“Do you have the diamonds?”
“Is Josie safe?”
“How could you think I would do anything to this sweet little girl? But don’t forget, I know I can live without the diamonds. Can you live without your daughter?”
Hanna didn’t mean for there to be silence on the line, but she had no response. Just the way he’d said that sent a chill through her body.
Billy said, “I can meet you in one hour in South Beach. On the sidewalk across from the Clevelander Hotel, near the beach.”
“Put Josie on the phone. I have to know that she’s safe,” Hanna said.
“You won’t take my word for it?”
“Put her on the phone.” Hanna purposely kept her tone even and spoke very slowly so there would be no misunderstanding. After a long silence, Hanna heard a whimper on the other end of the phone. “Josie? Is that you, sweetheart?”
“Mama?” Then there was a bout of sobbing.
“Are you okay, Josie?” Hanna waited while someone spoke to her daughter away from the phone.
Josie came back on, sniffled, and said, “Help me, Mama. The man with the blue beard says he’ll use his knife on my throat if you don’t meet him.” She started to say something else but the phone was snatched from her.
Hanna gasped, trying not to picture what Billy might do to her daughter.
Billy came back on the line and said, “I look forward to seeing you in an hour.”
“Bring Josie.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t deny a mother the chance to watch her daughter’s throat slit if things don’t go exactly as planned. If the diamonds aren’t in my hand in one hour, you’ll never see your precious daughter again.”
He said goodbye, never dropping his friendly tone.
Hanna hung up and looked at her brother. “We have one hour to meet them over on South Beach.”
She couldn’t read the look in Albert’s eyes.
Chapter 95
HANNA ALMOST LEFT her brother in Little Havana.
She said, “I need to know you won’t do anything crazy, Albert.”
“Define crazy.”
She growled in frustration.
South Beach was only a few miles from downtown Miami, but it felt like a different world. The crowds of pedestrians along Ocean Drive seemed much younger than the people along Brickell or Bayshore Drive.
The Clevelander Hotel sat on the corner of Tenth and Ocean Drive in the Miami Art Deco District. Hanna had heard of the old five-story hotel, but she’d just read an article in the Miami paper that said the only thing the Clevelander was known for now was loud music by the pool and a TV sports show called Highly Questionable that was taped in the hotel every afternoon.
Albert drove past the hotel so they could both get a look at the area, but there were too many people to see much, so Hanna told him to drop her near the Clevelander.
“Albert, I’m not kidding, I want you to stay in the car. I’m not going to risk Josie.”
Albert said, “And I’m not going to risk both of you. If something goes wrong, I have to be close enough to act.”
Hanna knew it was useless to argue with her hardheaded brother, and she appreciated how much he worried about her. She started to slip out of the car, then paused, leaned across the console, and kissed Albert on the cheek. “You’re a good brother and a good man. Josie and I both love you.”
She was out of the car before Albert could say anything. She didn’t want to make it sound like she was saying goodbye, but, just in case, she was.
The backpack rested over her left shoulder. She could feel the diamonds sewn into the strap.
Hanna darted through a break in traffic on Ocean Drive. A red Ferrari swerved to avoid her. Groups of young partyers just starting out their night laughed and shouted as they passed her. She wondered if it was this loud all the time. If you were looking west, away from the ocean, this could be a sunnier, wider Amsterdam.
She twisted her head, scanning in every direction, but she didn’t see Billy or any of his henchmen. There were still a number of people sitting on the beach as the sun set over the city behind them.
She cut down a path and saw, through a gap between the bushes and the sand, Billy sitting at a picnic table. Hanna couldn’t help looking over her shoulder to make sure Albert hadn’t followed her. She caught a glimpse of him across the street, still sitting in the rental car.
He was watching her every step.
She approached the picnic table and Billy. As she got closer, her heart soared at the sight of her daughter, Josie, sitting next to Billy. Josie’s hands were folded on the table and her eyes were cast down. But she appeared unharmed.
