SECRET OF THE ICON (Donavan Chronicles Book 3)

by Tom Haase

  She counted the minutes until an hour passed. Hopefully the director had completed the call to Matt with the deputy director on the line. Another ten minutes passed before she saw the IT man’s hand go in the air.

  This time he put it on a speaker he had connected so the IG could hear every word from Deputy Director Rose's telephone line. They didn't have long to wait before the suspect made a call.

  “Mike,” Rose said. "I've got an update. The FBI has learned by some intercept that the exchange will take place in the Jacksonville area. They’ll be ready for you tomorrow. I don’t know who was dumb enough to use a cell and talk about it, but that’s all I have. Send my money to the usual.” The deputy director hung up.

  Liz looked at the IG. “Is that enough?” she asked.

  “I’d say it’s a slam dunk. Good work, Agent Garcia.” He reached over and shook her hand.

  * * * *

  Mike Alexandro placed the phone back in his jean’s pocket. He outfitted himself to look like a worker at the port. A blue cotton shirt, and a baseball cap with the Georgia bulldog logo sat on his head.

  I definitely need to get out of here. Someone is closing in on me.

  He felt it, but didn’t know who, but he did know for certain it was time to disappear. The only catch entailed the arms shipment. He had to make delivery on that, or his uncle would certainly take some type of disciplinary action against him before he could return to Russia. He knew, without a doubt, the new security man could do his uncle’s bidding in that area.

  While scouting for the exchange point near Jacksonville, he’d also reconnoitered a back-up location. That would now have to be the place for the exchange since the FBI would be in Florida. St. Mary’s offered an alternate location, a small picturesque town on the Florida/Georgia border just off I-95. One more call to complete this change.

  “Hello, Karim. I have a new location for the exchange, as the FBI is now alerted to the Jacksonville meet for tomorrow.” He then gave him the exact street address where the exchange would now take place. Mike saw no reason to bring up the fact one of Karim’s men must have blown the location on some phone call. He would never see the bastard again after tomorrow.

  Before heading to the port, he took a minute to transfer the usual fee to Deputy Director Rose to ensure there would be no loose ends when he departed. His suitcases were packed and in his car. Now he needed to accomplish his last task before leaving. He removed the icon from the security case by inserting a small key into a lock on the underside of the fireplace mantel. This released the bolts and he used another key to open the glass case. He wrapped it up and placed his precious icon in his waiting backpack and then he headed down to the basement for his new Hummer. He placed the backpack on the passenger seat and drove toward the port authority receiving area. The vehicle would get him to the airport after everything concluded and he’d be on his way to Russia, never again to return to the USA.

  CHAPTER 49

  Savannah, Georgia

  Matt drove the FBI car to the port. He didn’t speak to Bridget. He couldn’t. His emotions were running wild. What the hell had he done, grabbing and kissing her? Sure he wanted to, but he lost control and acted on impulse. Now, he didn’t know what to do. They were partners in this new venture with the SOE operation. He’d determined to keep his growing feelings for her in check. In that, he had failed.

  “Matt, talk to me.” Bridget let out a loud huff. “We’re adults. We can handle this. Look at all the things we’ve weathered. Remember this is not our first rodeo. We let it happen in Washington after the operation in Saudi. Come on, we know what we’re doing.”

  She’s right. What the hell’s he thinking? He knew deep in his soul that he fostered deep and as well as lustful feelings for this beautiful woman. But how to make it work out completely evaded him.

  “I know,” he said. His phone rang and interrupted any further discussion.

  “Hello, Matt. We have the goods on Rose,” Liz said as soon as he answered. “Do you want me to get the SWAT team moving to the port?”

  He looked over to Bridget, who heard the conversation on speaker. She gave a negative shake of her head.

  “I don’t think so just yet. We’re almost there and we have no idea what we’ll find. We may only see a truck leaving to go to a predetermined location. If so, we’ll follow and then most likely we’ll need support to take action when the goods are transferred. Let’s have them on immediate standby so they can respond in a few minutes,” Matt said.

  “Will do.” Liz hung up.

  They arrived at the gate to the port authority. Matt showed the guard his FBI credentials and said they were there to become familiar with the port since he’d just arrived in Savannah. He requested to visit the public information office and the guard gave him directions.

  After visiting for a few minutes with the PIO, they returned to their car and drove around the port area, a large and spread out facility. This port had been consistently ranked between the second or third busiest container port in the United States with San Francisco being the first. Thousands of containers were offloaded and on-loaded to and from oceangoing ships every day. The PIO gave them the location of the ship containing the goods for Alexandro’s business.

  “Let’s stake out the ship and wait for the truck. It will be coming to take delivery of the goods when they are offloaded,” Matt suggested.

  “Agreed,” Bridget said. She now was all business and focused on the job and he needed to do the same.

