by Lynda Filler
“No. Not that I’m aware. It’s a simple ‘meet-and-greet.’ My associates will be here. I will introduce you when they show up. Thanks again, Cruz. I can use your moral support.” Abdul turned to answer a question for the caterers. Cruz checked her phone for messages, then smiled at a photo that a friend posted on her Instagram page. Just another social event—said the girl who wouldn’t be caught dead at a boring event like this!
54
The watchers found a small hookah lounge not far from the entrance to Abdul’s new digs. They’d followed him yesterday and took the evening off when he settled in for the night. But today was a different matter entirely.
“Lots of activity.”
“Yes. There were meetings in the morning. A guy I don’t recognize, but I sent his photo to the office. They will see if he’s in our national database.”
Both men inhaled the aromatic flavors of tobacco. The younger bulky agent started to cough.
“What a wimp.”
“Nah, I’m allergic to tobacco! It’s not my fault.”
“Well, don’t smoke, you fool. Drink coffee, I’ll smoke.”
“Yeh, well, the boss said to blend in.”
“But you don’t have to die for the cause. Well, maybe later, but not now.”
“Thanks, that’s encouraging.” The fat guy couldn’t pass the physical for active duty, so all they’d allow him to do is watch. He was bored. And his partner with the dirty white sneakers was getting on his nerves.
“This is such a waste of time. Look, we got nothing on this guy except he met with some Americans.”
“Our job is to watch. So, we watch and report.”
Another hour went by, the guys ordered food.
“Look at that.”
“Yeh. Do you suppose the catering service is for our guy?”
“We’re going to find out. Get the info off the truck. We will send it to HQ and let them call with a complaint. A truck is blocking the entrance and get the name of the people who are catering to this event.”
“On it.”
55
At the estate on the Asian side of Istanbul
“Did you get that still photo, RB? The body cam is working perfectly. Cross-check the list. Here, I’m airdropping this to everyone’s cell.” Yunus sent a gift to Cruz’s place especially for tonight’s event. She was wearing it around her neck.
Yunus looked at the list. “Let me see who’s coming tonight.”
He studied it before making a judgment. “Here’s what I see, many of the names on this list were friends of my father-in-law. A few attended the wedding. They are alive, and he isn’t. That alone makes me curious.”
“I told Cruz we wanted photos of everyone that shows up at this event, including Abdul’s new bosses.”
“I’m ready. Now let me set up a direct connection linked with Cruz. You won’t have to forward anything to me, and I can immediately start cross-checking faces with photos in our database.”
“Zach, do you recognize any of these names? Do they mean anything to you?”
Zach and Rachel both checked their phones. Neither said anything.
“Himanish?”
“I’m forwarding everything to my office. Fatimah is waiting. We don’t think we will be any help in this part of your operation, but you never know. RB, can you make sure Fatimah receives the photos as they come through?”
“Sure. The more on this, the better.”
Luke looked around. “Where’s Samaar?”
“Last time I saw her, she was speaking with Alice.”
In another part of the house, Samaar and Alice cuddled on a couch and chatted. Samaar was a professional. She recognized the signs of the recent trauma at Sultanahmet with Alice and her would-be kidnappers. She hugged her and kept close contact with her daughter.
“Mom.”
“Yes, Alice?”
“How come you never talk about my father?”
The ex-Mossad agent really didn’t want to have this conversation with her daughter. But it was inevitable that as she aged, she needed to know more.
“It’s a difficult subject for me, Alice.”
“But what happened to him?” The sadness in Alice’s eyes was the precise reason she didn’t want to burden her daughter with the truth. Maybe she was selfish, but her love for Luke was her future. Her past was not only painful, and dangerous but could it could also be hazardous for Alice if she knew the truth.
“Mom. I was scared today. But my instincts saved me. I think I’m old enough to know the truth. Please tell me more.”
At that moment, Samaar could see glimpses of the charming man who, for many years, had been the only man she loved. As suddenly as their affair started, it stopped. They’d always kept it a secret, but when you are a trained operative for the Mossad, it’s impossible to keep a secret from your employers. The whole thing was a painful time in Samaar’s life. First, she lost her lover, and then the Mossad said Alice had been stillborn to keep her working for them. She would never forgive the Mossad for that period in her life.
“My love. It’s so hard for me to talk about it.”
“Please, Mom. Whatever it is, I can handle it now.”
“What is your earliest memory, Alice?”
A look of pain and confusion passed over her only child. She shuddered at the memory.
“I don’t really know, Mom. Sometimes I think it was the ocean. Remember. That storm in Mexico. We had to get away from the men who were chasing us. I was scared of the water, the lightning, and then the boat that took us underwater. That small submarine.”
Tears sprang to Samaar’s eyes as the memories flooded back of their escape on the run from the drug cartels in South America. Sheer terror kept them on the move and ahead of the hit squad sent to capture and torture them. They were ultimately saved by Zach and his friend, Mike. And that led them both to Luke Raven, the man she was supposed to marry just a few short days ago.
