Black Pawn (Michael Cailen Book 1)

by Mel LeBrun

  “We searched him!” Corvo yelled at the screen. He winced as excruciating pain shot through his chest from the outburst. More and more he was feeling the effects of a close range gunshot against a bulletproof vest, not to mention a broken rib. He took a minute to calm himself down. “Where did that come from?” He looked at Preston, who didn't have an answer for him.

  He hurried back down to the interrogation room, pushing his way past the onlookers who had gathered outside. He walked to the still unknown man on the floor and looked at his arm. There was a loose piece of what looked like fake skin, probably made of latex, on the underside of his arm near his wrist. He must have kept a cyanide pill hidden under the fake skin. It probably was made to look like a scar and had gone completely unnoticed.

  “Who does this?” Corvo muttered to himself. He walked back to his office where Jessica and Jinx were nervously waiting for his return. He stepped in the office and looked intently at Jessica. “What aren't you telling me?”

  “What happened?” she asked anxiously.

  “Who are these people?” He ignored her question.

  “How should I know?” she replied defensively. “What's going on?” She stood up.

  “The man we captured just committed suicide.”

  “What?” Jinx and Jessica exclaimed in unison.

  “He took a cyanide pill that he kept hidden under some fake skin on his arm.” He waited to see her reaction. She looked truly shocked, as did Jinx. “You have no idea who these people are or why they're after you?” he asked sternly.

  “No!” she shouted, getting angry with his tone and questioning of her.

  He backed down when he saw how upset he was making her. Preston walked in just then and suggested they get going to the hotel. Corvo agreed. Jessica reluctantly said goodbye to Jinx and they were on their way.

  They took a different vehicle from what they drove before. After riding around for a while, to make sure they weren't being followed, they pulled in the hotel parking lot. As Jessica stepped into the small hotel room, she was having flashbacks of two years ago when she was on the run with Michael. While the surroundings were different, the feelings were the same. There were two queen sized beds and a small table with chairs sat by the window on the other side of the room. The door to the bathroom was on the left by the door to the hallway. Across from the beds was a dresser with a TV on top.

  As she studied her environment, her heart sank and a feeling of dread mixed with anger and distress washed over her. Her eyes quickly filled with tears that soon overflowed as she broke down crying. She sat on the edge of the bed and buried her face in her arms as she wept. Corvo and Preston looked at each other, not sure what to do about her. She had been so brave and strong up until just now. Corvo sat next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She pulled away from him, making it clear she didn't want him touching her. He took the hint and moved away. He gave Preston a look as he rubbed the back of his neck. It was going to be a long day.

  After a period of solid crying, Jessica suddenly sat up and asked to use Corvo's phone. She wiped her tears away and composed herself. The abrupt change in her demeanor was puzzling yet Corvo handed her his phone. She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.

  “I need to speak with Timothy Gatti,” Jessica said to whoever was on the other line. “I know he works there. Just tell him to call me back on a secure line.” She hung up the phone.

  “Uhhh. Who was that?” Corvo asked, wondering who she just called on his phone. He reached down and took it from her hand.

  “A friend,” she replied.

  “I gathered that.” He was about to ask another question when his phone rang. Jessica held her hand out for him to give it back, but instead he answered it. “Hello?”

  “A woman called me from this phone. Let me speak to her,” a man responded.

  “This is Special Agent Lance Corvo from the FBI, who are you?”

  “I know who you are Agent Corvo. I know this is your phone, but you didn't call me. Put her on, now.” The caller's tone was forceful and authoritative.

  Corvo looked at Jessica rather unhappy about the mystery caller and being left in the dark. She looked back at him as though he should have expected that to happen. He handed her the phone.

  “Hi Tim. It's Jess.”

  “Jessica? What's going on? Are you okay?”

  “I'm fine, but I'm in a bit of a jam.” She went on to explain what happened that day and that Michael was out of the country.

