Alina's Revenge

by Greg Van Arsdale

  Lieutenant Lieberman gave Alina the same admiring look he had given her at the chopper. “Seems like we just can’t keep a gun out of your hands, now can we?”

  “Looked like you could use the help.”

  “All clear on the north,” a soldier called in.

  The lieutenant radioed back, “Roger. It’s confirmed. All clear on the south.”

  “Sir,” the sergeant on the radio said, “I think you better take a look at this.”

  The lieutenant keyed the mic. “Where are you?”

  “Three houses down from you.”

  Lieberman walked to the door. He looked cautiously at the rooftops across the street and made his way to the sergeant, followed by Alina and Steve—all of them aiming their rifles and sweeping upward.

  They made it to the sergeant without a shot. He rose when Lieberman walked into the room.

  “What is it, Sergeant?”

  The man handed him a piece of paper.

  Lieberman looked at it, then at Alina. “Looks like you’ve some explaining to do,” he said. He handed the paper to Alina. “You mind telling me how a group of insurgents got this?”

  It was her picture.

  Chapter 25

  Colonel Johnson sat tall in his office chair. A man in his early fifties, his closely cropped crew cut did not hide the gray hair adorning his temples. He wore three rows of ribbons on his chest, his uniform neatly creased.

  Lieutenant Lieberman and Corporal Miller stood facing him. Johnson focused his sharp glare on Alina, who sat in the lone chair in front of his desk. In his hand was the photograph captured during the morning’s firefight.

  He repeated the lieutenant’s question. “How did insurgents get your picture? Why are they after you?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, sitting casually. His pompous air did not bother her in the least.

  “You don’t know? You don’t know why I lost two men today? You don’t know why seven more are wounded?”

  She shook her head.

  “It was a setup,” Lieutenant Lieberman said. He stood behind Alina, his hands clasped behind his back. “The two we captured told us they knew we were coming and they ambushed us.”

  “And what about her?” Johnson said. “She was the target, not us. That makes a big difference. I’ve never heard of them targeting a reporter before.”

  Lieberman shook his head. “All they’ll say is their leader, a man by the name of Khebat, told them to look for an embedded journalist and they should either kill or capture her.”

  “Is that so?” Johnson turned to Alina. “Now why would an Iraqi chieftain be so interested you?”

  “Like I said, Colonel, I don’t know,” she answered. “Why don’t you lean a little harder on the two men I brought in? They can tell you better than me.”

  “We’re working on that, but we have our limits on what we can do or how we do it. They’re not telling us much other than what Lieberman just said.” He turned to his desk and then looked at Alina again. “Is there something else I should be aware of?”

  She shrugged. “It could be the same group that tried to take me hostage yesterday.”

  “Take you hostage?” He turned his glare on Lieberman. “Why wasn’t I told this?”

  The lieutenant’s hands came unclasped. His eyes opened wide as he stammered, “I...I thought Captain Silverman would have notified you, sir. She was under his press command at the time.”

  “Well, he didn’t.” Johnson turned back to Alina, his hands behind his back. “So they tried to kidnap you, huh?”

  “Twice, on the same day.”

  “Let me guess, you shot them?”

  “Most of them. Your men had to pull my fat out of the fire, though.”

  “Young lady, you’ve been here two days and you’ve already gotten in way over your head. There’s a band of renegades out there chomping at the bit for you, and you just sit here casual as can be.”

  “I’ve seen worse,” she said.

  “You’ve seen worse.” Johnson had a penchant for repeating remarks. “Life must have been hard growing up in Bosnia.”

  Alina stated simply, “It was.”

  He looked at her a full minute. Finally, he walked to his side of the desk and said, “They were willing to sacrifice twenty men just to kill you. That’s a lot of firepower for one person. They must want you real bad.” He shook his head. “I still say you’re not coming clean. You know something, something they’re willing to die for just to shut you up. There must be a reason.”

  “I don’t know what that could be,” she said. “Like you said, I just got into town.”

  He held up the picture again. “This is a police mug shot—which is a different story altogether. You’re saying you don’t have any idea how it got into their possession? I find that hard to believe.”

  “The only thing I can think of is someone back home has something against me.”

  “And that someone has ties to Al Qaeda. Think, Alina. Surely, you must have seen something. Maybe a terrorist cell perhaps?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. Listen, Colonel, I told you all I know.”

  Johnson paced the floor, looking at the three of them. Finally, he said, “Well, I’ll find out who messed up on their reports and take care of it. As for you, you be more careful. Those men would have a publicity hay day if they were to get their hands on you. Just look at this mental picture: a woman sits in a chair surrounded by masked guerillas with AKs. She reads a transcript begging for her life. The story usually plays out with the captive found without a head.” He stepped in front of her and bent low. “You remember that.”

  “I will, sir. Can I go now?”

  Johnson straightened. He looked down at her. “I still say there’s something else going on here. You’re not coming clean, but I can’t throw you out just because someone tried to kill you. Just don’t forget I am the base commander. If anything turns up, I am to be notified. Rest assured this is not over. I will get to the bottom of this.”

  “I’m sure you will, but there’s nothing more I can tell you. I’m just a Bosnian news reporter, that’s all.”