  Matt realized that there’s no rush. Things at the port didn’t operate at a fast pace. There would be a considerable time lag from when the ship arrived and the offloading to a truck. They waited in silence. Two hours passed. Matt didn’t dare speak, as his mind still lingered on the kiss and what it might mean for their future.

  * * * *

  Mike Alexandro arrived at the port entrance after parking his car a half mile away and then he walked to the gate. A guard passed him through with the fake ID he carried. He looked at his watch. Two o’clock. The shipment should be offloaded shortly and would soon be on the truck he arranged for its transport. The security man from Russia would provide the initial protection.

  The Russian would ride with the driver to whom Mike had provided the rendezvous point where he would meet them. Mike’s presence at the port wasn’t required, but he wanted to observe everything about his last operation in America. Nothing could go wrong. He needed his uncle to know he had succeeded and would supposedly be coming home to talk about his future and perhaps the future of their worldwide operations.

  It took him a few minutes to find the ship, and he saw the truck he previously hired being loaded with a container. He relaxed a little and felt relieved to see this happening. All appeared in order, and he would now leave to meet the driver and his new security man at the designated time and place. Everything on track. He turned and headed back to his car.

  As he moved, a parked black sedan with government plates caught his eye.

  What the hell?

  His source failed him. Time to get out of the port.

  The Feds were here.

  CHAPTER 50

  Savannah, Georgia

  Port Authority

  Karim arrived at the port with one of his men. The other two drove the pickup truck along the main entrance road. They made loops on the highway to stay within a half mile of the main gate.

  He proceeded through the port entrance dressed like a stevedore, just another man reporting for work. The I.D.s the two showed had been procured from local men of Iranian extraction having sympathies toward their cause. They were part of a sympathetic network that existed all over America. These men would provide small measures of support but not take part in any direct action. They couldn’t commit to losing everything they had.

  Their plan remained unchanged. After spotting the truck with the container, they would wait until it moved away from the ship and then hijack it before it reached the main gate. The distances within th
e confines of the port were vast. One could disappear inside the area for weeks without being seen. There were rows and rows of large containers stacked in various depths all around. Some were set aside by customs for detailed inspection, some waited for transport by road or on one of the two major railroads that serviced the port.

  On arrival, he acquired the information he needed. The computer, in the stevedore break area, provided the ship’s name and the berth where the cargo for Alexandro Import/Export business would unload. He also noted the container number.

  They went to where the ship berthed. Both men carried a small backpack with their handguns. There had been no security scan on entry, only the I.D. verification, which was cursory at best with so many men entering at the same time. Karim learned the time when the shift changes occurred and entered in the midst of a throng of men going to work. Then they arrived before the vessel docked, so they used the time to plan every last minute detail of the hijacking.

  “Okay,” Karim said. “I’ve seen what I need. Here’s what we’re going to do. The route the truck will take from shipside will require it to make a sharp turn where we are standing in order to reach the exit. It will have to slow down to a crawl to make this sharp corner.”

  That would provide them with the ability to jump up on the side of the truck and shoot the driver. Then they would put his body between rows of stacked containers and proceed out the main gate.

  “You jump on the driver’s side and take him out. Push the body to the passenger side and jump in to take over driving. I’ll pull the man out and hide him between those rows over there. You get the truck moving at a very slow pace and I’ll jump back in. Got that?”

  The man nodded.

  “Good, let’s get a little closer to the ship now it has docked and we’ll be better able to observe. There may be more than one truck to receive a container directly from the ship. We want to make sure we get the right one. I have the container number so we make no mistake.”

  * * * *

  Matt and Bridget observed the unloading of the ship. They identified the container for Alexandro and watched it being loaded onto a truck. The procedure seemed well practiced and now it had been completed.

  “Looks like someone off the ship is going to accompany that cargo,” Matt said. He watched with interest as a man climbed into the passenger side of the truck.

  “Let’s move in closer to get a better look,” Bridget suggested.

  Matt put the car in gear and slowly edged forward to try and see the newcomer. He already took a photo of the truck driver while they waited for the loading to be complete.

  “Stop,” Bridget shouted.

  “What?”

  “Look over there, by that stack of containers. I noticed those two approaching the ship and then I saw them walking away. I could swear that one of them is Karim,” Bridget said.

  Matt stopped the car and searched the area Bridget indicated. He did see two men rounding the corner but couldn’t positively identify either.

  “If I’m right, we have a big problem. He wouldn’t be here by himself and it can’t be a coincidence that he’s here at the same time the arms shipment arrives,” Bridget said.

  “You know I believe in coincidences just about every time a dinosaur is born,” Matt said. “We need to get some backup. Things could get dicey real fast.” He considered dialing the number of the SWAT team but decided to wait. At this point, he and Bridget were enough to handle Karim and his man. He wondered what the extra man from the ship meant.

  “Maybe the second man in the truck is some form of extra security. Somehow Alexandro may have gotten wind that Karim is up to no good. Crap, maybe we should just go up and take the truck now,” Bridget said.

