by Lynda Filler
“I thought it was good, although I didn’t eat or drink very much. I was trying to behave, Abdul.”
“Well, the chef left food in the fridge. How about a drink before you leave?”
“I’d like that very much.”
The two sat on a couch in the garden gazing at the moon. The charcoal sky created a haze around the full moon, romantic and mysterious.
“My employers really liked your work tonight. Too bad, you already have a job. They’d love to have you working with me.”
“And what about you, Abdul? Would you like me to work with you?” She casually leaned into Abdul and felt his body tense.
“Yes. Of course. That would be amazing.”
She laid her hand on his thigh.
“Well, it just so happens, I’m overdue for two weeks of vacation. Maybe we should see how we fit together before I make any changes in my life.”
Abdul smiled and placed his hand on top of hers.
“I think that would be perfect.”
The next morning Cruz woke to the smell of Turkish coffee on her night table with a small vase of flowers cut from Abdul’s garden. She smiled at the memory of a seduction worthy of an Academy Award. The only thing was, she didn’t have to fake her attraction. It had always been there.
She listened to the sounds of the shower and quickly checked the room for Abdul’s cellphone. She couldn’t find it anywhere, but her own lay beside her coffee. Good thing, it was password protected because she saw the notification of several unread messages.
The first of many was from Yunus. They started after midnight and continued until the last one right now.
“I’m fine. All is well. I will be taking that two-week vacation as of this morning. Thanks, boss.”
Abdul walked into the room, all six feet and then some, with a towel wrapped securely around his well-toned groin. A sexy smile lit up his face.
“How are you this morning, Ms. Cruz?”
She laughed. “How about surprised.”
“I don’t know if that’s the word I was looking for. After last night, or should I say most of the night, you seemed…satisfied?”
“Don’t go patting yourself on your sexy naked back, you slut!”
“Me. A slut? You’re the one who seduced me, Cruz!”
“Well, in case you’re wondering, I do have a confession to make.”
“What?”
“I always wanted you.”
Now Abdul looked confused. “But you never said anything.”
“That’s your fault, Abdul. You couldn’t see anyone, but Sude.”
He smiled at the memory. “True. And now I know what I was missing.”
“I left a message for my boss. I completed that project after I left you yesterday. That’s why I called. I thought I’d take a break and celebrate with you. He said I should enjoy my well-earned vacation.”
“In that case, I think we should start your vacation properly.” Abdul’s towel dropped to the floor.
Later that morning, Cruz headed to her apartment to shower and change. She called Yunus on the way.
“It seems the mission was accomplished.” She could hear the smirk in his voice.
“Don’t start, Yunus. I should get a bonus. I don’t remember seeing ‘honey pot’ in my job description!”
“Cruz. You told me you’d do whatever it takes. After all, this is in the interest of national security.” He laughed for maybe the first time since his aborted wedding. It was good to hear him be his usual self again.
“Tell me what you’ve found out so far, Cruz.”
“Look, something is going on here. I’m not yet sure what, but I can tell you that Abdul is oblivious. He’s not trained in tradecraft at all. If he were, he would never have let me stay over.”
“Why?”
“Because after he fell asleep, I made a thorough search of his home. I checked his briefcase, his desk, I even accessed his cell phone—don’t worry, I remembered to erase my tracks.”
“Did you check his place for bugs, cameras?”
Cruz remained silent.
“If he’s being played, they would have the place bugged, and more-than-likely they placed hidden cameras to keep an eye on him or anything else going on in the place.”
“No, I didn’t see anything. Once we fell asleep, I'm sure monitoring was turned off.” Her voice was both hesitant and anxious.
Yunus chose silence.
“Look, if Abdul is an innocent here, and they see me as his friend/maybe casual date, there’s no reason for them to continue watching him all night. I took a circuitous route home, like always. And I already told his bosses I’d be back tonight for the second event. They wouldn’t need to follow me because they know exactly where I will be this evening.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“This whole thing feels wrong. I can’t say why, yet, Yunus. But it’s like they are playing Abdul.”
“Are you sure you’re not going all emotional on me?”
Cruz thought about it for a moment.
“Look, I know this guy. First of all, I found nothing incriminating. Except I do have a gift for you.”
“What?”
“I will send it now.” Cruz waited.
“Is this what I think it is?”
“Yes, a head-start for tonight. This is the list of invited guests for tonight.”
“Great work, Cruz.”
“It’s going to cost you, though.”
Cruz looked at her nails and checked herself in the mirror.
“I want a girly day to get ready, and a little black dress, emphasis on ‘little’ so that I will look perfect tonight.”
“No problem. By the way. How do you pack a weapon under those circumstances?”
“Hey, with all my martial arts training, I am a lethal weapon in case you’ve forgotten.”
“I think I underestimated you, Ms. Cruz.”
“You can call me Ingrid.”
“Notorious.”
“That too.”
Yunus was still laughing when he closed the connection.
58
Asian Side Compound
“Where’s the President of Turkey?”
