Retrieval

by Ethan Jones

  “Whatever you want.”

  Mila cocked her head. “You’re trying to get me drunk, Javin?”

  He laughed. “No, just aiming to please.”

  “Well, you’re doing an awesome job. And I’m sure this is only the beginning.” She gave him a big smile.

  Javin nodded. His hope was to take things slow, as slow as he could, and definitely stay away from Mila’s hotel room. He cut into another scallop, while Mila began to look for the waiter. Liberty popped into his mind. Maybe I should give her another call. He shrugged and looked at Mila conversing in French with the waiter. He had not known she spoke the language. There are so many things I don’t know about her. But maybe we’ll have time to find out about one another…

  For a split second, he thought about the price of the food Mila was ordering. It was a drop in the bucket compared to the cash still untouched in the duffel bag locked in a bank safe about a ten-minute drive from the restaurant. I need to figure out what to do with it. And fast.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Deutsche Bank Branch

  2, Boulevard Konrad Adenauer

  Luxembourg

  Javin shook hands with Dietrich Feichtner, the bank manager of his account. Feichtner was an old contact of Javin’s, and it was not by accident that he had picked the German bank and Feichtner for the sensitive transaction. Deutsche Bank had a tradition of failing to implement internal measures and policies to properly identify clients and the source of their wealth. In 2017, the bank was fined at the mind-blowing amount of $630 million by US and British regulators because it had laundered $10 billion out of Russia, the latest of a long string of offenses.

  Feichtner was one of the mid-level executives implicated in those unlawful money transfers and artificial trades. The deal to keep him and over a dozen bank employees out of public trials and long prison sentences was to assist security agencies with intelligence, as well as transfers that needed to remain off the books.

  “This will take a while, so please, sit down.” Feichtner gestured at a leather armchair across his desk. His forehead was full of sweat, and his German-accented voice was wavering. Not exactly how he was expecting to start his Monday morning.

  “And this will be completely off the records, right?” Javin remained standing.

  “Yes, absolutely. But I still need to enter it into our system. Then, once the transfer is complete, I will delete it manually.”

  Javin nodded. “Leave no trace.”

  “Certainly.”

  “No mistakes.”

  Feichtner ran his fingers around his crisp white shirt collar, attempting to loosen it, so he could take an easier breath. He slumped into his chair and motioned at one of his three computer monitors. “No mistakes, Mr. Pierce.”

  “Good.” Javin walked around the desk and looked at the screen over Feichtner’s shoulder. “How much info will the First Bank of Erbil see?”

  “The UNHCR local branch in Iraq will receive a 2.5-million-dollar transfer designated specifically for the work at the Hasan Sham Refugee Camp in Mosul. It will come from a numbered account, which will be automatically closed after the transfer has been received. If anyone becomes suspicious about the source—which I don’t expect—we’ll direct them to one of the Grand Cayman shell corporations created specifically for such situations.”

  Javin nodded. Shell corporations were often set up for illicit purposes like tax evasion or money laundering or to hide the identity of the owners and their wealth. It was not uncommon for such corporations to make anonymous donations to charities or aid organizations, especially the ones operating in war zones or regions consumed by armed conflicts.

  Feichtner said, “Running into a shell company stops most investigations. However, if there’s persistence, whoever is looking into this will find out that the company is dissolved, and all records were destroyed. But, as per your suggestion, the transfer will look as if it came from the family of a late Iraqi millionaire, and the family prefers to remain anonymous, for obvious reasons.”

  “Is it completely fail-safe?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “All right. Go ahead, then.”

  Feichtner nodded. He looked at Javin, then at the armchair across the desk, but he shook his head. Feichtner shrugged and began to type on the keyboard.

  Javin followed Feichtner’s fingers dancing across the keyboard and the mouse. Javin had some basic knowledge about money transfers through bank transactions and how they were executed in practice. He did not expect the banker to deceive him, but Javin had been betrayed by people who were close to him and had learned to distrust almost everyone. If someone has a motive to betray you, most likely they will, was a mantra drilled into his brain from the days he was a young recruit. Feichtner was trapped into doing endless favors for intelligence agencies. If he could find a way to break free, he wouldn’t hesitate a heartbeat.

  Javin drew in a deep breath and thought of last night. It had taken every ounce of willpower to keep from getting into bed with Mila. He had walked Mila to her room, and, at the door, they had exchanged another long kiss. She had wrapped her arms around him, pulling him inside the room. But he kept saying “no,” every time with less and less confidence. Her advances grew stronger, her kisses became deeper, and her body moves more aggressive. But he was able to resist, albeit left with very little resolve and with the feeling of guilt that he was making a terrible mistake not taking advantage of the situation. After all, how would a one-night affair be a bad thing? Mila was a Russian SVR agent, but they were in Luxembourg, had enjoyed a fantastic meal and great conversation, there was excellent chemistry between them, and they strongly desired one another… He sighed, again feeling like a fool for failing to make good use of the opportunity.

