Contract

by Ty Hutchinson

  I peered into the side mirror and watched the construction site get smaller and smaller. The plan seemed to be working. We kept driving until we put about seven or eight miles between us and the Askeri Inzibat. We couldn’t see them behind us, so we had to assume they couldn’t see us.

  “Okay, we’re past the construction site. I think it’s time you fill me in on what happens next.”

  Kostas said nothing and instead hung a hard left onto a dirt road and then dialed a number on his phone. “We’re about three minutes out. Yes, we’re in the same vehicle.”

  “How about telling me what’s happening?” I asked with a tad bit of force.

  He pointed up ahead to a small, dilapidated building. It looked like some sort of farm shed.

  “That’s the plan? To hide out in there?”

  No sooner had those words left my mouth than the doors to the shed opened. Two men appeared carrying assault rifles. They were dressed in local-style clothing, but their white skin color made it clear they weren’t Turkish. Kostas drove our truck inside, and the doors closed behind us.

  Kostas exited the car. “Hurry. We don’t have time.”

  I got out of the vehicle.

  “Wait here,” he said before moving out of ear range and having a hushed conversation with the two men. The few words I did manage to pick up were in English. They then walked over to a large tarp. One of the men yanked on it and revealed three ATVs. Kostas hopped onto one and looked at me. “Get on and hold on tight. They can still find us here.”

  Seconds later, we and the two other men were continuing north on the dirt road.

  “Will they be our escorts? Because the large assault rifles slung over their chests aren’t exactly covert.”

  “Farther up there are vehicles waiting for us. We’ll be on our own from there.”

  After a bumpy ride, I spotted two SUVs parked under a couple of fruit trees. Kostas pointed to one of the vehicles. “Hurry. We’re still on the clock.”

  “What about them?” I asked, looking back as we drove off.

  “They have business to attend to.”

  Fine by me. My concern was still getting out of Turkey. The SUV we had looked about eight to ten years old. The paint was faded, and rust spots dotted the rear panels of the vehicle.

  “Don’t worry; the engine is solid.”

  “I’m assuming we’re back on course to Cesme?” I asked.

  Before Kostas could answer, a booming explosion rattled our car. I looked out the rear window of the SUV, and a large, yellowish fireball appeared in the distance, about where the shed stood. I turned back to Kostas, speechless. A second later, a second explosion erupted in the vicinity of where we abandoned the ATV vehicles.

  A coy smile appeared on his face. “It’ll be like we were never there.”

  49

  Exploding buildings, friends with assault rifles, getaway vehicles. It wasn’t hard to rationalize who was sitting next to me. With my arms folded across my chest, I turned toward Kostas. “Unless you’ve learned to master a perfect American accent, you’re not with MI5. That leaves the CIA.”

  “Does it matter?” he asked, glancing over at me.

  “Yes. What does the CIA want with me?” Four previous contracts immediately came to mind. They all involved Americans, but nobody I thought would warrant their involvement. “How long have you been tracking my movements?”

  “We’re not. Our person of interest was Basir Kashani. Our hope was that you would connect us with him, inadvertently.”

  “You’re the driver who’s helping me out of this country after I escaped from a prison. That’s pretty specific information, if you ask me.”

  “We got a last-minute tip from an informant that Kashani needed a driver. I became that person.”

  It sounded plausible. “Wait. You said ‘was.’ Where’s Kashani?”

  “That phone call I received earlier was from a Turkish contact. Kashani’s body was found dumped on the side of a road in Siverek.”

  “What? Are you positive?”

  “Enough to terminate the operation. Which also means we no longer need you.”

  “Then why are you still driving me west?”

  Kostas chewed on his bottom lip before answering. “It was my decision.”

  His answer took me by surprise. “I have no interest in becoming an informant for you, if that’s what this is all about.”

  “It wouldn’t be like that. Think of it as more of a mutually beneficial relationship, one where we help each other. You scratch my back, I scratch yours.”

