by Mel LeBrun
Rick looked distressed again. He shook his head. “They'll kill me if I help you.”
“I'll kill you if you don't.” Michael put his finger on the trigger of his gun.
Rick swallowed. “Please, my little girl,” he pleaded.
“Do you really think it will ever end, Rick? Do you think after they get the drive and I'm dead that you'll be free? Your daughter will be safe? They own you. And when they have no more use for you, they'll kill you. And they won't even think twice about it.”
Rick knew Michael was right. His daughter would always be used as leverage against him. Even though he was equally afraid of Milovich and Michael, he knew Michael was more trustworthy. “What do you want me to do?”
“How do I get a message to Vlad?”
“There's a club downtown. Niko's. Milovich uses it to launder money. Anyone in management could get a message to him. What are you going to do?”
“Don't you worry about that.” Michael smiled. “If they come to you wanting help decrypting a drive, you are not to help them in any way. I don't think they'll ask to use CIA resources, but they may ask you to find someone who can do it. I don't care what reason you give, but you are not to help them. If you do, I'll kill you. Understand?”
Rick nodded.
“When the time comes, you're going to come clean about what's going on at the CIA with Edward Morgan and Vlad Milovich.”
Rick sat silently staring at his daughter's photo as Michael left.
Chapter 47
Jessica woke back in her cell on the disgusting mattress, feeling groggy and strange. The room was pitch black and she searched around the door for the light switch. Finding it, she checked herself over, unsure what might have happened to her while she was out. Aside from feeling extremely sore and bruised, she seemed fine. Her whole body ached and her face hurt. Her eye was swollen and would no doubt turn black and blue. She could only imagine what she looked like.
She lay back down on the mattress and closed her eyes trying to forget what happened to her. Flashes of Dmitri with the needle kept intruding. Her heart pounded in her chest and her breathing became shallow and rapid. She sat up and took deep, slow breaths to try and calm herself. Panic would do her no good.
Her calm was interrupted by the door opening. Her heart raced again wondering what was going to happen now. Dmitri entered holding an ice pack and pain pills in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. He shut the door behind him.
“Did you lose consciousness?” he asked her.
“What?”
“When he hit you. Did you lose consciousness?” He stepped closer, holding out the ice pack.
“Yeah. Why do you care?” She took the pack and tried to gently press it to her face. It was tender, but the ice felt good.
“Do you have a headache? Ringing in your ears? Blurry vision?”
“Headache. Why?”
“You may have a concussion.” He doled out a couple of pain pills and handed her the bottle of water.
She looked up at him as she put the pills in her mouth. She couldn't reconcile the look of concern on his face with the fact that he had, just hours ago, injected her with heroin. She opened the bottle of water and swallowed the pills.
“Does Michael Cailen have the drive?” he asked.
“I don't know.” She looked right in his eyes when she said it.
He sighed and looked down at the floor. “If you tell me where it is, I can make all of this go away.” He looked back at her. She just stared at him. “It wasn't in the apartment,” he continued. “I found your laptop, but not the drive. Does Michael have it?”
She hadn't realized they had her laptop. Last she knew, the drive was with it. If it wasn't there then she really did have no clue where it was.
Dmitri noticed her reaction when he mentioned they had her computer. “Are you surprised we have your laptop?”
She stared down at the floor and didn't respond.
“Are you surprised the drive wasn't with it?”
She nodded, still staring at the floor.
“How much do you know about Michael Cailen?”
“I know you should be afraid of him.” She looked him right in the eyes as she spoke.
“This I know.”
“He's still alive?”
The way Dmitri was talking, she thought she already knew the answer but still felt compelled to ask.
“As far as I know.”
She nodded.
“You care about him a great deal. Am I to assume he feels the same for you?”
“No.” She didn't want them to use his feelings for her against him, even though she knew it was probably already too late for that.
Dmitri smiled. “You are a terrible liar.”
Chapter 48
“What took you so long? We were getting worried,” Josh asked as Michael got back in the truck.
“He was home.”
“What happened?” Martin asked.
“He's our guy,” Michael replied. He briefed them on his conversation with Rick and what he had learned.
“Why don't we use this guy to get the information we need instead of hacking it?” Josh suggested.
“Because I don't trust him. He's on the verge of a mental breakdown. He's unstable and he's scared. There's no telling what he'll do.”
“What happens if you can't hack into the CIA?” Martin asked.
Michael sighed and ran his hand down his face. “Then we may end up having to use him. But I'd like to avoid that at all costs. It will be a last resort only.”
“So, what now? Head to Niko's?” Martin turned to Michael.
Michael nodded. “Let's stop and get some cell phones first though.”
THEY ARRIVED at Niko's shortly after 3:30 pm. Martin parked the truck in a small shopping plaza nearby. All three men got out, slipping their guns into their waistbands. Josh shadowed Michael, staying close by in case things got hairy. Martin separated from them and crossed the street. He would keep an eye out from a distance to make sure they weren't surprised once inside or followed once they left.
