“Adriana,” she said, shaking his hand.
“I know who you are.”
She let go.
He hurried to correct himself. “I didn’t mean that in a creepy way. I just…I’ve heard about you. It’s my job to know who we’re bringing in.”
“Fair enough. What have you got for me, Henry?”
He blushed at the sound of his name and pushed the black-rimmed glasses up higher on his nose.
A metal briefcase sat atop a glass table, not unlike the one Director Hughes used for a desk. Henry unlatched it and produced a key fob. “This is for your car. Black Jaguar XE R-Sport.”
They do love their new Jags, she thought.
“Does it come with an ejector seat or missiles?”
He chuckled. “No, nothing like that. It’s just a really fast car.”
She couldn’t help but feel just a tad disappointed.
“I know you have your own collection of guns,” he said. “However, they had this piece specially made just for you.” He lifted a black pistol out of the case and handed it to her.
She raised an eyebrow as she inspected the piece. It was almost exactly like Sean’s .40 caliber Springfield. The only difference was a modification made to the barrel.
“We made some adjustments,” Henry said, pointing at the barrel. “It produces 25 percent less recoil so you can be more accurate. The downside is—”
“Loss of range. Yes, I get it,” she said, cutting him off as she inspected the weapon.
“Yes, right.” He looked in the case again and found a suppressor. “This will keep things quiet.” He passed it to her.
She screwed it on and held it out at arm’s length, closing one eye to look down the sights.
“You’ll notice it didn’t add much to the front-end weight,” he said.
“It really didn’t. How did you manage that?”
“That’s a secret recipe I’m not at liberty to discuss. Let’s just say it involves titanium, shall we?”
She puckered her lips, impressed. “Fair enough.”
“Of course, we’ll equip you with any other gadgets you may need, tracking devices, that sort of thing. You’ll find everything in the boot of your car.”
Boot. She loved how the English called the trunk a boot.
“When can I take all this out for a spin?”
“Spin?” He looked surprised. “There’s no spin. You start today. I assumed the Director told you that. Did he give you your mission objective, dossier, all that?”
“Yes.” She sounded hesitant. “He did. So, I’m not going to go through any orientation or training for all this?”
Henry’s head twitched to the side. “Um, you just went through it. Just now. When I was talking to you about the gun and car and gizmos and all that.”
“Oh. Seems kind of minimal, don’t you think?”
Henry passed her a cute smile. “You’ll be fine. You were very highly recommended. If we’re to believe all the things June told us about you, I’d say you have nothing to worry about.”
Adriana wasn’t so sure. She placed the weapon back in the case, closed it, and picked it up. She looked over at Henry. “Show me the car.”
The two walked to the end of the vast room and stopped next to a metal rail. A huge space opened up before them with several different vehicles parked in a row, facing toward closed garage doors.
“The black one over there?” Adriana asked, spying the car that had been described earlier. The black sedan had matching wheels and darkly tinted windows. She’d always had an affinity for European cars, especially the German ones. These new Jags, though, were definitely in her wheelhouse.
“That’s the one. R-Sport, too. That car will do anything but fly, although it will feel like it can.”
Adriana couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel. It wasn’t her first time. She’d driven that exact model before.
“I told you that we hadn’t installed any sort of over-the-top gadgets in that ride,” Henry said. “That wasn’t entirely true. There are a couple of features that could come in handy under the right circumstances. Look on your key fob.”
She held up the tiny black device and examined it.
“That panel on the back will read your thumbprint. The car can’t be started without pressing your thumb to that first. It features a remote start system for faster ignition and quicker getaways. However, if you don’t put your thumb to that little pad, nothing will happen.”
She couldn’t hide her disappointment. Adriana had hoped for something a little sexier, like machine guns that popped out of the headlights or a flamethrower built into the tailpipe.
“Here’s the cool part,” Henry went on. “If someone other than you or one of our authorized agents tries to use this, the engine will lock down, and your exact position will be relayed to us. Depending on where you are in the world, the authorities will be alerted and will converge on your location.”
Her right eyebrow raised. “I suppose you said depending on where I am because there are some countries where you can’t call the cavalry.”
“There are, admittedly, a few Third World places where it could be more difficult to call in reinforcements, yes. Those places are few and far between.”
“Anything else I should know about? Anything at all?”
“That’s pretty much it. Sorry, I know. Not all that sexy, is it?”
She rolled her shoulders. “It’s okay. The car definitely is.”
“Come on,” he said. “Time for you to meet with June about your assignment.”
Adriana followed Henry away from the railing and down a hall that looked like all the others: old brickwork from the Industrial Age. They hung a right at the end and continued along the corridor until they came to a glass wall separating them from the office on the other side. June was sitting at her desk in front of a laptop when the other two approached.
She motioned them to come in before they could even knock.
“I see you met Henry,” June said in a pleasant tone. She was dressed in a white business suit with her golden hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.
“Yes, and he’s been very helpful.”