  “You’re helping me because you want me indebted to you.”

  “My initial orders were to abandon you at the shed. So yeah, I think you owe me big time as it stands. And when I get you on to that fishing boat in Cesme, I’d say one favor won’t be enough to pay off your debt.”

  “Why help me? What makes you think you can trust me?”

  “The last two days. I like to think I can read people fairly quickly. I may not approve of the work you do, but I do feel as if you have a level of morality that most in your field lack. And you seem like a decent person. You’re an assassin with a conscience. How’s that for irony?”

  Kostas must have sensed my tied tongue. “Surprised?”

  “Why on earth would you want to develop someone like me as an asset? Answer that.”

  “Don’t read too much into it. In my line of work, it’s advantageous to have all sorts of friends.”

  “Oh, we’re friends now?”

  “Why not? Weren’t you and Kashani friends? Wasn’t that a relationship born out of benefit?”

  “Kashani wasn’t in law enforcement.”

  “I have resources that can give me access to information that supposedly doesn’t exist.”

  Whether he knew it or not, Kostas had pressed the right button. He could prove useful in helping me find my daughter, but it wasn’t the time to discuss that.

  “You said mutually beneficial. Am I to presume that I can receive information from the CIA in the future?”

  “As it stands now, you owe me. And once you deliver, yes, I would say we can have an exchange of information when warranted.” Kostas looked at me. “I want us to be friends. I want us to work together.”

  The way I saw it, the deal favored me. Kostas was still helping me when he didn’t need to in the hopes that I could provide information in the future. It was a gamble, one that could endanger his life, again. I had nothing to lose. “Before we start making pinky promises to each other, let’s focus on getting me to Greece.”

  Demir stood a few feet away from what used to be an old equipment shed. It was mostly just charred ground, with a burnt Askeri Inzibat truck sitting in the middle of it.

  “There were two explosions,” said the officer from the Askeri Inzibat. “The other is farther down the dirt road. Three ATVs were destroyed. A plastic explosive was probably used, C4 most likely. Whoever is with her isn’t just a driver.”

  Demir gritted his teeth. He had come so close to capturing Sei. He had shut off the D300 at Cay and Denizli. All he’d had to do was close in. “What about the men posing as a construction crew? Where are they now?”

  “Gone. All the vehicles were abandoned. We don’t know their location, but it’s apparent they were also involved. That amount of organization in that short amount of time—this is beyond someone like Basir Kashani. We’ve widened our search to the adjacent highways and are conducting stops on every vehicle. They can’t be that far.”

  That’s what I keep saying. Demir turned and headed back to his vehicle.

  50

  “We’re about two hours away from Cesme,” Kostas said, looking at his watch. “Unless we run into trouble, we should get to the port a little before eleven a.m.”

  “Is the fishing boat still on, in lieu of everything that’s happened so far?”

  “I’m their only contact. They have no reason not to believe it’s business as usual. It’ll take about an hour to get to Chios. I tru
st from there you can arrange transport on a ferry to Athens?”

  I nodded.

  “I can’t take you exactly to the port. You’ll have to make your way by foot. Once there, look for a fishing boat called the Spiro.”

  “Sounds familiar.”

  Kostas smiled. “Tell the captain I sent you. They’ll be expecting you.”

  “And what about you? What will you do?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure something out.” Kostas dug into his pocket for his wallet and handed it to me. “There are business cards in there. Take one.”

  I removed a simple white card with a phone number on it.

  “Call that number, and the person on the other end will put you in touch with me.”

  “How will you contact me?”

  Kostas chuckled. “I work for the CIA, remember?”

  We arrived at Cesme close to the timing Kostas had predicted. We were driving down a single-lane road in a quiet neighborhood when he pulled the SUV over to the side and parked. Old apartment buildings lined both sides of the road. An old woman walked her dog across the street. A couple carrying groceries was about to enter a building. A man selling fresh apricots from a wooden pushcart steadily made his way down the sidewalk.

