Deep Cover (The Extractor Series Book 4)

by Mike Ryan

“Werther,” Nicole said. “Or Dalton. Whatever she goes by.”

  “From here on out, I’m referring to her as Dalton since that’s her real name.”

  “What’d she do?” Bridge asked.

  “It’s not as much what she did as much as who she met,” Joe replied.

  “Which was?”

  “Abbott. Gary.”

  “They had a meeting?”

  “Well, we cannot confirm they had a meeting as of this moment, but we can confirm they were in the same location at the same time. That definitely makes it suspicious.”

  “Where were they?”

  “Greece. About two years ago.”

  “How do you know Dalton was there?”

  “We confirmed it with MI6 just a little while ago. Since this now involves people from both agencies, we both came to the understanding that we would share whatever information we have on this matter. They gave us Dalton’s itinerary for the last three years so we back-checked it against Abbott’s movements.”

  “And how long ago was that?” Bridge asked.

  “Two years. So over a year before Abbott was killed. Big coincidence, huh?”

  “You know I don’t believe in that.”

  “Me neither,” Joe said. “But here’s another. In tracing Dalton’s history, we also discovered another crossover.”

  “What was that?”

  “She was also in Ukraine. For about a month. Two years ago. It was exactly one month after she left Greece.”

  “Where Kenny was.”

  Joe nodded. “And also Magareth.”

  “So whatever they’re doing, they’ve been doing it a while.”

  “And under the radar.”

  “Wait, let me understand the timeline on this,” Nicole said. “So Abbott and Dalton meet in Greece about two years ago.”

  “Right.”

  “And then when she left there, she went to Ukraine, where Kenny and Magareth also were at that time?”

  “Correct.”

  “That’s it, then.”

  “What’s that?” Joe asked.

  “Whatever this is about has to do with Abbott in either the month before or the month after that meeting in Greece. Or whatever happened in Greece.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “It stands to reason that whatever happened, he made some kind of deal with Dalton. She was the first one involved with him. Then she went to Ukraine to recruit the others.”

  “Possibly, but we cannot say for certain what that meeting was about. Could be anything at this point.”

  “Where was Abbott before and after that meeting?”

  “Right before that, he was in Italy,” Joe answered. “After leaving Greece, he went to Poland.”

  “Wait a minute,” the analyst said, interrupting the conversation. “They met up again a few months after that.”

  “What?”

  “They were in Greece again at the same time.”

  “When?”

  “Two weeks before Abbott came home.”

  Joe looked at the others. “That’s not a coincidence.”

  “No, it’s not,” Bridge said. “Greece is the target.”

  “Well, we still don’t know that for sure.”

  Bridge sighed, then backed away from the others and started pacing the room. There were more things going through his mind.

  “What is it?” Nicole asked.

  Bridge stopped and folded his arms. His head shook a little as he tried to formulate his thoughts. “I still can’t help but think we got this all wrong.”

  “How so?” Joe asked.

  “All this time, we assumed this was about Abbott and a mole. Maybe it’s Kenny, maybe someone else, and I just can’t help but think this has nothing to do with that. Speaking of which, do you have any evidence that suggests anything he told you regarding a mole is true?”

  “Just a lot of hearsay and rumors. He came through with some documents for us that never led anywhere.”

  “There’s something else,” Nicole said.

  Bridge took a deep breath before continuing. “This is what I think, obviously without proof. I have a feeling that Abbott and Dalton came to some kind of agreement, probably with something illegal, and their plan was to throw off their activities by coming up with this bogus story of a mole. They’d know you were more worried about that than finding out about whatever they were doing.”

  “What about Kenny?”

  “Well, I think that Dalton recruited him, and Magareth, when she went to Ukraine. All this time, we were going under the assumption that Kenny was the leader of this thing, probably because we were working under the theory that he was the mole. But if there is no mole, then that kind of takes him out of the picture. If he and Abbott never appeared together, then he’s not the main guy.”

  “Unless he used a disguise and a different name to do that,” Joe said.

  “Always possible with a man like him. But I’m thinking this was something between Dalton and Abbott. She recruited the others.”

  “For what purpose?” Nicole asked.

  Bridge shrugged. “Either she planned to betray Abbott all along, or maybe she got them for protection, or maybe they just needed some extra help to pull off whatever they were doing. I’m not sure.”

  “That’s a lot of good theories,” Joe said. “But they’re just that. Theories.”

  “But they make sense.”

  “They do. But we can’t prove them anymore than we can prove the other ones we were working under.”

  Bridge then looked at Nicole. “I think it’s time we booked a flight.”

  “Where we going?”

  “Europe.”

  “Now hold on,” Joe said. “If you’re thinking of going over there to try to follow them, we don’t know exactly where they are right now.”

  “I think we have a good idea.”

  “They flew into Paris. How’s that play into it, if at all?”

