As soon as they were out of the office, Aiden spoke into the phone. “It’s clear to talk.”
“Nathan’s gotten involved with some bad guys,” Dexter said. “I mean some really bad guys. The ones who sell their services to terrorists.”
“Has he crossed that line?” Aiden asked.
“Not yet, but he’s been doing them a lot of favors. He’s a gambler and a bad one. Last year he had to sell his house in Dallas to pay off his debts, and it’s just gotten worse.”
“So that’s why he’s making deals with terrorists. Do we know why he’s in Turkey?”
“The outfit he’s working with is RLI. It stands for Red Line International. They’re former fuck-ups from Special Forces. Most of them have been dishonorably discharged, but that doesn’t stop them from making up outrageous resumes. Hell, one of them says he’s a retired lieutenant general. Anyway, they’re being hired right and left, and besides offering their expertise, they’re brokering arms deals. But there is a rumor that they have some blank South American passports to sell.”
“Holy God,” Aiden breathed. “Those are worth their weight in gold. Where would they have gotten their hands on those?”
“One of these assholes was stationed in Baghdad. That’s where thousands of the passports supposedly went missing. He could have gotten his hands on some, or he knows somebody who has some,” Dex answered.
“Do you think they would trust Nathan with brokering the passport deal?” Drake asked.
“Right now these guys are in Africa on a job. I think they needed someone and Nathan was available. But if he was busy asking Jim to fly to Turkey with cash, somehow Nathan managed to fuck things up,” Clint spoke up.
Aiden closed his eyes. What the hell were they thinking, taking Evie to Turkey with them? Dexter must have read his mind.
“Jim probably had no idea what his friend was into. He probably thought Nathan needed money for gambling debts.”
“I don’t care what he thought. Giving cash to somebody in a foreign country is too damned risky. This was a stupid decision on his part. If he wanted to do it, he shouldn’t have taken Blake or Evie,” Aiden bit out.
“No shit! So you confirmed he took money out of the bank in Turkey?” Drake asked.
“He did that six days ago,” Clint answered.
“Evie stopped calling Trenda five days ago. So getting the cash didn’t solve the problem.”
“All three of them were checked into the same hotel. Blake checked them out four days ago. I haven’t been able to find any record of them having checked in anyplace else.”
“Foreign hotels always demand you check in with passports,” Aiden said.
“Maybe they have blank South American passports that they’re using,” Drake said bitterly.
“Or maybe they’re being held someplace,” Dex put in. “We have a lock on where Nathan is. He’s staying at a rundown hotel in Antakya. He checked in yesterday.”
“Okay, then-” Drake started.
“I’ve got you both booked on a flight to Houston, then on to Istanbul. From there you’re on a tin can to Hatay which is close to Antakya. That’s where Jim withdrew the cash. You fly out of Tennessee in four hours to Houston,” Lydia said.
Aiden looked around the friendly office. His eyes landed on a picture with Jim and Blake, with Evie in the middle. She looked so little. She should have been protected, and instead, Jim had put her in danger. His mind was going into hyperdrive wondering what was happening to her. Please God say it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was.
***
Two hours later, he and Drake were at the McGhee Tyson airport waiting for their flight to Houston. Drake was on the phone with Trenda when Dexter called.
“Let me get Drake,” Aiden stopped his friend. Aiden raised his hand, and Drake got off his phone call with his sister, knowing that Aiden was getting his attention for something important. They walked over to an empty spot next to one of the windows and put the phone on a low speaker volume. Dexter started talking.
“Got the phone records for Evie, Jim, and Blake’s phones. I can see the texts. It’s not good. Five days ago, there were two texts from Evie to both Blake and Jim’s phones. It said: HELP. SOMEONE IS AFTER ME WITH A GUN. WILL TRY TO GET TO EMBASSY.”
Aiden put his hand on Drake’s big shoulder and squeezed.
“Go on,” Aiden prompted Dex.
