by Lynda Filler
How he loved this place. He made a toast in Sude’s honor and wished her peace in paradise. When she came to his cousin’s wedding, he only spoke with her briefly. He was so busy with the business he’d not been able to spend much time with her. He always had a thing for Sude, but she had never been part of his master plan. She wouldn’t leave Turkey, and Abdul saw a future for himself in America. Then she met the Turk. Next thing he knew, she was off the market.
Life was filled was lost opportunities, so he was proud of himself for seizing this one in Istanbul and moving forward.
Before he got too comfortable, Abdul dialed a familiar number on his cell.
“How’s it going?”
“Great, everything is running smoothly. Don’t worry, boss. I can handle the business here in Iran. Your father calls me three times a day. If I can keep him happy with the increase in activity, I think you’re good to go.”
“Perfect. That’s what I need to hear. Continue to send me updates daily. If anything requires an explanation, I will call you. Other than that, keep up the good work. It looks like you will double your bonus this month.”
“Yes. I’m excited about that.”
“Good. Wait until you see my new home. I’m up on my private roof-top garden, and it’s the size of my entire three-bedroom suite. I will send photos to your cell. Have you got a passport?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll get you a ticket so you can visit soon.”
“Really?? That would be great!”
“I’m working with some powerful people. Let’s see how this goes. I will continue to fly to Tehran. But in the next couple of weeks, let’s get together on the weekend in Turkey. You can bring me the monthly report in person.”
“Wow. That would be a dream. I hear the Turkish women are wild. Is it true, Abdul?”
“Could be. Let’s find out.”
“There’s been some excitement since you’re away. You probably saw the reports on the news. Protesters. The Secret Police picked them up before any damage could be done. The government thinks it’s game over, but I’m not so sure.”
Abdul felt a jolt of sadness hit him. It seemed like only yesterday when his older brother disappeared. Abdul was still a kid when it happened, over ten years now. Picked up by the government and never heard from again.
“No damage to our place, right?”
“No, not even close.”
“Alright. Don’t work too late. We will talk tomorrow.”
The sun slowly set over the Bosphorus Strait, and subtly placed lights came on around his penthouse garden. Romantic and magical. His life was moving in the right direction, and he was pleased to take advantage of this career opportunity. He wasn’t in the US yet, but he could feel his feet landing on the ground in Washington, DC. His time in Istanbul was just the beginning.
Two men sat in a café a few blocks away. They watched a video on the screen of their cell phone and listened to the sound on earbuds. “He left the terrace. He called down to the front desk to find out if he could order room service from the attached hotel.”
“He’s settled in for the night.”
“Yes.” They finally closed down the visuals in the room. Their phone would send a signal when activity returned to the suite in the morning. If Abdul had been trained in tradecraft, he might have checked his apartment for microphones or cameras. But it never crossed his mind.
Abdul’s phone rang at 6:30 am sharp. He rolled over and forced his eyes to read the caller ID. He was immediately awake.
“Rise and shine. We have a lot of work to do today. You’re having a cocktail party tonight!” Abdul was too excited to ask questions.
“I will be over in 30 minutes. Is there anything special you’d like for breakfast? We will order up to your suite.”
“Sure, yes.” Abdul listed his favorite Middle Eastern breakfast foods and signed off. He tried to clear his mind of a weird dream he couldn’t quite remember. Dread passed over him, a foreboding. But he had no time for this. He put his feelings aside, and twenty minutes later, he was showered, shaved, and ready for business.
48
At 5:45 am, Maggs and Samaar worked out in the elaborate home gym. At 6:15, Alice appeared. She was dressed in workout gear prepared to hone her martial arts skills. The three continued for another half-hour.
“How are you feeling this morning, Alice?” She looked at her mother, then over to Maggs.
“I’m sore from yesterday.” She looked away from her mother. Then continued. “I realize now why you allowed me to learn how to fight, Mom. I know I will always need to be ready to respond to violence.”
This was not the mother-daughter conversation she would ever want to have with Alice, but it is the harsh reality of their lives. And, unfortunately, a challenge the entire world faces today.
“I’m sorry, Alice. I hoped you would never have to use your skills to defend yourself.”
“It’s okay, Mom. It was good for me. I know I need to work out more, get stronger, and be focused on getting better. If that guy was in better shape, he might have taken me.”
Samaar took Alice into her arms.
“Mom, I’ve made a decision.”
“What’s that, Alice?”
“I want to start Krav Maga training right now. I don’t want to wait until I’m sixteen like you said.
The agent, Luci, looked at her precious daughter. She was turning into a striking young woman. She was almost as tall as her mother. Sex was so much easier to explain than why the world is filled with incredible acts of evil.
“I was taught Krav Maga by the Israeli Defense Force, Alice. I was an adult. It was never meant to be a sport. It was created with the sole intention of inflicting as much pain as quickly and efficiently as possible, which often includes deliberately ending the life of your opponent.”
Alice remained silent.
