The Silver Cord: The Lily Lockwood Series: Book Two

by Alison Caiola

  Donna looked as disappointed as Lily felt. “Well hang in there, Pali, and don’t worry about us. We’re doing just fine. Your one-year-old daughter is bossing around three grown women and we‘re loving it. And don’t get me started about Ken, Tommy, and Fernando—she has them all wrapped tightly around her itsy bitsy finger.” Both women laughed. “Acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree, that’s for sure.”

  “Meaning?”

  Donna smiled, “Meaning that her Mama also has many men wrapped around her little finger.”

  “Hardly. As a matter of fact, I found out today there was a hot and heavy love affair going on between surgeries, here in Somalia.”

  It took Donna a few seconds to understand what Lily was saying. “Darlin’ I’ve learned in my long life you never know what goes on behind closed doors. So wait until he is back where he belongs and then you can sort it out. Agreed?”

  Lily nodded.

  “Good. Oh before I forget, talk about sorting things out. . .” Donna smiled “…Jamie wants to take Daisy Rose to the Central Park Zoo this Saturday. Is that okay with you?”

  Lily nodded. “Of course it is. Just remember to pack her up so she has enough snacks and diapers for the afternoon. Oh and don’t forget her binky.”

  Before Donna could answer, Lily’s hotel phone rang, interrupting their conversation. “One sec; let me take this.”

  Lily picked up the phone, “Hello?”

  “Maniadakis here.”

  “Hi Nikos, what’s going on?

  He cleared his throat, which Lily had long since recognized as his nervous tick. “We have some new developments and I want to bring you and your brother up to speed. I’ve spoken to David and told him to meet me in your room in fifteen minutes. Are you good with that?

  “Sure. I’m here.”

  Lily hung up and turned her attention back to the computer screen. “Auntie D. I have to get going. Thanks again for taking such good care of the baby. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  “Wait, before you go. Please be careful honey and do everything you can to come back home, safe and sound. I love you.”

  Twenty minutes later David and Maniadakis knocked at Lily’s door. Maniadakis nodded, quickly walked past her, and almost knocked her down in his haste. He then circled the living room, in search of something. He lifted and looked under the books in the bookshelves. He picked up and examined knick-knacks on the tables and desk. He opened all her drawers and started rifling through her clothes.

  David shot his sister a ‘now what the hell is he doing?’ look. Lily shrugged her shoulders. All she knew was that Maniadakis was one strange bird and she had quickly learned not to question anything he did. She noticed he was even more disheveled than the last time she had seen him. He also looked as if he could use a good night’s sleep and a change of clean clothes.

  After he had finished turning things over in the living room, bedroom, and bathroom, Maniadakis walked over to Lily’s iPod that she had left inserted in the portable speakers on the credenza. He lifted it up, scrolled through it, clicked on a playlist, reinserted it into the charger, pressed play, and turned the volume up to the highest, loudest level. Then he motioned them to sit down on the couch. After they were seated opposite him, he leaned over to them and whispered. “You can’t be too careful.” His face appeared almost animated, which was a complete change from his usual stoic demeanor.

  “Oh I thought you were really into Katy Perry.” David replied referring to the song that was blasting on the iPod.

  Lily laughed but Maniadakis ignored him. “Okay so things have taken a new turn and I wanted to get you both up to speed. The C.I.A. is now on board, so it’s a whole new ballgame.”

  “Does that mean you’ll no longer be the point person?” David asked.

  “On the contrary, I’ve been reinstated into the agency and will be spearheading the mission from this end. The reason we have the support of not only the agency but also the White House is because we’re confident that Robbie is alive and we’ve narrowed in on the compound where he’s being kept.”

  “Oh my God that’s wonderful.” Lily’s heart soared and for the first time in days she felt optimistic. She took David’s hand and squeezed it. David, on the other hand, looked skeptical. “I don’t get it: Why is everyone suddenly on board now?