“Yes. I remember that so well. We were on a ‘venture.’ Do you remember you spoke with a soft lisp?”
Alice smiled. “Yes, and the French therapist helped me get over it.” Alice leaned into her mom. “The speech therapist said it was related to trauma, possibly a horrible event that I buried. Did I have an early injury before Mexico, that I might have buried?
Samaar’s heart hurt. She never wanted to have this conversation with Alice. Especially when she didn’t have all the answers herself.
“Alice. I never really wanted to tell you this, but you were in foster care after you were born.”
“What do you mean?”
“You were taken from me at birth. I was told you died.”
Tears sprang up for both of them. A tiny voice whispered. “Was it my father who took me?”
“No, darling. It was related to the dangerous work I was doing.” Alice waited for more.
“Mommy, you never ever talk about my father. Why?”
This conversation was going to be the hardest thing Samaar had ever done.
“Your father never met you. He died.”
Tears leaked from Alice’s eyes.
“Did he know about me, Momma.”
“No. When your Dad disappeared, even I didn’t know about you.”
Samaar held her daughter tightly while she cried.
“I’m sorry, Alice. We loved each other a lot. I can see him in you, just like I can see a part of myself in you. Alice, you are the best of both of us.”
A child’s voice whispered, “Do you have any photos?”
“No, Alice. He was a journalist, but he also did other things, like me. We could never have photos.”
“He was from Iran, yes, Mommy?”
“Yes, Alice.”
“And you didn’t know his family?”
Could this get more complicated?
“Mommy?”
“No. I didn’t know the family.” Damn, why now?
“Alice. What is really bothering you?”
“Maybe I have grand
parents somewhere.” Now her tears were falling. Samaar hugged her tightly.
“I’m so sorry, Alice. It was a terrible time. And an uncertain time for Israel and for you and me. That’s why we have so much security. You know this.”
“Mommy?”
“Yes, darling.”
“Could you try to find photos of him for me?”
This was not the conversation Samaar expected to have during her wedding week. But then she hadn’t planned on her pregnancy or a child born of a man who was a spy for a foreign country. There wouldn’t be any reference in photos or files to her lover. It was only after he disappeared that Samaar found out her lover was a spy for Iran. Samaar was angry and hurt. She couldn’t tell any of this to Alice. In reality, her life was so convoluted, and she didn’t want to re-visit the old hurts. Damn him! Why did he have to die without ever even knowing about Alice? Maybe if her lover had been more cautious, Alice would have a father.
“Alice. It was a long time ago. I will try, darling, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
The two were interrupted by Luke.
“Ladies. I think it’s time for Alice to go to bed.”
He smiled at Samaar and her daughter, who had rescued his heart from the black hole he’d fallen into after his own tragedy.
“I know what you’re going to say: no Facetime!” Alice smiled through her tears.
Luke pulled Alice into a big hug. “If you keep growing like this, you’re going to be my height!” He kissed her goodnight and turned to Samaar.
“When Alice is tucked in, join us. Let’s see what we can learn tonight.”
56
Near the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
“Who’s the girl?”
“A friend from his University days in Istanbul.”
“What do we know about her?”
“We watched him yesterday. They met by accident in Karaköy. He was coming out of Starbucks. It seemed to be an old haunt from his college days.”
“What does she do?”
“She said she works at an advertising agency. It checks out. She cleans up well. She’s a wild girl, tattoos, Greek Orthodox crosses on her. Weird. Artistic. They went for a drink. We bugged their conversation, but it was innocuous. They exchanged phone numbers.”
“Hmmm.”
“She called earlier, and he invited her to join him tonight.”
“We ran her through our database, but nothing of interest showed up.”
“Maybe she could be a good thing.”
“Why?”
“If Abdul has a regular chick to bang, we don’t have to be watching him all the time. We can take a break.”
“I get it. You like the girl for leverage. In case things get complicated, we can always grab her.”
“Yeh, that too. She also makes him look legitimate. This is her town.”
“But still, we should be watching her.”
“Maybe.”
“I like the way she’s helping him. She greets the guests and puts them at ease. Smart girl. Not what we planned, but I think it could be good in the long run.”
“By the way, did you put other watchers on Abdul yesterday?”
“No, why do you ask?”
“I’m not certain. But I had a feeling when I was down the street from the bar that someone else was out of place and trying to avoid detection.”
“What did you see?”
“It was brief, fleeting glance. When I turned back, he was gone.”
“It was probably nothing. Don’t concern yourself. As far as we can ascertain, we are completely safe. But that’s why we have to move quickly. If we don’t achieve our objective in the next couple of days, we risk discovery. You can’t pull off an event like the attack on the Bosphorus and not expect an increase in security and watchfulness by the government.”
“All the more reason to focus and get this done quickly and get out of Istanbul.”
Cruz noted the two men huddled in the corner. Their names were not on the guest list, and Abdul was so busy he hadn’t filled her in on their details. From the brief conversation, she knew they were representatives of the American group that had hired Abdul. She glanced over again. One seemed familiar.
