Owen was the next best thing to Jessica when it came to cyber skills, but Liam was a close runner-up.
Liam nodded and hurried out of the conference room, leaving Asher alone with Luke and Knox.
“With a lot of roads being closed and the airport still shut down, it’s going to take the rest of the boys longer to get here,” Knox said while glancing out the window. The snow, taunting them, had picked back up again.
“I want everything we can get on the Hadeeds.” Luke’s jaw tensed, the muscle twitching beneath his stubble as he turned to Asher. “You were on the op that took down Yasser Hadeed six years ago, I’m guessing?” he asked, a rough texture to his tone. “Jessica, too.”
Asher tried to ignore the feeling of intense pain that burrowed its way into the pit of his stomach. He had to focus. But it was damn useless.
He blinked, a slight blur to his vision as he eyed Luke.
It took him a moment to realize it was unshed tears distorting his view.
“Yeah, she was the CIA liaison.” He finally found his voice. A rawness in his throat. Lacerations to his heart at the thought of losing Jessica.
“Give us the rundown, then. We need to know what we’re dealing with so we can find out who has her,” Luke gritted out. He was burying his emotions better than Asher at the moment.
He had to remain strong for the team, though, Asher realized. It may have killed Luke to do it, but he was in command for a reason.
Asher’s hands swept to prayer position, and his fingers tapped at his mouth for a second to get a grip. “Jessica had been tracking down the Hadeeds’ compound for months. When she discovered where Yasser Hadeed was hiding, she provided the military with the coordinates for a drone strike against an al-Nusra Front location in Syria.”
“I didn’t think the strike took out Yasser Hadeed,” Luke said.
Asher allowed his arms to fall to his sides. “The compound was wiped out, but Hadeed wasn’t inside. And that was when a girl showed up at the base, offering up the location of Yasser.”
“Ara,” Knox whispered.
Asher nodded. “Her mom was Yasser’s older sister. Her parents had been killed earlier that year by the Assad regime during the war. Ara was forced to live with her uncle, but she didn’t approve of what he did, and so she came to us with his location on a silver fucking platter.” He took a breath. “My team was brought in to handle the mission. After we took down Yasser, Jessica wanted to provide safe passage for those who wanted out of Syria, particularly Ara.”
He didn’t usually remember every detail, but that was the op where he’d met Jessica, and every moment had somehow imprinted in his mind.
“The CIA didn’t help Ara in return, though,” Knox said, picking up on what Asher had told the director.
He took a sobering breath. “No, the brass turned down Jessica’s request.”
“Is that the real reason she wanted to leave the CIA?” Knox asked when Luke continued to remain silent, his chest simply rising and falling with slow breaths.
“Maybe in part.” Asher scratched at his jaw. “Jessica decided to help Ara and the girls, anyway. She paid for their passage to Berlin.”
“That’s why she teaches them.” Knox put the pieces together. “They’re the girls from Syria. Shit.”
“Yeah. And with Ara she was worried if anyone discovered her identity they’d come after her for betraying her uncle. So, she arranged for a new identity. She’s kept in touch with her all of these years but under her original alias Stephanie.”
“Why’d you keep this from me? Why would Jessica risk so much—” Luke cut himself off.
Asher knew Luke was discovering a side of his sister he hadn’t known—a side she kept hidden beneath boulders.
The so-called cold-hearted woman was anything but, even if she wouldn’t truly share that part of herself with anyone.
“I’m sorry, man. I didn’t even know she’d helped Ara until last summer. I stumbled upon them chatting over Skype. I tried to talk her out of staying in touch, but then I felt like a dick, so I let it go.”
Luke looked to the floor. “That doesn’t explain why you didn’t let me know you had an operational history together when you joined the team.”
Shit. He didn’t know what to say about that.
Luke’s blue eyes swerved up to Asher’s face. “Is there something else you’re not telling me?” His brow arched as he tilted his head to the side, trying to get a read on him.