“Will you be needing anything else from me?” Henry asked. He stood by the door waiting eagerly.
“No, thank you. We’re good.”
He gave a nod and glanced at Adriana again. “Good luck, although I doubt you’ll need it.”
Adriana returned the nod and stepped toward June’s desk.
“Please, have a seat.” June said, motioning to a modern black chair with shiny metal legs.
Adriana eased into it and crossed one leg over the other. “Okay, so this all seems kind of fast,” she said. “I mean, I just got here, and it feels like I’m being sent out immediately.”
June smirked. “You are.” She stood up and stepped over to a counter with white shelves. A coffeemaker steamed with fresh brew. “Want a cup of coffee?”
“No, thanks. Already had some earlier.”
June poured the hot brown liquid into a mug. After setting the pot back on the coffeemaker, she returned to her seat and picked up a small remote control. She took a sip and then pressed a button. The room’s lights dimmed, and a projector hanging from the ceiling switched on. It cast a beam of light through the room to the far wall.
A man in a New York Yankees cap and a Chelsea Football Club track jacket was standing on the corner of a street somewhere in London. The entrance to the tube was in the background along with hundreds of people going about their day. Most of them appeared to be coming home from work. At least that was Adriana’s assessment.
“This is Youssef. He’s a low-level functionary for the Red Ring. For the most part, he takes care of lots of menial tasks: housing, food, clothing, girls, that sort of thing. He provides all of that for the ring’s soldiers.”
“Soldiers?” Adriana narrowed her eyes.
“They believe themselves to be soldiers in a holy war against the materialistic West. The real
ity is they’re nothing more than terrorists.”
“You said girls.”
“Yes.” June’s expression was one of disgust. “They bring in young girls for their soldiers to use. A good amount of the ring’s money comes from private funding. It’s well laundered and difficult to track. Some of it, however, comes from the child sex trade.”
“Human trafficking?” It was Adriana’s turn to be disgusted. And it wasn’t her first run-in with those kinds of scum.
“Unfortunately, yes. Since the American intervention in the Middle East, one of the sad parts of the war has been an increase in human trafficking out of that region, not to mention the rampant production of opium. The governments in Afghanistan and Iraq are too preoccupied with the insurgency to worry about some of the other crimes happening right under their noses. The Red Ring knows that, and so they operate without fear.”
“So, they believe they’re doing the work of God while at the same time selling young women as sex slaves?”
“Yes. And they drug them to keep them docile. It’s horrible, which is all the more reason for us to take them down and do it as quickly as possible.”
“This guy, Youssef, he got a last name?”
“I’m sure he does, but he just goes by Youssef.”
“Like a Brazilian soccer player.”
“I guess. We figure that’s probably a nickname or one he chose. He’s slippery, and despite looking like a pretty ordinary guy he has managed to keep us from getting much on him other than his connections to the ring. His background is sketchy at best. What we can tell you is that he likes young girls and often keeps one or two for himself before sending them off. He also has a penchant for cocaine.”
Adriana nodded. Everyone had a vice. This guy had them in spades. It was bothersome that June’s organization didn’t have much intel on Youssef. Adriana wondered if that was an issue with most terrorist organizations. Getting a name and a face was one thing. Learning about the person’s life story was something else. Not that it mattered. As long as they could be found and apprehended, questioned, or eliminated, that was what was important.
“How do I find him?” Adriana asked after a moment of thought.
“He usually hangs out in Chelsea, has a flat there a few blocks from the Thames.”
“Nice section of town.”
“Indeed. He appreciates the finer things in life. Eats at expensive places. Drives a Maserati and a Porsche.”
“Sounds like we need to find out where he’s getting his allowance.”
“Precisely.” June tossed a folder across her desk. “All the info you need on him is in there. I also took the liberty of sending a PDF to your email as well. It’s password protected. Seven, eight, two, six, seven, nine. Need me to repeat it?”
Adriana shook her head. “No, I’m good. Anything else I need to know?”
“I don’t have to tell you how dangerous this is. Youssef may look like a punk and not wield any power, but make no mistake, he’s a ruthless killer. If he catches you, we may not be able to help.”
Adriana figured she’d be on her own. According to the Director, there weren’t many people working for Shadow Cell to begin with. “I’ll watch my back,” she said as she stood.
June got out of her seat as well. “Let me know if you need anything. You have my direct line.”
Adriana walked over to the door and pushed it open. She started to step back out into the hallway when June stopped her.
“Adriana?”
She turned around and looked across the room at her friend. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Doing this. I know it’s dangerous.”
Adriana took a long breath and sighed. “Once upon a time, our boyfriends made the conscious decision to use their skills to benefit mankind. I think it’s time I do the same.”
6
London
Youssef stepped out of the cafe holding what Adriana assumed was a cup of coffee. Maybe it was tea. She didn’t really care. All she cared about was the target and getting the information she wanted out of him.
