by Finian Blake
Noah was still charged from the encounter, “Anna, I am glad you set this up with Nadia and Angela. They made this a no contest fight. It was nice to have a partner participate.” Anna felt great satisfaction with Adam’s complement. Gregory never acknowledged her contributions.
“I am going to put Nadia and Angela down for full bonuses,” Adam said. “I do wish that you would have told me about your deal with Susan. It does not make that much of a difference, but it would be nice to know. What is the story, on the other four women?”
Anna was noncommittal, “Nina, Filipa, Irina and Lilia are looking for rich husbands and I figure the Inn is the place to do it. They are attractive, smart and they are sexual acrobats. Nadia and Angela are my tigers, so if they find somebody it will be good, but they will come out on top no matter what happens.”
“Well, tell them that they made at least fifty thousand pounds maybe more. I have been thinking of putting some of my profit into the bonus fund.”
Anna was curious, “How much are we talking about?”
Noah shrugged his shoulders, “If we go off at twelve I would go to an extra million.” Anna thought for a minute.
“If you do, Gregory and I will each match what you put in.” Adam noticed that she considered Gregory’s share separate from hers.
“That would triple the bonus,” Noah said approvingly, “why were you keeping Gregory‘s share separate?”
“Gregory’s share is for Alice. It will be her inheritance from him. This will secure her future, since I do not need the money myself.”
Anna watched the generals conversing at another table waiting until Adam left the room and motioned Anna over to their table. The generals would not stoop to going to her table since they regarded her as being inferior.
“We wish that you would not have pulled that false raid on the house. It will look like we had Seraphina assassinated.”
Anna smiled inwardly as she gave them the news. “You can always go back and tell them that it was a set up.” Everybody refused the offer, since there was no going back now.
“That was Gregory’s idea. He thought that you would have her sign all of the paperwork after which she would have a convenient accident. This way she is officially dead and there is no trail to follow, and nobody to interrogate. Gregory loved Seraphina and Cassandra is the proof. Seraphina is the one that introduced us before we were married. After all, Seraphina is my sister.” Gregory was dead, and they could not hammer her for his call. Seraphina was still alive and Nadia did not have the decency to die while ditching the Antonov. They set a bomb on board to go off before she ditched only to find that she did not fly to the Patna. They did have their two million dollars each with the skim that they pulled off the arms and the new identities. Anna assured them that they were ironclad and unknown to the CIA. They could live with minor setbacks. They still had the women that were very attractive and the women had no money of their own, so they would be dependent on them. They could whore them out while they found other whores.
The Patna docked at the prearranged government dock with Sarah meeting the Patna with the paperwork. She greeted all of the refugees as old friends handing out the papers and tickets being careful to keep the different groups separate. Noah was going to send everyone that was going to the States back commercially on a variety of commercial air carriers throughout the Mediterranean. Adam took over the conversation.
“I have arranged to purchase homes for you, and your families. You will be met by my representative who will assist you with your needs.” They left in two separate buses that Abdul-Rahman had arranged for. Adam called Abdul-Rahman in his office.
“I have a delivery for you. Can you come down to the dock?”
Abdul-Rahman sounded relieved, “When those 747s came in, I thought that you were screwing around.”
Adam wanted to make his intention clear, “That was a bonus. Give it to the refugee camps and put your name on it. You will be a hero. There are one hundred and eighty thousand pounds of humanitarian supplies on board. I will keep faith with you, by processing your payment. Will you keep faith with me by giving these supplies to the refugees? I know that you could sell them, but I bought these supplies for the ‘Red Crescent’.” Adam added, “Your commission should be at least six million dollars and that will be deposited in your Swiss bank account.” That news took some of the sting out of Abdul-Rahman’s promise.
“I will comply with your wishes. Allah loves the compassionate.”
“There is just over five hundred thousand pounds of weapons. Have your people check it out. We need to start working the payment.” Abdul-Rahman hesitated for a few moments.
“I have one further request for you. My buyer has an additional four thousand kilos processed and ready to go. They will give you twenty percent to convert it into cash, and they will give me an additional five hundred kilos of product for my commission.” Adam agreed after a few seconds thought.
The one thing that Noah could do was to think on his feet. “That will bring your end up to twelve million dollars. Twenty percent seems high but it is just worthless powder in the Afghan hills. They should pull thirty six million, and I will make twelve million.”
Abdul–Rahman was surprised, “You will not charge me commission.”
“Not if you keep your promise. That is ten thousand kilos total, five to me, one to you and four to the buyer less twenty percent from the buyer, but you know if I get busted it all turns to shit?” Abdul-Rahman acknowledged the possibility. He had done business with Hermes before knowing that he could take his word on the promise.
One 747 was parked in the hangar, with the Ark parked under its wing. Ralph and Roger were waiting for the cargo. Twenty two people walked into the hangar with their luggage.
Sarah escorted the generals and their families to the Ark carrying their own bags. The generals seemed to be annoyed at having to do their own work. Victor acted as spokesman for the group.