  “Yeah, right. A war correspondent. I don’t believe that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It means I can read. I read the lieutenant’s report. I know what you did out in the field today. I know what you did when your chopper crashed. No war correspondent I’ve ever heard of does that. No woman I’ve ever heard of shoots like that.”

  “Well, you’ve never met me. I grew up with guns. I know how to use them, and I’m not afraid.”

  “You should be! We’re talking about life and death here, Missy. That’s your life and your death.”

  “I’ve seen death before. I am not afraid of it.”

  He walked around his desk and sat down, rifling through the stack of papers on his desk. “I appreciate all your efforts today—especially saving Corporal Miller here. But if I hear of you joining in combat again, I’ll have you deported back to Bosnia. You got that?”

  Alina nodded. Lieutenant Lieberman nodded. Steve nodded with a vocal “Yes, sir.”

  Johnson glanced at him, then at Lieberman. “Lieutenant, you will take care of this. I don’t want to even hear someone mention her name again. Got that?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Johnson paused as if he were thinking of something. Finally, he said, “All right. That is all.”

  When they left the building, Lieberman took Corporal Miller aside. Alina saw him lecturing Steve with adamant gestures, yelling face-to-face with him.

  Steve stood at attention and nodded repeatedly. When the lieutenant was finished, Steve saluted and Lieberman walked away.

  “Whew!” Steve wiped his brow. “That was nasty.”

  She indicated the lieutenant. “What was that all about?”

  “He wants you on a short leash from now on. No more firearms.”

  “What about my gun?”

  He looked at her and smiled. “Well, if I don�
��t know about it, then I can’t confiscate it, can I? Just keep it out of sight. You got a utility bag or something?”

  “Yes.”

  “Put it in there for now. I saw that look in your eyes in Colonel Johnson’s office. You know this has to do with the drug ring, doesn’t it?”

  “If I were to bet, I’d say yes. But how would the rebels know about me?”

  Steve shrugged his shoulders. They started walking back to the barracks.

  “There’s a leak somewhere,” Steve said.

  “If there is, it had to come from Colonel Demir’s office. Only a few people know I’m here.”

  “And that also proves your two guys are in touch with the insurgents. That must be how they’re getting their drugs.”

  “But we can’t go to the colonel without proof. It would spoil everything. What I’m wondering is how they get the drugs out of the country.”

  “I don’t know. I guess that’s one thing we’re going to have to find out, isn’t it?”

  Alina took hold of Steve’s wrist and looked at his watch. “We have time. I should call Demir and tell him what’s going on. He needs to know he’s got a snitch in his department. After that, I say we go look at those pictures you mentioned. That way, you can know who we’re looking for. After that, we get some rest. We’re going to need it tonight.”

  “Tonight? Are you crazy? We can’t go out tonight. Didn’t you hear what the colonel just said? And Lieberman has his eye on you. If we do something now, they’ll just send you back home—and me to a court martial, probably.”

  She shrugged. “It’s got to be done. No sense wasting time. We don’t know when they’ll be making their next run. We have to be ready when they do. For all we know, they could be doing their meetings during the day—maybe even today.”

  He nodded. “Could be, but that would be hard to hide. I think they’re doing it at night.”

  “But I thought you said the base gets locked up at night.”

  “It does, but that doesn’t mean Blackbrier can’t leave. They have their own agenda here. They’re mercenaries. They go when and where they’re needed, so it wouldn’t be hard for them to get out. Now us, on the other hand, it’s more difficult.”

  “So we set up surveillance?”

  He nodded. “We set up surveillance. Like I said, we have to catch them in the act.”

  Alina made the phone call to Colonel Demir telling him of the incident. Then she turned to Steve. “Okay. Let’s get you up to date. Where are those pictures?”

  “Over there,” he pointed.

  They walked into a barrack lined with all sorts of notebooks and cardboard containers. A woman dressed in camouflage addressed them.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Yes,” Steve said. “Can we look at the personnel file for Blackbrier?

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but you need authorization for that.”

  Steve leaned closer. “Uh, see it’s about my friend here. She has a problem. She went out on a date with a guy from Blackbrier last night. He up and left her with the check. She just wants to identify him, but doesn’t even know his name.”

  The woman looked at Alina. “I hate it when that happens. That Blackbrier group is a bunch of scoundrels, that’s for sure. But you still need authorization to gain access to their personnel files.”

  “What’s your name?” Alina asked.

  “Elaine.”

  “Elaine, he did more than stiff me with the check. We got a room. When it was all over, he left and stole my wallet. Now I have no money and no ID. I promised the manager I would be back today with what I owe him, but I can’t pay unless I get my money back. Steve here is along to help with the muscle end. He’s just trying to help me settle a score. I could try walking in there, but I’m afraid the guy would just laugh at me. However, if Steve goes in there, there’s a chance he can get back what is mine. Trouble is, he doesn’t know what the guy looks like. All I want to do is find the guy’s picture and point it out to him. We don’t have to take the file from you. We can look at it right here. That way you won’t get in trouble. Please, I’m asking you. Will you help me?”

