“We’re about two hours from the city,” the driver reported.
Demir didn’t respond, but only stared ahead at the road.
Savas Turan had been Demir’s driver for well over a year and had earned Aker’s trust. He was one of the few men that Demir had conversations with, something he rarely did with the rank and file.
Turan drove the lead vehicle in a caravan of SUVs heading west toward the city of Cay. The SUVs contained a mix of Demir’s men from the prison and a few from the Askeri Inzibat. Earlier, Demir had received word that Sei and her driver were in the town of Ismil, where a young recruit with the Askeri Inzibat tried to apprehend them on his own. He had paid the price.
Nature’s call had prompted the young man’s mother to wake in the middle of the night. She realized their youngest son, who often slept in her bed, wasn’t there. A quick search of the apartment revealed that his older brother also wasn’t in his bed. It didn’t take long for the family to discover the two.
“We know she left Ismil sometime between the hours of eleven and three a.m. That’s when the mother woke,” Turan said. “We were notified an hour later. It’s possible they might have stopped in Cay or haven’t even reached it yet.”
“That’s the problem. We can remain in their footsteps, or we can get ahead of them and cut them off.”
“But they might—”
“That wasn’t a suggestion.”
Demir removed his cell phone from his pants and dialed a number. “I want every available man to go to Denizli. I want that city sealed off. No, forget about Cay. They’re driving a stolen Askeri Inzibat truck,” Demir said forcefully into his phone. He knew he had a better chance of catching Sei farther west.
“Do you think they’ll stay in that truck?” Turan asked.
“They will until sunrise, then they’ll look for another vehicle, most likely somewhere near Denizli.”
Demir hung up his phone and squeezed his left hand into a fist, triggering a ripple of popping from his knuckles. The crinkles in his forehead deepened further. He knew what vehicle they were in and that they were somewhere between Konya and Denizli, but nothing more. His chances of finding her were at their highest, but still he couldn’t help but think that Sei would successfully flee Turkey.
44
All seemed to go according to what Kostas said. The highway remained dark thanks to the miles of farmland on either side of the road. It helped me to relax a tiny bit. Not having control over my situation and having to rely heavily on someone I didn’t know well wasn’t something I’d had to contend with in the past.
We managed to stop just once so that Kostas and I could relieve ourselves on the side of the road. From there on, we kept to our own thoughts until the sun began to peek over the horizon.
Kostas cleared his throat. “We should be nearing the town of Denizli.”
“Would it be smart to avoid it?”
“This particular road we’re on skirts the outer edges. We should be fine.”
“And how much farther to Cesme from there?”
“If all goes well, another four hours. Now that the sun is rising, we’ll know for sure how much this truck will help us.”
I agreed with Kostas’ assessment with the truck. We passed the occasional car or transport truck and managed not to encounter any checkpoints, although the truck as a cover was still largely untested.
“I’ll do my best to avoid the major highways and stick with smaller state roads. They can’t have checkpoints everywhere,” Kostas said.
I had nothing to add. I could think of nothing more we could do to avoid the Askeri Inzibat. I’d have to completely trust Kostas’ navigation skills.
“I am curious about what we will do if we do encounter a checkpoint. Seems like if we were actually the Askeri Inzibat, we’d stop and chitchat or check in with an update.”
“Not necessarily. We’ll continue as if we have someplace we need to be. We also have this,” I said, pointing to the AS IZ helmet that had been left in the truck by Baki’s brother. “You put it on, I’ll duck down, and we’ll hope for the best.”
“Sounds more like a wish list rather than a plan.”
“The windows are tinted. That should help.”
Kostas chewed on his lip for a moment. “So just to be clear, I wave and keep driving.”
“Well, stopping for tea and crumpets isn’t an option.”
“But if we are stopped…”
“If they signal for us to pull over, keep driving. Wave and smile, but don’t speed up. There’s a chance they’ll be lazy and let us go.”
“If they don’t? We’re doomed if we end up in a car chase.”
“If we do encounter a checkpoint, and there’s only one vehicle, they might not come after us if we don’t stop. If there are two, I’ll assume a few men will stay behind and few will come after us. We’ll drive as far and as normal as possible while looking for a place that’s hopefully out of sight where we can deal with them.”
“So we’re basically winging it.”
“Bravo.”
Kostas shook his head and let out a breath. “I really hope you’re handy with that knife.”
“And I really hope you’ve mastered something other than a chokehold.”
45
“Uh, oh.”
Those two words were what I least wanted to hear at the moment.
“We have company,” Kostas said as he looked in the rearview mirror.
I craned my neck and peered out the back window. Behind us I saw emergency vehicle lights in the distance, and they were closing in fast. “We don’t know that they’re coming for us just yet. We’re driving an Askeri Inzibat vehicle.”
Kostas put on the helmet, and I scrunched down into the seat. As the lights neared, they moved over to the left side of the road.