Asher fought the urge to close his eyes when he released the lie, “No. Nothing else.”
“We need to be at the airport in an hour. It’s already almost nine,” Luke announced when he came into the room. “Owen’s ten minutes out. Wyatt and the rest of the guys should arrive in New York by the afternoon. Hopefully, they can dig up more intel while we’re flying.”
Asher looked at Luke, but a weighted pressure flattened him, and his lungs struggled to allow for the movement of breath as he considered the possible truth he’d never see Jessica again.
They’d been working nonstop since last night in Jessica’s lab, aka her tech room.
Thank God the airports had re-opened that morning. “How are we getting there without Rutherford or POTUS catching wind of it?”
“I have it covered.” Luke tossed a handful of passports onto the desk near where Knox sat. “Emergency IDs in case anyone ever tried to screw us over.”
“A contingency plan.” Knox nodded. “Good thinking.”
“They won’t know we’re gone,” Luke said.
“I, uh, think I have something.” Liam tapped at the keys on the wireless keyboard and approached the screen that occupied a large portion of the wall. “I have a better angle of the shooter.” He zoomed in on the screen, and Asher could clearly identify Jessica, her gloved hands pressed atop the chest of the woman on the ground.
“That’s definitely Nahla.” His throat grew thick as he tried to keep his eyes on the screen. “Ara,” he corrected.
“Here’s the interesting part,” Liam said as Luke and Knox gathered closer to the screen. “See what the shooter’s doing?” He changed camera angles to offer different vantage points of the crime scene. “He took a photo of the victim, and then it looks like he’s getting a blood sample.”
Crime scene. Asher’s lungs burned again as he thought about Jessica. She’s tough, he reminded himself. He’d have to continue to repeat that thought if he wanted to keep it together.
Teammates had been in danger before, but this was Jessica.
Jessica was different.
“Someone wanted proof of death, especially since the blast would have destroyed her body.” Luke turned to face the guys when the footage showed the gunman dragging Jessica away—no one there to stop him. Moments later . . . the blast.
“If this guy was after Ara,” Liam began, “why’d he take Jessica?”
“Maybe he saw it as an opportunity. Ransom? Or pump her for intel about Ara?” Knox proposed.
“They left in a black BMW X3.” Liam switched to a different camera angle to show the man shoving her body into the trunk of the vehicle before the blast. “He probably ditched it, but this is what we have to work with right now.” He zoomed in on the SUV. No plate number.
“There are way too many black Beamers to try and isolate this one on any cams, but I’ll keep looking,” Liam said, disappointment in his tone.
“The guy killed two people in a public place. He could’ve taken Ara out at her home or somewhere less visible. Why’d he want an audience?” Asher voiced his thoughts.
“Same reason he took the blood sample and photo,” Liam said.
“Evidence the job was done? Worldwide attention? Plus, the blast sure as hell made a statement,” Asher continued Liam’s line of thought.
“He may have used the blast as a way to escape, too,” Liam noted.
Luke positioned his hands on his hips. “I want to know everywhere Ara’s been in the last few months. Every phone call. Message. Who she’s been
in contact with . . .”
“I can think of maybe six or seven assassins who’d be willing to take someone out so publicly. Plus, the use of plastic explosives narrows it down even more,” Liam said. “Unless we’re looking at a new player.”
“Show me the list,” Luke said.
Liam deftly worked at the keys and brought up three images with a laundry list of known kills on screen. “The killer wouldn’t have used any known aliases to fly in, so let’s upload their images into Jessica’s program and see if any of them have appeared in Berlin recently.”
The room grew silent for a moment, and then Luke cleared his throat. “Hopefully, by the time we get to Berlin something will pop up.” He grabbed his phone from his pocket and gave a slight nod. “As soon as Owen gets here, and we catch him up, we’ll head for the airport.”
“Did we secure a safe house to work out of once we’re there?” Asher sat in front of his laptop.
