Coveted Kiss (Savage Security Book 3)

by Karen Tjebben

  31

  Esam Tomir watched from a distance as the man from Savage Security escorted the Asian woman to his truck. Esam flipped through the dossier on the men and realized that the man was Jack Black, a seasoned warrior, and the woman was Bella Chan, a civilian with no trained self-defense skills.

  From the looks of her, she was injured, afraid, and basically helpless when it came to self-defense. He only needed to wait for her to be alone, and then he’d finish her. He owed that to Hazeem and to the members of his team that either died or were captured the night before in the FBI raid.

  She had been Hazeem’s in, the one he’d used to infiltrate the team. But somewhere it all went wrong. Esam would make that right. He’d accepted that he wouldn’t be able to get to the men. At the speed at which things were moving, he didn’t have the time to craft a plan, but he needed to get to her. He bet that she knew what happened to Hazeem. She had been there. Perhaps she knew where he was. If he could get his hands on her, he’d question her and then kill her.

  Esam followed Jack’s truck from a distance to avoid being noticed. With Jack’s background, Esam knew that he could spot a tail. They’d stopped first at a BBQ restaurant to pick up food. Then, when Jack’s truck pulled into his neighborhood, Esam continued down the road, following him into his neighborhood was too risky. He knew that Jack would be in full protective mode. The man lived, breathed, and ate protection, but so did Esam. He’d use his position to his advantage.

  For now, Esam would return to work to get his laptop and see what he could learn. He needed to know how much time he had before everything hit the fan.

  32

  Logan stared at the picture of the three women in Aditya’s little photo book. As conflicted as his feelings were, when he saw the happiness on Aditya’s face with the two other women, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She’d lost the most important people to her, her twin and best friend, and that had changed her.

  Ultimately, it killed her.

  Cole stopped behind Logan and looked at the picture that took up the computer screen in front of him. He recognized Aditya and her sister, but he didn’t know who the third one was. Jabbing his finger at the image, he asked, “Do you know who’s in the middle?”

  Logan nodded his head. “Yes, I got a match through the facial recognition program.” That picture filled in some blanks that had been eluding them. “Her name is Priya Kapoor. She’s dead.” Logan took his eyes off the raven-haired beauty with the big, brown eyes and faced Cole. “You’ll never guess who her father was.” This picture connected some dots, but it also raised lots of questions.

  Cole crossed his arm over his chest and glanced at Logan and then returned his focus to the picture. The three women were beautifully radiant and exuded happiness in the picture. It was eerie to look at them and know that the trio was dead. “Who?”

  “Dr. Sai Kapoor.”

  Cole’s eyebrows scrunched together as he went through his mental rolodex for the name. It didn’t ring any bells. “Should I know that name?”

  Logan opened another screen on the computer and an article about Dr. Sai Kapoor filled the screen. “He’s not a medical doctor. He has a PhD in Nanotechnology, and he’s a bigwig for NanoGen. Their headquarters is in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. NanoGen’s research and development is cutting edge. They’re also the leader in the nanotechnology field. They have several contracts for government jobs.” That was why there was no information on that kind of technology in the scientific or engineering magazines. The technology was top secret.

  Cole nodded his head as he thought this new information through. “You’re thinking he’s the one who gave Aditya the bug.” That made sense. She got that incredible piece of technology from someone. It wasn’t on the open market yet. “Book a flight to Raleigh and talk to Dr. Kapoor.” Cole considered for a moment letting Logan go by himself, but there were too many unknowns. Was Dr. Kapoor working with a foreign government? He wasn’t willing to lose a friend. “Take Ryan with you. You can be the good cop. He can be the bad cop.”

  Logan nodded in agreement. “Okay. I’ll get on it.” Cole walked away, and Logan went to the airline sight and booked the flights for Ryan and himself. He couldn’t wait to talk to Dr. Kapoor.

  33

  Esam Tomir pulled into the parking space and stared at the building in front of him. The five-sided monstrosity was a symbol of American strength and pride to hundreds of millions, but to him it was a symbol of tyranny. A place where bullies schemed and plotted their domination over the weak.