  “What do you need me to do?” he asked.

  “I wondered if maybe you would be able to get a message to him, let him know where I am.”

  “When does his flight leave?”

  She looked at her watch. “About another hour.”

  “Not a problem. Where are you?”

  She gave Gatti her location which made Corvo and Preston immediately nervous.

  “Anything else I can do?” Gatti asked.

  “I think the FBI is still trying to identify the man they picked up that was following me.”

  “Sure. Let me talk to Agent Corvo.”

  Jessica handed him the phone. He took it, more curious now than ever who the mystery caller was. He put the phone to his ear. “Yeah?”

  “I'm Agent Gatti with the CIA. I would like a picture and prints of the man you had in custody. I might be able to assist in identifying him.”

  “That's a generous offer but this doesn't seem like something the CIA would normally get involved in. What's your interest?”

  “She is a close friend of mine. The rest is classified.”

  Timothy Gatti's life had been intertwined with Michael and Jessica's in a way few people could understand. Gatti had headed up the task force that eventually rooted out the corrupt CIA agents trying to kill the two when they had first met. Michael ended up saving Gatti's life from one of those agents. As part of that debt, Gatti arranged new identities for Michael and Jessica and they have been under his protective watch ever since.

  “I see.” Corvo glanced at Preston who was all ears. “Well, I have no problem accepting help. Where do I send the stuff?”

  “Someone will be by to pick it up in twenty minutes. I will also be sending someone by with a secure phone for Jessica. Expect a visit within the hour.”

  “I appreciate the heads up.”

  “I'll be in touch.” Gatti hung up.

  Corvo turned to Jessica looking vexed. “You have a good friend in the CIA?”

  She shrugged. “I have more than one.”

  Corvo shook his head as he dialed his office to request the information be ready for Gatti's man.

  Chapter 6

  Michael, Josh, Martin and Katie had been at the airport almost three hours waiting to get on their flight home. They had anxiously made it through security only to find their plane had been delayed. They settled into some seats for the long wait. Michael and Josh sat in a row facing Martin and Katie.

  Michael was in agony over Jessica. He knew she had been safely picked up by police and that Jinx was going to send some agents to get her from the station, but he had no idea if that actually took place. Maybe the agents didn't get there before the police were done questioning her. Maybe something happened after they picked her up. The possibilities were driving him mad. He was restless and his constant shifting in his seat and sighing was driving Josh nuts.

  “Michael, she's fine,” Josh said for the umpteenth time.

  “You've said that ten times,” Michael snapped. “Say it again and I'll tear your tongue out with my bare hands.”

  Michael's patience was almost non-existent. Trying not to be annoyed with him, Josh just took a deep breath and shook his head. He exchanged glances with Martin. Michael was so worked up it was even beginning to affect Katie, who leaned closer to Martin for comfort.

  As the four sat there, everyone's patience wearing thin, a stunningly beautiful woman came and sat down next to Michael. She placed her handbag by his feet and pulled out a magazine. He l
ooked at her, aggravated she chose that seat rather than the many other empty ones further away from him. He gave a look to Josh, who just raised his eyebrows and shrugged in return. He let out a heavy sigh of irritation.

  “I'm sorry,” the woman turned to him. “I didn't even think to ask. Was this seat taken?”

  He looked at her debating whether to tell her it was or not. “No.” He went with the honest answer, even though he wished she would move.

  “You're American?” she sounded surprised.

  “As are you.”

  “My name is Summer.” She smiled warmly and held out her hand.

  He just looked at her. He didn't shake her hand, instead leaving it awkwardly in the middle of the air. “Hi.”

  “My friends always joke that I'm like a summer breeze, always flying through the air,” she laughed, completely undeterred by his unfriendly and rude demeanor.

  Michael's interest was suddenly piqued. Jessica's online name when she was an illegal hacker was SummerBreeze. He looked at the woman again. “Yeah?”

