“Yeah, I watched the video twice with Dirk. He said my name several times,” responded Herb.
“All right, this tells me Vadim Propov suspects Alpha’s involvement in Afghanistan and the death of Aleksey Fedorov. Probably payback, plus their business partners Petloki and Branch need us dead. We need to speak with Riley and try to connect the dots,” said Stryker.
“Where’s Sparks?” asked Stryker.
“I saw him earlier headed to the helicopter for some papers. I can go find him if you like,” replied Sara.
“Good, have him join us.”
Sara left the table and headed to find Sparks while Rachel sat quietly, lost in thought.
_____
The men were gathered around a TV watching a special report about the massacre in Missouri. Rachel joined them and looked on in horror at the scene. Hundreds were killed and more maimed from the explosions. Law enforcement reported no arrests or suspects but were looking into racial motivation as the cause.
Sparks and Sara joined the others in the main dining area gathered around the TV. Word had spread quickly about the attacks. Stryker nodded at Sparks, continuing to watch the reporting from the scene.
“We need a meeting with Riley next week,” said Stryker.
“We may have to go to her if she’s working the bombing,” replied Sparks.
“Sure, no problem. Find out when and where.”
“Rachel, you and Sara call Daniel and let him know we may have caught a break in his granddaughter’s bombing. You both know what we need to compare bomb signatures.”
“I think it is important enough for you to take our plane and go to Tel Aviv. I will have the pilots make arrangements to travel when we make port. Herb can have Alpha’s plane fly the rest of us back to Dulles,” said Stryker.
“Make sure Daniel understands this is speculative but it certainly has the earmarks of Ali,” said Stryker.
Rachel and Sara left the table to call Daniel while Stryker, Herb and Sparks discussed the video in more detail.
“Cruz says the second group of foreigners will be smuggled to Atlanta soon. Dirk is monitoring the situation. Cruz says he was paid in advance to smuggle three men out of the United States to Tampico sometime in the next few months. I think this is Ali’s escape plan. Remember he flew to Quebec prior to the church bombing in Colorado leaving his teams to execute the attacks. Leaving before the event happens mirrors his past behavior,” said Stryker.
“What about killing us? You think Ali will make an attempt before leaving?” asked Herb.
“No, I don’t think so. I believe Petloki arranged the demon assassin for me and I think you were added later. Could be someone snitched you out or followed us or maybe the law firm preparing the stock transaction tipped them. We may never know for sure. What we do know is we are being hunted. After finding no evidence the assassin was killed at my farm we need to be paranoid more so than ever before,” said Stryker. “I hope you put more guys on Katie.”
“I did immediately after seeing the video,” replied Herb.
“You should check with Orson and see what’s new about Petloki. I assume he is still monitoring his phone and computer?”
“Yes, he is monitoring, and I will call him,” said Herb.
“Can his group do a deep background on Jason Branch?” asked Stryker.
“Yes, I will get them started. We have two more days at sea, maybe we will have more information by the time we make port,” said Herb.
Rachel returned with a request from Daniel to have Dirk come to Tel Aviv since he had spoken directly to Pedro Cruz.
“Tell Daniel Dirk can come with you but there are to be no tests of his abilities. The last thing we need is for Dirk to kill several of Daniel’s men,” he smiled.
“You want to tell Dirk?”
“No, you and Sara have much better skills talking to him.”
Dirk has no idea what is in store for him. Jake laughed.
29
Gulf of Mexico
2016
Stryker sat on the rear deck sipping coffee, watching the sun beginning to glow on the horizon. The seventy-three-meter yacht slipped easily through the water making little noise. Only the deep growl of its twin caterpillar 3516 B engines penetrated the early dawn.
“Jake, you want more coffee? I will bring you another cup,” shouted Herb.
“Thanks, sounds good,” replied Stryker.
Herb arrived with two steaming cups of coffee, handed one to Stryker, grabbed a deck chair, and sat down.
“Beautiful this time of morning. You been up long?”
“About an hour, couldn’t sleep so I quietly left, letting her sleep,” said Stryker. “At my age I get up early like clockwork.”
“I hoped you might be here because Orson left us a message. He said Petloki is going on a fishing trip to British Columbia in the next month to meet with Igor Propov. Orson says they do this every year as some kind of business meeting. He is trying to get more details,” said Herb.
“You thinking what I’m thinking? remarked Stryker.
“Possibly a great time to take them both out,” replied Herb.
“Yeah, we need to discuss this with Sparks in order to be ready. I promise Sparks will prepare a plan in no time. Are you thinking just you and me with Sparks getting us in and out?” asked Stryker.
“Just us, no one else and we make sure the bodies are never found,” said Herb.
“Let’s finish our coffee then find Sparks,” replied Stryker.
The sun was above the horizon when they found Ryan Sparks coming from his suite.
Sparks needed coffee and food so they all went to the dining area, which was open for business.
Herb informed Sparks about Orson’s information and the need for a plan of action. Sparks took it all in and smiled.
“What the hell Ryan, why are you smiling?” asked Stryker.
“Nothing Jake, just thinking about the plan. I already have some ideas,” he said.