  He’d moved to the States with his family in his teens. The transition had been difficult. He read the hatred and mistrust on the faces of his classmates as they either glared or refused to make eye-contact with him. But he kept his head down, followed the rules, and remained faithful to his beliefs.

  During his high school years, the Imam at the mosque nurtured him during the rough transition and solidified his desire to make a difference for his faith. When the Imam told him how he could help their cause through service in the military, he’d jumped at the opportunity.

  Esam participated in the ROTC program his senior year of high school and went to boot camp a month after graduating. Boot camp was physically challenging, but he’d done the hard work to prepare for it. With his fluency in several Middle Eastern languages and understanding of the culture and society, his knowledge was invaluable to the Americans. He’d quickly rose through the ranks and participated in top secret missions. But when he landed the job at the Pentagon, he’d hit the jackpot. With his security clearance, he passed along information to his friends in the Middle East to alert them of upcoming attacks and therefore ensured their protection

  And now, as evening approached and his coworkers were going home, Esam eased through security and walked through the maze-like corridors to his station. He had research to do and people to find.

  He passed a few friends along the way. He gave the appropriate head nod and easy smile that he’d perfected to disguise his heart. As far as he knew, they all believed his con and trusted his patriotism. He often went drinking with his coworkers, celebrating significant events that occurred in the field. But he knew that the War on Terror would never end. There was always someone waiting to take the place of the fallen.

  Esam stepped into his cubicle. A few accolades hung on the cubicle walls. A small American flag stood on the desktop in the corner. Easing into the chair, he glanced at the picture of his wife and young son. Alia and Dawud meant everything to him. He worked diligently to ensure that the world of deception he’d created wouldn’t tumble down on them. He didn’t want their faces to be splashed on television news programs or paraded through the gossip magazines. That propelled his desire to figure out what was going on and work to contain it before his cover was blown.

  Taking a deep breath, he focused on settling the acid burning its way up his throat as he logged into his computer. He knew the information he wanted would be buried somewhere in the system behind layers of protection, but he was good at puzzles. He would connect the dots to figure out what he needed to know.

  It had taken him months of collecting data and filling in the blanks to discover the team that took out Abdul Hashem during Operation Recluse. Even though the unit members’ identities were protected, he’d been able to figure out which teams were in the field and which teams were waiting to be called up. Once he’d deduced which teams were in the field, he’d then focused on discovering the location of the various teams to narrow down the possible teams until he figured out the team members’ names.

  But right now, he was crunched for time. He swiped his hand over his chin as he waited for his computer to load. He’d made it through security when he’d entered the building, but that didn’t mean that he was safe. If Hazeem had given up his name, then they could be watching him so they could catch him in the act. That reality chilled his blood.

  He pulled open his desk drawer and popped a few antacids. Then he logge
d into the directory and searched for through company’s psychiatrists. One of them was with Hazeem, probing his mind for names and information that would betray the cause. Esam needed to know who was interrogating Hazeem and where Hazeem was being held. Once he determined Hazeem’s location, he would kill him. The man had served his purpose. Hazeem’s ultimate act of loyalty would be death.

  34

  Ryan slid behind the wheel of the rental car as Logan took the passenger seat. He gave a quick glance at Logan and noted that Logan’s lips were pressed together in a tight line and there were dark bags under his eyes. He couldn’t imagine the emotional toll this was having on Logan, because from his point of view, Logan had fallen for Aditya, and watching her kill herself in his house was doing a number on him.

  Logan pulled the seatbelt across his chest and buckled it. The image of Aditya blowing her brains out repeatedly played in his mind. Would she haunt him forever?

  Ryan typed in the address for NanoGen and glanced at Logan. Logan’s laptop was open on his thighs as he logged in. “We should be there in fifteen minutes,” Ryan said when the GPS loaded the address.