The smile Billy gave her made her angry. When they’d first met, Hanna had liked his easygoing style. Now she realized it just masked a sociopath. When this was all over and she had Josie safely in her arms, she might let Albert kill this Russian son of a bitch.
Chapter 96
I KNEW ALVIN Teague would be able to conduct a quiet surveillance of Hanna Greete and her brother. I had my own issues to deal with.
Marie had a ton of questions, so I filled her in on everything. She looked at the road and said, “I might have been a complication at a meeting like that.”
As soon as I’d crossed the MacArthur Causeway to Miami Beach, following the general path of the tracker I’d put in the red backpack, my phone rang—my office. No way that was good news. I decided I couldn’t avoid my supervisor any longer. Hopefully, if I walked him through this carefully, he wouldn’t get too nervous. I answered the phone with a friendly “Hey, boss.”
The voice on the other end did not belong to the FBI supervisor in charge of the international crimes task force. That was clear.
The first thing I heard was a man with a harsh Brooklyn accent almost screaming, “Don’t give me that ‘Hey, boss,’ bullshit. This is Martin Lobbeler, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI. I’m your supervisor’s boss. The asshole who has to listen to your presentations and local-cop view of events. You know, the presentations I usually ignore.”
“Yes, sir. What can I do for you?” I needed to keep this professional.
“One thing I don’t need is a cowboy like you coming in and working after a shooting. Do you know how it looks for the Bureau to have to hold a press conference about a shooting? You’ve pulled a lot of shit, including not keeping your supervisory special agent in the loop. And I don’t need a local cop stirring up shit with other federal agencies.”
“Like which agencies, sir?”
“Like DHS.”
“Sir, I’d like—”
“I thought you were supposed to be smart. They told me you had a law degree from the University of Miami, but you’re not acting smart. I’m going to be talking to your chief tomorrow. You’ll be back in uniform writing tickets.”
I couldn’t help myself. “In that case, be prepared for a shitload of parking tickets on your car.” So much for professionalism. “I’m trying to make a good arrest and I’m sure not getting much support from jerk-offs like you.”
I was about to hang up when my supervisor’s voice came on the line. He spoke quietly, probably trying to keep the ASAC from hearing. “Calm down, Tom.”
“But that idiot ASAC just told me I’m off the task force right when we’re in the middle of an operation.”
“He said he’d talk to your chief tomorrow. Today you’re still a member of the task force and a sworn Miami police officer. I expect you to use your best judgment the rest of the day. Do what you think is right, and we’ll see what your chief has to say tomorrow. Am I understood?”
I sat in my car, silent. Had my meek and mild supervisor just given me a green light to move forward on this operation? That was sure what it sounded like to me.
Carefully I said, “I hear what you’re saying. I’ll call you when we resolve the current situation. I think you’ll be happy with the progress we’ve made on the case.”
My supervisor said, “You mean the hum
an-trafficking case that I will attribute to Steph Hall if necessary?”
“That’s exactly the case I mean.” This guy was full of surprises. He already had a way of accounting for the arrests even if I got fired from the task force. That’s all I wanted right now. Just a little leeway to do the right thing.
I could always practice law if I had to.
Chapter 97
I MET UP with the others in a parking lot behind the Regal Cinema on Lincoln Road. I kept quiet for a minute. I was surprised at how much the angry ASAC’s threat bothered me. I really did love working on this task force. But there was no question that the only thing I cared about now was saving Hanna’s daughter from the Russians and dropping a big net on as many human traffickers as possible.
An FBI ASAC was not usually involved in operations. For the most part, the ASACs were administrators, and like all administrators, they could be a help or a hindrance. I didn’t like him saying that I was a cowboy. Just because I didn’t follow the FBI rules didn’t mean I was a cowboy. I didn’t risk my partners’ lives and I always made clean cases that held up in court.