  “Well, for one thing, we know he is alive so he is a viable rescue target. And we have extremely reliable intel that at least three of Al Shabaab top bananas are currently in the compound. So now we have even more skin in the game.”

  David shook his head. “So I guess rescuing my brother is not enough reason for our government to get involved?”

  There was an uncomfortable silence that Lily quickly filled. “The most important thing is that they’re going to rescue Robbie. Let them get as many terrorists as they want while they do it.”

  Maniadakis continued. “Now that this is an official mission, I cannot give you all the details. What I can tell you is that a top team will go in there and attempt to rescue your brother and capture the terrorists. If everything goes well, it should go down tomorrow morning. You both need to be packed and ready to go. Once our mission is complete, it won’t be safe for any of us. That’s another reason we chose this hotel. There’s a helicopter landing pad on the roof. We’ll get you out of here as quickly as we can.”

  Lily’s heart raced. “When can we see him?”

  The plan right now—and remember things can turn on a dime—is if Robbie is alive he’ll be immediately transported to the U.S. Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. And you’ll be taken there, too.” Maniadakis cleared his throat. “If he isn’t alive and they recover his body, he’ll be brought to Virginia. So will you.” Maniadakis stood up. “I have to get back downstairs for a briefing.”

  “Should we come with you, to the briefing I mean?” Lily walked over to her closet and took out one of her scarves.

  “No, that’s against protocol. Not to worry, I’ll keep in touch with you—let you know how things are goin’. Get a good night sleep, tomorrow’s going to be a long one.” He walked over to the door. “Lily, now that the government’s taking over, whatever money is remaining will be returned to your account. Eleanor has already been on the horn with the bank folks and set the wheels in motion. It’s being wired as we speak. She’ll also fax you an itemized account of expenditures once she’s back in Virginia.”

  “I appreciate it, Nikos, and thanks for everything.”

  “Just doin’ my job, Ma’am” He said nonchalantly.

  Lily detected a sense of pride that, in the few weeks she had known him, Maniadakis had not possessed before.

  Chapter 24

  Skipper stood in front of the room and, once again, was filled with an overwhelming sense of pride as he gazed out over the rows of men—his men—most of whom he had known for more than five years. He had sat at their dinner tables, celebrated their children’s birthdays, and as their Commanding Officer had even received the honor of being called “Godfather” when many of their babies were christened.

  He had first met most of these men during their BUD/S Prep—Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School. On their first day, each group of more than 150 already seasoned military men with years of combat experience under their belt are told ‘Look to your right, look to your left, look in front of you, look behind you. All of these men except three will drop out before graduation.’ And, like clockwork, that’s exactly what occurs.

  He was part of the prep team and personally witnessed the many months of grueling training, on land and at sea, that each one of these men withstood. Training that would undoubtedly kill the average man.

  The Navy SEALs are well known as elite special operations forces. As highly skilled as these men are physically, they are equally proficient intellectually. Their knowledge of technology and engineering would rival that of any Harvard graduate. Whether the mission requires trained killers or the finesse of a surgeon’s blade, these are the men who are summoned for
the job. The government gives them the highest tech, most classified “toys” invented. Put that all together with unmonitored funding and you got yourself the finest special ops on the planet.

  Skipper would be the first to tell you his men are confident, some might even say cocky. He would agree with that. Nothing wrong with having swagger, if you’re dedicated, professional, and part of the most exclusive fraternity in the world.

  If Navy SEALs are the elite, then the men in front of him—SEAL Team 6—are considered the elite of the elite. And they are the ones being called upon today by the C.I.A.’s Special Activities and Counter Intelligence Divisions.

  “Quiet down.” The room went silent and the twenty-five men gave their Commanding Officer their undivided attention.

  “The mission we discussed yesterday, Operation House Call, is now a confirmed go. We have one rescue target and two high-value kill or capture targets.