  “I don’t think it does,” Bridge asked. “If they think we’re watching, they’re not going to lead us directly to where they’re going. They’re going somewhere completely irrelevant.”

  “We still need to figure out who that fourth man is,” Nicole said.

  “Any ideas?”

  “Not as yet,” Joe replied. “Until we get some type of lead, could be anybody at this point. Could be someone that any one of them know that’s not tied to the others.”

  “I still think we should go.”

  “As you may know, we do have teams over there.”

  “But none of them are me.”

  “Well, I can’t argue with you there.”

  “And it’s my client who’s missing. No one else is going to have a bigger incentive to find him than I do.”

  “He’s an American citizen, Luke. Last I checked, protecting them is part of our job description.”

  “But there’s more in play than just that.”

  “You don’t work for me. I can’t tell you what you can or can’t do.”

  “But you could give me support,” Bridge said.

  Joe smiled. “Are you offering your services in conjunction with an off-the-books CIA operation?”

  Bridge nodded. “I guess I am.”

  “Well then… I guess I accept.”

  “What can you give me?”

  “We have a substation in Athens. Go there. I’ll alert them that you’re coming. You’ll get everything you need and complete cooperation.”

  “Assuming that’s where these guys are going,” Nicole said. “It’s well over a full day from Paris to Greece by car.”

  “Maybe they drove into Italy or Germany, then took another flight under different names again,” Bridge said.

  “I guess anything’s possible.”

  “You’re convinced that Greece is the target here?” Joe asked.

  “Not convinced. Just making an educated guess.”

  “Well then, we’ll just have to keep digging here to make sure that that guess is suppor
ted then, won’t we?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “How soon can you be ready?”

  “We can be in the air by the end of today.”

  “Looks as though you two need to get moving then.”

  “I assume we’ll need some identification?”

  “When you get to the substation, you’ll need a code phrase.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’m an American tourist.”

  “His reply?”

  “Aren’t we all?”

  Bridge looked at Nicole. “Looks like we’re going on a trip.”

  16

  Once Bridge and Nicole arrived in Greece, they immediately checked in at the CIA substation in Athens. They didn’t even bother with a hotel first. They wanted to make sure they got off running as soon as they got on the ground. After going to the address that they were given, they stood outside of it. It was a small two-story building at the end of a shopping district.

  “They sure picked their cover well with this place,” Nicole said.

  “That’s the idea.” Bridge looked around as scores of people walked past them. “Blend in.”

  They knocked on the door, and a man in his late twenties soon answered. He looked the part of a CIA agent. Big, muscular, short haircut, though dressed in shorts and a T-shirt.

  “Help you?”

  “I’m an American tourist,” Bridge answered.

  “Aren’t we all?” the man looked at the two of them. “Both of you?”

  “We’re a package deal.”

  “Hey, the more the merrier. Come on in.”

  They went inside and followed the man upstairs to the second floor. They had a nice window view on the backside of the floor. Bridge and Nicole went over to it.

  “Lovely view,” Nicole said.

  “Isn’t it? Love working here.” The man stuck his hand out to greet both of them. “I’m Steve.”

  “Luke. This is Nicole.”

  “Glad to meet both of you.” Steve then introduced the other five members of the team who were all working at their desks.

  “This all of you?”

  “Yeah, we’re a pretty small operation here, but we do a pretty good job of gathering intel.”

  “I’m assuming you were told we were coming,” Bridge said.

  “Absolutely. Pinnacle One told me himself. I’ve already been informed about the mission.”

  “How long you been stationed here?” Nicole asked.

  “Two years. Best two years of my life.”

  “Lots of action?”

  “Eh, some. The weather’s the best, though. Can get a little hot at times during the summer, but I don’t mind. Better than those crazy North Dakota winters where I’m from, that’s for sure.”

  “You able to tell us anything about what we’re here for?” Bridge asked.

  “Well, I’ve been doing some digging. I wasn’t brought into it before now. Was working on some other things.”

  “Find anything new?”

  “Not as yet, but we’re working on it.”

  “Any ideas on what they would be doing here?”

  “Well, there’s a few big issues here,” Steve replied. “Greece is a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling drugs, cocaine, heroin, and some other stuff from the Middle East and southwest Asia. Then you also have chemicals going to the east. Then you also have some money laundering from organized crime and drug trafficking.”

  “What’s the terrorist situation here?”

  “Not much. There’s the Revolutionary Struggle, a local group known for some government attacks, as well as at the American Embassy. The RS has been largely inactive the last couple years, though. A few shootouts with local police and all, but they haven’t been much of a factor outside of that.”

  “You don’t think they would be involved in this?” Nicole asked.

  “I would doubt it. They’re mostly a local group. They only operate inside Greece, and mostly in Athens. I can’t see them being involved in all this other stuff that I’m hearing.”

  “What’s your best guess?” Bridge asked.

  “They don’t pay me for guesses.”

  “They don’t pay you to sit on your hands either.”

