by Carter Blake
My doubts about her and us clouded me in ways I never knew emotions could.
But I can’t deny what is happening between us any moment longer.
My heart is pumping so hard in my chest that the wave of adrenaline is, for the time being, sedating the headache that my hangover has been giving me since this morning.
Thoughts race through my mind at the speed of light.
What exactly do I say?
Will she even listen?
Should I rehearse some speech or just wing it?
And then, I can’t help but wonder if she’ll even be there.
I don’t want to focus on the negative or the worst-case scenario, but Dani has never exactly been known for her patience.
Even in South Sudan, with Manticore backing my play, she was always in a rush to get to the next interview. To get the next piece of the story.
She’s an idealistic woman with a fiery passion who just can’t just stand by, when she sees the pain and suffering of others.
I can’t really blame her on that.
I’ve done things in the past—thing I’m not entirely proud of—for the same reasons. And maybe someday I’ll tell Dani all of it.
But first, I need to see her and talk to her.
The taxi pulls up to the loft and I’m out the back door before it comes full stop.
My only thought is taking her in my arms and making this right.
I have to make this right.
The moment I walk through the door, I know she’s not here.
Her laptop is closed at her desk, papers scattered around it in her usual style.
Her makeup bag is still in the bathroom, and her go bag is still in the bedroom.
I do a quick search of it and notice that her pistol, taser, and mace are all missing.
That’s not a good sign.
Aside from those items missing and Dani herself not being in the loft, there’s nothing out of place.
But that doesn’t comfort me at all. If anything, it does the exact opposite.
My phone rings.
I don’t even bother to look at who’s calling and I just answer.
“Dani?”
“No, it’s me.”
“Leviathan, it’s not exactly the best time for a chat right now.”
Then my heart thumps up into my throat, and I remember the age old adage.
If Leviathan is calling, it’s not good.
“It’s about Dani, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s in trouble, isn’t she?”
“Look, Jackal. This isn’t good, so you might want to sit down.”
“I don’t need to sit down. I need you to cut to the chase!” I snap. I don’t mean to, but my worries are starting to get the best of me.
“Dani’s been captured.”
That lump in my throat falls to my gut and ties it into knots.
“Fuck! I shouldn’t have fucking left!”
“No, listen. There’s nothing you could have done. Tartarus was onto you the moment you guys landed in Istanbul. They didn’t know exactly where you were hiding out or what names you were going under, but they knew your faces. They just sat around waiting for you to slip up.”
“And when I left, they jumped.”
“Not quite. She tried to go in alone. They saw right through her disguise and grabbed her.”
“Fuck!”
I knew she was in over her head. And—like a selfish fool—I left, leaving her without someone to stop her from walking straight into the lion’s den.
“And Mahdi? Does Tartarus know about him?”
“Now? Yes. She used a couple of his people when she went in and Tartarus used their ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ to extract the name of their employer.”
Danielle’s one thing, but Mahdi?
The man is like my brother, father, mentor, and best friend all in one.
“He needs to be warned right away.”
“Don’t worry, Jackal, I’ve already taken care of it. He knows that he’s a target and he’s taken the appropriate steps. He’s set up in a safe house. He said to tell you it’s the Pinafore”
Despite the grave seriousness of the situation, a lopsided smirk spreads across my lips.
Good man Mahdi. I knew you’d have this.
“Thank you, Leviathan.”
“What’s family for?”
That’s an awfully good question.
One that I’m certain I’m about to learn the answer to.
“I need you to do something else, Levi. Something important.”
“Well, if I know you—and I do—you’re going to ask me to reach out to Gryphon, Phoenix, and Manticore, aren’t you?”
Sometimes Leviathan is too smart for my own good.
In the wake of losing someone who means so much to me, I’m reminded of those that I have.
And how fortunate I am to have such a group of friends—such a family.
“Yes. Eagle’s still prepped and ready to go. If you send him a message, he can be in the air in no time.”
“Perfect. I’m in Prague with Griff and Kali. Manticore is already securing other arrangements to get to you. He said he should be there in about four hours, but no more than five.”
I can see a glimmer of hope shining at the end of a very long, dark tunnel.
“Now I need something else from you, Levi.”
I let out a heavy sigh—partly in relief and partly in mounting concern.
“Name it.”
“I need you to figure out where they’re keeping her.”
“Oh, that? I’m all over that like shit on Velcro,” he says with a laugh.
It’s a horrible joke, but it makes me smile all the same.
“Once you have the location, send it. I’m on my way to Mahdi’s. We’re going to put together a plan to get in, grab Dani, and get out.”
“What about the others being held?” Leviathan asks softly with serious concern.
“Get in touch with Hydra. She’s got the people who can look after them and make sure the proper authorities are involved too.”
“Hydra? Damn, haven’t worked with her in a while. But I’m on it.”
“Thanks Leviathan. Now let’s get my girl back.”
Chapter 37
Janus
Mahdi and I wait for the others to arrive at the airfield.