All the guests on the list had been checked. Now it was time for Cruz to go to the bar for a glass of white wine.
“Please put it in a tumbler with ice.” This way, it would look like ginger ale, and the religious right would not be offended.
She turned to leave the bar and was confronted by the two gentlemen. There was something slightly off with them. She stood face-to-face and trusted their faces would register clearly with Yunus. This necklace sent to her place from Yunus was brilliant. Cruz smiled and waited for the men to speak.
“We didn’t get a chance to talk earlier. What do you think of Abdul’s new home?”
Cruz thought about how to play this. She settled on the cheeky airhead.
“It’s really cool. I love this rooftop. And the food is great.”
“Good. How long have you and Abdul been friends?”
“We met in college. It seems like a long time ago.” She smiled demurely—something that wasn’t easy for her to pull off.
“We were good friends then, so I was so excited to run into him again.” And that’s when it hit her. The man down the alley from the restaurant. Cruz was a well-trained operative. She didn’t think it was her being followed. And now, she was sure. He had been watching Abdul. But why? They hired him but didn’t trust him? She kept her face neutral.
“Maybe we can retain you to help him with events, some parties like this. It looks like you are already friends anyway.”
“Thanks. I mean, that’s a good offer. But I work at an advertising agency, and I’m happy to help Abdul for free. He wants to be successful in Politics and eventually move to the US.”
“Well, that’s our intention also. It was nice meeting you.”
“Yes, you too. Why don’t you help yourself to food and drink? Abdul looks like he’s got this under control.
Across town on the Asian side of Istanbul
“Did you get that, RB?”
“Yes, Luke.”
“They act as if they are security for this event, but they are Abdul’s bosses. Their questioning is smooth, professional. They say they’re American, but I can hear the training they’ve been given to perfect colloquialisms. Put them through facial recognition. Look at the Middle East first before you go to the USA.” Luke turned to Yunus.
“Yunus. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Seeing some of Abdul’s guests bring back the wedding. These guys survived. Pure luck.”
“So, they were all invited to your wedding?”
“No. Well, I should say some were invited but declined. And the others survived.”
“Where is Himanish?”
“Last time I saw him, he was in the kitchen with Maggs. Remember, he’s also a chef. We don’t need him right now, so let him enjoy spending time with a Michelin trained chef.” Luke noticed the secret smile on Samaar’s face and, not for the first time, wondered if Samaar was in love with Himanish. She certainly had been at one time. She confessed when Luke first confronted her. Firestorm was an easy man to love. He was also a brilliant and nimble thief. After all, he’d stolen a quarter billion dollars from the South American cartels for Samaar.
“RB.”
“Yes, boss?”
“Let’s get into the bank accounts and the phones of all these guests.”
Himanish walked in at that moment bearing a tray of Turkish appetizers. “Snacks anyone?”
“It must be nice hanging in the kitchen while we work!”
“Hah, you forget. Everything you’re looking at is already being analyzed by Fatimah in Kuala Lumpur. RB’s a genius. Don’t hate me because I can multi-task! Taste. You’re going to love this.”
Yunus watched the comradery of the team. It was at moments like this that he realized how lonely he often felt when he worked
by himself here in Istanbul. His work with Himanish was intense and vital. But now things had changed. Maybe there was a better way to move forward.
“Guys. Be honest with me. Do you think my cover has been blown?”
Raven looked at his young friend. He really didn’t know what to say.
“Look, there’s an operation of some kind going on. I will be brutally honest with you. If your cover were blown, you would have been killed at your wedding. Or, the attackers would have finished off the job at some point afterward. You’ve been careful. And, so have we. I think you’re good, safe. But you can never be too cautious.”
“I’m worried about Cruz.”
“They’ve bought her story. But.”
“But what?”
“You might have to ask her to make the ultimate sacrifice to solidify her cover.”
“What do you mean?”
Samaar smiled. “He’s pretty hot—for a young guy. I mean, in the interest of the mission, I’d do him.” Luke gave her a raised eyebrow.
Zach laughed.
“Who wants to tell her?”
“I will.” The Turk sent a text to Cruz’s phone.
His phone pinged back. Yunus read her response to the team.
“You want me to be Ingrid Bergman in Notorious!”
“Yes!”
“Game on!”
Everyone smiled.
“When all this is over, I’d like to meet your lovely Ms. Cruz. She sounds like a keeper.” Samaar liked women who could keep a sense of humor while surrounded by danger. Plus, she wanted the scoop on Abdul.
Once read, the message was immediately deleted from the Turk’s screen.
57
The evening wound down, the lights were dimmed, and soft music played in the background.
“Well, I would say your first event was successful.”
“Yes, thanks to you, Cruz. You were amazing!”
“You’re welcome, Abdul. I enjoyed it as much as your guests.”
“What about the food?” Cruz was still processing the text she’d received from Yunus. She smiled at her witty response and reference to the Carry Grant sexpionage film.