  The woman frowned then looked behind her. “Well, I don’t know...”

  “Please, Elaine.”

  “My supervisor is out at the moment. If I show you their personnel files, you’ve got to promise to be out of here before he gets back.”

  “We promise,” Alina said.

  The woman left, searching the metal racks for the box she wanted. She walked down the aisle and stopped. Stooping low, she slid out a heavy container from the bottom shelf. Quickly, she ran her fingers through the stack of papers, coming away with a thin plastic notebook.

  “Here,” she said placing it on the counter, “just be quick about it.”

  “Thanks. We owe you one.” Alina smiled and opened the book.

  She skimmed through the pages recording men with their wars and other expertise and experience. Alina pretended to examine each one but quickly got to Delic. She pointed it out to Steve, who nodded understanding.

  Alina continued flipping pages until she came to Sokolovic’s picture.

  “That’s him,” she said. “That’s the guy.”

  Elaine couldn’t help but look. “I’ve seen this man before. He’s the creepy type. How you ever locked up with him, I’ll never know.”

  “Well, when you’re drunk, you do things you wouldn’t normally do.”

  “Ain’t that the truth? Why, I once met a man in Vegas who I wouldn’t have...Hey! Where are you going?”

  Alina and Steve hurried from the building.

  “Okay, you know what they look like,” Alina said. “They obviously know what I look like, so I can’t be seen. That means you’ll have to do most of the grunt work.”

  “I’m used to that,” Steve said with a smile. “Come on. We better get some rest. We’re going to need it.”

  That night, Steve took first watch. He set up behind one of the motor pool sheds that overlooked the front door of the Blackbrier Unit. There was very little activity. All lights were out and no one came in or out.

  Alina came on at two in the morning to relieve him. Steve yawned and stretched. “Man, oh man. I never knew this spy stuff could be so rough.”

  “Rough? You don’t know the half of it,” Alina smiled. “Go get some sleep. Come get me in the morning.”

  Steve turned to leave.

  “Oh, Steve?”

  He shuffled around.

  “When do we go out again?”

  He shrugged. “Whenever the lieutenant says we go.”

  “What do you do in the meantime?”

  “We sit around and get bored. This,” he indicated the Blackbrier hut, “breaks the monotony.”

  “Well, I don’t think I can stay out of sight during the day. Do you think you can pull tomorrow’s watch?”

  He yawned again. “Sure. Whatever you say.”

  Alina thanked him and settled down to wait. About an hour into her watch, Delic came out. Instantly, she was alert. She watched him look left and right. He sniffed the night air, then turned right.

  Alina followed at a discreet distance.

  Delic opened the door to the latrine and went inside.

  Alina’s shoulders slumped. False alarm. The rest of the night dragged slowly on.

  At about six in the morning, Steve tip-toed behind her.

  “About time you got here,” Alina said without turning.

  “How did you know I was here? I wanted to surprise you.”

  “Next time, don’t walk on the sand.”

  Steve looked around. “All there is is sand.”

  “Exactly.” She turned to him and smiled.

  Steve handed her one of two radios. “I figured these would come in handy. I lifted them from supply. I’ll call you if anyone shows.”

  “Good. I’m going to sleep.”

  She was in bed for no more than an hour when the radio squawked. “Alina. Alina, are you there?
”

  “Yes, I’m here. What’s happening?”

  “Delic and Sokolovic just got into a Hummer by themselves. I think this may be it.”

  “Can you get a vehicle?”

  “Already working on it. Meet me in front of the barrack in two minutes.”

  Alina was out in one. Steve drove up in his own Hummer and Alina got in.

  “Where are they?”

  He pointed to a black Hummer exiting the gate.

  She said, “It’s going to be hard tailing them in this. You should hang back a ways.”

  “Shouldn’t be too bad as long as they don’t make a lot of turns. Military vehicles travel this road a lot. We’ll just be part of the traffic. We should blend right in.”

  The black Hummer did not make many turns. They took the highway heading due north out of the city. Once they were in open ground, Steve hung back. Visibility was excellent in the desert with only the shimmering heat waves for cover.

  Six kilometers out of town, they made a right onto a dirt rut—a simple set of tire tracks in the wide-open desert. Steve did not dare follow them down that road. It would be too obvious.

  Alina hit the dashboard. “We’re going to lose them.”

  “We can’t even follow at a distance,” Steve said. “Our dust trail would give us away for sure.” He pulled over to a stop. “On second thought, maybe we can follow them. They’re headed for the oil fields. Lots of military traffic there.”

  “What’s the chance of them doing a deal where there’s a lot of military around? I don’t think they’re heading for the oil fields. They are headed for the mountains where they can see someone coming. No, we can’t follow them. We can’t chance spooking them.” She looked out the window, staring at the nearby hills that fronted the desert plain. “Our best chance now is to wait for them to show up at the base. This is where they’re picking up the drugs. They’ve got to be smuggling the drugs out on a transport. There’s no other way.”

  Steve said, “Maybe we ought to bring the colonel in on this. I mean, this is getting out of hand. I thought we’d be tailing them, yes, but I never thought it through before now. Since they are smuggling drugs off the base, he should know.”