They had a few locations set up around the world, but their office in Munich wouldn’t work for this op—and any site associated with their black-ops team would be off-limits since they were going on an unsanctioned mission.
“Yeah. My guy in Berlin pulled some strings for us, and don’t worry, he’s got our six,” Luke answered. “I’m going to call him and see if he’s heard chatter about any of our three assassins being in Germany.”
Asher’s fists settled atop the desk on each side of the keyboard as Luke left the room.
“You okay, man?” Liam came alongside Asher’s chair, his keyboard still in hand. “I mean, I know none of us is technically—”
“No. No, I’m not okay.” Asher’s eyes fell shut.
“There’s more you’re not telling us, isn’t there?” Knox asked. “More to the story between you and Jessica, at least?”
“Nothing that can help bring her back,” he said in a low voice.
“She’s stubborn as hell, and you know that better than any of us.” Knox’s words had Asher opening his eyes.
“I, uh, need a second.” He left the conference room before the guys could say anything else and went into the men’s room.
Bracing his palms against the counter, he stared at his reflection, his heartbeat pulsing in his ears, drowning out the sound of his thoughts.
Slow breaths changed to hard, gasping ones.
And then he dropped his head forward and pounded the marble as rage built inside of him, and his eyes blurred.
This was a nightmare. He felt like he’d been chucked over a high razor-ribbon fence. The sharp metal punctured every part of his body, and he was bleeding out.
The woman drove him nuts, but without her he wasn’t sure he’d be able to remember how to breathe.
Chapter Eight
The windowless room in the safe house had Asher wanting to put his fists through the brick-lined walls. Daylight had been killed between the time change and their flight to Berlin. They were running out of time.
She could already be gone.
“Five groups are trying to claim credit for the attack,” Knox said, and Asher pivoted to face him. “Al-Nusra has gone through a lot of leadership and name changes in the last six years. They’re in the middle of rebranding—again—but they’re not on the suspect list.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Asher murmured. “The group is a bunch of damn shapeshifters. Changing with the times to maintain relevancy.” Asher crossed his arms, trying to destroy some of the tension burning in his biceps. “But how can it not be them?”
“Are they pro-ISIS, or . . .?” Liam looked up from his laptop and over at Asher.
“Against. For now, at least,” Asher grumbled. “Enemies, regardless. But if they aren’t seeking credit for the hit, it could be because they’re waiting for something. A second attack, maybe.”
Before anyone could say more, Luke’s phone buzzed. “It’s Owen.” He placed him on speaker.
“Egon Becker,” Owen announced straight away. “He’s our assassin. He used to be part of an Austrian militant group, but then parted ways to work as a freelance killer. He’s done a lot of work for nearly every major terrorist organization, and he’s known for covering up his kills with explosions.”
“Did we catch him on any cameras in Berlin?” Asher asked as Knox displayed the next image onto the screen on the wall.
“Well, we know he’s in Germany. We pulled an image of him from a traffic camera about ten kilometers away from the Austrian border. He was in a red BMW X4 at the time. Must’ve ditched it for the SUV.”
“Good work,” Luke responded.
“I discovered something else while you guys were flying,” Owen said a beat later. “Yasser Hadeed had one other sister. Fatima. She saw a cancer specialist at a hospital in Paris two months ago, and Ara visited her while she was there.”
“Any contact before that?” Luke asked.
“Not sure yet. But someone had to have gotten word to her Fatima was in Paris. That or Ara has been keeping an eye on her remaining family back in Syria.”
“Where’s the aunt now?” Asher followed up.
“Last known location was Aleppo,” Owen answered.
“What else do we know about Fatima?” Luke surveyed his team. A mix of anger and fear in his gaze. “I assume she wasn’t connected to her brother’s terrorist activities, or the military would’ve taken her out, too.”
Asher thought back to the op. “She had two sons. Nothing connected any of them to al-Nusra.”
“Her husband?” Luke cocked a brow.
Asher rummaged through his memories from the mission. “He died under the Assad regime as well.”
