by Bella Juarez
“I don’t know if I can get it any clearer. I’m zoomed in pretty close. It’ll start getting distorted. But I’ll try.”
Dan refreshed the screen once more.
“Holy crap on a cracker,” JJ whispered.
“What?” Shaq asked.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” JJ asked.
“Who?” Friday demanded.
“Alexia Pugachev. She’s a Russian assassin. Well, she’s a Russian operative. Right before I left Coronado, she tried to kill me. Evil bitch fucked up my life for the better part of six months. I thought she was arrested and supposedly being held by the CIA. We need to have Dixie find out just what the hell happened and why she’s back in play,” JJ said.
“We need to get the skinny on her and her movements for at least the last six months,” Friday said.
“She was in with Rafe, which means she was in with Bakri.”
“Shit, we’ve got the Russians, the Pakistanis, and now the Iranians have decided to play. Who’s next? This is a fucking mess!” Dan said.
“Cobra told me about your little find, Dan. I hope that was the last of that shit and it doesn’t get any messier, and we seem to have a new hacker. No easy day, boys, tried to tell you that during SQTs,” JJ said with a grin.
Alex sat back and sighed. It seemed as if they were constantly chasing their tail. At least with some of the other teams they’d move from one mission to another. The objective would be met and completed. This objective they were faced with never seemed to end an always seemed to grow a new snapping head. Alex knew they had to come up with a plan of attack and figure out who the hell had walked off with that pathogen.
“Well, let’s quit sitting here with our thumbs up our asses and find out who this person was who met with Pugachev. Dan, you get a beeline on this new hacker. Alex, Friday, get your asses back to that lab and make sure nothing else happens. Shaq, you and me have got to work out what the fuck is going on and how the fuck we’re dealing with it,” JJ said.
“JJ, can you talk to Rock about getting us back to San Antonio with this pathogen? I mean, I would feel a lot better if it were at least on base in a secure lab. Sweden is a little too insecure for me. The BSL-3 labs aren’t as secure here as they’re stateside. Maybe use one of the NSA labs at Brooks? That would also be near the CDC in San Antonio,” Alex asked.
“That’s a good idea, Doc. Let me talk to Rock and get the red tape bullshit out of the way.”
“That would also resolve our hacker problem. No use spinning our wheels if we leave. I’ll keep digging until you tell me to stop. Why mess around? We really need to find that other face in the video,” Dan said.
“Okay, I’ll let you know as soon as I have an answer. We’ll proceed as planned until I’ve got an answer from Rock, understood?” JJ asked.
* * * *
Azad waited inside a Turkish coffee house in Istanbul. It was in the Muslim quarter and Bakri was being particularly open with his whereabouts considering the Russians were searching for him everywhere. He checked his watch and sighed. He looked up and saw Bakri walk into the café.
“Minister Bakri,” Azad said.
“Azad, it is good to see you. How is Russia?”
“I don’t know I haven’t been there for two weeks. I won’t be going back anytime soon. The president has had me recalled.”
“That’s a very wise move by the president. The Russians are stringing us along. They use us and never produce what they say they can,” Bakri said.
“Nayyaf, the president is concerned about you. Where have you been?” Azad asked.
“I’ve been working on doing what I set out to do six years ago. Destroy America and get them out of my homeland.”
“Please, Nayyaf. Cut the dramatics, we both know you’re living very comfortably right now, better than you ever could in your homeland. I get the feeling the reason why the president is so interested in your whereabouts is because he’s made an investment in your venture and he’s getting a little concerned about the return on his investment.”
“Did he tell you that?” Bakri demanded.
“He doesn’t have to. I know the man. He wouldn’t give a damn about you if he didn’t have a stake in your success,” Azad said.
“I think I’ve found a better solution. I would like to meet with him. That’s why I contacted you,” Bakri said.
“Right, I’ll let him know. Meanwhile, you should stay inside your embassy until an Iranian delegation comes to get you. Do you understand?” Azad asked.