  “This is where we part,” Kostas said. “The ocean is that way.” He pointed straight head. “Just keep moving in that direction. All roads eventually lead to the port.”

  “Are you on foot as well?” I asked.

  “Yes, but it’s best I not say any more. What you don’t know you can’t divulge. Remember, you’re not out of danger yet. I expect this city to be crawling with Demir’s men. Our little diversion back on the highway didn’t slow them; it just allowed us a way to get out of that Askeri Inzibat conga line.”

  I exited the SUV and walked over to the sidewalk where Kostas stood. “I appreciate you getting me to Cesme, knowing you didn’t have to.”

  “Technically, I was hired to do a job. I wanted to hold up my end of the bargain. Plus I know you have a crush on me, and I couldn’t leave you back there.” A silly grin spread across Kostas’ face.

  As hard as I tried not to crack a smile, I failed, and a tiny one snuck out.

  Kostas nearly jumped out of his skin. “Aha. I knew you had a sense of humor buried somewhere inside of you.” He clasped his hands together before resting them on his hips. “It’s a shame you didn’t come out of your shell earlier. We could have had fun on this trip.”

  “Fun? Didn’t you just blow something up not too long ago?” I said, smiling.

  “Is it always this hard for people to get to know you?”

  “My line of work isn’t exactly conducive to being everybody’s friend.”

  “Yeah, that would be awkward if your new best friend turned out to be your next hit. Speaking of knocking off someone you know, have you—”

  “Never. Why? Are you volunteering?”

  “Look at you. Once you get going, you don’t stop. I think I like the new Sei.”

  “As much as I’m enjoying this bonding session with you, I think it’s time I go.”

  “Of course.” Kostas stuck his hand out. “Good luck, and I’ll be in touch.”

  As I grabbed a hold of his hand, his smile sunk and his eyes widened. Instantly, Kostas tightened his grip and yanked me down to the sidewalk, just as the popping of a handgun rang out.

  51

  “Stay down,” Kostas shouted as he leaned back against the SUV with his weapon drawn. All I had on me was my knife; the other handgun was still in the glove compartment.

  “Who’s shooting at us?” I called out as I crawled over to the driver’s-side door, intent on retrieving the other weapon.

  “Your friends, the Askeri Inzibat. Two are taking cover behind their truck, twenty feet to the right of us.”

  “Draw their fire. I’ll flank them,” I said, exiting the vehicle.

  Kostas leaned out from his cover and let loose a barrage of return fire while I moved quickly to the front of the SUV. I peered under the vehicle and saw the feet of both men behind the vehicle. No need to flank.

  My first shot hit the ankle of the shooter behind the driver side. He let out a cry and dropped to the ground, exposing his face and allowing me to sink my next shot right into it. The other Askeri Inzibat was clueless as to what had just happened, so I shot his foot as well. He dropped to one knee and I put a bullet into it, but he fell behind the wheel. I sprinted to the vehicle and quickly finished him with two shots to his chest.

  “Nice shooting,” Kostas said as he came up behind me. “We need to move out of here now. I’m sure multiple calls to the police have already been made.”

  Just as those words left his mouth, the cry of a siren could be heard nearing us. “This way,” Kostas said, placing a hand on my back and ushering me in that direction.

  We slipped through a narrow walkway between buildings, which opened up next to the patio of the ground floor unit. “Hope you can climb,” he said, running toward a six-foot-tall wooden enclosure gate. He leapt, planting his right foot against a plank and reaching with both hands for the top so he could pull himself over. I followed suit and landed right behind him.

  Ahead of us was an identical gate. Kostas moved to do the same thing while I ran toward the part of the gate attached to the side of the building. I leapt up and planted a foot against the brick foundation and propelled myself up higher, somersaulting right over the wooden barrier. Kostas hit the ground a few seconds after me. “We need to move faster,” I shouted back at him.