“First, he’s too high-level to be invited to this event. The U.S. political group does not have that kind of clout. They’d never risk a mistake by a new hire like Abdul, no matter how smart and sophisticated he is.” Luke talked to the group assembled at the estate.
“And besides all that, the President is meeting with Putin in Ankara. Now that the safe zone is established, Russia has agreed to help police the Turkish border. The two have to agree on exactly what that will look like. It puts Russia dangerously close to Turkey—even if they’re allies.”
Zach, Rachel, Samaar, Himanish, and Luke gathered in their war room to discuss the events of Yunus’ debut party last night and the plans for this evening.
“If there is nothing urgent, I have an appointment not too far from here. I will be gone for an hour or so. I promised Fatimah I would attend to this personally.”
“Sure, of course. We’ve got this under control. Here’s what I’m thinking.” Luke was definitely the strategist in the group. “I’m sending Zach and Rachel to replace two members of the catering team who will call in sick for the cocktail party tonight. They both speak Persian, and Rachel is fluent in Turkish. Zach knows the basics.”
RB listened from the command center in Seattle while working with the list he received for tonight, and the new one Cruz sent this morning. He shared his files with Fatimah in Kuala Lumpur.
“Where’s Yunus?”
“He went to check on Sude. She’s doing very well, up, walking. He will be here by noon.”
“Do we have a plan?”
“Yes. Zach understands Turkish, and Rachel speaks it. They will mingle as last-minute replacement staff. Most waiters will understand English because of their hosts, the U.S. group, and we will listen to every conversation. And record what might be pertinent.”
R
B interrupted the team’s conversation to add facts.
“First, I’m on to something. I will cross-reference before I bring it to your attention. And Fatimah is taking a different direction online today because she heard something on the dark web this morning. We are working as fast as we can. I will let you know our conclusions this afternoon.”
“Good. I don’t like operating blind.” Luke felt they might finally be on the right track.
59
Kuala Lumpur, MAGE Cryptocurrency
“You’re not going to believe this, RB”
RB was enjoying the bond created with Firestorm’s number one operative, Fatimah. She was bright, well-educated, and thought a date night should be spent on the deep web shadowing the movements of the dark web operators. Most people don’t know how to get into the deep web. And, secondly, who would spend their off-hours shadowing the criminal activity that takes place in the dark web. Fatimah and Himanish had uncovered major threats stalking the corridors of evil.
“What did you find, Fatimah?”
“First, I started with Abdul. His family ties on the surface look normal. He has a sister—I haven’t found anything about her. She disappeared, perhaps lives abroad. A brother who is dead. But Abdul’s father is a powerful force in the background of the Iranian regime. He only lives in Saudi Arabia for access to advanced medical care. He’s got rare terminal cancer. It will eventually take over his brain. He’s extremely secretive, and his illness is not yet at the point that he’s immobilized.”
“Interesting. I know that’s not all, so continue.”
“Basically, Abdul has been hiding funds for Iran. The majority of the money comes from Oil and Gas. It is OPEC's second largest exporter and the world's fourth largest oil producer.
They are also laundering illegally gained money—black market sales. Abduls reputation is clean. I don’t think he knows where the money is coming from nor who it is going to. His father is the boss. He’s the go-between with the government. Abdul believes he is investing funds to safeguard the resources of the country. But what happens with the funds, he has no specific knowledge. There’s definitely coercion from the father to keep on doing whatever they are doing. By the way, it’s billions and billions of dollars. Whatever sanctions the Americans or Europeans are placing on Iranian funds is insignificant to the amounts the country has already hidden in cryptocurrencies.”
RB waited, he could tell from the excitement in her voice she wasn’t finished.
“I will have more on where the cryptocurrency is finding a home soon. But listen to this. I followed a trail and found the roots of this organization that hired Abdul. He thinks he is going against the wishes of his father by working for a U.S. company and planning his future in the U.S.A. But from what I can see, this U.S. think-tank or political P.R. firm is anything but American.”
“Now that’s very interesting. What did you find?”
“I really had to dig for this. It’s set up as a U.S. corporation, an LLC. They’ve created a fancy front, a good address in D.C. I sent one of our contacts over. I told her to be discreet. It’s a rented office with one person staffing the front desk and telephone. This company has also created many subsidiaries, mainly in other states. Under the incorporation documents, the entities are designed to provide political consulting services for all parties. Because it’s not an election year, the subs are relatively inactive. At the moment, they are non-partisan. Smart. It seems they are waiting to see which candidate to endorse. The corporations are also a recent filing. Within the last year. I dug deeper. I got into the corporate computer in Washington. Don’t worry, we know how to do this and cover our tracks. Lots of cryptocurrencies are being run through the shell. Where the actual funds are ending up is what I’m working on now.”
“That’s good work, Fatimah. I will let the team know right away. Did you check to see if some of the crypto purchased by Abdul’s company is being fed into LLC. that hired him?”
“That’s what I’m cross-referencing right now.”
“Anything else?”
“I have an online friend who is chasing down an obscure lead in the dark web. Keywords: Istanbul. Bio-chemical. He’s expanded his search. You know how terrorists like to brag. I expect to hear back from him soon.”