“What about the seven women that came with us?” The generals were concerned about their plans for the women.
“They have elected to come with Sarah and me. They will be well taken care of I assure you. Gregory gave us instructions about what they were to do.” Adam actually found Gregory’s death convenient
“They came out with us, and they will leave with us.” The generals were clearly upset.
“They have made their choice. Did you have a contract with them?” Anna added an afterthought. “You could always tell Noah that you wish to cancel the agreement.” Nobody wished to do that. Anna loved the look of disappointment on their face. She took the matter personally since they wanted to turn her step-daughters in to whores. They had mistreated and abused the girls while they were in their command and planned to continue when they got to their new life.
“They are with you then.” The generals had their millions and a new life. It was disappointing, but they were not about to throw all of their gains out for seven whores.
Adam interjected himself into the conversation, “I will give you an extra one point four million to split three ways for the women. That’s two hundred thousand each.” Adam did not want to end the deal with hard feelings. “I have made some extra money on another deal.” The generals accepted the offer walking to the Ark.
Sarah handed the instructions to Roger and the Ark taxied out. They would stop in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Athens and Naples. The last six women would fly to Manchester with Frank and his crew on the empty 747. Anna elected to stay with Adam to supervise the payment. The empty crates were scattered over the hangar floor. Abdul-Rahman had a crew of thirty helpers waiting to help Adam pack the merchandise in the empty crates and seal them. Anna stenciled the crates in Russian as being top secret. They washed the crates loading the crates on four pallets forward in the lower cargo bay. Next Adam loaded the machinery in the lower cargo bay at the rear of the aircraft leaving the upper cargo bay empty. Adam and Anna stripped naked and showered three times. They burned their clothes and pu
t on fresh clothes. They were both careful not to have any contact with the crates after they cleaned up.
When they were ready Adam and Anna sat down with Abdul-Rahman.
“It will take about thirty days to get the cash where it belongs. The first deposit will be in your account and you will have to move the money into the accounts of your clients. You will be paid for five thousand Kilos and you can make the disbursements. That should be around twelve million to you, nine million to me and thirty nine million to the buyers. I will give you a number and tell you when it is in position. That will conclude our business, and we should never see each other again.”
“Adam, Hans has betrayed you. I told him that the drugs are loaded in the rear of this airplane.” Abdul-Rahman nodded with a smile and quickly departed. Noah and Anna boarded the 747 and briefed the crew. They had maximum fuel and would fly directly to Andrews Air Force Base where they would clear customs and split up. Anna would fly back to England, Adam would fly to Milwaukee for delivery of the goods and the crew would be relived at Andrews Air Force Base. They took off shortly after the Ark. With the difference in speed they should be well out over the Atlantic by the time the other 747 set down in Manchester. The upper dome of the 747 was set up for passengers even though it was a cargo plane. Anna was using her Canadian passport and was traveling as Bonnie Parker, and Adam would use the Noah Body ID. They settled in the upper dome staying away from the flight crew, with Anna curling up in Adam’s arms and going to sleep almost instantly. When she awoke, Adam fixed her a cup of coffee.
Adam informed her of his decision, “I will make the last run to Milwaukee by myself.”
“Why, I said that I will go all the way with you.” Anna was prepared to go to the finish line.
“It will be easier to handle the questions if I am the only one answering. I do not want them using us against each other. You have a good set up in Huntington Beach. If things go wrong, you can at least return there.” One story was all he wanted if Hans decided to play games. “Rent a hotel room at the Hyatt and throw out everything that you have on and take a full spa treatment.” There was no way that she could ever get all of the scent of the drugs out of her clothes.
“Take a shuttle to JFK and fly back to Manchester from there. If things go as planned I will see you at the Inn in no more than two days.” Adam wanted to be the only one on the plane when it got to Milwaukee. The fewer the variables, the better it would be.
Anna was still worried, “What if they catch you?”
Noah smiled, “Then I will see you in about thirty years.”
When the flight landed at Andrews, Noah went down to talk to the customs inspectors.
“I have some classified cargo. A truck should be waiting to take it off. They will remove the other passenger too. This lady is a defecting technician traveling with the shipment.” He waved to Anna and presented her passport.
“Bonnie Parker,” the customs man laughed at the name. “They couldn’t come up with something more original?”
“Her passport came from the company. It is for a one time use.” Anna liked to crap when Noah told the official that was a false name.
“Your ride is here Miss Parker. The shipment is being unloaded as we speak. Say hi to the ‘Boys’ at Langley. If you see Clyde Barrow say hello for me.”
“Say something in Russian to the nice man.” Noah said wanting to keep the illusion up. Anna rattled something off in Russian and walked off to her ride. The customs official laughed and waived her to the waiting suburban. An airman held the door open and Anna thanked him. She slid into the back seat of the black Suburban and flipped Noah the middle finger as they drove off.
“Do you speak Russian?” Noah was wondering what she said.