“Okay. Let’s put some guys on this,” Luke instructed. “Someone must’ve followed Ara back to Berlin, and then put the hit out on her.”
“We’re working under the assumption someone killed Ara because of her betrayal to her uncle, are we not?” Owen asked.
Luke looked around at the team. “Yeah, but there has to be more to it than that. Why now?”
“Is it a coincidence the aunt was sick?” Liam scratched at his blond stubble.
Asher’s brow rose. “Probably not.”
“We still haven’t determined why Egon took Jessica,” Owen pointed out.
The overwhelming urge to hit something again tore through him, but he kept his arms locked in front of his chest to resist the impulse.
“He may turn her over to whoever hired him.” Knox’s words were like a blow of reality to the skull.
“We need to narrow down locations. Where would Egon have taken her?” Asher went over to the screen on the wall. He touched the upper right quadrant and expanded it to study the map of Berlin.
Liam sat at the desk and dragged a laptop in front of him.
“See what we’re missing.” Luke directed the order toward Liam. “Check both Ara’s and Jessica’s emails.”
“She has a separate account for her alias. It’s the one she uses to connect with the girls,” Asher reminded them.
“You want me to go through your sister’s emails?” Liam asked, his voice dropping lower.
“If it means saving her? Hell, yes.”
“I’ll be in touch once I get more,” Owen said. “Since we’re not officially working this case I can’t ask Rutherford for the operational files from Aleppo, so I’ve got Echo Team trying to scrounge up what they can find without raising any red flags.” He was quiet for a moment, and then he added, “We’ll get her back.”
Once the call ended, Asher rubbed his bearded chin, thoughts buzzing through his mind. Possible locations where she could be held. “If he expected Jessica to be with Ara last night, that meant he’d already arranged to have a place to bring her to.”
“He couldn’t have gone too far without catching the attention of the police.” Liam observed the map on the screen now.
“Maybe on the outskirts of town, but not too far from the city,” Asher suggested. “And I’m sure he has another vehicle ready.”
An angry red crawled u
p Luke’s throat and into his cheeks.
“Probably took her to someplace abandoned.” Asher zoomed in on the plaza where Jessica had been abducted, and focused on the back roads Egon could’ve taken to go undetected. “He won’t stay wherever he’s at for long, though, because he’ll know the Germans will be canvassing the city.”
Jessica had always claimed to be great at finding people, but now she needed them to find her, and Asher was one of the best trackers—he’d sure as hell not let her down.
“Can I see the keyboard a second?” he asked Liam. “There’s a delay on these satellite cams, but maybe . . .” He let his voice trail off as he began working, checking overhead views of various properties.
Twenty minutes later, his heart trekked up into his throat at the sight of a black SUV next to a second dark vehicle parked near a hospital, nearly obscured by trees and the overgrowth of the area. “Here.”
The team surrounded him to view the screen. “This is it. No traffic cameras within a five-kilometer radius, and it’s been abandoned since World War Two.”
“The Germans may have figured this out,” Liam said from behind him.
“We would’ve heard about it.” Asher faced the group. “We need to roll out now. She could already be gone.”
Luke averted his eyes from the screen and regarded Asher. “You heard him.” He nodded. “Gear up. Let’s go get our girl.”
“We’re too late.” Asher’s chest rose and fell as he gripped his rifle as steadily as possible, staring at the remains of the black Beamer in the midst of the char. Flames licked the sky, wrapping the frame of the SUV like a warm embrace of death. “And the second SUV is gone.”
“She could still be inside,” Luke said.
If she was . . . she was dead. But no one, especially not Asher, wanted to voice those words aloud.
“Let’s move in,” Luke commanded as they bypassed the burning car and headed toward the side entrance of the hospital.
“Stay behind me. There could be trip wires.” Asher sidestepped Luke without giving him a chance to protest. “We can’t lose you both.”
Stealth Ops Series Box Set Page 55