  Steve laughed. “True.” He sat in his computer chair, put his elbow on the arm of the chair, and his hand over his mouth as he thought about it. “Based on what I know so far, if I had to guess, I’d say it has to do with some type of money laundering. Or just money in general.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, does anything that you’ve come across so far indicate there’s drugs involved?”

  Bridge shook his head. “None.”

  “Then there you go. If they’re coming to Greece, and there’s no drugs, then it has to be about money. How long you guys figuring on staying?”

  “Till it’s done.”

  “Could be a long stay.”

  “I don’t think so. People like this usually have a short timeline. They don’t drag things out.”

  Steve nodded. “Maybe so. I noticed you had some bags with you. Find a place to stay yet?”

  “No, we came here first. Wanted to see if you had anything for us yet.”

  “Oh. Sorry to disappoint. Why don’t you guys get settled, then come back over?”

  “Where’s a good place to go?”

  “Well, we’re all within twenty minutes walking distance of here, spread out. You know how it is about everyone staying in the same location.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Anyway, there’s a spot up the street if you like. Maybe ten minutes away. I’ll take you over.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Kenny was the first to arrive at the house. He went inside and checked it out to make sure there were no surprise visitors waiting for them. With it being clear, he went out front to wait for the others. Another car pulled up about twenty minutes later. Dalton, Magareth, Abbott, and the man that picked them up at the airport arrived. His name was Argus Kanelos, a native of Greece. He was the first to be brought in on the scheme that Dalton and Gary Abbott had developed.

  Once they were all out of the car, Magareth shoved a rifle into Abbott’s back to get him moving.

  “Took you long enough,” Kenny said.

  “You’ve been here maybe twenty minutes, tops,” Dalton said. “I don’t wanna hear how long you’ve been waiting.”

  She led the others inside. “Nice place,” Magareth said, looking around. “I’m digging it.”

  “It’s been in the family for three generations,” Kanelos said. “So please, don’t make a mess.”

  They went out back where there was a large rectangular-shaped in-ground swimming pool.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Kenny said.

  “I’ve told you repeatedly,” Dalton said. “We have two days before we’re able to retrieve the money. We can’t take it out before then.”

  “I don’t see what difference it makes.”

  “Because there are codes and rules that must be abided by. They will be honored.”

  “Honor among thieves?”

  “Something like that.”

  “How much money are we talking, anyway?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Dalton answered. “You’ve been promised your cut, and you shall get it. All you need to do is provide security. Everything else is on me.”

  Everyone started going down their separate paths. Magareth stayed close to Abbott to make sure he didn’t try to escape. Dalton was somewhat sympathetic to Abbott’s situation, even though she was the one who was responsible for it, and waved Magareth off his post.

  “You can ease up,” Dalton said. “He’s not going anywhere. Go have a sandwich or something.”

  Magareth was chewing on some gum. He looked down at Abbott for a second. The man hadn’t provided any problems thus far, so he didn’t think leaving him alone for a little while would be an issue. Magareth nodded and went inside, leaving just Dalton and Abbott alone. Abbott’s hands were tied tog
ether in front of him, but Dalton removed his restraints. She sat next to him as they faced the pool.

  “I’m sorry for all the treatment,” Dalton said. “But as long as you do what is asked of you, I give you my word that you will be released unharmed when it’s all over.”

  Abbott was silent for a moment, unsure if he should say anything. But he wanted to know. “It’s been like a week since you guys took me. You still haven’t told me what you want with me.”

  Dalton took a deep breath, wondering if she should reveal her plans yet. She decided it was time to let him know what she needed him for, since he had a part to play.

  “I knew your brother.”

  “Did you kill him?” Abbott asked.

  Dalton hesitated before answering. “No. But Kenny did.”

  “Why? What did he do to you?”

  Dalton snickered. “Why is a very complicated issue. I didn’t want him dead.”

  “So why’d you do it?”

  “It was done without my consent. I never would’ve let that happen if I had known about his intentions.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why. Why was he killed? What did he ever do to you?”

  “How well did you know your brother?”

  “Pretty well. He travelled a lot, so we didn’t see each other that much, but we talked on the phone, texted, emailed pretty regularly.”

  “And did he ever mention me?”

  “No.”

  “There’s quite a bit that you don’t know about him.”

  “Like what?”

  “He was… being used by the CIA to help funnel information to them. He was also using his business as a salesman as a front.”

  “How would you know any of that?”

  “Because we were… involved,” Dalton said.

  “What?”

  “Your brother and I had a relationship that lasted over six months.”

  “You and him? He never said anything.”

  “I didn’t suppose he would.”

  “But if you were… then why did…”

  “I was once employed by MI6. I had an assignment here in Greece. That’s where I met Gary. I won’t bore you with the details about my mission, but it’s safe to say that I was very disillusioned with my job satisfaction at that point. I devised a plan to get away from it all. I needed money to make that happen. And I knew where I could get it.”