“A little, I was stationed at the embassy in Moscow for a few years.”
“What did she say?”
“Using the short translation, she told me to ‘go fuck myself’.” There were a few other words but that was the main thrust of it. She does have a temper. I hope they can work with her.”
Noah watched the Suburban as it followed the tractor trailer out of the area. The suburban followed the truck to the Belt Way and on to Interstate 95 north. Anna started to worry when the Suburban followed the truck north. She knew that Dulles airport was west of Andrews.
“I was supposed to go to the airport.” The driver was a man in his late forties.
“Tony instructed me to drop you at Newark airport. It is only one hundred seventy miles down the road and you can catch a flight from there to any place in the world.”
Anna started trying to figure out what she would do if this was a trap. They passed through New Jersey to Newark. The Suburban made a turn into the Hilton at Newark airport. The driver turned around and smiled.
“Sorry about the confusion. We had to keep up the front in case we were being followed. I can drop you at JFK, but you can fly anywhere you want out of here.” The driver took her bag out of the back driving off quickly to catch up to the truck. Anna called Pan Am booking a flight to Heathrow in London. She had three hours to clean up.
Noah asked for a place to shower while the 747 was being serviced. The Everywhere Air crew would be relieved by a fresh crew that were on their way from Dulles for this segment. An escort was waiting to take him to a mess hall to grab some lunch after his shower. Noah had placed the clothes he wore on the flight in a plastic bag and threw it in a trash can, by the mess hall. Hans was having a cup of coffee when Noah walked in.
“I hear that everything went well. Our Afghan friends are happy with their merchandise, so tell me when can we expect reimbursement?”
“I can take care of that as soon as the payment gets processed. I have a new crew coming, and we will leave to deliver it as soon as they do their walk around.” He was glad to have a new crew. They had no idea of what was happening.
“What about your temper tantrum.” Hans was concerned about his family.
“I thought better of it pulling it off in case something happened to me. That way there will not be a problem.”
“You should have told me that you cancelled the contracts.”
“There were many things that I should have been told too.” Noah thought for a minute. “I lost three people with this deal including the Russian. That was just the close people. There were several more that were on the edges, but you do not want those messy little details. Your hands are clean. When I am done with this, I get to go home and bury some friends. A few thousand Afghans will die due to what was arranged, but your hands are clean.” Noah gave up. He could tell that he was not getting through to Hans. He had one more delay to accomplish and then he would finish this mess. Hans watched him walk off and wondered if Noah would like his surprise when he arrived in Milwaukee. Noah went out to the aircraft and while he was waiting for the crew he scribbled a few entries in the log book.
The crew finally showed up at three PM finding that Noah was resting in a seat on the upper deck. The plane had been sitting in Andrews for five hours. The crew examined the log book and read the note about a vibration in number three and four engines calling Everywhere Air requesting a mechanic to do a power run up. It took a few hours to determine that there was no problem. Noah decided to wait in the mess hall. By the time that they found him it was six PM and the plane had been on the ground for eight hours. They taxied out and headed for Milwaukee. The flight was smooth and took a little over three hours. The flight landed at eight PM central time. When they landed the plane was directed to a remote pad away from the cargo terminal. Anna would already be two thirds of the way over the Atlantic if things were going to plan. Noah looked out the window and saw the DEA pull up to the Aircraft.
“Hans you rat!” Adam muttered under his breath. He remembered his promise to Terri about ending the killing and he would not break his word. A mobile stand was positioned to the front of the aircraft and fifteen efficient looking officers boarded the plane. They promptly arrested him for smuggling drugs and det
ained the crew. He extended his hands peacefully while they put the cuffs on. After the aircraft was secured they positioned a loader to the lower cargo bay removing four pallets of cargo from the rear of the aircraft. Noah finally broke his silence.
“I would like to be present when they inspect the cargo.” They wanted to see the look on his face when they pulled the drugs out of the crates, so they agreed. They took pry bars and started to tear the crates apart. They found milling machines, lathes, broken oil drilling bits, and an old generator. By the time that they were done the area around the aircraft looked like a junk yard. They took the dogs on board and found trace scents but no drugs. They tore his luggage apart finding no trace of drugs. Noah laughed at that one, since they were looking for ten thousand kilos of heroin, and they were looking in his overnight bag. After several hours of questioning, they had to let him go.
“This tip came from Hans. That nut loves practical jokes. He will be busting my balls for years on this one. I believe that you gentlemen owe me some luggage. You managed to destroy mine.” Looking at his watch he determined that Anna should be having cocktails with everybody at the Inn.
Noah was right in not trusting Hans. He promised Terri, not to do any more killing and would keep his promise. That did not mean that he would not do anything. The drugs left the aircraft with Anna on the other pallets and Abdul-Rahman gave Hans the wrong pallet locations. He had to give Hans something or he would have torn the plane apart, at Andrews. Abdul-Rahman would not give Hans his refund on the thirty thousand. He couldn’t help it if he was lied to.