Steph and Chill came up to my car as I was on the radio with Alvin Teague. “Do you have eyes on the target, Smooth Jazz?”
“Ten-four. There’s no one we can’t follow in the city.”
“Especially when you have a tracker on them.”
“I barely even looked at it.”
“Right. And I was a great football player in college.” I purposely said it over the radio so anyone who was helping me would get a good laugh. Now I got more serious and turned to my partners in front of me.
“As soon as Hanna has the girl, we’ll swoop in. Smooth Jazz and the other Miami cops know to look after the girl and her mother. That leaves us able to focus on the Russians.”
I looked at Marie. “You don’t have tactical gear or a gun. I don’t want to risk—”
She held up a hand. “I know, I’m a civilian here. Just like you were in Amsterdam. Yet, by chance, you still got involved in our operation when the suspects ran. I’ll use common sense. I’ll help with the daughter if I’m needed.”
I nodded. She’d made it easy for me.
Chill had a half smile on his face. I knew the ATF agent liked the idea of the three of us going against the Russians. I knew he had an ax to grind with Rostoff. I just hoped he didn’t do anything crazy.
On the radio, Smooth Jazz said, “The woman is out of the car and crossing Ocean Drive almost in front of the Clevelander. It looks like the male driver is staying with the rental car. She’s looking for someone on the beach side of the road.”
I grabbed the radio. “Be there in two minutes. Can you keep eyes on the female? She’s the one who’ll meet the Russians.”
Alvin Teague said, “You forget who you’re talking to? I can keep eyes on anyone.”
I needed to hear that confidence about now.
Chapter 98
HANNA GREETE’S LEGS trembled as she headed down the gentle slope of the green area between the street and the beach to the picnic table where Josie was sitting quietly next to Billy the Russian.
Mosquitoes buzzed around her as she approached. She caught a glimpse of couples on the beach gazing out at the Atlantic. This would be a lovely place if it weren’t for these crazy Russians.
She had no qualms about giving up the backpack and the diamonds in exchange for her daughter. Her human-trafficking endeavor might not have gone the way she’d planned, but right now all she wanted was Josie safe.
Billy stood up like a gentleman when she reached the picnic table. He held out his hand to show Hanna he wanted her to sit on the bench across from them. He was also telling her not to do anything stupid.
Hanna fought the urge to embrace Josie and forced herself to sit down across from the smiling Russian. She didn’t look at Josie because she didn’t want to reveal the wave of emotions swirling through her. Her baby was safe. At least for now.
Billy sat and stroked his blue goatee while his brown eyes assessed her. They sat in silence for a few moments. A Mustang revved its engine along Ocean Drive. The occasional sound of the band around the pool at the Clevelander Hotel floated in the humid air.
Billy said, “Hanna, so happy you could join us.”
Hanna didn’t say a word. She was terrified. She kept her hands in her lap so the Russian wouldn’t see them shake. It was all she could do not to break down and scream. She had to stay calm for her daughter. She glanced at Josie, and the look in her eyes told Hanna she was traumatized. It was the first time ever that Hanna had wished she had a gun. If she’d had one, she would’ve shot Billy in the face.
Her eyes flicked up quickly to where Albert sat in the car. She had been right not to let him come with her to this meeting. But she had to admit there was a certain degree of security in knowing he was close by.
The short strip of greenery here, with the bushes and a few palm trees, changed the atmosphere from up on the strip. In other circumstances, it would be calming. The waves gently rolled onto the beach, making a steady noise that competed with the band at the Clevelander.
Billy smiled at Josie and ran the back of his fingers along her cheek. It made Hanna’s skin crawl.
Billy said, “Do you have what I want?”
Hanna just nodded.
“With you?”
She hesitated. If he knew the diamonds were in the backpack she’d carefully set on the ground behind her, he might decide to eliminate both witnesses right there. Now she wondered if she’d made a mistake by coming here without Albert.