The club was on the corner of the street. Since it didn't open for a few more hours, Michael headed for the back door hoping it might be open for deliveries and employees arriving to prep for the night. He breezed in to find himself in the kitchen. A man wearing an apron stood chopping onions. With headphones on and facing away he never even noticed Michael come in. He walked to a door leading out of the kitchen, pushed it open and stepped into the large, two-floor club.
The first floor was divided into two sections. A smaller restaurant style area with tables and chairs took up the side closest to the kitchen and a massive dance floor took up the other. A long sculpted bar accessible from both sides, divided the two areas.
The second level was like an extension of the dance floor, covering about half as much area as the first. It sat above the restaurant and the balcony looked over onto the dance floor. A set of stairs ran down each side along the walls. It was dark, everything was shut off.
He stood in the middle of the dance floor and glanced around. Large dark-tinted windows lined the left wall above the stairs, likely where the offices were located. There must be a back stairway from the kitchen. He wondered if anyone was even there besides the unobservant cook. It didn't take long to get an answer.
A short, well-dressed young man with slicked back hair stepped out of the kitchen. “I'm sorry, the club is closed. We open at seven,” the man addressed Michael with an artificial smile.
“I know. I was hoping I could speak with a manger,” he replied.
“Ah. Well, if you tell me what it's regarding, I may be able to help you.”
Michael noticed the man kept one hand in his pants pocket.
“I need to get a message to Vlad Milovich.”
The man lost his calm demeanor, now appearing edgy and nervous.
“I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.”
“I guess you can't help me after all
. Is there someone here who can?”
Michael clearly had no intention of leaving.
The man stood there nervously until two very large men appeared from the kitchen and stepped in front of him, allowing his retreat. He must have had a panic button in his pocket.
“I don't suppose you can deliver a message to Vlad, can you?” Michael smiled.
The men stepped towards him and he braced himself for a fight. When they got close, he sprung into action. The men were unprepared for the level of aggression Michael brought to the melee. With lightning speed Michael delivered a powerful blow to the first man's gut, knocking the wind out of him. As the man stumbled forward gasping for air Michael quickly took on the second man who tried in vain to defend himself. Michael dodged a few punches before putting the man in a sleeper hold. With him neutralized Michael turned his attention back to the first man who had now recovered. Soon, he too was unconscious on the floor.
He quickly walked into the kitchen as two more men emerged from a doorway covered with plastic strips. The first man approached quickly. Michael grabbed a pan that was on the counter next to him and slammed it across his face. He fell into the counter, scattering some mixing bowls and pots, then dropped to the floor unconscious. The second man stepped back, putting a little more space between him and Michael. Michael took a step forward and the other man retreated yet another step, clearly afraid of him. Michael grinned. He rushed forward, taking him out before he could even react.
Tracing where the men came from, Michael found the stairs leading up to the offices. At the top was a large landing and a couple doors. He walked towards the far door that should belong to the office overlooking the dance floor. The door opened and a very large man emerged. Another man stepped out behind him, much older and dressed far better than the kid he had met downstairs.
“Why so much violence?” the older man asked with that familiar Russian accent. He was calm and collected with a disarming smile on his face.
“I need to get a message to Vlad. He's going to want to hear it,” Michael responded.
“Let's say I know this Vlad person you speak of. What would you have me tell him?”
“Tell him I want to trade the flash drive for the girl.”
“And how is this Vlad supposed to contact you to work out the details of this arrangement?”
“Easy, he just has to call me.” Michael held out a piece of paper with his number. The bodyguard relieved him of it.
“Is this all you wanted?” the old man asked.
“Yeah.” Michael slowly backed down the stairs, keeping his eye on the bodyguard.
One of the men in the kitchen had started to wake up. He was leaning against a cupboard rubbing his head. Seeing Michael coming, he cowered, protecting his head with his arms as he walked by. Michael ignored him and exited out the back door where he encountered three men lying on the ground. He looked up and saw Josh standing there.
“I figured you didn't need any more company,” Josh explained.
He had watched a black Mercedes park behind the building and figured the three men for mafia thugs. To spare Michael from having to deal with them, Josh took them out before they could make it inside.
“Nice work,” Michael replied as he looked at them.
Once they were sure they weren't being followed, Martin, Josh and Michael regrouped at the truck.
“So, what now?” Josh asked.
“We wait for a call,” Michael answered as Martin started the engine and began to drive away.
“You have a plan?” Martin asked.
“Sort of.”
“You know you can't meet with them,” Josh stated. “If they know where you'll be, they'll just make arrangements to kill you.”
“I think we're all working under the assumption they aren't going to release Jessica under any circumstances, right?” Martin added.
Michael nodded. “Yeah, but I have to make it look like I believe they'll exchange her for the drive. Otherwise they'll wonder why I'm giving it to them.”
“So what are you thinking?” Josh asked.