“It’s them, but it looks like they’re passing us. They’re in a hurry to go somewhere, maybe Cay.”
“Let’s take advantage of it. Turn on your lights and join them.”
“Are you serious?”
“We can move at a faster speed without attracting attention. We’ll ditch them as we near the city.”
Kostas did as I said and joined the caravan of military police. “You think they’ll notice?”
“That’s a chance we’ll have to take. We need to get to Cesme as fast as possible.”
“You should be approaching a small farm road that will bypass Cay and take you straight to Denizli.” A smile formed on Demir’s face as he folded the map he was looking at. He had just gotten off the phone with an officer in the Askeri Inzibat who was on his way to Cay when he passed a lone AS IZ truck, which then joined his caravan. It didn’t take much for them to discover it was the stolen truck from Ismil. Rather than try to apprehend the driver and passenger, the officer called Demir to see what he wanted to do.
“You think they’ll suspect anything?” Turan asked after listening in on the conversation.
Demir shook his head. “They believe they’re hiding in the open. They’ll follow as long as it’s still dark. Radio their position to all involved, but make sure nobody engages. I want them to think we don’t know anything yet.”
“Do you still want me to try and get ahead of them?”
“Yes. We’ll come at them from the opposite direction.” Demir stared quietly out his window. He could feel his grip tightening around her. There would be no escaping this time.
46
For two hours, we raced along the highway with our lights flashing.
“Are we still on the same highway?” I asked. “Feels like it’s gotten smaller and bumpier.”
“I don’t think so. They veered to the left about an hour back. I’m not familiar with this road. It might be a shortcut.”
“We should figure out where we are. Give me your phone?”
I took Kostas smartphone from him and tapped the Google Maps icon. An impatient minute later, I conveyed the name of the highway to Kostas.
“I’m not f
amiliar with it. See where it leads.”
I scrolled the map, following the dotted line until it reached a solid orange line. “It looks like this road connects with D320. Does that ring a bell?”
“Yes, that’s the highway we would have taken after passing Cay. It heads straight toward Denizli.”
“Why would they bypass Cay entirely if that’s where the highway we were on originally led to?”
Kostas shrugged. “Could be a number of factors. Maybe they’re trying to get ahead, set up a secondary position in the event we slip by in Cay.”
What are you planning, Demir?
“If that’s so, my concern is whether our departure would draw suspicion,” I said. “They probably believe we received the same information and were ordered to go wherever they’re heading to.”
“I guess it all depends on what their orders were,” he said. “Are they setting up a check point along D300, or are they heading to Denizli?”
“If the family discovered the mess we left back at the café shortly after we headed out, it wouldn’t take long for word to reach Demir. He’ll have a good idea of the lead time we have, which has me wondering if they know more than we think.”
I looked at the dual-band radio console on the truck’s dashboard. “We haven’t heard anything on the radio. Shouldn’t there be chatter?”
“You’re right. The Askeri Inzibat is on a massive manhunt. There should be endless squawking.”
“Unless…”
“What?”
“They know; they’re on to us,” I said.
“You think?’
“We were a lone truck not heading anywhere in a hurry until the other Askeri Inzibat appeared.”
“You’re saying if they already know the truck was stolen, they should know this is it?”
“I’m saying more than that. They’re leading us right where they want us.”
Kostas shifted in his seat. “Damn! Any departure now will only signal that we’re on to them. Following is the only reason we’re still alive.”
I agreed with Kostas. We had practically turned ourselves over to Demir. I should have recognized this earlier, but we were operating in survival mode, making decisions on the go. “There’s got to be a way out of this.”
“We could be driving right into an army of Askeri Inzibat for all we know.” Kostas tightened his grip on the steering wheel and cursed under his breath.
“We could be or we can assume Demir is still mobilizing his men into position. That opens up a possibility.”
“For what, a gun battle? We don’t have much firepower, in case you haven’t noticed.”
Just then, Kostas’ smartphone rang. “Yes… I see. Are you sure the intel on that is credible? That’s a shame.”
That wasn’t a friend on the other end of the line. Kostas’ tone had become direct and serious. A drastic U-turn from his bubbly persona.
“I’m heading west on a small farm road but I believe I’ve been compromised. I’ll need an immediate extraction. That’ll work. One hour. Yes. I’m still with the package. There could be, but I’d like to make that call. I understand, but I still would like that decision to be mine.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was as if another person had switched seats with Kostas. I slipped my hand down to my side and gripped the handle of my knife with only one thought on my mind. Who are you?
47
Kostas drew a handgun at the exact moment I pulled my knife out of its sheath. Until then, I was unaware he had a firearm. The one I lifted off of Baki’s brother was in the glove compartment. He had the tip of the barrel pressed firmly against my temple, and I had my blade in position to slice into his neck. This wouldn’t be an easy win.
“There is an outcome that will benefit us both,” Kostas said, his eyes shifting back and forth between the road and me.
