by Terry Toler
Instead of going into the square, she headed toward a building. Just past the area she’d used as lookout point. Behind the building, she could disappear into the streets and away from the men.
She heard them yelling instructions to each other. They were confused. Unsure what to do. Jamie would’ve easily gotten away, except she was carrying the briefcase, which slowed her down. The terrain was also uneven. She didn’t want to go full speed. Risk twisting a knee or rolling an ankle. No way she would let them capture her. The men saw the building and where she was headed.
They sounded frantic.
One screamed hysterically to the other, “Don’t let her get away. Shoot her.” A volley of gunfire sprayed the ground around her. They then ran full out, so the shots weren’t straight and hit close to her but off the mark.
Still, she was worried about a stray bullet or a lucky shot. Just a little further.
The building was less than a hundred feet away. If she got to it, they’d never be able to find her in the maze of streets and alleyways on the other side.
She glanced back. They were closing in.
Suddenly she saw movement ahead of her. At the side of the building.
A person. A man. Tall.
He stepped out of the shadows. Holding a gun.
A light on the side of the building cast an eerie shadow over him.
He stepped into the light and shouted, “Jamie, stop!”
How did he know my name?
She came to a complete stop, her arms flailing from stopping so fast.
She was about twenty feet from him. Her eyes blinked in amazement.
Trying to process the familiar person standing in front of her.
Alex.
Holding a gun. Pointing it straight at her head.
22
“Jamie, stop!” Alex commanded.
Time took on a new dimension for Jamie in her mind. She suddenly saw everything in extreme slow motion. Her senses so heightened, she saw and heard every detail. It had happened to her numerous times before. Now more than any she could remember.
Alex was standing just out of the shadows. His right leg planted in front of his left. Two hands on a gun. Up and in front of him. The gun pointed right at her.
“Jamie, stop!” she saw his lips moving as he said it.
Her arms flailed as she came to an abrupt stop even though running full speed. Running from the gunmen chasing her.
Three flashes of light. Muzzle fire.
A concussion of sound that only gunfire makes.
Sirens in the background. Still a couple minutes away. Likely the Militsia racing to the scene. A bystander called it in.
Three whizzing sounds as the bullets flew by her ears.
A cracking sound as a bullet penetrated the skull of the person behind her.
A huge exhalation of air as two bullets penetrated the chest of the second assailant.
A thud as the first person fell and hit the ground. Like a tree falling in the forest. Probably the taller man.
A second thud. The other man down.
Crack! The sound of his head hitting the concrete. The least of his worries. Not that he had any worries anymore. He was dead.
Her mind spun like a computer. It all probably happened in that order.
Too fast to know for sure. The end result, the same.
Alex wasn’t who she thought he was. He’d just killed two men.
The next thing she knew, Alex had reached out and grabbed her hand, shouting the words, “We’ve got to get out of here. Now!”
Jamie couldn’t hear the words clearly from the ringing in her ears from the gun blasts.
He pulled at her hand. Dragging her along. She was resisting slightly. Not sure what to do. Alex was bigger and stronger. She remembered that from the cruise. She started running to keep up the pace. He was right. They needed to get away from there. And fast.
As she started to process things, she jerked her hand out of his. She didn’t know what he was doing in Belarus or how he knew how to shoot. He must be CIA. Maybe a freelancer. Either way, she wasn’t going to be dragged around like a dog on a leash or a child being saved from bullies by an older brother. The sooner he learned she was his equal or superior, the better.
“This way. I have a car,” Alex said, taking a right off the main road and darting down a side street.
Jamie started to run the other direction, away from him. She didn’t for two reasons. The first one was curiosity. She had to find out what was going on.
She couldn’t remember the second reason. All she could think about was the first one.
***
Jamie’s dad was somewhat religious and had a saying, “Damn and hell are in the Bible. It’s okay to use them if the situation warrants it.” This seemed like one of those situations.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jamie asked Alex, in a confused but stern voice.
They’d found his car on a side street and were driving away in the opposite direction from the square.
He didn’t answer.
She already figured out most of it in her mind. Alex was CIA. Brad had sent him on the cruise to check up on her to see if she was up for the mission to Belarus—to find out her state of mind. Make friends with her, Brad had told him. Gain her trust. Don’t let her know who he was. She’s gullible. She’d fall for his charm. Wouldn’t question anything. That’s why he was chosen.
The CIA did that kind of thing all the time. Although, usually they sent a pretty girl like Jamie to seduce a man. Get him to relax and give away information. To the pretty lady. Many foreign agents had been recruited that way.
Sleep with her if he had to. Jamie knew Brad wouldn’t condone that. Alex made it physical on his own. She was so thankful she hadn’t slept with him. At least she had some dignity left.
Anger was building as the picture became even clearer. Alex was the one following her around Belarus. She was sure of it. That’s why she never heard from him. He never called her when she could answer the phone. She’d know right away that the connection was local. That’s why the tail seemed familiar. She’d seen his face in the background of the crowd, just couldn’t process it fully.
He’s good. She’d give him that.