“Multiple calls and texts went back to her phone from Jim and Blake’s phone, and then finally there was a video from her phone to Jim’s phone. It lasted for three and a half minutes. We don’t have access to the video or the calls, just the times and duration. The texts were all in the same vein, they wanted to know where she was, and if she was safe.”
“That was five days ago. What’s transpired since then?” Aiden asked harshly. Two women looked up from where they were sitting in the waiting area. He needed to take it down a notch...or thirteen.
“There have been two more videos sent to Jim’s phone, the last one thirty-six hours ago,” Dexter said quietly. “It’s not Evie sending the videos, this is being handled by someone sophisticated. Normally a video is uploaded with a link that we could then view. These three were sent directly to Jim’s phone. Neither Clint nor I could hack it. It’s as secure as a telephone call. We just show the record of it having been sent. This was sent by a professional.”
The sharp taste of fear coated Aiden’s tongue, as he considered all of the things that somebody might have filmed with Evie’s phone and then sent to Jim.
“Why the fuck haven’t these clowns answered our calls?” Drake yelled at the phone in Aiden’s hand. “Obviously, they’re taking calls! What the flying fuck?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Aiden could see a man getting up and looking at them. He then looked around the passenger area. The women at ticketing were staring at Drake as well.
“You need to keep it together, Buddy, otherwise they won’t let you on the plane.”
Drake closed his eyes and nodded. When he opened them, he was back to the in-control SEAL that Aiden knew he could be.
“Dex, since they’re using their phones, have you been able to get a lock on their location?”
“They’re powered down right now, but Clint and Lydia have it set to alert us immediately if they come back online. They’ll have the best possible location identified once they turn on their phones,” Dex assured Aiden.
“Why would they turn off their phones in the first place if they’re getting communications from the kidnappers?” Drake asked. Then he sighed. “Scratch that. They’re telling them the next time they’ll contact them. They probably picked up burner phones in Turkey that they’re using for day-to-day use.”
“Most likely,” Dex agreed.
“We’ll let you know any and all updates when you land in Houston.”
Chapter Seven
Lydia had managed to get them each window seats in the exit aisles, which meant they didn’t sit together. Aiden didn’t think they would have had much to say to one another anyway. The flight seemed to take forever, and he couldn’t imagine how long the one to Turkey would feel like. They finally landed in Houston, and they headed toward baggage claim.
Aiden and Drake stopped short when they got off the escalator and saw a familiar face. It was Lieutenant Albert Riviera. He had a phone in his hand that he held out to Drake.
“Karen’s fine,” the man said. “Mason wants to talk to you.”
Drake’s face paled, but he stood tall as he listened to what Mason was telling him. Albert spoke to Aiden quietly.
“Karen was in a minor car accident and she’s in surgery. There were complications with the pregnancy. I’ve got us on a plane to San Diego in an hour.”
Aiden wasn’t sure how Mason had arranged Albert’s appearance, but he was thankful that the man was there.
Drake turned back to them. “I don’t need a chaperone,” he said quietly, as he handed the phone back to the lieutenant.
“Avery, I was on
my way back to base. Mason knew I was here visiting my family, so he tagged me. You’re stuck with me. We leave in an hour. I’ll be back in just a minute.” He walked toward the restrooms.
Drake and Aiden stared at one another.
“He told you?” Drake asked.
Aiden nodded.
“Karen was crying when they took her into surgery. She was begging them to save our little girl,” the last words were choked out. “Mason said that even if the surgery works, it’ll still be touch and go for a while. She’s only five months along.”
Aiden watched as Drake pulled it together. It was as if all of the man’s will and concentration were with Karen.
“All of the women in your life are strong. They’ll make it. You have to believe that.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Aiden realized how badly he needed to believe it.
“Piper was in the car. Mason said she’s barely holding it together. I need to call her, but before I do, I need to tell you something.” Drake’s fingers dug deeply into Aiden’s shoulder. They would leave bruises.