“Why should I believe you? It’s quite obvious you’ve led me to believe you were someone that you aren’t. Why not keep on lying?”
“I didn’t lie. I withheld. You did no different.”
“You deceived.”
“You should be grateful that you even have an option.”
Who was this man? A number of possibilities populated my mind. I didn’t think he worked for the Turkish government—maybe the Greeks, but what interest would they have in me? I had to wonder how well Kashani knew Kostas. Or had he duped the arms dealer as well?
I studied what little of his weapon I could see. It was a Walther P, easily accessible in many countries but used more in Europe than elsewhere.
“We have an hour. At that point, the favorable option on the table for you will disappear.”
Could I trust him? That’s the question I had been asking myself. But the real question was what other option did I have? If I killed him, I could forget about getting out of the country. I had to wonder: had he ever intended to get me to Cesme and onto a boat to a Greek isle?
“What’s the option?” I asked.
“I’m lowering my weapon. I suggest you do the same. We can then have a civilized discussion and maybe, just maybe, help each other out of this mess.”
I nodded, and we both lowered our arms and put our weapons away.
“There still seems to be some aspect of trust alive in us both. Now—”
“First, I want to know who you are and why you’re interested in me.”
“That is of no concern of yours. What should be is finding a way out of this—alive. So I suggest you stop asking questions and start listening.”
I said nothing and kept my eyes locked onto his. I could feel the heat in my cheeks. It took all I had to keep my temper in check. I didn’t like being treated as if I were his detainee. Had I wronged someone in my past such that he or she would go to such lengths to have brought me in? That’s what it felt like—like Kostas’ orders were to bring me to someone. But who? How could this person have known I would need to escape Turkey? It made no sense.
Kashani was the only person I could think of who might have answers. He told me before we parted that we were to have no contact until I was safely out of the country. At the time, I thought nothing of his request. It was reasonable then, but my situation had changed. Alas, the only phone I had access to was Kostas’.
I didn’t know what else to think. Kostas said I had a chance to save myself. Why say that, unless I had it all wrong? Were we in that much trouble that he actually needed my help to fight the Askeri Inzibat? Would he cut me loose once we got away? There were many what-ifs and not enough answers. I brushed off my inner voice, and for the time being, accepted that I had no real choice but to play along.
“In about an hour we’ll reach the junction where this road connects with the D300 highway,” Kostas said, his voice stern and direct. “There will be a diversion waiting for us: road construction. We’ll use that to peel away from this deathtrap we’ve attached ourselves to.”
“Who’s responsible for creating that?”
“I have friends. They can be trusted. They won’t blow up the convoy, but they’ll do what they can to slow the Askeri Inzibat should they reverse course and follow us.”
Bombs? What sort of friends does he have? “And then what?”
“I’ll brief you on ‘then what’ if the diversion works. Until then, sit tight.”
48
With the speed of the caravan averaging about 140 kph, the hour passed quickly, and soon the sun brightened the horizon.
I had been using Kostas’ phone to monitor our position on the map. “We should be approaching the junction soon. Did your friends mention what sort of construction to look for?”
“They didn’t get into specifics. Only that it would be big enough that we would have to slow, and they would be able to separate us from the pack.”
No sooner had Kostas spoken those words than the brake lights on the truck ahead of us burned red. We slowed to about 40 kph. So far, so good.
A little bit later, a couple of trucks, two steamrollers, and a l
arge semi that looked as if it were applying a layer of asphalt behind it came into view near the T intersection. I had to admit I was impressed by their ability to organize so quickly. Kostas slowed even more to create separation.
“I know we think the caravan is heading left to Denizli, and we’re supposed to go right, but what if they turn right?” I slouched down in my seat.
“Then we turn left. A plan has been put in place for either outcome.”
As we neared the construction zone, I could see workmen wearing yellow hard hats and reflective vests. Two of them were directing traffic to the left. They all had olive complexions and appeared to be Turkish.
The convoy came to a complete stop at the intersection. Kostas held his handgun out of view. I did the same with my knife.
“Looks like the lead vehicle is talking to one of the workers,” Kostas said. “Come on, a-hole. Turn left and get on with it.”
A few more seconds passed before the lead truck accelerated and did exactly what we had hoped. One by one, the others turned left. Kostas stalled our vehicle on purpose to once again create separation. By the time we started moving, we were about three car lengths behind the truck ahead of us. Just enough of an opening for the semi up ahead to move into position and cut us off from the pack. It completely sealed off the road to the left, so our only option was to turn right. And we did.
Kostas slammed his foot down on the accelerator. “We’ve got maybe thirty seconds to a minute before they realize we’re not behind them. That rig should also keep us out of view during that time.”
“How hard are they willing to try and stop the Askeri Inzibat from coming after us?”
[Sei Assassin 01.0] Contract: Snatch Page 13