Worse than Alex lying was that Brad didn’t trust her. Thought she needed a nursemaid. Nursemaids are female, Jamie corrected herself in her mind.
Same thing” she concluded. For whatever reason, Brad hadn’t believed enough in her to let her go on the mission alone. She suddenly remembered Director Coldclaw’s objections raised at the first meeting. She was against Jamie going into Belarus alone. This must’ve been her call. She pictured Brad pushing back. Saying Jamie could handle herself. He had obviously been overruled.
Still… She couldn’t believe she fell for it. She was verbalizing the words without even realizing it.
“I can’t believe I was so stupid!” Jamie said out loud, hitting her forehead with the palm of her hand.
Alex kept his eyes on the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel firmly. They weren’t speeding away, so much as maneuvering away. Smart. Alex obviously didn’t want to draw the attention of a policeman. He’d done this before, she assumed.
“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” Jamie asked, loudly and roughly. Frustrated that he was ignoring her.
“Kind of busy here,” he finally said dismissively, staring straight ahead, not even looking her way.
“You can’t talk and drive at the same time? Pull over. Let me drive then. I can do both.”
“I was saving your ass. That’s what I’m doing here.”
A burst of rage exploded inside her. She had to be careful. In a gunfight, adrenaline goes off the charts inside the body. It takes a while for it to come back down. Her heart was racing. Every muscle in her body was tensed. If he said the wrong thing, she might strike him before she even realized it. That’s how mad she was at him.
“You weren’t saving my ass. I had everything under c
ontrol.”
“Yeah, right. Whatever,” he said sarcastically which only made her madder.
She did punch him in the arm. Hard. Just once.
“Ow!” he shouted.
“I didn’t ask for your help. I was doing just fine,” she said smugly. “You’re welcome,” he retorted.
“You’re welcome? For what?”
“I was just responding to you thanking me for saving you from those two guys who were about to kill you, which… I’m sure you’ll do soon. Thank me. When you calm down.”
Jamie didn’t respond right away. He had saved her. She probably would’ve made it out alive, but that wasn’t a certainty. A number of mixed emotions ran through her mind. Embarrassment. Betrayal. Fear from what she knew was a close call. Sadness. The contact was dead. He died right in front of her. Disbelief.
Neither of them said anything for what seemed like a good minute.
“What’s your real name?” Jamie asked.
Alex didn’t answer.
“A-hole,” she muttered under her breath. A word her dad wouldn’t approve of. “That’s what I’ll call you from now on.”
Alex didn’t respond. He probably knew this day would eventually come. She’d find out and would be mad. She was sure he assumed she’d eventually get over it.
“How about liar? Jerk?” she continued, regretting her tone but still letting her emotions get the best of her.
“Mike Seaver,” he said, giving her a sideways glare.
Jamie rolled her eyes. “Full House?” she asked.
“Growing Pains. He was the son.”
“Right. I know who he was. What’s with you and sitcom characters?” He just kept driving.
“Alex P. Keating! I can’t believe I fell for that nonsense,” she said sarcastically. “My friend said that wasn’t your real name. She said you were probably married with kids. I knew you were lying. I just kept giving you the benefit of the doubt. I defended you!” She said almost every word with emphasis.
“Whatever,” he said again. Obviously, his fall back word when he had no comeback. His cavalier attitude was only making her angrier. He owed her an explanation. Surely, he knew that. Though, now was probably not the best time. She needed to calm down first. While she wasn’t willing to drop it, she did want to lower the rhetoric so she didn’t come across as a crazy woman.
“What’s your real name?” Jamie asked in a calmer tone. “I gave you my real name.”
“Alex Halee.”
“The writer.”
“Yep. Roots.”
“Seriously. Quit lying to me.”
“That’s really my name. Spelled H-a-l-e-e. Two e’s. Not ey.”
“So, your name really is Alex?”
“Yes. It’s like Curly always said, ‘Keep your lies as close to the truth as possible.’”
“You know Curly?” Jamie said in a questioning tone.
“Trained with him for nine months. Two classes after you. He said you were the best he ever trained. Until I came along.”
“You’re clearly the best liar he’s ever trained.”
“You’re one to talk,” Alex said chuckling and with his own sarcasm mixed in. “Women’s healthcare. Reproductive health. You were lying left and right. Don’t judge me. That’s what we do. You, of all people, should understand.”
He had a point. She’d lied to him. Not about the feelings, though. She had really liked him. The anger was starting to subside some as she remembered why she had liked him so much. Even as angry as she was, she couldn’t help but feel the attraction.
“Where are we going?” she asked more calmly.
“To a safehouse. We have to regroup. You’ve created a huge mess.” The anger returned with a fury.
“What do you mean, a huge mess?”
“You started a gunfight at the biggest tourist spot in all of Belarus. Our contact is dead. He’s been outed. There are four dead gunmen in the square. You’re probably marked now. You beat up another man in the alley. Have I left anything out?” he asked sharply.
