by Mimi Barbour
They carried on a conversation, one she wished she could hear. Quickly, she skimmed though the gardens in front of her and drew closer. She couldn’t chance going any further without drawing their attention and so she stopped.
Aiming her phone, she took shot after shot of all four gathered together.
Leah appeared upset, while the three men overrode her protests. Then she nodded and they retrieved a small package from the back seat of the car and handed it to Yasir. One last hand clasp and they withdrew into their vehicle and drove off. Alia took a picture of the license plate, and this time the numbers showed up clearly.
Leah still appeared upset, and Alia waited while Yasir listened to his sister’s tirade. The other girl was speaking in Urdu, their official language, her hands gesturing her obvious disagreement. Alia recognized the sounds but she wasn’t close enough to hear the words.
Finally finished arguing, Leah whirled toward their aunt’s house and Alia only had a few seconds to duck and hide. Waiting for them to pass by her, she made up her mind.
“Leah! Yasir… hello!” She ran toward them, waving wildly. “Are you taking in the sights of the neighborhood too? It’s nice around here in this residential area, isn’t it?”
Yasir appeared happier to see her than Leah. He answered cordially, “Yes. We’re very lucky to come to Hawaii. It’s a beautiful place.”
“Have you been to Waikiki and seen the beaches there? I’d be happy to take you.”
“We will be going with friends tonight.”
Leah hissed a warning only Yasir was supposed to hear, but Alia was trained to pick up on such things. “Your friends, they live on the island?”
Looking slightly subdued, Yasir nodded. “Yes. They live here.”
“I’m glad you have people you know in Hawaii. It makes a vacation more fun when you can spend time with those you care about. Were they originally from Pakistan?”
Uncomfortable now, Yasir looked to Leah as if he wasn’t sure of the meaning of Alia’s words, which was crazy since he spoke perfect English. Leah chimed in. “They’re acquaintances who I met online. Yasir was only introduced to them last night. We must return to my aunt’s house now. They’re expecting us for tea.”
Walking along with them, Alia wished she could see what was inside the parcel that Yasir had shoved into the waistline of his shorts and then covered up with his new Hawaiian shirt.
Purposely, she tripped on the jutting sidewalk and flung her hands toward him to break her fall. In doing so, she managed to pull at the brown envelope from where he’d tucked it and it fell to the ground. Righting herself, she scooped it up as soon as it landed.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Yasir. Thank you for saving me from a nasty fall.”
He stuck out his hand, knowing she held his parcel. Quickly, she passed it from one hand to the other and handed it over. “I think I made you drop this. I’m just glad you were there to break my fall. Thank you again.”
She turned to go towards Sloan’s, and saw him at the open door, watching her make her way over. His expression was welcoming. Smiles lit up his face and he waved to the pair, who glanced over and then returned the gesture before disappearing.
Alia stepped through the French doors and was instantly devoured by arms that wrapped around her and lifted her off her feet.
“Roy came and told me you went out. I was worried. I knew you wouldn’t leave unless something had happened.”
She returned his hugs and kisses, happy to be where she never wanted to leave. When she could finally speak, she gently stepped back, and her outstretched hands stopped him from following. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for him to tell you right then. I just wanted him to let you know where I was after you woke up.”
The passion in her voice was noticeable. The man could turn her on in seconds. Her lips wanted more of his special brand of kisses and her swollen breasts ached. Budding desire buckled her knees and a throbbing sensation clawed low down, engaging her body, releasing fluids, preparing her for the inevitable. She cleared her throat and gathered her wits so she could stop daydreaming and pay attention to his words.
“He didn’t wake me. Jack did. He wanted to report that they caught Joey and Roger, thanks to Sara’s information. It led them directly to the apartment where the two were holed up. They came out without a fight.”
Alia felt some of her stress ease. “I’m so glad. She needs to understand that cops aren’t all bad. Will she be a witness?”