  Skipper turned around to a large screen and pushed the button on the other end of the wire he held in his left hand. On the screen appeared a map of the Gulf of Aden, with Ethiopia and Somalia on one side and Yemen on the other. He clicked the button a second time and it zoomed in on a map of Somalia and the surrounding area. One more click and the area due-south of Somalia appeared on screen. Skipper turned and faced everyone in the room.

  “This is Merca. Some of you are already familiar with the area….” Laughter floated through the room. “It’s located on the coast, sixty-eight miles south of Mogadishu. You got us hooked into satellite uplink yet, Scooter?”

  “One second, sir.” A short Hispanic man with long, black hair pulled back into a pony tail sat at a computer, tapped a few more times, then hit the send button with a dramatic flourish. A radiating bull’s-eye appeared on screen, and zoomed in on an aerial view of a waterfront bastion.

  “And here, folks, is Al Shabaab at its finest—this heavily guarded compound, is located on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by water. Looks to be between twelve to fifteen foot concrete walls, topped with barbed wire. Two security gates, one on the northeast, the other on the southwest—three to four guards on each. The Surveillance shows thirty people living there. No women or children.

  The three-story main building is where they’re holding our rescue target, Dr. Robert Rosen—code name Tex. These two here are our two kills or captures—we now have been able to make positive identification, through surveillance and intelligence reports that, as of today, they’re both inside.”

  A composite photograph of the two high ranking Al Shaabab leaders filled the screen. “Abdulkadir Mohamed, code name Big Foot and Mubaarak Abdikarim, code name Ranger. Toby emailed you each a one-sheeter on them. If you didn’t get it, let her know, she’s in the office.

  These two are #3 and #15 in the bad-guy food chain and the Oval Office is salivating for them. Number-one priority is captures, but if it can’t go down that way and they’re kills, then we need proof of identity, photos, DNA… you know the drill. Or, if you can, take them to go.”

  He clicked again and a picture filled the screen. It showed Dr. Robert Rosen laughing as a Somali boy, who had a stethoscope around his little neck, listened to the doctor’s heartbeat. “This is a photo of Tex taken 15 months ago. Scooter, get the copy of the drone feed up from earlier today.”

  Robbie’s picture was immediately replaced by a video: a distant shot of two men walking behind the walls of the compound. A black man, in full military garb, used his high-power rifle to prompt the white one, wearing green scrubs that hung loosely from his emaciated frame, to move faster. The white man had a severe limp and tripped twice trying to keep up the pace. When he fell, the guard kicked him, urging him to stand.

  “Zoom in.” Skipper commanded.

  The faces that were unrecognizable only a second before now appeared crystal clear. “So that’s a positive ID for Tex and it looks like you’d better bring a stretcher.

  “I have the real-time Uplink, Sir. Want me to put it on screen?” Skipper nodded his head and a live feed of the compound appeared on screen. “Here’s the money shot, sir.” Scooter tapped on his keyboard again and zoomed in on the last window on the top level. The video showed Robbie standing and looking out of the window.

  “Here’s Tex.” After reviewing all the video we’re sure this room is the target’s location for pick up.” Scooter said.

  “Good job. Now we know it’s heavily armed, but what we don’t know is, if the building is rigged. So I want you to bring a K-9.”

  The K-9’s are highly trained military working dogs that go through the same rigorous exercises as their human counterparts. They have the capability to sniff out bombs, hidden rooms, hidden doors and people who are hiding. They’re equipped with mounted cameras, bullet proof vests, night goggles and even have they their own parachutes. They can be sent ahead of the men, armed with communication devices that allow the SEALs to give the K-9’s attack and kill commands from far away. When a target sees these dogs running toward them, teeth bared, it’s literally a heart-stopping experience. Each K-9 represents one million dollars’ worth of training and equipment.

  Skipper continued, “You need to get in and out before dawn. We estimate it at thirty minutes, tops. After the mission is complete we need a bird to pick up—” An excited murmur went through the room when the men saw the photo on screen.

