Freedom's Promise: Task Force 125 (6 page)

Nikolai remained cool but stopped tapping the pen and pointed it at Vince.  "You didn't tell me how you and she met in
Italy
.  Victor told me about his meeting with you and how you had her with you.  He said that you met her
at a party in
Milan
.  I thought it was an interesting coincidence after our chance meeting in
Las Vegas
."

"Oh, come on now, Nikolai.  You know as well as I do that there is a certain type of woman who appreciates and seeks out the kind of life men like us can provide.  We find them in Vegas,
Milan
,
Monaco
.  They flock to places where power, money, and conspicuous consumption can be found.  Don't be naive.  Let's stop pussyfooting around, Nikolai.  What do you want from me?"

"You're right.  I don't need information on Sarah Stevens.  She'll be easy enough to pick up and question directly.  It seems she was accompanying a gentleman at the Burj al Arab a couple of days ago.  She's American and unaccustomed to the culture here in the
Middle East
. 

Vince's heart warmed. 

She's here.  She's with Will.  They know.
 

“
Women go missing here all the time and nobody ever gives them a second thought.  It's only a matter of time before my men find her alone and grab her."

Despite
Nikolai's certainty that he had the upper hand, Vince’s heart grew light with a sudden surge of optimism. 

The boys won't let anything happen to her.  Leave it to Will to pick up my trail in twenty-four hours or less. 
That resourceful bastard.
  I'm going to buy him the biggest, oldest, most expensive bottle of Scotch I can find when this is all over.

Chapter Twelve

Sarah watched the activity on the island below as they lifted off. 

Within moments, Jason had rolled the little trailer back into the hangar and closed the huge door. 

Brian circled the chopper off the island, low and slow. 

She noted their flight path against the position of the sun. 
"Brian, why are we going east when we should be heading west toward
Saudi Arabia
?"

"I'm flying low and staying off the radar until we get to another island.  We'll lift from there so nobody can trace us to Vince's island."

Good plan.

Sarah had been making plenty of mental notes lately about spy craft and covering her tracks.  The aliases, the numbered accounts, the dummy corporations for purchasing real estate were all tools they used in their trade that blurred the line between the good guys and bad guys.  This was turning out to be her most educational mission yet, but she had a sneaking suspicion she'd only seen the tip of the iceberg.

Will, always with a mind for the mission, turned in his seat to face Sarah.  "Okay, so for our purposes, this is just a chopper for hire.  Brian has no connection to us and isn't any more than a cab driver."

"Is he taking us all the way in to
Riyadh
?"

"No, we found some hitches with that plan.  He'll take us as far as the airport in
Dubai
.  We'll catch a commuter plane from there into
Riyadh
and then catch a flight back to
Dubai
in the morning."

"What time is our plane to
Saudi Arabia
?"

"Not for a few hours.  I noticed you packed lightly so I thought we'd do some shopping in
Dubai
."

Sarah chuckled.  "I'd forgotten how much you like to shop."  She nodded. 
"Sounds good to me."

"Great!"  Brian rolled his head for their benefit.  "So I get to follow you girls around while you shop and talk about boys?"  He clicked his tongue.  "Not what I had in mind when I signed on for this gig."

Will rolled his eyes.  "We all have our crosses to bear, Brian.  You could be stuck escorting La Signora to a stuffy old embassy party."

Brian shook his head.  "Jeez. 
Free booze and hot women in expensive underwear?
  Throw in a pool and that's my element."  He turned to grin at Sarah.  "Just another day in the life of Brian, right Sarah?"

Sarah returned his smile and then watched him switch gears from fun loving playboy to super spy as a nearby tower operator called him.

Brian slipped easily into Arabic as he spoke to the tower operator in
Dubai
.  He spoke it so well and with such a perfect accent, that one might believe Arabic was his first language.

That was when it hit her.  When he stopped speaking, Sarah had to ask.  "Brian?  Can I ask you a personal question?"

He seemed to know what she was thinking.  "You didn't think I got this great hair from British roots, did you?"

"But your father was a Navy SEAL and your mother is no Arab."

"Dad changed his name from Al Han'ah to Allen when he came to the
U.S.
  The ranch and all that
Texas
history are on Mom's side of the family."

"But weren't you just a baby when he…"

Brian nodded.  "Yeah, but Mom was pretty insistent that I learn the language and culture.  I spent a lot of time with his family in
Saudi Arabia
while I was growing up."