  “Good. I’ve confirmed the meeting with Dr. Kapoor. He’s expecting us.” Of course, Dr. Kapoor didn’t know about their connection with Aditya. As far as Dr. Kapoor was concerned, Logan and Ryan were investigating the uses of nanotechnology in the battle against terrorism.

  Nerves bubbled in Logan and morphed into an overflowing nausea that threatened to ascend his throat. He dug through his backpack for the bottle of antacids and popped a few. The chalky taste was almost as bad as the nausea since he didn’t have any water to wash it down.

  The NanoGen campus was beautiful. The large office buildings were tucked into a wooded area with a lake sprawling on one of the borders. Ryan drove through the campus until he found the correct building. The parking areas were emptying as evening overtook the day.

  Ryan and Logan walked into the building and checked in with the secretary in the building lobby. She printed their name tags and told them to wait for Dr. Kapoor.

  Sai Kapoor had been surprised when he’d received a request for a meeting with a security company based outside of D.C. He frequently met with government and military types to discuss the use of nanotechnology in the battlefield, but for some reason this didn’t seem right. His meetings were usually arranged in advance, and he didn’t understand why the men wanted to fly to him instead of meet through telepresence.

  Sai took the elevator down to the lobby. He assessed the men as he approached them. One was a tall Asian who clearly worked out, but not to the extent of his partner. The white man looked like a redheaded Superman. He was dressed like a common man in jeans and a long-sleeve polo shirt, but from his stance and cut of his body, there was clearly nothing common about him.

  Their eyes bore through Sai like lasers cutting diamonds. He felt stripped and critiqued as he approached them. He did his best to cover his discomfort. Tucking his hands behind his back, he greeted them with a polite head nod. “Gentlemen, I’m Dr. Kapoor. I assume you are from Savage Security.”

  Logan held out his hand first, “Yes, I am Logan Murphy. This is my partner, Ryan Marks.” Dr. Kapoor was tall and thin. He looked almost frail with his narrow chest and sunken face. He looked like a man who’d lost everything and was struggling to make it through each day.

  “Nice to meet you,” Sai replied as he shook their hands and signaled towards the doors that led into the heart of the building. “Please, follow me. I hope to answer your questions in my office.”

  Ryan was impressed by the building. Its outer walls were windows that allowed in generous amounts of light while the interior was laid out like a maze. Corridors and cubicles made up the large rooms. After working their way through the building and up to the top floor, Dr. Kapoor stopped at a door that bore his nameplate.

  “Ah, welcome to my home away from home.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. He’d learned how to fake happiness and contentment. He realized he’d never experience those emotions again. Thankfully, as his heart shriveled, it dulled the pain that constantly sliced away at him. But the ache was never ending.

  They entered Dr. Kapoor’s corner office. Floor to ceiling windows lined the exterior walls and overlooked the lake on NanoGen’s property. A large desk was to the side, allowing him to gaze at the water as he worked. He frequently enjoyed spotting the pair of herons that hid in the wild grasses that edged the lake. Geese also made the lake their home.

  Sai walked around his desk and motioned to the chairs that faced him. He eased into the chair and settled his hands in his lap as Ryan and Logan sat in the chairs across from him.

  It was obvious to Ryan that Dr. Kapoor was depressed, so he was tried to lighten the mood. “This is a wonderful view,” Ryan said, motioning towards the window. “I bet it’s beautiful in the fall.” Tall trees lined the farthest side of the lake and their bony, bare arms were reflected in the still water.

  “Yes, very beautiful,” Sai replied. Not even the beauty of fall when the trees donned their glorious colors softened his heart. He was a clown. Misery masked by the smiling façade he wore. “How can I help you?”

  Logan studied the Indian man across from him. Did he know about Aditya’s death? Was that why he looked so sad? “Dr. Kapoor, as you know, we work for Savage Security. We provide security to private companies. We also have contacts in the government through our years within the military. On one of our operations, we came across a piece of technology that, quite frankly, blew my mind.” Logan reached into his backpack and pulled out a small, acrylic box. Putting one finger on the top and one on the bottom of the box, he leaned forward and set the box on Dr. Kapoor’s desk.

