by Ethan Jones
“Do they have the flash drive?”
“Not yet. The asset wasn’t sure. There seems to be some kind of jurisdictional infighting as to what agency should be in charge. But the flash drive could get into MIT’s hands at any time.”
Javin swore under his breath. Swiping the drive from the police station vault was an incredible feat in its own right. Snatching it from the MIT’s officers was next to impossible, especially if the entire affair was to be kept under wraps, as per Javin and Claudia’s operational protocol. While they were free to enlist the assistance of local assets and trusted sources, their operation was to remain a secret. After all, they were correctors, sent to Istanbul to fix the other team’s errors, not to cause new problems and complicate matters.
“Javin, what do you think?” Claudia asked in a soft tone.
“I think we’ll need a couple more people if we’re to break into an MIT fortress.”
Claudia shook her head. Her glasses flew off to the side, but she grabbed them with a quick gesture before they fell onto the grass.
Javin smiled. “Wow, excellent reflexes.”
“All those hours spent in kickboxing classes are paying off. But I don’t think Martin will authorize a larger team.”
Javin shook his head. “I’m not thinking of agency operatives.”
Claudia held his eyes. “Then who?”
Javin glanced at the old couple, who were slowly shuffling away. “I’m not sure. It will depend on who can help and what we need. I have a couple of contacts in the DGSE. One of them is active in southern Turkey.”
The DGSE was the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure or the General Directorate for External Security, France’s foreign intelligence agency. After a series of spectacular failures, the agency was reorganized in 2017 and had expanded its network of assets and operatives. The new personnel were hungry for intelligence and always eager to cooperate with their foreign counterparts.
Claudia nodded. “Anybody I know?”
“No, not yet. You’ll soon make his acquaintance, although I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Considering how things are going, it may become inevitable.”
“When did you last talk to our Turkish assets?”
“About an hour ago.”
“We’ll call them from the airport before we fly out. Perhaps they’ll have an update by then.”
Claudia smiled. “I told them we’ll call him again in two hours, which is about right.”
Javin returned the smile. “You know me pretty well.”
“I’d like to think so. Especially since we’ll be out in the field again.”
Javin thought about his next question, unsure if he wanted to ask it or not, then he said, “How do you feel about it?”
Claudia’s eyes shone bright. “Returning to covert field ops? Been waiting so long, I thought I might get rusty.”
“And you’re ready?”
“Fully ready, Javin. Many people think I’m not ready, but I’m glad you’re not one of them.” Claudia stepped closer to Javin and gave him an intense look. “This is extremely important for me. I’m . . . I’m grateful I have your trust.”
Javin returned an uncertain look. He did not know how much Martin had told her, but he would not have shared Javin’s doubts. Martin was a true vault when it came to confidential information, especially involving relations among operatives.
“What’s wrong, Javin?”
“Eh, what . . . No, nothing. As you were saying, it’s been a while since you were running a field op.”
“But it will be okay. It will be you and me. Like old times.”
Javin smiled. “Yeah, good old times.”
He and Claudia had been partners in over a dozen operations during the last three years. Until the bottom fell out of her operation in Tunis, which resulted in the death of three CIS operatives. Claudia barely escaped with her life and suffered a lot of physical and emotional trauma. But she has bounced back. Perhaps it’s time I begin trusting her again, as I once used to. He sighed and said, “You’re ready to go?”
“Sure. If you’re done here . . .”
“I am. I’ll return the car, then meet you at the house.”
“Your house?”
Javin nodded. He had not said “his,” as it did not feel as if it belonged to him anymore. After Steffi’s funeral, Javin rarely set foot in the house. He had thought about selling it, but he was not ready to part from the home that he and Steffi had dreamed of using to build their life together. “Yes, my go-bag is ready. I just need to pick up some clothes, then we’ll head to the airport.”
“Okay, I’ll follow you.”
“Good. See you in a bit.”
“Bye, Javin.”
Chapter Five
Outside the Sariyer District Security Directorate
Istanbul, Turkey
Javin glanced through the windshield at the yellow three-story building housing the district’s police station, or Security Directorate as the Turks called it. Orange and white pylons lined the narrow one-way street outside the station, in order to stop any potential car-bomber from driving near the building. A couple of security cameras were mounted on the walls above the main entrance, while two guards were standing next to the guard shack.
“Looks pretty quiet,” Claudia said from the front passenger seat.
Zeki Turan, the CIS local asset, nodded. He leaned forward from the backseat and said, “Things pick up around evening. But we should be good for the next hour or so.”
“Is everyone ready?” Javin asked.
Zeki nodded, then glanced at Tolga, the second asset, who was going to serve as the interpreter. “You good?”
“Yes, yes, I’m okay,” Tolga said in a wavering, nervous tone and pushed his black-framed glasses up onto the bridge of his nose.
Javin found Tolga’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Are you sure? We can’t have you stumble through this once we’re inside.”
Tolga nodded. “I said I’m okay.” His voice grew firm. “I just . . . don’t like police stations.”
“Nobody does,” Javin said.
