Alina shook her head. “We still have no evidence. Once we have something, we’ll tell him then.”
Steve stared at her. “It’s not just the evidence. You want to kill them. I thought you were just going to shut down their operation.”
“Got a better way to do that?” Alina looked out the window again, watching Delic’s dust trail slowly disappear over the hill. “We had better get back to base before someone misses this car.”
~~~
Naser Delic drove down the dusty trail and picked up his sat phone. He dialed Itsakovic.
“Yes?”
“This is Naser checking in. The patrol went out this morning as planned. Javor and I got pulled into a meeting, so we didn’t see them come in. I heard about the firefight, though. They took a lot of casualties. I hope it was worth it. I hate losing good men over a woman.”
“I told you not to do that. You’ve tried the ambush thing too many times!”
Delic didn’t say anything to the chastisement. He couldn’t. He knew what would happen if he did.
Finally, Itsakovic said, “Any news about her? Is she dead?”
“No word yet. But judging by what happened to the men, a woman couldn’t have possibly survived.”
“I told you not to underestimate her. I need positive confirmation before we move on. That’s why I’ve already sent you two of my best men, just to make sure. I can’t chance losing another shipment. They should be at the base tonight.”
“But, sir! We can handle this.”
“I am not as convinced as you.”
Delic sat in the car and watched the road. When he spoke, it was with a detached, defeated tone. “And just what are we supposed to do now? We’re approaching the rendezvous point with the Iraqis. What do I tell them?”
“Tell them you’ll make the deal later. If they don’t like it, explain it to them.”
“Explain it how? We’ll be outnumbered. What’s to keep them from taking the money and run?”
“Repeat business, Naser, repeat business. Besides, we know where they live. If they try something, we’ll bomb their houses and kill everyone.”
“That’s only good if we live through this,” Delic replied.
Chapter 26
Delic and Sokolovic got out of their Hummer and approached a band of small pickups. Sitting on the hood of the lead truck was an older man. The sun’s harsh environment had weathered his skin. Deep creases lined his face. He sported a gray mustache and black bushy eyebrows. Although he wore Western-style trousers and shirt, the traditional turban wrap protected his head.
“Hello, Khebat,” Delic said in English.
“Where is the money?” There were no pleasantries with these hardened men.
“Well, that’s the problem. We don’t have it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we don’t have it. The boss has some problems.” He held up both hands when Khebat rose. “No big problems. More like issues.”
“What kind of issues?”
“One is that girl you were supposed to kill this morning. Is she dead?”
“I do not know. All of my men were killed. I hope for your sake she is with Allah.”
“There, you see? We still have an issue. We can’t do business as long as that girl is still alive.”
“Why not? She is only a woman. If she threatens you so, kill her yourself.”
Sokolovic shook his head. “Can’t do that. It’s against the rules. If she were to be killed or captured by you, then that’s a different story. Then we can start doing business again.”
Khebat looked at their car. “I think you brought the money with you. I think it is in there. I think because of this woman you are backing out of the deal we made. I will take the money and drop the cargo here. You can take it when you want.”
Sokolovic shook his head. “Can’t do that either, Chief. We can’t just leave those crates in the middle of the desert. You know that. What happens if someone comes along and takes it?”
“That is not my problem. You are the ones with problems, not me.” He stepped forward. “My people need to eat. They need guns and equipment. We cannot fight the Americans on empty stomachs. We cannot fight them with stones.”
“We know that,” Delic said, “and we’re not asking you to. All we need is one more day. Just one day. Let us make sure the girl is dead. Once we have proof, then we can finish the deal.”
Khebat scoffed. “A woman. A mere woman frightens you. You Bosnians are no different than the Americans.”
Delic stiffened. “I take offense at that! We hate the Americans. Look at what they did to our country.”
“Then why do you fight with them? Why do you fight against us?”
“We only provide escort duty, Khebat. You know that. As long as you don’t attack one of our convoys, we have no problem. That was our deal. As of this date, my men have yet to kill one of your men. None. Now compare that to the Americans and you can see that we are very much different.”
Khebat raised a fist above his head. Instantly, twelve rifles snapped to the men’s shoulders.
“As I said, we will take the money.”
“And as I said, we can’t do that,” Delic said. He stepped closer to Khebat, putting him in the line of fire.
“Then we will take it from you.”
“Then we will bomb your villages. We will destroy your houses and kill your women and your children. You don’t want that, Khebat. We certainly don’t want that. Why can’t we agree to wait just one more day?”
Khebat looked at the shorter man, a deep frown deepening the many creases on his face. “You would not do that.”
“Try me.”
Tense silence penetrated the desert. The only sound was the wind blowing sand at their feet.
Khebat turned to his men. They lowered their weapons. He pointed a finger. “One day, Delic. One day. If you are not here tomorrow, then we will find another buyer.”
“Good luck with that,” Sokolovic smiled. “You know we’re the only buyer who will touch you right now. Without us, you have nothing.”
Khebat was about to retort when Sokolovic held out his hands. “Just be patient. We’ll be back tomorrow. I promise.”