“Good, we can get into them once we get back to the office,” said Stryker.
_____
Stryker found Rachel and Sara working out in the gym. He watched them practice techniques for a while then told Rachel to find him when they finished. He went back to the rear deck and continued watching the ocean while processing information in his mind.
“Daydreaming or planning?” Rachel asked as she slid into the chair beside him.
“A little of both. What are you doing?”
“Just my usual, working out and waiting. I spoke with Daniel and he is getting all the evidence together on the bombing. He asked about Dirk’s background and I told him I would ask you,” she said.
“Dirk Morgan has a checkered past, joined the Army instead of going to prison. He says he is a Muslim but I do not believe him. I’ve never seen a prayer rug or anything to suggest he is religious. We met when he was assigned to my unit in Iraq before Delta training. He was a typical loner, no friends, a basic unknown. My unit was trapped in Fallujah and close to being overrun. I had been hit and was in and out of consciousness feeling hot pokers on my arms and face. I came to and looked up from the floor to see this mountain of a man, drenched in blood screaming in Arabic taunting the insurgents while firing a belt-fed squad machine gun. The hot pokers were shell casings falling on me. He single-handedly killed over thirty insurgents and earned a Silver Star. He is one of the most savage fighters I have ever known,” said Stryker.
“He and Daniel will get along fine and I will make sure he is treated well. There are many egos as you are aware,” Rachel replied.
“Yeah, I wasn’t kidding about him being tested. Someone will end up in a body bag and it won’t be Morgan,” said Stryker.
“I’ll let Sara deal with him, they both are loners and seem to like each other,” said Rachel.
“Good idea. I don’t think there will be any problems other than Daniel will try to recruit him,” laughed Stryker.
“How do you see this going down?” asked Rachel.
> “Depends, if Ali ties to both bombings we will have to split our forces. Your teams will take Ali as he escapes from the United States while Sparks, Herb and I will hunt Petloki and Igor in British Columbia. After that we follow whatever trail that remains,” said Stryker.
“These killings of the media and bombing of protesters and politicians bothers me. Why would Ali waste time on these targets unless he had another agenda? We need to stay alert because I have a nagging feeling there is something else at play. Sparks and I have a meeting with Special Agent Riley Clark to see the evidence from the Missouri bombing. When you get the evidence on your end from Daniel’s bombing, we should be able to match the results quickly. If we get a match you will need to move rapidly to get your operation ready,” said Stryker.
“Don’t worry, Daniel will move heaven and earth once he has the evidence,” she replied. “Do I get to keep Dirk for my op? He might be helpful. Sara says he speaks five languages including Spanish,” said Rachel.
“Dirk is all yours, but I suggest you and Sara invite him.”
“I totally understand, that is a great idea,” she replied.
“Anything else?” asked Stryker.
“Well I guess this is a good time to discuss something going on with Daniel that involves me. As you are aware, Daniel’s health has deteriorated and he may have to slow down. He gets to appoint his replacement and still keep his hand in the game from an advisory perspective. He wants me to become assistant director and ultimately be his replacement.”
“When would this happen?” asked Stryker.
“Within the next twelve months,” she said.
“You sure you want to leave field work for all the politics and administration duties? Also, you see what the stress has done to Daniel. Don’t get me wrong, I think you have the temperament for the job and you can’t stay in the field forever. If Daniel helps you transition, the opportunity at your age is unbelievable.”
“How about us?” she asked.
“Nothing changes except I don’t have to worry about you not returning from an assignment,” said Stryker.
“I knew you would see it that way,” she smiled.
“When will you decide?” he asked.
“Daniel wants to talk more after we get past this Ali and Igor mess.”
“I guess going forward I will have to address you as Madam Director and make special appointments to see you, plus since Alpha does business with you that would make you my boss,” said Stryker.
“Interesting point, I hope you don’t make me mad,” she remarked.
“Trust me, I will continue to handle you with kid gloves,” he smiled.
Wait till Herb and Sparks hear this, he thought.
30
Atlantis, Bahamas.
2016
Herb announced the ship would arrive at Atlantis Marina in two hours. Sparks readied the custom clearance form and double-checked that the boarding officer would not be a problem. The group would depart, leaving all gear hidden away on the yacht. They were all dressed as vacationers with carry bags. Once departed, all would head to the airport for flights to different locations.
“Stryker, could I have a minute,” said Dirk.
“Sure, what’s going on?”
“Nada, just wanted to make sure we are on the same page before I go to Israel. I figure this is important to you and just wanted your take,” said Dirk.
“Yeah, it’s important to me. Ali Shirazi nearly killed me the last time we met and he needs killing. I wanted to kill him myself but I can’t be in two places at the same time so I thought of you. I have no doubt that if you set out to kill him he will be dead. Also, since the Israelis want him alive then you might be able to make that happen as well. There is no one I trust more, that’s my take,” said Stryker.
“You got it, boss. I will take care of the problem, don’t worry. Do I need to talk to Herb?”
“No, he agrees you are the man for the job.”
“OK, then I’ll be in touch as we move along,” replied Dirk.
