clock and sat at their regular table. Herb was in his best attire but not in a good mood.
“I heard your meeting with Daniel went well,” commented Stryker.
“Yes, very well, Alpha got a new contract.”
“Any information since New York? asked Stryker.
“No, but I have five cartel names for you.”
“Where did you get them?” asked Stryker.
“Yesterday from Sparks,” he replied.
“Where are they located?”
“Chicago,” replied Herb.
“Fine, at least it’s a start,” said Stryker.
“Did you have time to think about my offer?” asked Herb.
“I’m good to go with everything. I think we are on the same page,” replied Stryker.
They ordered food and drinks then Stryker told Herb he would buy in his ownership. Herb said, “No way, you don’t have that kind of money.
“Don’t worry about the money, I can handle it. Since we are going to be partners I need to tell you that I am independently wealthy, thanks to my mother’s estate, estimated at well over a billion dollars. I have told no other person about this, not even Sparks or Rachel. The money and oil documents are held offshore and cannot be traced back to me. I am going to make you the trustee should something happen to me. ”
“I was going to give the stock to you. I don’t need the money,” replied Herb.
“Look, I wouldn’t feel right so just give me a number,” said Stryker.
“Alpha is closely held by me, therefore the stock does not have a traded market value. The stock is worth the continued cash flow from contracts. Half might be worth five million dollars at best,” responded Herb.
What a liar. Alpha is worth twice that, thought Stryker as he smiled.
“Get the paper work drawn and make the funding without a paper trail,” said Stryker.
“You serious?” responded Herb.
“Absolutely,” said Stryker.
“Ok, we have a deal but since we are going to be tied at the hip I need to tell you something. I cannot be your trustee because we need the same trustee to maintain all of our business interests. Katie is my attorney and trustee for Alpha. She is not my girlfriend or fiancé. She is my daughter. No one can ever know this for I fear in our business bad people might go after her. As it stands, she is only an Alpha attorney. I haven’t told others so it must be our secret,” said Herb.
“Absolutely, and I agree. Now I know why she looks at you with such adoration,” laughed Stryker.
They moved on to pressing issues and Stryker suggested they attack the cartel to find out more information. Stryker told him the attack would send a clear message to hand over the assassin’s identity or face a deadly response.
“Where will we hit them?” asked Herb.
“They operate in Chicago, so we start there.”
“We plan to kill them?” asked Herb.
“They will not go down easy so it may be necessary,” said Stryker.
“Ok, let’s do it,” replied Herb.
“Our guys will be in and out before the bodies are discovered and the cartel will never call the police, that I promise you. I will call Sparks to get things started,” said Stryker.
Shake these bastards up wondering if this is just the beginning, Delta and Hatchet, Stryker thought.
9
Sedona, Arizona
2015
Plans for the assault against the cartel were left to Ryan Sparks. Sparks worked for the CIA since leaving the military where he was involved with black operations supporting Seal Teams and Delta Force Units. He had met Jake Stryker during those missions and had been friends ever since.
His task at hand was locating the cartel location in Chicago and tracing movements of the occupants. This would take at least a week to complete. He learned the cartel operated without concern for safety, except possible surveillance by the Feds or local police. An attack on them would take them entirely by surprise.
Sparks planned to use six members of Herb’s Hatchet Forces with Stryker leading the team along with Herb. Practice drills were planned and contingencies for wounded put in place with extra men held on standby. Nothing would be left to chance. They would meet in Arizona for final planning.
The plane dropped Stryker and Herb at Atlantic Aviation in Phoenix where Sparks waited with his van. The helicopter flight to Sedona was short. The meeting had been set to make final preparations for the attack planned for the coming week.
They arrived at Sparks Aviation and moved their bags into the apartment built inside one of the hangars. After settling in for the evening, Sparks suggested they go over the plan in general terms before turning in for the night.
The attack was to have Herb and Stryker move through the front door and engage targets and then three men enter the rear and move toward the basement. Flash/bangs would be used before going down the stairs. The idea was simple but like all plans, everything was based on surpri
se and the number of bad guys inside the house.
“Sparks, are you sure no one at the Agency has any idea what we are doing?” asked Stryker.
“All is under the radar, I guarantee it,” responded Sparks.
“Just like in the park with Riley, you were never questioned,” continued Sparks.
“OK. We’re good so we proceed,” said Stryker.
“Yeah, we go on time as planned,” said Sparks.
Herb asked, “Are the team members in position?”
“Yes, they are doing target assessments and giving me updates,” said Sparks.
“We estimate we will be finished and out of the city in less than two hours. If all goes on schedule the bodies won’t be found for at least five hours, assuming we kill all of them.”
“The only unknown is surveillance by the Feds,” said Herb.
“Yes, but we have found no surveillance at the location so far,” Sparks replied. Stryker asked, “Herb, you good with this?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“OK, let’s turn in and discuss details tomorrow.”
The trip to Sedona was much like the planning effort for Afghanistan, which resulted in the death of Aleksey Fedorov and the Iranians. Sparks, being deep cover CIA, operated sometimes outside of CIA sanctioned activities. The attack planned against the cartel was one such operation.
10
Chicago, Illinois
2015
Five cartel men had been traced to a house in Ford Heights just off of Joe Orr Road. The house was a heroin mill where drugs were divided into glassine bags and bundled for distribution to the lower West Side of Chicago. The men ran the Oaizo Cartel operations for both Chicago and New York City. Sources put them in Chicago on this cold windy night.
Stryker and Herb planned to enter the house at 4:00 A.M. from the front with three others entering from the back. Ryan Sparks and two other men would dispatch the watchers several blocks away. The weather forecast for early morning showed heavy snow and reduced visibility. Getting into position before the snow bands got worse was not a problem. Getting out of the area after the attack became more problematic. Sparks had arranged two untraceable vehicles for the raid and both were all-wheel drive. A private jet would be waiting for them at Gary Jet Center located at the Gary Chicago International Airport not far from the house.
Deadly Resonse (The Jake Stryker Series Book 1) Page 3