“I have your word?” Khebat said.
“You have my word. Same time, same place.”
Khebat turned away. His men got into their trucks.
Before he left, Khebat’s pickup pulled alongside the two men. “I also know where you live. I know which trucks you drive. My men can hunt you down and kill you like dogs! So do not threaten me again, Delic. Do not threaten me again.”
The driver spun his wheels and his white pickup drove off in a cloud of dust.
“I don’t think he took that very well,” Sokolovic said.
“Didn’t think he would.”
They made their way back to the Hummer. “Did you see all those AKs aimed at us? It looked like they were really going to shoot.”
“They were, Javor. They were. These men don’t play games. You know that. What we said irked him to no end. He will not be pleasant to deal with from here on out. We better come prepared the next time we meet, just in case.”
“If it comes to that, I’ll kill him myself,” Sokolovic said.
They got into their car, Delic behind the wheel. “Do you think they killed the girl?”
Sokolovic shrugged. “There’s one way to find out.”
Delic nodded. “One way to find out.”
He started the car and turned around, heading back to town.
~~~
When Steve and Alina entered Kirkuk, she said, “Stop the car.”
“Why?”
“Just stop the car!”
Steve pulled over to the side of the road. “What is it?”
“That dress shop. Think you can go in and get me a dress?”
He looked at the shop and hesitated. “Well...yes, I suppose I could. Why?”
“Camouflage. Can you think of a better way for me
to mingle with the people? Right now, I stand out. I need to blend.”
“Now, why would you want to blend in with the people around here?”
“In case we have to go out. I’m a wanted woman. They’re looking for a woman in military camos. They won’t think to look for a simple Muslim woman walking the streets.”
Steve’s eyes lit up. “Ah! I see.”
He opened the car door.
“Make sure you get something to cover my head and face,” Alina called out.
He nodded and closed the door.
He was out of the shop in ten minutes. He got into the truck and handed her the package. “I guessed at your dress size. I hope I got it right.”
“It’ll do fine,” she said, examining the dress. “And you got it in black. Good thinking. Make it harder to see me at night.”
“Uh, yeah, although I admit I didn’t think about that.”
They entered through the security checkpoint at the airbase and drove up beside their barrack. “You go get some rest. I’ll drop the car off and be back in a sec.”
She nodded and went inside.
Steve had just parked the car when a sergeant stepped up to him.
“And just where have you been with my Hummer?” he said.
Steve turned around. “Oh, just sight seeing. We have an embedded reporter with us, and I thought I’d give her a tour of the city.”
“Oh, you did, huh? You mind telling me how you got it so dirty?”
Steve looked at the dusty car, at a loss for words.
“Took her outside the city limits, I bet,” the sergeant said.
Steve nodded. “Please don’t tell anyone, Sarge. I’ll get in trouble.”
The sergeant crossed his arms, looking at the cringing corporal. “Tell you what. You wash the truck, and I’ll forget all about it.”
Steve smiled. “Thanks, Sarge. I’ll get right on it.”
It took him thirty minutes to wash and dry the Hummer. He was on his way back to the barracks when he heard someone calling.
“Hey, you!” the voice said.
Steve turned around. He tensed. It was Sokolovic. Beside him was Naser Delic.
“You talking to me?” he said.
“Yes, I’m talking to you. Wait up.”
Steve slowed enough for them to get close before saying, “What do you want?”
“We hear you got a woman reporter staying in your barrack. That right?”
Steve thought fast. “Uh, we did until this morning. She was killed in a firefight. An ugly mess. Took a shot right in the face. A pity, too. She was kind of cute.”
Sokolovic looked at Delic, who exchanged a nod.
“Sorry to hear that, Corporal. Well, we’ll see you around.”
“Is that it?” Steve said. “That’s all you wanted to know?”
“If she were still alive, we wanted to talk to her. Isn’t often we get fresh meat around here. And when we do, most often they’re heifers. Know what I mean?”
Steve tried to smile and nodded.
The two men walked away.
Miller waited until the men had gone into their hut. He then trotted to their Hummer and looked inside. Nodding to himself, he hurried to his quarters. He quickly went to Alina’s bunk and shook her awake.
“What do you want?” she said dreamily. “I just got to sleep.”
“Sorry, but guess who I just talked to?”
Alina rolled back over. “I don’t know and I don’t care.”
“Delic and Sokolovic.”
She looked back at him, instantly attentive. “You did? What did they want with you? Did they see us today?”
He shook his head. “They were asking about you.”
“What did you tell them?”
“I told them you were dead.”
“Good thinking, Steve. That will throw them off the trail a bit. May even give us an edge.”
He smiled. “That’s what I thought. I had a chance to look in their Hummer, and guess what I saw?”
She shrugged.
“Nothing. Not a thing. Whatever they did out there, they didn’t come back with anything. So you know what I think?”
“They didn’t make the deal.”
He nodded. “I think maybe they’ll make their move soon, now that you’re dead. Maybe even tonight.”
“You think?”
Steve shrugged. “It’s a guess, but if they were watching over their shoulder, that would explain why they didn’t make the deal today. Now that you’re out of the way, they’ll go through with it next time.”