  “Hey quiet down. From the noise in the room, I guess you all recognized actress Lily Lockwood, code name Twinkle. And this is Tex’s brother, David, code name Houston. They’re going to need to be lifted from the roof pad of Jazeera Palace Hotel as soon as our targets are in the air.

  C.I.A. will aid with chain of custody—final destination for Big Foot and Ranger is Guantanamo and Landstuhl Medical for Tex, Twinkle and Houston. Preacher will take over from here, give out the assignments and answer all questions.

  Preacher, the tall, confident Team Leader, walked up to the front of the room and saluted Skipper.

  Skipper had been grooming him since Preacher proved his leadership ability after his very first mission in Afghanistan. Skipper knew there were rumblings among the men, especially from Goose, when he appointed Preacher Team Leader. Those two were the best of the best and had a competitive, almost adversarial relationship since BUD/S. Skipper knew it and he was equally certain that the appointment would not only lift Preacher to the next level but would kick Goose’s ass into high gear. The team members were closer than most brothers, and sometimes a little sibling rivalry can go a long way.

  “Be safe out there men.” Skipper said as he walked toward the door.

  Preacher scanned the notes on his clip board. “Okay, the core team in the first Black Hawk will fast rope down—myself, Doc, Runner, Goose, D-blast, Stryker, Runt and Popeye.

  Skipper left the room with complete confidence that Preacher would lead the team successfully, locate the targets and bring back all of the men— as he had done the last ten missions. Now all Skipper had to do was convince the suits at the C.I.A and the nail biters in the White House Situation Room.

  Chapter 25

  Lily lay in bed and listened to the thumping of her heart. She took a series of deep breaths in failed attempts to quell her nerves. Lily had been afraid to take a sleeping pill, which would have provided her the much-needed rest that she craved. But because she could be woken at any time and swiftly escorted to an awaiting helicopter, she couldn’t chance being groggy.

  After Maniadakis had spoken to them, she and David hastily packed their clothes and gave the suitcases to one of his men. Although she had no appetite, David still ordered room service for both of them, simply to keep their minds off the impending mission, scheduled to take place in a few short hours. They spent thirty minutes making small talk and pushing the uneaten food around their plates.

  Finally around 10:00 p.m. she and David decided to call it a night and attempt to get some sleep. Maniadakis had suggested that David spend the night on her pullout couch in the living room, so they would be together when i
t was time for the guards to accompany them to the helicopter. Her penthouse suite, located on the top floor, was merely a short staircase run up to the hotel rooftop.

  For the past hour, she lay in bed wondering what was escalating more rapidly, her heart rate or her blood pressure. She thought of the brave men that would soon be risking their lives to rescue Robbie. If all went as planned she would have the opportunity, after two long years, to finally be in the same room as him. Her eyes ached to look at him and her ears ached to hear his voice.

  She thought of the day she met Chloe and the request she made of David: not tell Robbie that she had any part in the rescue. Lily didn’t want Robbie to feel obligated to be with her. She wanted him to come to her because he felt, as she did, that they were meant to be together. Now that there was a very good possibility that she would see him shortly, everything else seemed insignificant. Even Chloe.

  Lily felt her heart almost leap out of her chest so she quickly sat up to try to catch her breath. The last time she felt this way, her mother lay dying in the hospital. No matter how much she willed herself to calm down, it felt as if it everything in her life was traveling at warp speed.

  She thought back to when she was a child and suffered from night terrors. She would awaken in the middle of the night screaming at the top of her lungs. Her mother would run in to her room and turn on the small lamp by her bedside.

  By then, Lily would be fully awake; her heart racing, her eyes tightly squeezed shut for fear that she would see whatever horrible thing—monsters or boogie man—that had triggered her nightmare.

  Her mother would sit on the bed and softly stroke her forehead and say, “Lily honey, everything is all right, it was just a bad dream. You can open your eyes now, my precious girl, Mommy is here. Lily would first open one eye; slowly look around the room to make sure that no evil loomed anywhere. It was not until she was 100% certain the room held no danger that she permitted herself to open the other eye.