“She told them she’ll take the stand if you’re with her. And, she’ll only talk to the District Attorney if you’re there too.”
“I guess that can be arranged. They’ll need to take my statement also, as well as yours. When did they set up the appointment?”
“Jack says he’ll give us some time to get this mess here organized and he’ll send in backup if we need it.”
“As long as we can have Don covering for us, we should be able to work it out between us. Right?”
“Exactly what I told him. By the way, Roy had his say after the end of the call. I suspect he overheard some of our conversation about the garage in the car while we drove here earlier. The man has ears like a rabbit when he wants to listen in.”
Alia grinned. “I gotta tell you, I love that old man.”
“Me too.” Sloan’s smile, full of tenderness, ignited her desire again. “Roy said seeing as how the doctor had told him he was getting on and he needed to cut back on working so many hours, perhaps he should retire. But Roy said he wasn’t quite ready for that. However, he did admit to thinking a shorter day would suit his lifestyle as a nanny.”
“As a what?”
“Seems he’s taken a strong attachment to my nephew and intends to apply for a position as your babysitter, since Ruby’s not here anymore. He believes you’ll be staying with me for the foreseeable future, no reason why not – his words – and he figures he’ll hang out with Kean while we’re at work.
“Did you tell him I’m an agent?”
“Nope. But I think Kean’s been sharing some of your secrets.”
“Ahhh. That makes sense. Truthfully, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have look after Kean, especially after my last Skype with Ruby. Her father is left with a long-term disability and she says there’s no possibility of her being able to leave him. She’s also started working in her community, setting up help for the street kids there. I think she’s home now.”
He searched her eyes and she opened to him. “It’s okay. I told her she must stay where she’s happy. But that does leave me without someone to be with Kean after school hours.”
“Guess you can stop worrying.” He brushed the tendrils of hair away from her cheeks. “Did I just see you fall? It looked like you did.”
“Right! I almost forgot. I need to talk.” She led him to the chairs where they could watch out the window and she took the seat across from him, not trusting herself to be any closer.
She explained the conversation she’d overheard, and about Yasir and Leah’s plans for this evening. Then she showed him the footage she’d taken with her phone. Together they downloaded the video and then sent it to the office so it could be passed through the computers there for facial recognition. They needed to know if any of the people in the pictures were known to the FBI.
Once they’d decided to take her vehicle to follow the others later, he led her to the door. “I got a couple of hours, now it’s your turn. Go lie down, baby. You must be tired if a sidewalk can trip you.”
She laughed. “I didn’t trip. Well, not by accident. I wanted to get hold of the parcel I told you about, that those two people earlier gave to Yasir.”
“You devious little devil!” He laughed loudly, his eyes sparkling with humor. “What did you find out?”
She kissed his cheek and opened the door, then stopped before leaving the room. “As far as I could make out, it felt like a couple of passports. I find that rather interesting, don’t you? Wake me when Janna comes to call.”
&n
bsp; Chapter Sixty-two
Sloan had to stop himself from following the sexy diva, scooping her into his arms and locking them in his bedroom away from the world. But it wasn’t possible. In the future, the way he envisioned it, he had plans where Kean would have a lot of overnighters with his faux grandpas, while he and his little missus could have the house to themselves. And do whatever they pleased, whenever they wanted to.
His body reacted to his imagination and he had to drag his mind away from the wonderful notions. He called the bureau and got the lowdown on the images they’d recently fired over, only to be disappointed that nothing had come up.
Neither did Homeland Security have anything in their data bases.
Shit! It looked like they’d be playing the game without having any real knowledge about wrongdoing by the people who were involved.
One thing the agent he’d contacted was able to tell him: they’d tracked Janna’s brother’s family from Pakistan, and it seems that they were settled safely in California under new names.
Her brother had asked for asylum with the US Government in exchange for some badly-needed information about ISIS informants, and now that the dust had settled on the issue, he and his wife were safe and well. And so were his two children. Until it was deemed otherwise, they would be staying in seclusion.