“And it’s okay to be nervous,” Claudia said. “It shoots adrenaline through your body. The trick is to control it and channel it toward the mission.”
Zeki said, “You’ll do fine.”
Tolga nodded. “I will. This isn’t my first op.”
No, but you’re acting like it is. Javin shook his head.
Javin gave Tolga a reassuring smile. “We’ll be with you at all times. And we’ve got Claudia and Zeki covering our backs.”
Tolga nodded again. “This will be a walk in the park.” His voice had regained some confidence.
Not really, but I’m glad you feel that way. Javin kept his thoughts to himself. “Good, let’s do this.”
He steered the white Renault Fluence sedan toward the station. The car was an old model, manufactured seven or eight years ago. It had bumps and scratches to lessen the chances of being stolen, and it blended well with other similar small cars in the city. But the sedan had bulletproof windows capable of withstanding small-caliber gunfire, a reinforced engine block, and run-flat tires.
As Javin came to the turn leading toward the station, he almost crashed into a silver Volkswagen Jetta speeding from the other direction. Its driver honked, then stepped on the brakes. They screeched and the Jetta stopped less than a couple of feet away from the Renault.
Javin frowned and cursed the careless driver.
Zeki glanced at the driver shaking his fist at Javin. “I think I know who they are,” he said in a low, worried tone. “They’re MIT.”
“What?” Claudia said.
“You’re sure they’re secret intel?” Javin asked.
“Absolutely. I recognize Ajaz, the driver.”
Javin glanced at Ajaz, who was gesturing for Javin to back up. “What are they doing here?” he asked a voice full of frustration and put the car in reverse.
“They’re after
the same thing we want: the USB drive,” Tolga said as his voice wavered.
“I thought MIT had given up, and this was solely a police investigation,” Javin said.
“Apparently, my source was wrong,” Zeki said. “Or things have changed since yesterday.”
The Jetta drove slowly toward the police station and parked right in front of the entrance. Ajaz stepped outside, followed by two other men. They were all dressed in grayish suits and openly displayed their shoulder-holstered pistols.
Claudia said, “No worries, Javin. We’ll take the drive with the intel from their hands.”
Tolga leaned forward. “Really? How? Even this police op is—was—very difficult.”
“Hey, pull yourself together,” Zeki told Tolga.
“We’ll figure out something,” Javin said. “For now, we’ll just observe.”
“Our mission is cancelled?” Tolga asked.
Javin had not thought it was necessary to point out the obvious. “Yes, we’ve aborted our original mission.”
Tolga drew in an easy breath.
Javin shook his head. The situation had become at least twice as difficult. The MIT’s presence had completely changed their operation’s dynamics. Of course, Javin and his team could attempt the flash drive heist after the secret agency’s team had left the police station. But would the drive still be in the vault? The MIT team had no other reason to come to this small, unimportant police station.
He sighed, unsure of the team’s next steps. Perhaps we should follow the operatives’ car. If we can’t have the drive, at least we’ll know its whereabouts.
“Javin, what’s the plan now?” Claudia asked. “Do we follow the MIT operatives, or do we go back to our initial operation?”
“After the MIT enter, we can’t go there too,” Tolga replied in a hasty tone.
Zeki nodded. “I agree, but for other reasons. The MIT will have taken the USB drive. That’s why they’re here.”
“Claudia, what do you think?” Javin asked.
“We go after the agents. If they don’t have the flash drive, then we’ll know where it is. But if they take it and disappear, we’ll have no clue as to the location.”
Javin nodded. “So we stay put until they come out.”
He drove further back, so their car would not draw any attention. They were still able to see the Jetta and the police station entrance.
“Should we take a closer look?” Zeki said. “In case one of the officers goes out the back.”
“Why would they do that?” Tolga asked.
Zeki shrugged. “I’m covering all bases.”
“Sure, go ahead,” Javin said. “I don’t think that’s going to happen, but it’s good to have a pair of eyes to monitor all their moves.”
Zeki nodded and stepped outside.
“I hate waiting,” Claudia said.
“Same here,” Javin said. “But this is the best we can do. We have visual on the car, and Zeki’s covering the back. Once we see movement, we’ll jump into action.”
Chapter Six
Outside the Sariyer District Security Directorate
Istanbul, Turkey
Nothing happened during the first fifteen minutes of their stakeout. Zeki was still watching the police station’s back entrance. He had reported twice on his phone that everything was quiet.
Claudia had strolled along the block and had bought coffee for herself, Javin, and Tolga at a small café next to the station. She had not noticed any unusual behavior among the guards or any movement around the station or the MIT vehicle.
Javin kept telling himself this was not a waste of time. However, even if it were, his hands were tied. This situation was beyond his control. One of those long boring periods in between operations. “At least the coffee is good,” he said to cheer up everyone’s mood.
“I love Turkish coffee,” Claudia said. “Small size, but packs such a punch.”
“Tolga, how are you doing back there?” Javin asked.
“All right. But I don’t like this.” He shook his head.
“What, the wait?”
“No, the agency’s involvement. How are we supposed to take the drive from the agents?”