The dossier and mission information June had given her were all she’d needed to find Youssef. That wasn’t the problem.
Youssef was hardly elusive. In fact, the guy basically put a spotlight in the air wherever he went so that everyone would know where he was. He shelled out cash across town. He bought clothes, shoes, even flat-brimmed baseball caps. And it was just a Tuesday.
He was careful, though, in his way. He took his bodyguards with him everywhere. While that certainly made getting to him more difficult, he made the mistake of ordering his two men to stay outside in the car or by the doors whenever he went into a store or a shop. And he didn’t make the mistake once. It was everywhere the guy went.
Adriana peered through the Jag’s windshield, watching the target leave the coffee shop and climb in the back of his Bentley. One guard got in behind the wheel. The other joined their employer in the back.
A few seconds later, they pulled away, and Adriana wheeled her car into traffic behind them. While the Jag was remarkable, it made blending in difficult. The ostentatious black exterior and dark window tinting made the thing reek of official government vehicle.
She kept several cars between her and the mark, just to be safe, but that made tailing Youssef tricky. Dense gray clouds overhead spat rain down onto the city by the Thames. That would make spotting her a little more difficult. That problem was reciprocated on her end, too, and she had trouble keeping an eye on the Bentley.
Youssef’s driver wove through the stop-and-go traffic. He made several turns in both directions, which at one point caused Adriana to wonder if she’d been spotted. She could have sworn they’d been down one of the streets before. She shook off the paranoia and kept going. All she could do was keep a small part of the Bentley in view and hope they didn’t notice.
The journey wound through the city, passing the center of London along the way. They continued a little farther beyond the middle of town until suddenly Youssef’s car turned into a parking spot along the sidewalk in front of a massive, modern-looking building. Shops lined the main floor and wrapped around the huge structure. Adriana immediately recognized where they were. The sleek metal and glass of the One New Change mall was a stark contrast to many of the older buildings in London. Where the city’s historic buildings held on to that history, to their piece of British culture, the mall stood out as a bastion of capitalism and modernity.
Adriana scanned the row of cars ahead, praying a spot opened up nearby.
Luckily, someone in a Fiat pulled out several cars ahead. She clenched her teeth in hopes that none of the other vehicles in front of her would take the space. She whipped the car into the parking spot and glanced back in her mirror. The guard from the back seat of Youssef’s ride was closing the door. The target was striding hurriedly into the open-air walkway between the two main buildings that composed the sprawling shopping complex.
The driver rushed to keep up, and a moment later the three men disappeared into the corridor.
Adriana cursed herself for watching without moving. She got out of her car and rechecked to make sure her weapon was in place inside the long black jacket she’d donned earlier that day.
English weather, especially that time of year, could turn cold and damp at a moment’s notice. To be fair, she’d not experienced a great deal of time in that city when the weather wasn’t that way.
She took off at a trot, keeping close to the shops and boutiques along the sidewalk in case one of the guards peeked back around the corner. She was being silly, and she knew it. They hadn’t spotted her. Not yet, at least.
Adriana turned the corner where the men had vanished from view and looked into the core of the mall. People milled about in open areas with umbrellas overhead. A few didn’t seem to mind the sparse bit of rain and simply stood out in the open. Dozens of stores lined the walkway. Most of them appeared to be pretty high end.
For a moment, she’d wondered why someone like Youssef would bother going to a mall, but upon seeing some of the exclusive shops, she understood immediately.
What she didn’t know, was where the mark had gone.
Her eyes darted everywhere. She fought a wave of panic, reminding herself that the guy had to be there somewhere.
There. On the other end of the path, she caught a glimpse of Youssef and his guards going into one of the main entrances to the mall.
Adriana took off running. At the moment, there was no need to be concerned about being spotted. The minute she lost sight of the three men going into the building, she’d have a much more difficult time finding them again.
Of course, she could always resume her mission, start over from the beginning tomorrow, but time was critical. Every day this scumbag was on the streets, another girl was being sold into sexual slavery. And another terrorist was getting money to fund their sinister operations.
Adriana had to get him today. There was no other option.
She reached the end of the corridor and rushed through the doors. She scanned the area and found the three men almost to the top of the escalator leading to the second floor. She brushed off some of the loose droplets of rain from her jacket and fixed her hair so she didn’t look like she’d just been running in the rain.
The mall’s warm air wrapped around her. The rich smells of perfume and leather wafted into her nostrils. It was a cornucopia of the shopping stimuli.
Adriana hurried over to the escalator and stepped on. Youssef and his guards were already getting off at the top. She played it cool, taking a few casual steps up as the steps carried her upward.
She watched as the men strode purposefully around the railing to the next escalator and stepped on.
“Up again,” Adriana said to herself. “Where are you going?”
She picked up the pace slightly until she reached the top of the escalator. Around the corner, the men were already on their way up. Adriana navigated around a gaggle of children whose mother was desperately trying to keep them together.
When Shadows Call Page 4