  The truck started to move away from the pier. Matt began to follow it, remaining a good distance behind. They were in a security area, besides, what could happen here?

  CHAPTER 51

  Savannah, Georgia

  Bridget’s phone rang, seeing Jonathan McGregor’s name, she let it go to voice mail. Whatever he wanted would have to wait. They were focused on the arms shipment and nothing else as they began to head out of the port.

  Up ahead, she watched the large semi as it slowed to take a tight corner to get onto the road that led to the exit of the port authority. Matt stopped their car and waited about a hundred yards back for the big truck to make the turn.

  “What do you think is going to happen?” she asked Matt.

  “I don’t know for sure, but I’m betting we can follow this truck to wherever they are going to do the exchange. Then we call for backup and take them down,” Matt said.

  “Shouldn’t we call for some backup now?”

  “It’s too soon and a lot of FBI around might spook them. For now we stay back and watch.”

  “Look, they’ve stopped,” Bridget observed.

  “Probably just having trouble negotiating that tight turn. The driver may have to back up.”

  * * * *

  The truck approached the turn to get on the exit road. The driver slowed down to walking speed. He deftly maneuvered the cab around the sharp corner and carefully rolled forward making sure the container didn’t touch the wall of stacked cargo on the inside of his turn.

  “Now,” shouted Karim.

  His man moved with lightning speed and jumped up on the running board of the truck. Karim performed the same feat on the right side of the cab. He heard a shot and the sound of breaking glass. When he reached the passenger window of the cab, he noticed the man sitting there had focused on the assailant by the driver. The driver now slumped over the steering column. The passenger attempted to draw a weapon from under his arm. Karim jerked open the door and fired two shots into the man’s head. Blood and brain matter splashed the dashboard and streamed down the windshield.

  His man pulled open the door on his side. Karim looked at him and grinned.

  “Let’s pull these bodies out of here and place them on the road directly behind the truck. They will block this small road for a few minutes and we may need that time. Federal agents are here.” Karim pulled the body out of the cab on his side as he saw the man do it on the other side. They both reached the back of the truck at the same time and laid the bodies perpendicular to the roadway.

  Karim scanned the area behind them and saw the government car a hundred yards back. After he looked squarely at the vehicle, he ran to get back into the cab and arrived at the same time as his man.

  “Get us out of here,” Karim ordered, as the other man put the truck in gear.

  * * * *

  Bridget’s phone rang again. At that second, she saw a man throw something on the road near where the truck would have to turn. She couldn’t believe her eyes when the man standing by the truck rotated toward their car. A familiar face looked squarely at them.

  “It’s Karim,” Bridget said. “How in the hell did he get here? I thought we were expecting Alexandro.”

  “Beats me, but I think he just killed those men and is planning on hijacking the truck. Call the SWAT team and tell them what’s happened. We’ll be in pursuit and keep them informed.” Matt squealed rubber as he floored the accelerator. They arrived at the turn and he slammed on the brakes, now seeing two bodies blocking his advance.

  They both exited the sedan and ran forward to grab a body each. After checking for pulses, they found none. They moved the bodies to the side of the road, and then they rushed back to the car.

  Bridget dialed Scott. “Get ready to follow the truck. Here’s the tag number and the container number. It’s Karim and he just killed two men. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

  “Better hurry. Your truck just exited and a pickup is following it. A man is in the back with what looks like a machine gun,” Scott said. “I’m moving our car out to follow the semi.”

  Bridget heard the unmistakable sound of an AK-47.

  “Holy shit, he just fired at us,” Scott bellowed.

  CHAPTER 52

  Savannah, Georg
ia

  Mike Alexandro reached his Hummer. He congratulated himself on previously trading his BMW in on this solid black monster with the crash bars across the grill. He loved the way it handled and its size. After starting the engine, he drove to where he could see the gate to the port.

  The truck with his goods exited the gate and turned left toward downtown. He recognized the name on the container and checked the numbers on it as well. He noticed a pickup tailing his semi and witnessed the man in the back of the small truck open fire on a car. The car stopped and pulled to the side of the road.

  What the hell?

  As his goods approached, Mike saw the man in the passenger seat. The face of Karim could be clearly seen in the window of the truck. It took only a second for Mike to comprehend that it was actually Karim. In another second, Mike’s mind understood what transpired right in front of him. The bastard stole his goods and was attempting to get away without paying. If he were to be successful, it would be the end of Michael Alexandrovitch. No family connection could save him from the punishment that would follow such a loss.

  Without hesitation, he gunned the vehicle forward. It gathered speed as he headed toward the pickup. He had to neutralize it before he could engage the main vehicle. He couldn’t allow the automatic weapon to be used against him. His vehicle reached forty miles an hour when he T-boned the pickup. The sound of crunching metal filled the air and Mike felt his adrenaline spike. The pickup rolled over and over, finally impacting against a concrete telephone pole.