  “Do you ever go to Boston?” she asked.

  “Sometimes,” he replied even though he lived just outside and was there all the time. He got the feeling this was more than a chance encounter with a friendly woman.

  She pulled a pad and pen from her bag. “Well, why don't you look me up sometime.” She wrote an address and phone number on a piece of paper. “I'd love to see you.” She smiled as she handed it to him.

  He warily took the note from her trying to figure her out. Josh was looking at him like he was crazy for talking to this woman, let alone taking her address and phone number. Martin too was watching the scene play out.

  “Well, I should use the little girl's room before my flight leaves.” She smiled again, grabbing her bag as she stood up.

  The three men watched as she walked away. Michael stared down at the address and phone number in his hand. He looked bewildered and confused. Josh still couldn't figure out why he took her number.

  “You thinking of leaving Jess?” Josh asked half-jokingly.

  “Hell no,” Michael replied with a look of disgust.

  Martin came and sat next to him. “What did she say?”

  “She said summer breeze,” he spoke in a daze. Michael wasn't sure if he was just paranoid and reading too much into it but he couldn't shake the feeling that he just received a covert message about Jessica. “It was Jessica's screen name.”

  “That was an agent,” Martin realized. “She just told you where Jessica is and how to reach her.”

  Having Martin agree with what he was already feeling was enough for him. “She must have called Tim. I need a phone.” He anxiously stood up and looked around.

  “Correction, you need a clean phone,” Martin said.

  There were payphones all over the airport, but using them to make an international call would mean using a credit card or calling card which would be traceable. They also couldn't use any of their cell phones. Stealing a phone was out of the question. Michael was desperately trying to think of how to contact her when they were called for boarding. He had no choice but to give up and board the plane. He would have to wait until they landed.

  The flight was more tolerable for everyone now that Michael had some information about Jessica. Knowing where she was, and that Gatti was involved helped him relax a little, much to Martin and Josh's relief. Being around Michael when he was uptight was never fun. He wouldn't fully relax until she was safe in his arms, but at least he was now bearable.

  Josh was passed out in the seat next to him, and though Michael was beyond exhausted, his mind raced with thoughts of Jessica. He just couldn't fall asleep.

  Josh woke after a few hours and could tell Michael was still worked up. The nervous tapping of his heel on the floor of the cabin was a dead give away.

  “If Tim's involved, you know she's safe,” Josh tried to comfort him.

  “In my head, I know you're right, but I just won't be calm until I can talk to her.”

  “What do you think he wanted with her?” Josh asked.

  “I have no idea. But if I get my hands on him, I'm going to beat it out of him.”

  “Not if I get to him first,” Josh remarked.

  The men sat quietly, lost in their thoughts until Josh snickered.

  “What is it?” Michael asked.

  “Remember that mission in Uzbekistan?”

  “Hmm ... That reporter we had to rescue?”

  “Yeah, remember what he said about you?”

  A slight grin crossed Michael's lips. “What? That I was the most intense and threatening man he'd ever met?”

  “He also said he pitied anyone who would dare to mess with someone you were involved with,” Josh added.

  “He wouldn't even look at me,” Michael reminisced.

  “He was absolutely terrified of you,” Josh laughed.

  “I don't know why. I was there to rescue him.”

  “I don't think he remembers it that way,” Josh teased.

  “We had a long walk ahead of us and a deadline to reach the extraction point and he wanted to stop for every little thing,” Michael defended himself. He shook his head. “He's alive, isn't he?”

  “Yep.” Josh nodded. “Alive and terrified of you.”

  Michael just grinned.

  “So what's up with you and Jinx?” Michael asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You've been dating a while. You ever talk about moving it along?”

  Commitment-phobe Josh shook his head. “We're fine where we are.”

  It was Michael's turn to snicker. He heard earfuls from Jessica about how much Jinx wanted more from the relationship, but that she wasn't sure Josh was ready.