“It’s not for fun. And can only ever be used if and when you are in a life-threatening position.”
Neither spoke.
“I would have said no before. But after yesterday, I will reconsider. But on one condition.”
“What’s that, mom?”
“You must promise me, Alice, to never ever use it unless your life is threatened. Never use it during a public match, or at the gym. It’s not a sport.”
“I promise, mom. Yesterday I didn’t need it, Mom. This guy was a bad person, but he was not skilled in martial arts. If he had been, Mom, I could have been in real trouble.”
“Will you train her, Maggs?”
The tall MMA expert nodded. This was a solemn occasion for the family, and Maggs was family. They were an unusual yet functional family. All of them, except RB, had a history of war or violence. But they looked after each other. And if one was threatened, all responded.
“Yes. I will work with you, Alice. But I think we should never speak about this training outside the gym and with each other. Understood?”
“Yes, Maggs. Thank you, both of you.”
Damn, she’s maturing too fast.
“Next thing I know, you will want to shoot weapons.”
Alice blushed a deep shade of red.
“What?? Who is teaching you to shoot?”
“I promised not to say anything.”
“Alice. I’m your mother!”
“Luke. But don’t tell him I said anything, or he will stop.”
“He didn’t get you a gun, did he?” Samaar was in a panic.
“No, Mom. I promised I wouldn’t touch a gun except when I was with him.”
Maggs interrupted. “Anyone hungry?”
While the girls showered and changed for breakfast, Luke was online with Seattle.
“Luke, I get the impression that someone is playing games.”
“What do you mean, RB?”
“There’s definitely an underground rumor of an event of horrific proportions. But something about it feels off. I don’t know. I can’t find anything about missing bio-chem warfare. No alerts both in o
fficial and unofficial channels. The chatter is only on the dark web.”
“So maybe it’s just a game, a challenge of some kind. Or a red herring.”
Both men sat in silence.
“We still haven’t received anything from Kuala Lumpur. That’s disturbing. I hope Firestorm hasn’t lost an asset while entering that mosque. It’s almost impossible to retrieve anyone from custody in Iran these days.”
“Don’t stress, Luke. Go enjoy your non-honeymoon!”
“Funny, RB. Let’s check back after breakfast.”
49
“Your first official event will be this evening. Here’s a list of invited guests for you. I’ve added their official capacities and attached a brief bio.”
“That’s quick.” Abdul was surprised and somewhat nervous
“Don’t worry.” His contact handed over a thick file. “You have the whole day to study this file. Everything you need to know about each person, including photos, will be in this dossier. I’ve also added suggested topics of conversation, ice breakers if you will. Also, I added a note on what we ultimately want or need from each attendee. Most guests are political, some are businessmen, and then, of course, the two are mixed. These people are critical to Turkey/USA relations.”
“Perfect. I will study and have these memorized by evening.”
“That’s great. Now here’s a second file. You can keep this to the side for now. But tomorrow we will have another function. These are members who are less friendly towards the USA and the Middle East. Our philosophy is if we are not at peace, or find some common ground, none of us can reach our full potential.”
“I like that.”
“You should because that’s your true job description. We are one, united against our enemies.”
The gentleman’s partner sat off to the side, listening to the meeting taking place in front of him. He wanted Abdul to think he was merely a bodyguard. But he would be the one who took care of the logistics for all social events planned by his boss. Tonight would be a dry run.
“Any questions?”
“No, I think I’ve got it. My function is social. I will learn who the power players are, what power they have in the overall running of the country, ascertain their levels of influence. And eventually, I will become a trusted friend.”
“Exactly. By the way, this is rather last minute. We’re fortunate because the key politicians are in Istanbul for budget meetings. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to organize this so quickly.”
“They will be happy for the break, I’m sure.” Abdul smiled at his associates. This was going to be more fun than he imagined. One day Abdul hoped to find himself involved in international relations like the International Monetary Fund or the United Nations. He kept his real ambitions to himself. His father would never approve.
“We’ll leave you alone so you can attend to your homework.” All three shook hands.
“Oh, we will have extra security here tonight. We also imagine there will be bodyguards with our guests. We will secure a welcome suite for them with food and non-alcoholic beverages so they can to relax when they take their breaks.”
Abdul was impressed.
“Should we have an official press photographer? It seems it might be important for our image.”
“Hmm, I don’t think so. Let’s see how our first event goes. We will respectfully request cell phones to be placed on silent, and no photos are to be taken by the attendees. Let’s save our official photographic moments until we are all better acquainted.”
“Sounds like you’ve thought of everything.” Abdul was excited. “I will be ready.”
The men left, Abdul put more coffee in his French Press and sat down to study.
50
After breakfast, the team assembled in a secure room at the Estate.
“I think we need to dig in. Who wants to summarize where we’re at?” Luke looked around at his assembled team. Samaar and Himanish were off on their own, smiling, sharing photos and videos of their lives and family.
“Luke, you should see how cute Yu Yan is. She loves Himanish’ cat, To’ak. The two of them playing is so funny. Maybe we should get a pet for Alice?”