“Shoot.”
“You have one shot at this. You fucked up with my sister before. I don’t know what went down between the two of you, but it was nothing compared to now. This is your shot at redemption. You fuck it up, don’t bother coming back to the states. Are we clear?” Aiden looked into black eyes filled with fire, and he nodded.
There wasn’t a chance in hell that he was going home without Evie by his side.
“You take care of your girls in San Diego. I’ll bring Evie home. You have my word.”
***
Aiden was used to going to sleep on a plane and waking up on the other side of the world, no matter how keyed up he was. He forced himself to do it this time as well. He’d need the sleep to be at full capacity when he landed.
Going through the airport in Istanbul toward his connecting flight, he was enveloped by a swarm of people. This was one of the world’s largest airports, and the travelers seemed liked any others in the world, a combination of harried, weary, and agitated. But the airport personnel had a totally different attitude than what he was used to. They were suspicious, on guard, and, in some cases just out and out scared. Aiden wondered how many of them had lived through the terrorist attack that had killed and injured so many last year. He made an effort to smile, as he went up to the ticketing desk, despite everything swirling around in his own head.
“Your flight will depart in an hour, Mr. O’Malley,” the woman said with a hint of an accent. “The lounge is down the hall and to your right.” She pointed. “You can get your currency exchanged there.”
There’d been four messages on his phone when he’d arrived, and now he wanted to return the calls. He didn’t care if it was three a.m. in San Diego, Dexter and Gray would just have to deal with it.
He punched in Gray’s number first and then swore when he got voice mail.
“Dammit, you better not be on a plane. If you’re on a plane, when you land, you better head back to the United States. You’re needed there.” He disconnected then called Dexter.
“Yo.”
“Why do you always sound awake no matter what time I call?” Aiden complained.
“Because I am awake,” Dex said with a smile in his voice.
“What did Gray mean that he was on his way?”
“When he heard that your ass was flying solo, he hopped a plane,” Dex answered.
“That’s bullshit. With everything going on, he needs to be with the team.”
“You and I both know, that if we are deployed, he’ll already be close to where he needs to be anyway. So, shut the hell up, and let me tell you what I found out.”
“Did they turn on their phones?”
Dexter didn’t respond.
“Okay, I’m shutting up.”
“I pulled up all of Nathan’s phone records, and he’s been calling a rare bookseller in Antakya. Not just his store, but the old guy’s personal cell phone, and his store in Istanbul. When I say calling, I’m talking ten calls a day. Nathan is desperate for this guy.”
“Still? I thought you said there wasn’t any phone usage on Nathan’s cell phone.”
“It stopped three days ago. I figure he started using a burner phone. I did more digging. Somebody broke into the old guy’s shop three days ago and tore it up. It was searched from top to bottom.”
“How did you find this out?”
“I hacked the police report.” How in the hell Dex managed to hack into the police department halfway around the world was beyond him.
“Is the owner okay?” Aiden asked.
“He hasn’t been reached. Apparently, he’s out of the country on a buying trip.”
“I need the address of the shop.”
“I already emailed you all of the details.”
“Does this guy do buying trips to Iraq? Baghdad?” Aiden asked.
“Yep,” Dex answered. “Are you thinking he might have smuggled the passports into Turkey?”
“That’s what makes sense. I wonder if he knows that he’s sitting on a goldmine.”
“I doubt it. Nathan probably needed the thirty grand to pay him for some books that the passports were hidden in.”
“That’s my guess too,” Aiden agreed. “That dumb asshole must have had the money to pay the bookdealer at some point and then lost it. That’s when he needed to pull Jim into this mess.”
“Seems to me that when he finally got the cash from Jim, the bookdealer was out of town, and that’s when the buyer lost patience and snatched your girl for collateral.”
Aiden kept thinking about the videos that the kidnappers had been sending to Jim’s phone. He prayed that his imagination was worse than reality.