Javin shrugged. He had thought about a few scenarios, but none of those fell under the stealth umbrella of this operation. Of course, his team could openly confront the Turkish intelligence operatives and force them to hand over the flash drive. Javin and Claudia had worked for three years as covert operatives specializing in assassinations, diversions, and retrieval operations, before moving into the CIS correctors’ branch a year ago. But the nature of their mission in Istanbul demanded the utmost discretion, not the ultimate show of force. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“ If we come to it,” Claudia said. “We’ll have a new plan in place once we know who has the drive.”
Javin nodded and sipped his coffee.
A moment later, his phone rang. Javin recognized the ringtone he had assigned to Zeki’s cellphone. “Go for Javin,” he said and tapped the speakerphone button.
“We’ve got some movement. MIT team’s moving,” Zeki said in a hurried tone and in between gasps.
“Where are you?” Javin asked.
“Coming around. Will be by the coffee shop in twenty seconds.”
“All right.”
Javin glanced through the windshield. The police station main entrance door opened, and Ajaz stepped outside and hastened toward the Volkswagen. His two cronies followed him closely.
“They’re in a rush,” Tolga said.
“Where’s Zeki?” asked Claudia.
“He’s coming,” Javin said.
Zeki popped up to the right side of the café and glanced toward Javin.
He put the car in gear, but did not step on the gas. Ajaz or his associates would definitely remember the car they almost crashed into minutes ago. Javin thought about his surveillance tactics when his team would be tailing the Turkish operatives. One single car, especially when the target had already noticed it, made for an extremely difficult surveillance operation.
“Claudia, come take the wheel,” Javin said.
“Sure thing.”
Changing drivers might cause some confusion among the MIT team, especially if they had not noticed Claudia before.
“Tolga, move to the front seat,” Javin said as he switched places with Claudia.
Tolga nodded and dashed outside.
The Volkswagen slid toward the southeast.
Zeki looked away at a group of old men sitting on benches near the café.
As soon as the Volkswagen disappeared around the right corner, Claudia hit the gas. The car zipped forward and stopped for just a moment when it reached Zeki. He jumped into the back, and Claudia drove again before Zeki had even had a chance to close the door.
Zeki said, “They turned right.”
Claudia nodded. “Yes, we’ve got them.”
“What did you see?” Javin asked.
“Almost a fight. The police don’t take it well when intel operatives swoop in to steal their credit.”
Claudia slowed down and rounded the curve. She glanced down Emirgan Koru Avenue. No sign of the Volkswagen, so she turned and drove down the narrow avenue divided into two lanes by a series of pylons like those set outside the police station.
They came to another intersection. “Which way now?” Claudia asked.
Zeki shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. They both take you to a cemetery up ahead. Then we’ll come to Tuncay, so we can leave the area.”
Claudia nodded and took the right fork.
“Where’s the nearest MIT office?” Javin asked Zeki.
“You think they’ll go there?” Tolga said.
“They might,” Javin replied.
“It’s across the highway.” Zeki gestured with his hand toward the south.
Claudia tapped on the gas pedal as they came to Emirgan Mektebi Road. A few vehicles were up ahead, but none of them was the silver Volkswage
n Jetta. “Anyone see them?”
“No.” Tolga shook his head.
Javin dropped down on his seat and leaned to his left, then right. “Nothing.”
Zeki said, “Up ahead, they have to have gone that way.”
“How do you know?” Claudia asked.
“I live here. I would go that way.”
“Toward the highway?”
“Yes. There’s a roundabout when we come to the end of Tuncay Ave. They most likely will go down Sezai Bey. It’s the largest road to get us out of the neighborhood.”
“We lost them?” Claudia’s voice rang with a hint of desperation.
“No, we didn’t. Right, there. There’s the car.” Javin pointed toward the right.
About fifty, sixty yards up ahead, the Volkswagen just rounded the corner.
“Yes, that’s them,” Zeki shouted.
Claudia nodded. “Good, we’re back in the game.”
“Stay back so they don’t notice us,” Tolga said.
Claudia gave him a sideways glance, but did not say anything. Of course, she was going to keep the distance, allowing at least three or four cars between their Renault and the target.
The Volkswagen went through the roundabout and continued along Sezai Bey Avenue as Zeki had predicted. The avenue was a two-way street, not much wider than the ones they had just gone through. Small shops, restaurants, and two- or three-story houses of all shapes and colors lined the street. The traffic had died down, and two of the vehicles peeled off, one to the left and the other to the right. Only a dark blue BMW was following closely behind the Volkswagen.
“They’re tailgating.” Javin pointed at the BMW.
“I think he’s trying to pass,” Zeki said.
“The street’s too narrow. He’s gonna cause an accident,” Claudia said.
As if to confirm her words, the BMW’s driver crashed into the left side of the Volkswagen. The collision sent it against the metal door of the next house.
Claudia hit the brakes. “What just happened?”
Before anyone could answer, three men stepped out of the BMW’s front and rear doors. They were fully clad in black, wore black masks, and carried pistols equipped with sound suppressors. Two of them hurried toward the Volkswagen, the third turned around. He glanced for a moment at the Canadian agents’ car, then pointed his pistol.