"Good to know."  More mental notes ticked away in Sarah's mind.

~~~

The upscale shopping center in
Dubai
was bustling with people.  Every race and color milled about in Arab garb as well as Western style clothing. 

Hard to believe we’re in the heart of the Arab world. 

Sarah made use of her bank card and allowed herself to relax with some power shopping.  She took comfort and a sense of security in knowing Will was never far away and clearly on alert.  She had just purchased a black silk Ralph Lauren Black Label dress to replace the one she'd ruined on the tarmac as well as some new accessories, fragrances and a few pairs of shoes.  Her hands were full of shopping bags as she made her way across the wide, palm-lined hall to the cafe where Will sipped an espresso.

Suddenly a man in traditional white Arab robes appeared from nowhere and stepped in front of her.  She tripped, stumbled, and scrambled to catch her bags. 

The stranger stopped and looked her in the eye as he handed her a bag that had fallen.  "Excuse me, Miss Stevens."  He flashed a menacing smile and disappeared into the crowd before Will had time to spring from his table.

Sarah's stomach turned with dread and a chill ripped up her spine.

"Are you all right?"  Will grabbed her arm.  "My God, what did he say to you?  You're white as a sheet."

Sarah barely managed a whisper.  "Will, he knew my name!"

Will gripped her tightly with one hand and flipped his phone open with the other.  "Okay, let's get out of here."  He hit a speed dial on his phone and waited for an answer as they made their way to the exit.  "We're coming up to the east entrance.  Be there a minute ago."

Brian pulled up to the curb just as Will and Sarah dashed out of the shopping mall.

Sarah opened the door and they both tumbled in without a thought to how they must have looked to other shoppers.

The Mercedes sedan lunged into traffic before Will had even closed his
door.  Bria
n checked all the mirrors to see if they were being followed.  "What the hell happened in there, Will?"

"Apparently Nikolai was expecting us.  Got to hand it to the man, he's got a well-organized operation."  Will
searched
Sarah’s shopping bag.  “Did he touch you?”

Sarah knew Will was worried about a possible bug.  “No.  I’m clean.”

Satisfied the bag and the goods inside were clear, Will opened his phone and pressed another speed dial number.  "Chris, Sarah just got made in the shopping center.  You guys make sure you have the security system up twenty-four seven.  Keep the place buttoned tight.  We’re going to travel plan B and Brian is coming to Saudi with us.  I'll call you when we get to the embassy."

Chapter Thirteen

"Sounds like you have a pretty efficient operation, Nikolai.  A small time crew couldn't pull off that sort of legwork.  Red Mafia by any chance?"

"We prefer not to use Italian words to describe an establishment so Soviet.  It is
bratva
. 
The brotherhood.
  Now that you know about my business, perhaps it is time for you to be more forthcoming about yours."

Vince shrugged.  "There's nothing to tell really.  It is a very small operation.  I broker small arms deals and that's about it."

"Oh, please
.”  Nikolai took a long drink of ice water as he eyed Vince.  “D
on't be so modest
.  It seems to me that you and Sarah Stevens keep showing up just before my associates start dying.  Did you know that Hassan was also an associate of mine?  I have it on good authority that he was quite smitten with Miss Stevens, much like Victor was.  I find it difficult to believe that is just an unfortunate coincidence.  There must be a story to it."

Vince shook his head. 
"Nope.
 
Just coincidence.
  It would seem Miss Stevens likes the bad boys."

Nikolai's phone rang.  "Excuse me a moment."  He pointed to someone standing behind Vince.  "Get Vince some cigarettes and something to drink."

A large, beefy hand set a pack of Marlboro Reds, a lighter and a glass of water on the bench next to Vince.

Vince glared at the big Australian.  “Thanks, meat.”

Nikolai spoke into the phone. 
"
Da
."

A smile crossed his face.  "Shopping?  Well done.  That should make her
nervous
enough to
bring
the
others out of the woodwork.”

Vince listened intently as he lit his cigarette.

“Are you sure she was with Will Adams?"  He smiled at Vince.  "Keep me updated."  He hung up the phone and chuckled. 

Vince remained expressionless as he took a welcome drag off the cigarette and wondered how he could keep the lighter.

Will won't
let anything happen to her.  She's safe and they're close to finding me. 

"Your mother doing some shopping?"

"No, but your girlfriend was.  It seems one of my associates
ran
into her.  She was with Will.  Just another coincidence, I suppose?"

Vince didn't like the way Nikolai emphasized the word "ran."  His stomach tied in knots on the inside but he fought to remain calm on the outside. 
"Really?
  Well,
Will can
be bad when he wants to be.  After all, a man's got needs, and that woman has a knack for satisfying—if you know what I mean."  Vince flashed a wicked grin at Nikolai. 
"Oh, sorry.
  You wouldn't know, would you?"

"I wonder how much more you might tell me about your organization if Miss Stevens were here."

A dark cloud rolled through Vince’s mind.  The thought of Nikolai using her to get information out of him made him sick to his stomach.  He knew full well what Nikolai would put Sarah through, and as tough as she was, she'd never be the same afterward.  Keeping quiet would kill her but talking would kill them both.  Vince hoped he'd never be put in that position.

I can't think like that.  Will knows what we're up against.  He'll be smart.  The boys will take care of Sarah.

Chapter Fourteen

"Stop here!"  Will grinned as Brian pulled up and parked in front of a small boutique.  "Yes."  He turned to Sarah before getting out of the car.  "Stay here."  He turned to Brian.  "Keep the doors locked.  If they know about Sarah and Vince, they'll know that grabbing Sarah is the key to getting information out of him."

Sarah turned to see if anyone pulled up behind them.

Brian turned in his seat.  "Not a problem, Will.  I've got some high caliber friends in the front with me."

Sarah had to admit that Brian had style.  He always managed to find a way to get a handgun in his hands no matter where he went.

Will stepped out of the sedan, and Sarah heard the doors lock almost instantly. 

Like Jason, Brian would make an excellent bodyguard.  She wondered why neither of them had gone that career route instead of this one.

Will emerged from the store moments later with two large shopping bags. 

The doors unlocked and he slid back into the car just as Brian pulled back out into traffic.  It was a well-timed dance, and Sarah marveled at how smoothly they both rolled in this sort of situation.

Will handed one bag to Sarah.