“Yes, of course,” Bakri said.
Azad watched as Bakri left the café and got into the Pakistani diplomatic limousine that would carry him back to his embassy. At least he gathered enough bloody sense to do that. Azad looked down at his coffee cup. The car that carried Bakri stopped at the signal and waited. Something didn’t seem right. It was quiet, too quiet on the streets. Azad felt fear grip him. He jumped up and ran to the vehicle. He urgently knocked on the window. Bakri opened the door.
“Do you need a ride?” Bakri asked.
Azad pulled him out, violently dragging him out and into an alleyway. The car exploded as they turned the corner out of harm’s way. The Iranian embassy was a short walk away from the café and in the chaos that ensued after the explosion, Azad managed to get him to the Iranian embassy and into a secure area. Bakri was shaking when Azad finally looked at him.
“How did you know?” Bakri whispered.
“I just knew,” Azad answered. Neither of the men said anything for a long time. “Minister, I think you would be safer as a guest of Iran.”
Azad called for someone to attend to the Pakistani official as he went to find the secure communications room inside the embassy. He dispatched an urgent message to the president and was answered within thirty minutes. An armed escort and a private diplomatic plane would be ready in one hour to bring Azad and Minister Bakri to Iran. Azad knew the Russians’ patience with Bakri had ended. The Pakistani minister was now a liability and it was time to cut the ties, permanently.
* * * *
Isabel packed slowly. The time had finally come for her to return home. Before when she thought about Miami, she wanted to go back because she missed her father, her friend, and the comfort they offered. It had always been a reassuring thought. Now the prospect of returning home seemed scary and uncertain and she didn’t want to leave Alex. The life they had fallen into was comfortable and secure. It would be hard to sleep alone. What’s happened to me?
Alex had reassured her he was following shortly. The military was moving the pathogen to San Antonio where it could be studied in depth and the proper research done on it back in the States. He guessed it would be a couple more weeks to get all the proper paperwork done to transport the pathogen overseas. Isabel was nervous about being separated.
“Angel? How’s it coming?” Alex called.
“I’m almost done,” she called back.
Alex walked into the bedroom. Isabel turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist. She buried her head into his chest and fought the tears that threatened to start a flood. As the time got closer, the harder it was to leave.
“We’ve got a few more hours, angel,” Alex said, holding her.
“Alex, this is hard. Will it be like this every time we’re separated?” Isabel asked.
“No, angel. This is the first time. It’ll get easier because we’ll be together,” Alex reassured.
Isabel considered how he almost sounded like he was trying to reassure himself. Alex stroked her back and kissed her gently. It’ll never be easy. She took a deep breath and separated herself, turning back to her task. She was almost packed completely. She wasn’t taking very much because Alex was shipping the rest to her in a few days.
Izzy had talked to her father and he was glad she was finally coming home. He sounded so happy and excited. La’Rett and her dad would be meeting her at the airport and Izzy had so much to tell her best friend. She wanted to get some advice on some of her qu
estions about being married and how it was affecting La’Rett’s career. Alex seemed to be understanding and encouraging about her career and he’d said several times he wanted her to continue being a doctor, even if they had kids. Alex had made it very clear he wanted kids.
Isabel was so uncertain about kids and how things would actually work once they were together. Maybe this separation would give her the opportunity to see if they were really as solid as Alex believed they were. Isabel closed her bag. Walking to the front, she set it by the door. Alex was reading a periodical, waiting.
“Are you done, angel?”
“Yes. I’m ready whenever you are,” Isabel said.
“Would you like to go by the café and have a piece of chocolate cake before you leave?” Alex asked.
“I’m not hungry, baby. I just want to get this trip over with,” Izzy said.
Alex held out his hand to her. She walked to the couch and sat down beside him. He put his arm around her and held her. Isabel melted into his embrace and they sat quietly for a long time.
“Talk to me, angel. What are you worried about?” Alex asked.
Isabel sighed. She started to ask how he always seemed to know and could pinpoint exactly what she was feeling and thinking.