  Then he thought of “kompromat,” or compromising material that Mila could be gathering about Javin and their relationship. As much as he wanted to believe she had feelings for him, Mila was still a well-trained, hardened operative. Javin had not checked her hotel room or the adjacent rooms. What if there were cameras recording everything that took place inside? What if she was given this assignment, and Javin was her target? He smiled and nodded to himself. Javin, you made the right choice.

  Whatever the truth was, Mila had called him that morning, before Javin went out for his 5K run. She wanted to do breakfast, and Javin was reluctant to accept her invitation. But he did, as he did not want to get on her bad side.

  Mila had agreed to Javin’s suggestion to take things slowly. She said she could see a future for them, especially once they had resolved some of the more immediate issues existing between them. Javin did not press for details, knowing she was referring to the sexual tension hanging in the air. She promised to call him as soon as she arrived in Moscow, later that evening. Before saying “goodbye,” Mila kissed him again. Javin kissed her back, and felt it was perhaps the best kiss he had enjoyed in quite some time.

  “We’re about finished here.” Feichtner’s almost mechanical voice brought Javin back into the banker’s office. “At this point, I would ask for a few signatures, but...” He shrugged.

  Javin grinned. “No paperwork.”

  “I know.”

  The banker kept typing, while Javin monitored every single keystroke. Feichtner moved between screens and databases, entering figures and codes. Javin asked a few questions when he was unable to follow the activity trail or was unfamiliar with the procedures. Feichtner sounded irritated in his answers, protesting that everything would be finished in half the time if Javin would let him do his job. Javin shrugged off his objections, claiming that in this case, time was not of the essence.

  About ten minutes later, Feichtner was almost finished. He informed Javin that they would have to wait for the confirmation, which usually was only a matter of seconds. However, considering the secretive nature of the transaction and the fact that occasionally the First Bank of Erbil experienced power failures that affected its computer systems, it might take a while. Javin asked
Feichtner to lock the transaction so that no other bank employee could view it or access the information, then he sat on the couch across from the banker. Feichtner looked a bit more relaxed, and the sweat on his forehead had started to disappear. The frown had remained, and he looked as if he could not wait until the entire ordeal was over.

  He leaned forward on his desk and opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Javin’s phone rang. A shiver went through his body when he glanced at the screen, as he recognized the number. It was Liberty. “Yes, this is Javin.”

  “Hey ... Javin. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get in touch with you.”

  “I’m glad you called,” he said in a warm tone, then glanced at Feichtner, who had returned to his keyboard, and gestured at him to leave them alone. “Give me a moment here.”

  Feichtner nodded, very eager to oblige.

  Javin said to him, “Stay away from any computer. Just wait outside in the hall.”

  Feichtner gave Javin a disappointed look. “I thought you trusted me…”

  “I do, but I also trust my eyes.”

  “I see … trust, but verify, right?”

  Javin stepped closer to Feichtner. “Look, we’re not friends, so this isn’t personal. We don’t have a relationship, other than you work for me. In this case, the result is crucial and matters more to me than our hollow relationship. You understand that, right?”

  Feichtner nodded. “The feeling is mutual.” His voice had turned ice-cold, and his accent had gotten stronger.

  “Good.” Javin smiled.

  He walked behind Feichtner and left his office door open. Feichtner sat in the nearest hallway chair and demonstratively folded his arms across his chest. Javin nodded, then returned to his phone. “Sorry about that, Liberty, I had to deal with something…”

  “No worries. Now, I called you several times last evening…”

  Javin frowned. “I had turned my phone off. I had … eh, a business dinner.”

  “Okay, well, can we talk now?”

  “Sure, of course.”

  A brief pause followed, then Liberty said, “Javin, I’ve given some thought, a lot of thought, actually, to our … relationship.” Her voice was slow and thoughtful and carried a hint of regret. “I’d like for us to give it another try … see if we can make it work.”

  Javin smiled. “I’d like that too.”

  Another pause, then Liberty said, “Yes, but many things will need to change. I need to know who you really are, what you do for a living. And saying that you’re an ‘advisor,’ that’s not going to cut it, Javin.”

  “I get it, Liberty.” He tried to keep the warmth in his voice. He knew there was only so much he could tell her about his work and his assignments. But will that be enough? He shrugged. “I’ll do the best I can.”

  “All right. That’s a good start. Now, I hope you’ll keep that promise.”

  “I will, Liberty.”

  “When will you be back to Iraq?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon. When can you travel?”

  “I’ve used all my vacation days for this year, but I could take some personal leave. No more than two days, three at the max.”

  “Europe?”

  “Sure, I’d love to.”

  “All right. Let me talk to my boss and find a good time that works for both of us.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Now, I—”

  A sharp baby voice came from the other end of the line, followed by a cry, a shuffling noise and Liberty’s curse. A moment later, she shouted for someone to hurry and get a doctor. “Javin, I’ve got to run. We have an emergency…”

  “What happened? Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I just spilled my coffee all over myself…”

  “Ouch.”

  “At least, it wasn’t hot. Got to go now. Talk to you soon.”

  “Sure, I’ll call you.”

  “Bye, Javin.”

  “Bye, Liberty.”