Billy’s response to her silence was to yank Josie closer to him. He laid an open Buck knife on the table and smiled.
Hanna said, “There’s no need for violence. The diamonds are in the backpack.”
Billy laughed and clapped his hands. “You’ve given us quite the runaround.”
Hanna didn’t answer. She saw two men in suits step off the sidewalk and head toward them. Two more men appeared from behind her, and then a fifth man in a black suit started walking toward them. Billy’s loud clap had signaled them.
The man in the black suit was a little older than Billy, about forty-five. He didn’t show the deference to him the others did, and he came right up to the table. He addressed Billy in Russian and they argued briefly about something. Then the man marched away toward the beach like a sulking child.
Hanna said, “You annoy everyone, not just me.”
Billy turned to Hanna and said, “You’ll thank God if all I do is annoy you.”
He was hard to fluster.
Billy said, “Give me the backpack.”
“Give me my daughter.”
Now Billy lost his good humor and leaned forward. “What have I done to make you think this is a negotiation? That knife could be in her eye before you say, ‘Don’t do it.’”
Hanna reached behind her and lifted the pack. Even under the weight of it, her hand shook wildly. She tossed it onto the picnic table.
Billy stared, a grin on his face.
Hanna ran her finger along the ridge of diamonds to show him they were in the strap.
Billy mumbled, “Clever.” He looked up at his men, then at the backpack again.
Hanna said, “Josie, let’s go.” She stood up to emphasize that she was done talking.
Billy held up one hand and said, “I’m sorry, you can’t leave just yet.”
Hanna slowly sat back down. “Why? I have nothing left to give you.”
“We need your brother.”
That caught her by surprise. She just stared at the handsome Russian. Finally she said, “Albert? He’s not part of this. I had the diamonds and I just gave them to you. Our deal was that you would give me my daughter for the diamonds.”
Billy cut his eyes to the man standing behind Hanna. He shook his head and said, “No, I just said I had to have the diamonds or you wouldn’t see your daughter again. You can see her. She’s safe. If you want her back, I need your brother in her place.”
“You can’t expect me to sacrifice my brother.”
Billy shrugged. “You can sacrifice your daughter if you prefer. Your choice.” He gave a quick laugh and said, “Too bad your name’s not Sophie.”
Hanna said, “He won’t come after you if you let us go. I swear to God.”
“I’m not worried about your brother coming after me. I’m untouchable here in the U.S. But he’s caused all kinds of problems in Amsterdam. We’re one big organization. Roman and Emile Rostoff are brothers. You didn’t really think we’d let Albert return to Amsterdam, did you?”
Hanna shot him a nasty look. “This was your plan all along.”
“Part of it, yes. I knew we’d have to deal with your brother.”
Her mind raced, searching for options. For the first time since this whole ordeal started, she realized she had none.
Chapter 99
HANNA FELT THE panic rise in her throat. This man wanted to ruin her life. He was going to murder her brother or her daughter. How was it possible that he had her in this position? He wasn’t some sort of feudal lord. He was a Russian gangster.
Billy was looking at Hanna as if he expected her to cry. He couldn’t have been more wrong. She wasn’t sad; she was furious. Furious and scared for her daughter. There was no combination more potent for a mother.
Hanna said, “You won’t let us go, even though you have the diamonds?” It was hard to say the words in such an even tone.
Billy said, “I am quite sorry. I wish it could be different. Until your brother shows up, you and your daughter will remain my guests.”
“I don’t want to leave here with you.”
“What you want is of no concern to me. Your failed attempt to smuggle people not only didn’t pay off your previous debt, it cost us additional resources and our most valuable law enforcement contact. Your debt to us is now quite significant.”
“Even with the diamonds? That’s nonsense.”
Billy didn’t smile when he looked Hanna in the eye and said, “Speak to me that way again and your daughter will go through life without a left ear.”
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