“I’m scared I’ll never see you again,” Isabel said quietly.
“You’ll see me again. I promise, just as soon as I get home, I’ll get a couple of weeks of leave and I’ll come for you, and you need to be prepared when I do. You need to find out what you have to do to move to Texas and practice medicine there,” Alex said.
“You promise? You promise you’ll come for me?”
“Yes, angel. I’ll come for you,” Alex reassured.
Chapter 21
Rancho Luna Restaurant
45 Northwest 22nd Avenue
Little Havana, Miami, Florida
July 25, 2009/1648 Zulu
Izzy sat picking at her food. She’d been engaged in a whirlwind of activity since she’d arrived home and the days were starting to run together. Getting home, returning to her job at Ryder Medical Center, and getting settled after being gone for so long. Three days after she arrived back in Miami, the Navy had requested she come to the federal building where she was debriefed about her work in Afghanistan and in Sweden. They swore her to secrecy which she thought was a little ridiculous because there was no one, other than Alex, that she talked to about her work anyway.
Alex had exchanged e-mails with her for the week after she’d arrived home, but then she got a mysterious e-mail saying he would be gone for a while and wouldn’t be able to contact her for a few weeks. He reassured her that it was work and as soon as he was done she would hear from him. She’d been waiting for almost a month now and nothing.
Izzy was starting to realize it was over and he wouldn’t be contacting her. She was working herself to the point where she was accepting that all his promises were just lies. Today was the first time she and La’Rett had the opportunity to get together and talk outside of the hospital since coming home.
“Girl, you’ve been dying for a Luna Cuban since you got back. What’s up?” La’Rett asked.
“I’m not hungry. I guess I’m still adjusting. Work was brutal this week and it’s taken me a while to get adjusted from being overseas,” Izzy said, taking a drink of her limeade.
“Uh-huh. You’ve been home a month now. Izzy, I’ve known you longer than anybody. What’s wrong? Did you meet someone over there?” La’Rett asked.
“What the hell made you say that?”
“I know you. I’ve always hated you because you could down three of those damn Cubans and never gain an ounce and now, you won’t even eat one. You ain’t been back long enough for it to be a problem at work. So it had to be something that happened while you were gone. So, spill it. What happened?”
Izzy sighed and took out her phone and found a picture of Alex. She’d taken a few, but this one was her favorite. She looked at that picture every night before she fell asleep and a few of those nights she’d even cried herself to sleep staring at that picture because she missed him so much. He was being silly when she caught him on camera. They had been eating at a café near the lab and Isabel had caught him laughing. She handed La’Rett her phone and watched as La’Rett’s jaw dropped.
“Oh my sweet baby Jesus!” La’Rett whispered after closing her mouth. “That’s a hell of a problem to have. Does Mr. Oh my goodness gracious is he real have a name?”
“Alex.”
“Izzy, did you notice that Alex is wearing a uniform that says US Navy on it?” La’Rett asked.
“Believe me I noticed,” Izzy said.
“What does Alex do in the military?”
“He’s a doctor.”
La’Rett studied the picture a little closer. “What’s that symbol on his uniform above US Navy?”
“He’s a SEAL.”
“Say what? As in Navy SEAL? The badasses? Did you know that when you met him?” La’Rett asked in disbelief.
“La’Rett, please! I know what you’re about to say,” Izzy said, grabbing her phone.
“Damn, Izzy! When you find a man, you find a damn man! Talk about getting an attitude adjustment. Do your Code Pink homies know about Alex? Baby girl, I think they’ll revoke your membership when they find out. I mean the military thing I think they might let slide, but a SEAL? Girl, you’re a traitor to the cause.”
“La’Rett!”
“Does Alex know about Code Pink?”
“Yes, he knows. Quit giving me crap about it. You’re starting to sound like him,” Izzy said crossly.
They didn’t see eye to eye on the war issue. La’Rett particularly found Izzy’s activism a little over-the-top and had tried to talk Izzy out of going to Afghanistan for three weeks before Izzy left.