“First of all, I didn’t start a gunfight,” Jamie retorted. “The contact was already outed. He was being followed. I was trying to save him.” Jamie stopped almost in mid-sentence. “How do you know about the man in the alley?”
“I was there. Watching.”
“And you didn’t think you should try to help me when he had a gun in my back?”
“No. You seemed to have it under control. That was a good move by the way. Impressive the way you disarmed him.”
“I did have it under control. I didn’t need your help then and I don’t need it now.” The anger was now mixed with satisfaction from the compliment he paid her.
The anger was still winning out, though.
“Thank you for helping me,” Jamie said sarcastically. “There, you have your thank you. Now, let me out at the next block. I still have work to do.”
“I can’t. We have to call Brad. He’s going to want to know about what happened. Probably already knows.”
Before she could say anything more, Alex pushed a garage door button on the visor and pulled into the driveway of a house. On a side street. White siding. Modest looking. Typical safehouse. Away from everything so as not to be discovered. Jamie was actually glad they were there. She needed a safe place to think. It would have in it a computer and a satellite phone. Food, weapons, and clothes. She needed to change out of the black clothes that had the contact’s blood on them and into something dressier. So, she could get back into the hotel.
Could she even go back to the hotel? She wasn’t staying at the house with Alex. That was one thing for sure.
Alex closed the garage door, got out of the car, and walked into the house. Jamie grabbed the briefcase from the back seat and walked in behind him. He turned on the lights and went immediately to the refrigerator, pulled out two diet cokes and started pouring them into two glasses, mixing them with a green substance.
“Here drink this,” he said. “It will help calm you.”
One of Curly’s concoctions. Huge bursts of adrenaline can create a number of side effects that only someone who’d been through a gunfight could understand. The drink would offset the side effects but not hinder her thinking or performance. The caffeine from the Diet Coke would actually have a calming affect against the adrenaline.
Jamie drank it in one big drink. It felt good going down. Her mouth was parched with thirst.
Alex drank his quickly as well. She saw his hand shake slightly as he lifted the glass to his lips. She suddenly realized what he must be going through. He had just killed two men. Saving her. He was dealing with his own stress. Even though they were bad guys, taking a man’s life was a difficult thing.
Jamie had killed two of them herself and put the brother in the hospital. A tough business they were in. Few people would understand. Alex was one of them. She should cut him a break. He was just following orders. On the cruise. In Belarus.
And he was obviously good at what he did. Shooting those two men without hitting her was remarkable. Maybe his skills would come in handy. A thought suddenly occurred to her.
Alex must have recognized the confused look that had come over her face. “What?” he asked.
“Did you call me when I was in the alley? When the man had a gun on me?”
“No. But I did get your message. That you broke up with me,” he said the last line mockingly. “How do you break up with someone who you aren’t dating?” he said.
Jamie ignored it. Her mind was elsewhere. She pulled out her phone and looked at the missed calls. The most recent number wasn’t familiar. A local number.
“If you didn’t call me, then who did?” she asked almost to herself.
“Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!” Jamie said as panic filled her body, overriding the calming effects of Curly’s drink. “I know who called me.”
“Who? What’s wrong?” Alex asked earnestly.
Jamie was holding the phone in her hand, waiving it in the air, but not
wanting to listen to the message she feared was there. Thinking through a number of scenarios. Hoping the worst one was not the reality. “I think Olga called. Chastity’s sister.”
“Who’s Olga?”
Jamie was pacing now.
“What Jamie? You aren’t making any sense,” Alex said.
“I met this girl at Splash nightclub,” Jamie explained. “Her name is
Chastity. I went back to a VIP room to talk to her.”
“I know. I saw you,” Alex said.
“She told me about her sister, Olga,” Jamie said ignoring his comment. “She signed up to be a mail order bride through a company called Belles of Belarus. It’s owned by a Turkish businessman. The contact said right before he died that Omer Asaf was the one who was trafficking the women. He’s a Turkish businessman. It’s all coming together.”
“When I met with the contact,” Alex said, “he said Omer Asaf was into terrorism and was a dangerous man. He said I needed to warn you about him. I figured Asaf was related to the trafficking somehow. But what does the mail-order-bride business have to do with sex trafficking?”
“That’s how he’s trafficking the women. Through the mail order bride business. They sign the women up and then sell them somewhere in Russia and Turkey.”
“Even if Asaf owns the business, that doesn’t mean it’s not legit. A lot of terrorist own legitimate businesses. I never believed the three-hundred women number, anyway. Three-hundred women a month can’t go missing without someone reporting it.”
“That’s what I thought,” Jamie said. “But when we went back to the VIP room, Chastity told me all about it. I’m just figuring it out. There is no mail order bride business. It’s a front for the trafficking. The girls aren’t going to America.”
“That’s not possible. Their parents and family will know they’re missing when they don’t contact them.”
“They aren’t allowed to contact their families for a year. It’s part of the contract. That’s why they’re never reported missing.”
Alex nodded. “That’s very clever,” he said.
“They’re leaving tonight!” Jamie said. “Three hundred women are on buses leaving this afternoon actually.” Jamie waived her phone in the air.