Alina smiled. “And then we can pounce on them.”
“But first things first. We have to get you off base. You can’t be seen walking around here. You stuff your hair under this cap. When I pull up outside, I’ll make sure it’s all clear. When I honk the horn, you get in real quick. Then I drop you off outside the gate.”
“But where will I go? What will I do? I can’t just walk the streets all night.”
“Tell you what. I’ll get you a room at the hotel across the street.”
“But what will you tell the lieutenant?”
He shrugged. “I’ll tell him you shacked up with somebody. A woman as pretty as you, he’ll believe it. Most of the guys in this barrack want you anyway. He’ll have to believe it.”
“Steve, you’re making me out to be a slut.” Alina smiled. Steve laughed.
Fifteen minutes later, Alina had the Beretta tucked in the waistband of her camouflaged pants. The spare clip was in her side pocket, her front pockets filled with shells. She waited at the door. She heard a soft beep of a horn. Tucking the package under her arm, she ran out to see a quarter-ton pickup truck.
“Where did you get the car?” she asked.
“Confiscated from some insurgents. It was just sitting there, so I took it.”
She got in. “You mean you stole it.”
He gave a demure nod. “I guess you could call it that.”
Outside the gate, Alina hurried into her dress as Steve went inside and got a room. By the time he was out, she was standing beside the truck.
“Wow!” he said. “You look great. Never thought I’d see you in a dress.”
“Cut it out or I’ll deck you right here,” she said.
He gave her the room key. Then he handed her the truck keys.
“What are these for?
“Just in case. And here.” He leaned into the truck and produced his radio. “Take this. Call me if you see anything.”
That night, Alina sat by her second-floor window watching the activity of the airbase. Fighter jets took off by the squadron. Helicopters buzzed in and out. It was a coordinated dance of heavy machinery she still found hypnotizing.
She looked down. A black Hummer was just leaving the gate. Two men sat in the rear seat. She didn’t get a look at the driver, but a man with a bushy beard sat in the passenger seat. Could be Sokolovic. She had to take that chance.
She grabbed her gun and truck keys and raced out the door. In her haste, she dropped the veil to her costume, but she let it go. She couldn’t afford to lose those men.
Adjusting the headdress, she started the truck and moved into the nighttime traffic. She dashed about in relative close pursuit without fear of being noticed. A beat up Toyota was common in this part of the world.
The Hummer turned right. Thirty seconds later, Alina followed. They stopped in front of an adobe house. Alina pulled over to the side of the road and killed the lights. Five men got out. Two of them were Delic and Sokolovic. She did not recognize the other three.
Delic and Sokolovic spoke to one of the men and then went inside. Before they knocked, they checked their guns and put them back in their holsters. The other man held back to stand guard.
Alina got out of the truck. Still in her black robes, she slowly walked up the street. The guard looked at her and then turned away. It was the response she hoped for.
A four-meter-high adobe wall surrounded the yard. Alina continued walking pas
t the sidewalk and into the shadows between the houses. There, she removed the cumbersome dress, exposing the military camouflage pants and blouse.
She waited for the guard to turn around. The man was diligent but predictable. A few steps this way. A few steps the other. He had just made his turn when she was up and over the wall in one quick sliver of movement. Then she edged toward the unsuspecting man, using the shadows near the house as cover.
The man turned toward her. Alina stopped dead still, knowing that at night only movement could be easily seen.
He dug into his shirt pocket and produced a cigarette. He took out his lighter and lit it, staring into the flame.
Good, Alina thought. That will increase his night blindness.
The man seemed bored. He stood facing the house and blew out a long stream of smoke. He looked at the house as if wondering why he was out here, but then he shook his head and continued his beat.
Only then did Alina slide along the front wall of the house, staying deep in the shadows, all the while watching the guard. She was behind him now. She readied for her spring and made her move.
That’s when the man turned around. At first, he did not notice the shadow rushing toward him. Then his eyes went wide, and he went for his gun.
Alina was on him before he could get the pistol out. She jumped and kicked him hard in the face. The man fell back and then rolled quickly to his feet. He never stopped. In one motion, he was already coming straight at her.
Alina tried a spin kick. The man leaned back to avoid her boot, then he stepped in and lanced a solid right to her chin. The blow staggered her. She dropped back, her head already reeling. The man followed, throwing a left-right combination to the head.
Alina fell. Her ears rang. Her eyes crossed. In desperation, she reached for her gun, but the man simply kicked it out of her hand. She tried to get up but moved too slow. The guard kicked her in the stomach, rolling her over with a grunt of agony.
Despite her pain, or perhaps because of it, Alina forced herself to her feet. She threw a right cross at the shadowy blur, hitting him in the jaw. She followed with a left to the chin, then turned and hit him in the stomach with a back kick.
The man grunted but did not go down. He tried a roundhouse spin kick. Alina’s groggy mind barely recognized the move in time. She ducked. His boot grazed the top of her head. She straightened only to find him still spinning, hitting her in the face with another roundhouse kick.
Alina's Revenge Page 24