“They'll suggest meeting to make the exchange. I'll decline the face to face citing my apprehension about their intent to kill me. I'll insist they release Jessica before I hand over the drive, to which they'll refuse and insist I give them the drive first. I will reluctantly agree which will give them the opportunity to double cross me. Then we just have to hope they take it to Jessica to decrypt.”
“There's a lot of ways that could go wrong,” Martin observed.
“I know.” Michael was tense. “I don't see any other option at this point.”
“What should we do while we wait for the call?” Josh asked.
“I don't know,” Michael looked out the window. Anxious and worried, he tried not to think of what could go wrong. The thought of losing Jessica seemed unbearable.
They drove another half mile down the road when Michael's phone rang. His heart raced. It was a private number. He took a deep breath and answered. “Yeah.”
“Michael Cailen, I presume?” The voice had a thick Russian accent and seemed calm and almost cheerful.
“Correct. Who is this?”
“Vladimir Milovich. My friends call me Vlad. You may call me sir.”
“Whatever you say, Vlad,” Michael replied defiantly.
“You're a funny man, Cailen. I would not have guessed you had a sense of humor, especially considering your position.”
“Actually, I have you by the balls, not the other way around. Whatever is on this drive, I'm assuming can do a lot of damage to you. All I have to do is send this off to the right person in the CIA and I'm guessing you'll be in a world of hurt.” Michael didn't want to let on how much Jessica meant to him.
“If the girl means so little to you, why bother trading?”
“She's innocent and I don't really care about you or your operation. I just want to be left alone. You do that and let her go, and I'll be out of your hair and you'll have the drive.”
“Fine, shall we decide on a place to meet?”
“No. Forgive me if I don't trust you not to try and kill me. There will be no face to face meetings. You let her go and once I know she's safe, I'll give the courier the go-ahead to deliver the drive.”
Milovich laughed heartily.
“Do you take me for a fool Mr. Cailen?”
“I'd say you're a fool if you don't agree.”
There was silence for a few seconds. Michael wasn't sure what to expect next.
“Okay. How about this? You tell me where you would like me to send the girl and I will start sending her piece by piece until I get the drive.”
His tone was serious and Michael had no doubt he would do just as he said.
“How do I know you won't just kill her after you have the drive?” Michael asked.
“I have no interest in the girl. Once I have the drive, she will not be a threat to me. If you want to fade off into the sunset after you get her back, then you have my blessing. I think it would be best for everyone involved to put this behind us.”
Michael knew those were just words coming from Milovich. He would never let Jessica go, not while she was alive anyway. But he had to play along.
“I want to know that she's still alive. Call me back in twenty minutes. Let me hear her voice and I'll tell you where to find the drive.”
“Very well. Twenty minutes,” Milovich repeated.
Michael hung up the phone and looked out the window.
“Well?” Martin asked.
Michael turned to him. “So far so good. Let's find a hotel.”
They pulled into the parking lot at the Holiday Inn in Georgetown. Michael walked up to the girl at the counter and asked to borrow a pen. He wrote “Vlad Milovich” on the envelope containing the drive.
“I need to leave this for one of your guests. He'll be picking it up within the hour.”
“Certainly, sir,” The woman smiled and graciously took the envelope placing it under the
counter.
“Thank you so much.” He smiled and left.
Michael slipped back in the truck. “All right, let's make sure it's working.”
Josh grabbed the tracker and turned it on. A few seconds passed then a red dot appeared on the screen along with the distance and direction of where the drive was in comparison to them.
“Looking good,” Josh announced.
“Perfect. Let's find some place to hang out until they come for it,” Michael suggested.
They parked on the street not far from the hotel so they could keep an eye on cars coming and going from the parking lot.
Milovich should be calling any minute. Michael's anxiety spiked as he waited for the call. Another two agonizing minutes passed before his phone rang, again a private number.
“Yeah,” he answered.
He heard someone in the background say “Speak.”
“Hello?” It sounded like Jessica.
Michael stiffened. “Jessica?”
“Michael? Is that you? I'm in a ware..” The phone went dead.
“Jessica!” Michael yelled. He looked at his phone. They had hung up. A few seconds later it rang again. “Jessica?!” he answered.
“I believe our arrangement was that you hear her voice and then tell me where the drive is.”
Michael ran his hand through his hair, trying to calm himself and regain his composure. His heart pounding in his chest. “It's at the front desk of the Holiday Inn in Georgetown.”
“Very good. Soon as I have it, I'll release the girl.” He hung up.
Michael put his phone on the dashboard. He felt numb. He was trying not to think of what might be happening to Jessica or what could happen to her.
“She's alive, Michael,” Josh tried to comfort him.
“Yeah. She's alive,” he repeated. “For now.” He stared out the window.
Josh had never seen him this anxious. Michael was always the calm one. He remained cool under pressure and never seemed to lose his edge. Now though, he seemed almost scared.
“Did she say anything?” Martin asked.
“I think she was trying to say she's in a warehouse before the phone cut out. And I think it's safe to say she's at a different location than Milovich. Otherwise why make two calls?”