  He ended the call and could not help the big smile brightening his face. Yes, perhaps there’s hope Liberty and I can make things work. He thought about it for a moment, and a frown began to spread across his face. What about Mila? What am I going to do about her?

  He shrugged. Things will work themselves out. I just have to be honest, as much as I can, with both of them.

  A sharp beep came from Feichtner’s computer. Javin looked in that direction, hoping it was the confirmation from the Kurdish bank. His eyes then went to Feichtner, who was talking to someone on the phone. Javin stepped outside the office and gestured for Feichtner to come in.

  When he did, Javin said, “Check the status.”

  Feichtner logged in, then said, “Yes. It’s all good.”

  Javin looked over the banker’s shoulder at the confirmation displayed on the screen. “Perfect. Now, erase everything as per our protocol.”

  Feichtner nodded. “With pleasure. I want this to be over…”

  “Right. And so do I.”

  Javin remained standing as Feichtner’s fingers began to dance across the keyboard.

  The agent pulled up his phone and thought about a new transaction he needed to take care of. The conversation with Liberty had given him an idea, and he thought about a new delivery that would be a complete surprise. The delivery would be much easier than the bank transfer, more personal, and something Javin knew Liberty would enjoy very much.

  Epilogue

  CIS Headquarters

  Ottawa, Canada

  A week later

  A strange feeling came over Javin as he glanced at the massive CIS headquarters building. It was constructed of marble, steel, and glass, but, to Javin, it was more than that. The HQ was the epicenter of all covert operations intended to keep the country safe from all domestic and foreign threats.

  Claudia, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, glanced at Javin. “Ready to go?”

  “Sure.”

  They went through the obligatory check at the entrance, while the fresh-faced intelligence officers scanned their briefcases, then asked them to walk through the metal detector. He remembered those long weeks when he had carried out the exact same job. The tedious hours had taught him how to read faces and train his instincts.

  One of the officers examined Javin’s badge perhaps a little longer than necessary. He thought about protesting, but then shrugged. At least, they’re not patting us down.

  The young officer was still deciding whether the badge was authentic or not when Javin saw one of his old buddies from the days at The Plant. Xiang Wu had chosen a different career path. He first worked as a surveillant, where he had outdone everyone else in his class. Wu had then honed his skills, turning his attention to online surveillance. He was one of the best when it came to tracking down hackers or infiltrating extremely well-defended computer systems across the globe.

  “Hey, X-man,” Javin said to Wu, using a nickname from the training days.

  “Give the man his badge,” Wu said to the intelligence officer still inspecting Javin’s credentials. “You’re gumming up the works.” He pointed to a queue of about ten people lined up behind the metal detector. Wu took the badge from the officer, who nodded and gave him a sheepish look, and glanced at it. “That’s him, all right, but you’ve lost some weight.”

  “Yes, and I know where it went.” Javin pointed at Wu’s bulging belly.

  They exchanged a big bear hug, then Wu said, “This is just stress.”

  “Right, of course, it is. Donuts have nothing to do with it…”

  “I donut know what you’re talking about.” Wu laughed.

  “This is Claudia, and this is Xiang.” Javin made the introductions.

  “Good to meet you,” Claudia shook Wu’s firm hand.

  “Me too. Look, I’ve got to run, but let’s catch up, okay?” Wu said to Javin. “There’s something I need to follow up with you, about what I just heard from Bateaux.”

  “Bateaux? What is it?” />
  “No time.” Wu glanced at his watch and stepped away from them. “But he’ll explain it to you.”

  Javin waved at Wu, then turned to Claudia. “What was that all about?”

  “Not sure.” She picked up her brown leather briefcase from the end of the X-ray scanner’s conveyer belt. “Boss will tell us all in a few moments.”

  They took the stairs to Bateaux’s office, at the end of the hall on the fourth floor, right by where Javin used to have an office. He did not slow down when passing by that door. What’s gone is gone.

  When they were a couple of steps away from their boss’s black, solid wood door, Javin’s phone rang. He smiled, recognizing the tone he had assigned to Liberty’s cell phone number. “I’ve got to take this.”

  Claudia shook her head. “Your sweetheart will get us into trouble with the boss.”

  Javin glanced at his watch. “The search downstairs slowed us down. And this will only take a minute.”

  Claudia smiled. “Take your time.”

  “Yes, this is Javin.” He took a few steps away from Claudia.

  “Javin, how are you?”

  “Much better, now that I hear your voice. What’s new?”

  “Oh, you won’t believe what happened yesterday.”

  Javin smiled. He knew exactly what had happened and had wondered why Liberty had not called him earlier. It must have taken a few days for the money to clear, considering the amount, and the dubious source. “Something good, I hope…”

  “Oh, excellent, beyond excellent. The camp received a new grant for two and a half million dollars, well, minus bank transfer fees. It came at the last minute, when I thought we’d have to shut down some operations and kick out hundreds of residents.”

  “That’s awesome, Liberty.”

  “Yes, it’s wonderful. I asked about the source, because I wanted to send a thank you note to the donor. But I was told the donor was anonymous.”

  Javin smiled. “Is that unusual?”