  We continued to snake our way through a series of backyard patios behind the apartment buildings until we popped out onto another road. “Which way?” I asked, as I looked in both directions.

  “Left,” he said, running by me.

  We crossed over to the other sidewalk. It wasn’t smart to stay out in the open, but we made better time that way, rather than hopping fences. Just then, an Askeri Inzibat truck rounded the corner up ahead. We both ducked behind a car and waited until we heard it pass by.

  Kostas had been right. Once Demir realized we had escaped his trap, he mobilized all of his men to the nearest coastal town: Cesme. It was the most likely place. My one sliver of hope was that the captain of the fishing boat would know how to get me out of the port undetected. But first, I had to reach him.

  We made a right at the next four-way stop, and a sense of relief flooded my body as the waters of the port came into view. It looked about two miles away and downhill.

  “Are you coming with me to the port?” I asked Kostas.

  “I am now. We both need that boat to get out of here.”

  “All right, but we can’t keep moving in the open like this.”

  He looked around. “Let’s try and get behind these apartments.”

  We squeezed through the next opening we found, which took us to the back of the ground unit, where we scaled a five-foot-high brick wall. The second wall on the other side of the small yard led us right into the backyard of a man sunbathing.

  He jerked back into his lawn chair, causing his large, hairy belly to ripple. He slammed his legs shut and moved both hands over his erect penis and shouted at us in Turkish.

  “Don’t worry about it, pal. It’s too small to notice,” Kostas said with a hearty laugh as we ran by and scaled the next wall.

  “He’s probably on the phone with the police as we speak,” I said as I landed and headed for the next wall.

  “But I think they’ll agree with me.” Kostas continued to chuckle until bullets whizzed over our heads and he yelped.

  52

  Kostas immediately dropped to one knee after climbing over the wall. He had a hand pressed against the left side of his head and the other against the wall for balance.

  “Did you get hit?” I asked, hurrying back to him and noticing blood smeared across a few of his fingers. It wasn’t much, so it was probably superficial. I moved his hand away. “A bullet clipped your earlobe. You’ll live.”

  K
ostas muttered something under his breath as I looked around for the shooter. “I don’t see anyone. Probably on the other side of this wall on high ground. They’ll have a clear shot if we move forward.”

  “You think it’s the Askeri Inzibat?” he asked with his hand still covering his ear.

  “Stay down.” I popped up and swiveled my eyes back and forth before a bullet struck the wall right below my face, sending me ducking for cover. “It’s not the Askeri Inzibat. It’s the backyard masturbator. He’s on a balcony with a rifle.”

  “Son of bitch! He moves fast.”

  “He’s a decent shot too. We can’t stay here. His gunfire will attract unwanted attention, if it hasn’t already. Can you move?”

  Kostas rolled his eyes at me.

  “All right. You go over that wall first. I’ll provide cover fire. Then you cover me.”

  “Got it. On three. One, two, three.” Kostas exploded forward, and I popped back up and opened fire, emptying the remaining bullets in the clip. The naked man moved quickly back into his apartment, and I turned and ran toward Kostas.

  “I thought the plan was for you to cover me and then I cover you?” he shouted as I landed safely on the other side the wall.

  “My shots scared him off. Let’s keep moving.”

  We were closing in on the port. I could taste the salt in the air and the freedom that would come with it. But the noise from the shooting did us no favors. Add to that the two Askeri Inzibat I executed in broad daylight, and surely the alarm had been sounded. Demir had to know we were in Cesme. I felt as if we could be cornered at any second, bringing our run for Greece to a halt.

  “There’s got to be a faster route,” I said.

  “Hold up.” Kostas grabbed my arm and stopped me. He took a few deep breaths. “We have the whole day ahead of us. No matter where we go, we’ll be out in the open.”