I’d managed to send a text to Eagle on the drive here from our loft. I’d warned him when Dani and I arrived in Istanbul that we’d be needing his assistance, so he was ready to fly and pick up the rest of the Brotherhood when I give him the go ahead.
I can feel my heart beating in my mouth. My mind is racing, going over everything that could be happening to Dani right now.
I know that, normally, trafficking rings aren’t particularly violent to their captives, unless they really have to be, because undamaged merchandise fetches a far higher price. But since Tartarus is involved, I know they’d be willing to beat some women and children for simple amusement.
I know that Dani isn’t the kind of woman to go down quietly either. She’ll be kicking and screaming, and that’s why I love her. But I don’t think that Tartarus will find the same amount of charm in her defiance.
Mahdi puts his hand on my forearm as we sit in a private lounge at the airfield, watching the brilliant blue sky just outside the window for any sign of Eagle.
“Dani will be okay, Janus.”
“She fucking better be, Mahdi.”
I sigh and run my hands through my hair. I know it’s not too late—not yet. But I can’t help but feel as though every second that ticks past is a second too late.
“We’ve got a good plan. Do you have the right papers and identification?”
“For the Sheikh and his aide?”
“I’ve still got the ID’s from the last time we did this act.”
“That’s good. Older documents look more realistic”
Mahdi nods slightly and smiles at me reassuringly. I�
�m glad he can stay so calm at a time like this since it’s taking everything I have not to jump back into my car and rescue Dani right now all by myself.
But I force myself to sit tight. There’s something strangely calming about watching the clouds pass in the sky and listening to Mahdi humming along to the Pirates of Penzance. It takes me back to when I was younger.
Not a moment too soon, I see Eagle land on the tarmac. Gryphon, Phoenix, Manticore, and Leviathan climb out of the cabin. With Mahdi behind me, I jog out of the private, waiting lounge to the runway.
“Jackal,” Griffin strides across the runway towards me.
Out of everyone, he knows what I’m going through the most; it seems like only yesterday we were setting out on a similar mission to rescue Kali.
“How’re you holding up?”
“I’ll be better when Dani’s back in my arms.”
“Yeah, I don’t blame you.”
I turn to the Manticore, who’s been surveying the runway as though he’s looking for vantage points or escape routes. Ever the spook, I suppose.
“Did you bring anything with you?”
He shrugs one shoulder and pats the large duffel bag he’s carrying with one hand. The metallic rattling that comes from within is unsurprising, but reassuring. I should have realized that Manticore would never have brought a full wardrobe when he could have brought a full arsenal in his place.
I look at Leviathan, and he smiles at me, trying to be reassuring. But I know that smile—we all know that smile—it’s the smile that bares bad news.
“Hit me with it, Leviathan.”
“So, Danielle’s being sold off tonight at a private auction on the outskirts of Istanbul.”
“At least she’s still in the city,” Kalista chimes in.
“I tried my hardest, but I was only able to get invitations for two people,” Leviathan continues, looking around the five of us as though trying to figure out who would get to infiltrate.
But I had anticipated something like this, and I knew who I’d want to take with me this time.
“That’s okay Leviathan, Mahdi and I will take the invitations. We’ve already got a cover story and the right papers all worked out.”
“What’s the plan for the rest of us, Jackal?” Griffin asks as we begin to walk away from the plane and towards my car that’s patiently waiting on the asphalt.
“I want you, guys, to sneak in behind the scenes, to try and get the names and faces of the men behind this. Try and gather as much evidence as you can. There’s no point getting Danielle back from these bastards if they’re just going to continue stealing women like her.”
“Is there anything else we ought to know, Jackal?” Kali asks with a fierce determination that I didn’t know she had.
Manticore tosses his bag into the trunk alongside the rest of the Brotherhood’s. I turn to him and the rest of the boys as they climb into the backseat.
“Yeah, I guess you should know that our old friends, Tartarus, are involved. They run security for the traffickers.”
“Oh, good,” Gryphon smiles a little. “And here I thought I’d have to feel guilty about knocking out some innocent security guard.”
The rest of the day passes quickly as we set about preparing for the auction.
Leviathan downloads the blueprints for the building. Mahdi and I had a brief shopping trip to try and find the right outfit for our cover story. Gryphon, Phoenix, and Manticore have figured out the perfect entry point and managed to procure a get-away car...We shouldn’t be invoking a high-speed chase through the streets of Istanbul. The plan is to sneak in and out unnoticed, rather than make a commotion. The limo that we’ve hired for the evening should be perfect, but Manticore feels better knowing that he’s got something with eight cylinders at the ready, just in case.
We step into the main room of the auction—what almost looks to be a large and lavish ballroom that’s flooded with golden light. It’s far nicer than I expected a human trafficking auction to be, but then I guess they can’t all take place in seedy warehouses in the dead of night.
The girls, themselves, are nowhere to be seen. Instead, large photographs printed on canvas have been placed around the room, showing off the “stock” that are about to be sold. It’s like a macabre art gallery, and the whole concept makes my skin crawl.
I see Dani almost immediately. Her dark eyes are staring out from the canvas, and she’s got a face like thunder. In the photo she looks unharmed, and she better still be in that condition when I find her.