“Did you finally give it up to Alex?” Isabel shivered at the memory of Alex’s touch. “I saw that,” La’Rett said, pointing her finger at Isabel. “You did, didn’t you?”
Izzy bit her lower lip and nodded.
“Man that looks like that, my panties would’ve fallen off, too. Details…” La’Rett said, sitting back folding her arms.
“It’s over, La’Rett, he—” Isabel started as her phone rang.
Izzy guessed the phone call was the hospital because they were short of doctors for the week and were probably calling her back to work. She looked down at the screen and her heart skipped a beat. She looked up at La’Rett in panic.
“Answer the man!” La’Rett demanded. “Over, my sweet ass. I think that SEAL’s just getting started,” she grumbled.
“Alex?” Izzy asked into the phone.
* * * *
“Hey, angel. I just got to Texas,” Alex said.
“Why didn’t you send me an e-mail telling me you were on your way? I’ve been worried,” Isabel said.
“I’m sorry, Iz. I couldn’t, but I’m back now. Give me a week to get arranged here and I’ll have a couple weeks of leave to take. I’ll go to Miami and meet your dad. Did you tell him about me yet?” Alex asked. There was a long pause. “Izzy?”
“I’ll tell him tonight. I’m out with my friend having lunch,” Isabel said.
“Do you want me to let you go, angel?” Alex asked.
Alex was hoping she would say no because he missed Isabel and hearing her voice was such a relief. The last month had been hell because so much had happened in such a short time. Destroying the lab had taken a week and his new associate from BAMC was an idiot. Dr. Lewis had made transporting the pathogen out of Sweden a nightmare.
When they were figuring out how to destroy the lab, they had to take into consideration the risk of contamination. It had to be contained by pressurizing areas of the building that were still intact and had stored biohazardous material. After that, they had to ensure they used the right explosives. The building had to reach a high temperature so that all the pathogens inside were destroyed. It took an accurate amount of pressurization combined with high enough heat to minimize
the risk of contamination and outbreak. They had to work with a couple of demolition teams to achieve the correct balance.
Dr. Lewis, who arrived in Sweden the day Isabel left, was making things difficult. Alex and Dr. Lewis were the ones designated to oversee the shipment of the pathogen that they were working on. Dr. Lewis had contacted the CDC in Georgia who had in turned jumped all over Admiral Campbell and it had delayed the shipment of the pathogen for two weeks. Needless to say, the admiral wasn’t pleased with Lieutenant Lewis and wasted no time telling the lieutenant what he thought about him and his regulations.
“No, it’s okay. She wants to meet you,” Izzy said.
“I’m looking forward to meeting her, too, angel. What’s for lunch?”
“We’re having Cubans at a restaurant near where we grew up. Where are you?”
“I’m walking off the TARMAC at Randolph. I’m standing outside the building where I work,” Alex said.
“Oh! So you literally just got here,” Isabel exclaimed.
“I told you I’d call you as soon as I got to Texas, angel. I’m looking forward to you taking me to that restaurant as soon as I get there,” Alex said.
“I miss you,” Isabel said.
Alex felt a lump start to grow in his throat. “I miss you, too, angel. I can’t wait to see you again.”
* * * *
“Say hello to La’Rett. She thinks I’ve dreamed you up,” Isabel said, smiling at La’Rett.
Izzy handed the phone over to her friend and sat back. Alex’s deep voice was just as sexy as his looks and Izzy knew he’d have La’Rett panting before the end of the conversation.
“Hello, Alex, it’s nice to meet you,” La’Rett said.
Isabel giggled at La’Rett’s expression when Alex started talking. The heaviness of the loneliness left her because Alex was home and she would be seeing him soon. She briefly felt guilty about doubting and giving up on him, but that feeling was soon snuffed out, and she sensed a warmth spread through her that she hadn’t known since she kissed him good-bye at the airport in Sweden.