“Okay. The sooner, the better. We know something is up, but we haven’t been able to figure out what it is. I’m working with last night’s list of attendees. I will let you know what I find when I’m finished. You must be tired, Fatimah.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve been catnapping at work ever since this started. Tell Himanish he owes me a vacation when it’s over!”
“I’ll get Luke to send you some Turkish delights. In the meantime, why not try spiking your coffee. No one will know what you’re doing because you drink coffee all the time.”
“What did you say? What kind of booze works best for you, RB?” Fatimah was laughing. Suddenly she stopped. “Wait a second.”
RB could hear Fatimah clicking away. Her excitement was palpable.
“I have an idea! I need to contact my friend. I’ll get back to you.”
60
Cruz gazed at the reflection of a sexy, confident woman. “Where did you come from, girl?” She liked the way the knit long dress skimmed her boyish figure yet left no doubt about the unconventional quirky girl who wore it. She thought she'd wear something short and sexy. Then she saw this and knew it was the perfect Ingrid Bergman dress. She hoped Abdul would like it. More than likely, his mind would be imagining her naked body beneath the dress.
“Cruz, when, was the last time you felt this way about anyone—male or female?”
Her cell vibrated urgently.
“Yes? How dare you interrupt me when I’m getting ready for a hot date.”
“What are you talking about? You’re meeting Abdul, again, right?”
“Yes. But, remember, Femme Fatale. Abdul offered me a job, and, of course, I will consider it. Cushy right-hand girl, answer phones, set up appointments, flirt with clients. You know, just the kinds of things I’m really good at!”
“Alright, enough fun, Cruz. Seriously, why are you smiling?”
Cruz kept silent.
“You liked it? But I thought you were a lesbian.”
“Why would you think something like that?”
“Cruz?”
“Have you met Abdul?”
“Really? He’s that hot? And I let Sude go to his cousin’s wedding without me?”
“Exactly.”
“So, you’re telling me you enjoyed sleeping with him?”
“Is that so difficult to imagine? I can’t spend my life on machines, playing with computers, having virtual relationships. Even nerds have needs! Give me a break, Yuni!”
The Turk’s laugh was uncontrollable.
“What’s so funny?”
“I was picturing you playing in a virtual, group sex chat room… Oh, never mind.
“Really, that’s what you think of me? I should sue you for sexual harassment.”
Yunus laughed until it hurt.
“I can imagine you before a judge in Turkey claiming sexual harassment in the workplace. You would have to wear a chador to the court, cover up all those crosses, and pretend to be religious. This is not the U.S.A., my sexually confused partner-in-crime.”
Now they were both laughing so hard Cruz missed a call from Abdul.
“Sex aside. What do I need to know before this evening?”
“We loved the necklace. Wear it again. Thanks for the list, by the way. We’ve analyzed it and found that a few of these have been politically vocal about how the administration of Turkey should move forward. They’re loyal but definitely see Turkey as European, aligning with NATO, and not remotely interested in expanding their role in the Middle East.”
“Hmm. I wonder if that’s why the groups were separated. Although intimate conversations are impossible if the attendees are too many.”
“Exactly. There are other commonalities. N
one of these ministers were invited to the wedding. I don’t think they were friends with Sude’s father. That’s all I have so far.”
“I will check in with you later.”
“Okay, Cruz. But I want you to remember something.”
“Remember what?”
“You are role-playing. I don’t want you to get hurt in more ways than one.”
“Ah, boss, that’s no fun. If we don’t get hurt occasionally, we don’t appreciate the real thing when it finally comes along.”
61
Himanish arrived at his destination ten minutes later than planned. His driver pulled into an elegant courtyard manned by military-trained private security. Their weapons were visible and meant to intimidate. He thought the whole show of power was overkill. Yes, this home spoke of money and status, but they were, after all, in a first-world country.
Himanish was expected by the homeowner. That didn’t change the search of his vehicle and person. Before he could knock, the door was opened by a silver-haired-gentlemen, over six-feet tall who studied Himanish for several seconds before welcoming him into the foyer of the home.
“You must be the man, my daughter, Afra, is expecting.” He offered his hand to shake, but his haircut and posture spoke of a man used to commanding others and controlling events. He was obviously out of his league in this issue, or his daughter would never have contacted MAGE.
Himanish smiled with a mild amount of deference but made it perfectly clear he would not be intimidated, nor would he reveal anything the man’s daughter was not prepared to share. A young woman in her late 30’s entered the room casually but modestly dressed her hair covered in a designer hijab.
“I see you’ve met my father. You must be the representative from MAGE. Thank you for coming to see me.” She grasped his hand warmly, her own shook slightly. She was devoid of jewelry except for a wedding ring on her left hand. A young boy of approximately five trailed behind her. He was dressed from head to toe in a Superman costume. Three baby kittens tumbled between his legs, all dressed in Superman doll-now cat, costumes.
Himanish couldn’t contain his laughter.
“This is my son, Zayan. Say hello to Mr. Himanish.” Himanish leaned down to be at the same height as the young man.