I give Mahdi a slight nudge, and he nods when his dark eyes catch sight of her picture.
I want to run up to her photo and shake down the guard until he tells me where she’s being kept. But I know that if we spend all our time focusing on Dani’s picture, it’ll be suspicious, even if she is the most beautiful woman in the room.
“We’re in the building.”
Gryphon’s voice comes through my earbud. We’ve all got a link to each other, with Leviathan sitting outside like our eyes in the sky, watching the whole building through the security cameras.
“I’ve located where they’re keeping the hostages. They’re all in a room in the basement, towards the back of the building.”
Leviathan speaks in my ear, and I nod my head subtly. Mahdi and I make the rounds of the ballroom, looking at the pictures of the dead-eyed women in the photographs. We’re playing the part, pretending to be a simple Sheikh and his aide, but inside, I’m dying.
I scope out the room for the exits; there are the main doors where we came in, and then one for the kitchen staff.
A voice announces that the auction will be starting soon, and I look towards Mahdi, who nods at me solemnly.
Now is my chance.
I leave Mahdi behind as I make my way towards the kitchen staff doors. At worst, if I’m too late, I know Mahdi will outbid everyone in the room to make sure Dani gets home safe. But I’d rather he didn’t waste his money.
“I’m heading there now. How’s it going, gathering faces?”
“So far so good. The photos that Phoenix got have pinged on my facial recognition. We’ve got names and backgrounds for these assholes. We’ve got them.”
No one seems to notice me as I wander through the hallways and towards the basement. Without my jacket, I blend right in with the wait staff. But I know that once I get too close to Dani, they’ll start to get suspicious.
I turn to the corridor in the basement, and I can see where they’re keeping the hostages.
One door, two guards—that’s all that stands between Dani and me right now. They don’t seem to be armed with much more than taser guns—not that a taser doesn’t hurt, but I’d take one of those over a bullet.
Keeping my head down, I walk towards the pair. They speak to me in Turkish, and though I understand them, I don’t respond. They allow me to get right up towards them, and that’s when I strike.
With my strongest uppercut, I punch my fist into the first guard’s neck. He coughs and sputters, falling backwards as I follow it up with a swift second left hook.
I’m expecting the second guard to land a blow on me from behind any second now. But I hear a thump on the floor, and while holding the first guard’s collar, I turn around to see Gryphon. He’s beaming like an idiot and straightening his jacket as he stands over the body of the second guard.
“I know, I know,” he says with raised hands. “You had it covered.”
I shake my head, but smile and knock the guard in my hands unconscious.
We fish the keys from their pockets and open the door to the room, where all the women stand huddled in the corner under florescent lights.
Then, I hear her voice.
“Janus?”
Chapter 38
Danielle
“Janus?”
I stare in disbelief at the two men standing in front of the doorway. We had all heard the commotion just outside, and so I’d pushed the rest of the women and few children behind me. They’re
all so terrified, but I knew I had to appear strong.
I’d always known that Janus wouldn’t leave me behind. I knew that, as soon as he found out about me being taken, he’d have a plan. Of course, I wasn’t certain if he’d ever hear about it, but with his friends all over, I was fairly confident.
And there he is, standing before me, the body of two guards lying unconscious at his feet. There’s a man standing behind him—who I assume is another one of his friends—and I hope we’ll be introduced later.
“Danielle.”
Janus breaths my name like it’s his last Hail Mary. Both of us stand, stunned for a minute, until the other stranger opens his mouth to speak.
“Come on, Jackal—time’s ticking away, remember?”
Janus seems to snap back into life, nodding his head. He begins to drag one of the guard’s bodies into the room with us. The other British stranger does the same until they’re both piled on top of each other.
“Gryphon’s right, Dani. The auction has just started, and they’ll be sending men down to collect you all at any minute now.”
Janus reaches out one hand to me, ready to pull me towards him, but I look to the other women in the room. They’re all terrified, and I can’t leave them.
“But these women have nowhere to go. We can’t just leave them, Janus.”
I look him in the eyes, and I can see in his face that Janus knows I’m right. There’s a soft spot in his heart. He turns to his friend—Gryphon—who nods subtly.
He pushes a finger to his ear and begins to speak. “Hey, Leviathan. Tell Mahdi to start exiting the building. As soon as we’re all clear, I need you to call the cops and blow the cover on this.”
I look at Janus in shock, but he just shrugs a shoulder.
“What about my story?”
“You’ll still have the exclusive, Dani, don’t worry. But we can’t just release these women into the streets of Istanbul. We need to make sure they’re taken care of by the authorities.”
I sigh, nod, and step towards him.
Janus turns to the rest of the women, and asks, “Does anyone here speak English?”
A younger girl in her late teens pushes her way forward and nods shakily. “I-I do. A little.”
“Look, we’ve got people coming—people who will take care of you and ensure you’re safe from here on out,” Janus instructs, trying his best to sound reassuring. “Even if they send men down to take you, I promise that no one will be sold off tonight. Just sit pretty and be patient. Do you understand?”