“Track down the bookdealer. I want to know exactly where he is by the time I touch down in Antakya, am I clear?”
“Already on it. It’s a little more complicated because of the phone carriers in Turkey. Otherwise I would’ve already done it.”
Aiden sighed. He knew Dex was doing the best he could.
“Keep your cell powered up and turned on, I want to track you at all times, are we clear?” Dex demanded.
“Yes, Mom. Did you boss our lieutenant around too?”
“He already knows the rules. You’re the problem child.”
“I’ll keep it on,” Aiden promised. He looked up at the monitor and saw his plane was getting ready to board. “Got to go. I will have to turn off the phone while I’m in the air. But other than that, I’ll have it on.”
“Good. Be safe. We’ll get her home.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
***
God, he hated small planes that weren’t military, and this one was no exception. The pilot couldn’t land worth a shit. But at least, it had taken his mind off Evie for five minutes.
Aiden checked into his hotel and dumped his gear. He checked, and there was a reservation for Gray Tyler as well. Figures.
As soon as he was done, he made his way to the hotel where Nathan was still checked in. His height and blond hair made him stick out like a sore thumb, but it didn’t seem to matter to anyone. There was a total lack of interest at the seedy hotel.
Aiden didn’t speak Turkish, and the man at the front desk didn’t speak English, but finally, they found they could communicate in Arabic and money. He bartered, but eventually parsed out the equivalent of a hundred US dollars to be let into Nathan’s hotel room. Three hours later, Nathan finally showed. He made enough noise coming down the hall, that Aiden easily got into place by the time he came into the room.
In one swift move, Aiden had the door slammed shut, Nathan on the floor, with his boot on the back of his neck, and Nathan’s arms jammed up his back.
“Make a move, and I’ll break your neck.”
Nathan was stupid; he jerked up. Aiden pressed down hard with his boot until the man passed out. It was for the best, it gave him time to pat him down. Aiden found two knives and one Sig Sauer pistol that
went along with the two clips of ammo that he’d found when he’d searched the room. He was an idiot, leaving that kind thing in a flea trap like this.
He used the dirty sheets from the bed to tie him to the one chair in the room, then he waited. During his search, he’d also found two phones. One was a smart phone, the other was a cheap burner. He called Dexter from the burner.
“Dex? This is Aiden.”
“What’s this number?” he asked.
“This is Nathan’s burner phone. Can you track all the incoming and outgoing calls on it?”
“I’m on it. I’ll call you on yours with all of the info. Give me twenty minutes.”
“Just leave a message. I’m going to be busy.”
“Got it. Give him hell.” Dex hung up.
Nathan’s breathing had changed while Aiden had been talking. He grabbed him by his ear and whispered. “I know you’re awake. I need you to listen to me. You have one chance to avoid pain. I want to know everything, and I mean everything, you know about the operation that got Evie Avery kidnapped.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nathan said, his eyes sly.
Aiden picked up the washrag he’d gotten from the bathroom earlier, and a ripped strip of sheet. He shoved it into Nathan’s mouth and tied the strip around his head. Then he ripped open his shirt. He took the duller of the two knives, and pierced his flesh next to his right nipple and drew a line to his left nipple. Nathan’s scream would have been heard throughout the hotel if he hadn’t gagged him.
“Stop your whining.”
The man was still yelling.
Aiden sat down on the corner of the bed, and watched as blood dripped down his chest. Nathan was trembling, but he finally stopped making noise behind his gag. Aiden stood back up.
“Don’t make me open up your pants.” Nathan’s eyes went wide with terror, and tears spilled. “Are you ready to answer my questions?” Aiden asked in a calm voice.
Nathan nodded.
Aiden untied the gag.
“I don’t know where she is. I swear to God, I don’t know where she is.”
“I believe you. But if you don’t tell me everything you know, I won’t kill you, I’ll just make you wish you were dead.”
Her Relentless SEAL (Midnight Delta Book 10) Page 5