Stryker found Rachel in the suite and they said their goodbyes in private. She promised to call him after she reviewed the evidence and he promised to do the same after meeting with Riley Clark. The departure from the boat went off without a problem and everyone went to the airport. Herb, Stryker, Sparks and the Alpha operators entered the Alpha Securities jet and Rachel, Sara and Dirk left for Tel Aviv in Stryker’s Gulfstream g550.
_____
Upon reaching cruising altitude, Sparks huddled with Herb and Stryker to discuss Igor and Petloki.
“Orson advises Igor’s fishing camp is located on the Skeena River before it intersects the Babina River. The area is remote and accessed by floatplanes coming out of Ketchikan or Prince Rupert. Once we determine the exact location of the camp, we can hide supplies, weapons and gear. I have made contact with my assets and arranged for a Cessna 406 with floats. We will change the aircraft numbers prior to inserting. This is all I have until we can speak more with Orson. We also don’t have a firm date, but it will be prior to the election in November. Any other questions?” asked Sparks.
“Yes, so you plan to put me and Herb down fairly close to the camp or what?” asked Stryker.
“The question will be how close to the camp depending on the stretch of river we need for landing. You may be two to five clicks out which is a long way in that terrain. We just won’t know until we pin down the actual camp site,” said Sparks.
“How about Canadian Wildlife Enforcement, will that be a problem or are we too remote?” asked Herb.
“Don’t know yet but it is on our list of questions. My guess is they are spread pretty thin and based on the general location we will probably be fine. But we need more specifics,” replied Sparks.
“Are you planning to wait for us or fly out and come back,” asked Stryker.
“Probably wait since we don’t know if you have a hot extraction with bad guys in pursuit. Also, we have no idea how many men will be at the camp adding to the danger. My best guess is they will not have a large party. They don’t want to be noticed,” said Sparks.
“Good point, sounds like five to ten men max and I bet most of them will arrive before Igor or Petloki,” remarked Herb.
“We need another man,” said Stryker.
“Not a problem. We have three former SEALS all who were at the compound,” replied Herb.
“Pick the one you think fits this mission, and for what it’s worth my vote is Paul, who saved our asses from that grenade,” said Stryker.
“Ok, agreed. I will talk to him,” replied Herb.
“How are we going to find their camp?” asked Stryker, looking at Sparks.
“I have reached out to assets we have on the ground in Canada to locate the float planes they booked for transportation. Orson may get lucky hacking Petloki’s phone and computer but in any case, we have to be careful and not leave any trail back to us,” he said.
“Are you working on where to dispose of the bodies?” asked Herb.
“Yeah, we’re thinking about caves but keep in mind once they are reported missing a search will begin immediately. I’m not sure if we might be better off just leaving them where they fall and let the wolves have at them. We can be gone a week before they are reported missing,” said Sparks.
“I have cleaners we use depending on the number of bodies. I’ll check with them and see if we might want to go that direction,” said Sparks.
The discussion and planning made the flight seem short and before they were finished talking, the pilot announced they were landing in Washington, DC and going to Alpha’s hangar.
Once in the hangar, the men departed, some staying at Alpha’s facility and Stryker and Sparks leaving together, going to his house near Langley.
“Keep a close eye out as we leave the airport. We may have watchers,” commented Stryker to the pilots.
“We will. Who do you think might be interested?” asked the pilots.
“Don’t know, just
a feeling. Maybe it’s nothing, but the mention of Herb as a target troubles me.”
31
Washington, DC
2016
Stryker and Sparks drove a zigzag approach to his house. Once in the gated subdivision and inside the garage they breathed a sigh of relief.
“I guess I’m paranoid. Unless they were a federal task force, the route we took would have forced them to break off. I assume we are safe here for awhile. I am going to review the hidden camera tapes just the same,” said Stryker.
The camera system was of pinhole design and resolution was good both day and night. The placement provided coverage inside and out with no blind spots. The system provided for its own power source should the regular electric power be compromised.
Stryker made coffee before sitting down at the DVR to review the activities of the last week. Sparks offered to help, so they began.
“Take a break and rest your eyes. I made fresh coffee,” said Sparks.
“Ok, I am seeing spots. You sit down and I will get you another cup,” replied Stryker.
Stryker got Sparks a fresh cup of coffee then lay back on the sofa and closed his eyes. Several hours later, he felt Sparks shaking his arm.
“Jake, wake up, we might have a problem. I found something you need to see. It’s a man.”
Stryker shook himself, trying to come fully awake while following Sparks to the DVR monitor.
“See him at the front and watch him move around the house. He has on some mowing service shirt and a yard blower. He keeps his baseball cap pulled down so we don’t make out his face. I’ve looked at him several times and still am not sure if he is Latin American or Mexican,” said Sparks.
“Let’s go to the back patio door area. He seems to kneel looking at something back there. Whatever he’s doing certainly is not lawn work. The service I use are all black men. The owner of the company lives in this subdivision. What times make up his arrival and departure?” asked Stryker.
“Looks like he arrived two days after we left for Monterrey, early in the morning after everyone had left for work. The first frame is 8:46 a.m.,” said Sparks.
Deadly Resonse (The Jake Stryker Series Book 1) Page 10