  “You know something I don't?” Josh asked.

  Not wanting to get in the middle of that, Michael shook his head. “Nope,” he said with a slight smirk before closing his eyes to take a nap.

  THE PLANE finally landed and Michael had to restrain himself from pushing everyone out of his way as they seemed to move in slow motion retrieving their bags from the overhead bins. He took deep breaths to calm himself as the passengers filed out slowly. Martin and Josh made sure they were behind him. The last thing they wanted was to be in his way.

  At last they were off the plane and Michael darted for a payphone. He dialed the number on the paper and anxiously waited as it rang.

  “Hello?” Jessica answered.

  “Jessica.” He was immensely relieved to hear her voice. He closed his eyes and rested his head on his arm as he leaned against the payphone.

  “Michael?”

  “Yeah baby, it's me.”

  “I'm so happy to hear you're voice. How did you get this number?”

  “I'm guessing you called Tim?”

  “Yes.”

  “He had someone deliver a message to me in Germany with your location and this number.”

  “Are you close?”

  “Yeah, I am. I'll be there shortly.”

  “Please hurry. I miss you.”

  “I'm on my way.” He hung up the phone and turned to Martin and Josh, who were hovering nearby. Katie was still clinging to Martin's side. “Okay guys, this is where I get off.”

  “Before you go, we should pick up some phones,” Martin suggested.

  “I suppose that would be the smart thing to do,” Michael agreed, even though he wasn't fond of the delay in seeing Jessica.

  Martin drove them to a store to pick up some prepaid phones. He kept an eye out for anyone who might be following them, but it was hard to tell during the short ride to the store.

  Once they had their phones and exchanged numbers, Michael left them to go see Jessica. He didn't want to drag Martin and Katie along. He also didn't know if they were being followed and he knew it would be easier for him to lose a tail by himself rather than with a group. Josh wanted to go with him, but Michael insisted he go alone. He told Josh he would call him if he needed help.

  He walked a
few blocks on foot using reflections in mirrors and windows to keep an eye on the people behind him. No one stuck out. He pulled out his phone as he walked and called Jessica.

  “Hello?” Jessica answered.

  “Hey, Jess. It's me.”

  “Michael, are you okay? Where are you?”

  “I'm coming, we just had to pick up some phones and I wanted to make sure I wasn't being followed.”

  “Are you?”

  “Not that I can tell.” He stopped abruptly and turned around. A man walking on the sidewalk behind him suddenly stopped as well. He looked at his watch then stepped into a bank that was nearby. “Hmm. Okay, maybe I am.”

  “Oh, fantastic.”

  “Relax. I'll be there shortly. I'm going to stop at the bank first. I'll talk to you soon.”

  “Michael ...”

  Without saying anything more, he pulled the phone from his ear and closed it. He started walking to the bank that the man turned into. He entered the building, coming face to face with the suspicious man as he was leaving. Michael smiled at him. The man looked like he was about to be sick. He tried to breeze past but Michael made sure to bump into him. As he did, he lifted the man's wallet, or at least what he thought was his wallet. The man left in a nervous hurry. Michael stepped back outside watching him walk away. He opened the wallet and wasn't sure how to feel about what he found. The man following him was an FBI agent. Now feeling uneasy about Jessica being guarded by the FBI, he dialed another number from his phone and put it to his ear.

  “I need to speak with Agent Timothy Gatti,” Michael said.

  “I'm sorry. We don't have anyone by that name working here.”

  “Tell him it's Michael Cailen.” He hung up and waited. A minute passed before his phone rang with a private number. “Hi Tim.”

  “Michael, what's up?”

  “Jessica is with the FBI. I was on my way to meet her when I spotted someone following me. He turned out to be FBI.”

  “That's not good,” Gatti remarked

  “I'm feeling a little nervous about who she's with right now,” Michael admitted.

  “Well don't. I can vouch for both of them.”

  “Really? How's that?”