“Hmm, it seems to me she’s moved past the pet stage and straight to boys!” The team controlled their laughter. Raven’s eyes said he wasn’t ready for any jokes about Alice growing into a woman.
“We will let RB sleep. If he has news, he will sign on.”
“I spoke with Cruz last night. She works late. Actually, I don’t think she sleeps more than three hours a night—like you, Himanish, right?”
“Yes. I always figured that gave me an edge over any competition. Not like I have any competition!” Mild eye-rolling commenced from the members of the team.
“What did you learn from Cruz?”
“I’m going to check back now because she wanted to run the photos from the waterfront through an Interpol intelligence source. She also sent him the still shots she pulled from the wedding.” He stopped to gain control over his painful memories. “Sude’s really good this morning. She’s got security and a physical therapist taking her to our apartment.”
“That’s excellent news!”
“Yes.”
Himanish stared a text on his phone.
“This is perfect!”
“What’s happened?”
“Our guy retrieved the video feed from the mosque.”
“Your man is safe, that’s also very good.”
“She’s going to send it through. Come, let’s see what’s going on.”
Himanish propped his laptop on the desk.
“I can translate if there’s any voice.” Zach offered.
They watched the dark feed. A man walked into the room. At least twenty men could be seen sitting at computer terminals. Off to the right, another doorway led to stacks of computer equipment piled high, filling up space.”
“There are no prayers in this mosque. It looks like it’s been converted to a crypto-currency mining operation.” Rachel stated the obvious. “Look, women are serving food. That’s strange too. Not the food but where it’s being served.”
“I think the mosque is a front. Maybe a façade?” Zach added. “Freeze your video for a second. Have you got exterior shots?”
“Yes, here.”
“Has anyone ever seen this particular mosque?”
“I did.” Everyone turned towards Samaar. “Look, it was a time in my life that I never talk about.” She looked down to avoid revealing her real emotions. “My friend lived in the area, and sometimes we would arrange to meet in unexpected places. He was an Iranian journalist, and I was an Israeli spy. I could pass for an Iranian woman. A mosque late at night is the last place you would expect a reunion to take place.” Those who know Samaar’s story remained silent. Her past regrets were barely hidden beneath her calm surface.
“Did you go in?”
“Yes. I don’t remember the exact details. Something bad happened there during the last Iranian revolution. As a result of the coup, they decided to behead those who conspired in the courtyard of this place. I think more than one hundred men were slaughtered. The Government confiscated the property. Because of its significance, it sat empty. It was a glaring reminder to the people of what could happen for any kind of civil disobedience. When I last entered this building, it was abandoned. Some thought it was haunted. It looks like the crypto-currency business has no fear of ghosts.”
“Or maybe a reminder to anyone who works there who might want to reveal what they’re doing in this space,” Zach added.
“It’s certainly not abandoned now.” Himanish pushed play.
“Look at all those people.” Luke was impressed. “This is a massive operation.”
“Yes. This mining operation has surpassed a billion USD in the last three months at MAGE alone. I’m sure we’re not their only provider, just their most lucrative.” They watched someone give orders and point to terminals unattended. Then the boss turned towards the ca
mera.
“Can you zoom in on that face?”
“Yes. But I just received a message from Fatimah. She says she knows who it is.”
Himanish zoomed in.
“Isn’t that the guy Cruz met with today? Abdul?” Luke was excited.
“Yes, that’s him.” The Turk was more confused than ever.
“When you first showed me the photos Cruz took, I got the feeling there was something familiar about this guy. But I can’t figure out what.” Samaar stared at the still on the computer screen.
Luke nodded. “Keep trying, Samaar. We need anything you can come up with.”
Luke pointed to the computer and stated the obvious, “We know who you are and what you do. The big question is, why have you re-located to Turkey?”
51
Cruz showered and changed into new clothes she’d purchased in Taksim the night before. She had just finished room service when her phone signaled a call from the Turk. She listened carefully to his words, then responded.
“Yunus, do you think the meet with Abdul yesterday was not an accident? Are you certain that Sude never mentioned who you are or what you do?”
“I can’t be sure. I never discussed specifics with Sude. All she knows is that I do important intelligence work. And that’s recent information.”
Cruz began analyzing and second-guessing the last couple of days of her life. Why hadn’t she been more aware of her surroundings? Maybe Abdul or someone he was involved with had been watching her.
“This is troubling. Especially since I haven’t noticed anything unusual. Are we getting sloppy, Yunus?”
“Don’t be upset. At least you know you weren’t followed when you came to Taksim. You were aware enough to feel something was off, and you lost any tail you might have had. The bigger question is, what is the head of probably the largest crypto-currency play in the Middle East doing in Turkey?”
“Do you think I should call him?”
“Not yet. First, I have an idea.”
“Yes.”
“Sude is home now. She’s doing great. She has a physio team to help her, and my mother is staying with her. She’s already complaining that she’s bored. Why don’t you visit.”