  Sai leaned forward and picked up the acrylic box and studied it. He recognized the tiny item inside the box as the bug he’d given to Aditya. He knew giving her the bug was risky, illegal even, but he’d done it anyway. He was willing to pay for his sins, his failures as a father, if it came down to it. He’d never regret the help he’d given Aditya.

  Sai set the box on the desk and leaned back in his chair. “May I ask how this came into your possession? Do you know what it is?” He asked, unsure how much they knew. He didn’t want to give them more information than needed.

  Logan pointed to the box. “It’s a bug, but you know that already.” Logan studied the man before him. Dr. Kapoor’s lips were pressed together. “Dr. Kapoor, please don’t waste our time. We need to know why you gave this to Aditya Chopra.”

  At Aditya’s name, Sai’s glance leapt from the contents of the acrylic box to the men before him. “Aditya Chopra. The name sounds familiar.” His gut churned. Were these men Aditya’s friends or were they searching for her? Had something horrible happened to her?

  Logan shook his head in disgust as he dug into his backpack. He pulled out the pictures from the small photo album they’d found in Aditya’s hotel room. He set the printed copies on Dr. Kapoor’s desk. “Please don’t play stupid.” Anger filled Logan. The frail man before him held answers to many of his questions, yet the man was being difficult.

  Dr. Kapoor’s hand shook as he reached across the desk and picked up the pictures. He pressed his lips together tightly as he fought back the tears. The three girls had been inseparable. Their love of life shot out from the page through their bright eyes and joyful smiles. Swallowing hard, Sai asked, “Where did you get these?”

  Logan let the silence fill the space between them before he replied. “Dr. Kapoor, I’m sorry to inform you that Aditya Chopra is dead.”

  Sai closed his eyes, wishing he could shut his ears to the terrible news. The last of the trio was dead. His lips quivered as his eyes puddled with tears. “May I ask how? You were friends?” he asked and gestured towards Logan with his hands.

  Logan struggled to maintain his self-control. He wanted to scream, to cry, to throw the awards and accolades that sat on Dr. Kapoor’s shelves in a revolt against his heart. Seeing the man fight to control himself mirrored
the feelings that threatened to overpower Logan.

  Ryan studied Dr. Kapoor and Logan. They were both clearly struggling to keep it together. He didn’t want to step in, Logan was doing a good job with the man, so he waited patiently to see what would happen.

  Logan inhaled deeply. “Aditya and I were seeing each other. The other night, she committed suicide.” He didn’t elaborate on why she was seeing him.

  Suicide.

  The word hung in the air like a suffocating smog that stank up the room and made breathing difficult. Sai set the pictures back on the desk.

  No one said anything. Dr. Kapoor’s eyes were locked on the pile of pictures while Logan’s eyes were frozen on Dr. Kapoor.

  Seeing that they were at a stalemate, Ryan spoke up, “Dr. Kapoor, we know of your connection with Aditya. She was someone you watched grow into a beautiful woman. But somewhere along the line, she changed. She transformed from a happy, young woman to a killer. I believe you already know that. We need to understand why. We need to know what you know.”

  Sai stood and walked slowly to the window. He stood with his hands behind his back as he looked at the water. “Aditya and Riya were Priya’s best friends. They loved each other like sisters. People often confused them for triplets.” He chuckled. “They were smart, beautiful, and they had the world ahead of them.” He swallowed hard. “Everything changed the day Priya disappeared.”

  Sai caught a glimpse of the heron as it descended on the water and snatched a fish in its talons. Life is predictable. Creatures are given life, they struggle to survive, until finally, a predator snatches them to devour. And even if a predator is evaded, there’s no escaping the Grim Reaper. Everything dies.

  “What happened?” Ryan asked. He needed to know the story.

  Sai turned and looked at the two men. “Priya was visiting family in India with my wife. They went shopping in the open market.” He moved is hand though the air. “And poof, Priya disappeared.” He looked back towards the lake. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but my cousin is Amin Sood. It is not something I typically share.”