So now they had tangible proof that Yasir and Leah were not who they pretended to be. That alone was a crime: entering the country illegally under an alias.
But the bosses wanted more than just these two. They wanted to know what plans were in place, and who else was involved.
Just then Sam knocked at the French doors and, taking a chance that any damning equipment was out of sight, he let him into the room.
“Hi, Sam. Come in. Has anything happened?”
“No. It’s quiet. Leah and Yasir went for a walk and so I was able to install the listening device in the bedroom also. The earlier one, I could just put in the bathroom because it also has a door leading into the hall and we all use it.”
“Good. We did hear a bit of their conversation. Do you want to listen and tell me what they’re saying?”
“Yes. That’s why I came over. And to let you know that they have made plans to go out again tonight with the same people they were with yesterday. When Janna tried to make them explain to us where they were going, they made excuses to leave the room. I think they’re starting to feel uncomfortable in our home. I wish they’d just leave.”
Sam listened to the brief tape and confirmed what Alia had already translated.
Sloan hesitated to say anything and then took a leap of faith. “I have some information on Janna’s family: her brother, his wife and the real Yasir and Leah. They’re well, and they’ve sought asylum in the United States. Until their special circumstances are changed and the restrictions lifted I can’t tell you anything more, but I thought you should know. It’s probably best not to mention this to Janna until your two intruders have left.”
“You are right. I’m very, very relieved, and I will keep this to myself until you tell me it’s safe to share. Thank you, Sloan. You’ve been a good friend. I will never forget.”
“Alia and Kean have just settled, trying to catch up on the sleep they missed last night. Can Janna’s visit happen a little later in the afternoon?”
“Of course. She is looking forward to it.”
Sloan let the man out and caught up on the video surveillance from the night before. There was a very short scene, where the camera had picked up a male intruder coming through the gardens, most likely Paul. The rest was empty except for the birds, the wind blowing the palm fronds and the moon’s shadows playing over the scene of tranquility.
He set up the binoculars, checked to make sure all was quiet across the street and went to find another cup of coffee. It was going to be one hell of a long shift.
Chapter Sixty-three
Alia sat next to Sloan in her vehicle at the appointed hour that evening, waiting for Yasir and Leah to be picked up. They’d both spent a restful afternoon for a change. She with Janna and the children, while Roy and Sloan had checked out things at Booker’s.
The more time she spent with the Muslim woman, the more Alia liked and trusted her. Janna’s soft brown eyes held only respect and caring. She had a lovely spirit, and like most other mothers throughout the wold, all she wanted was the best for her family.
Don had taken up residence in the front room again, and all was quiet.
Alia knew Sloan had a lot on his mind. She decided to ask rather than sit and stew. “Was everything running smoothly at the shop?”
He reached for her hand and squeezed gently. “Surprisingly, yes. I had a talk with our new guy and he’s really keen. Loves working there, even has a few friends he went to school with who’re interested in helping out on the more detailed, pricey contracts. I’ve refused a lot of those intricate renos because we were already pushed to the limits. Maybe now we can think about taking on those fun jobs.”
“Would it be possible for you to quit working there and go back to doing what you love?”
“Truthfully, I kinda wondered about that. If Roy seriously cuts his hours, it would mean that Les and Roy wouldn’t be running the place alone. I’m thinking I could cut back, do a bit of the detailing work I really enjoy as a hobby rather than a full-time job. Les seems happy with his life. He’s talked Libby into sticking around for some time. Roy can hang out at the house with us to look after the kid and—”
Alia stiffened. “You’re forgetting something, Booker. When this job is over, Kean and I’ll be going home.”
He swung her way, his voice hardening. “Over my dead body, Hawkins… Shit! They’re on the move.” He pointed at her and she noticed that his hand wasn’t steady. “Lady, we’ll talk about this later.”
Grinning happily, Alia chirped. “Okay. Later.” Relief flooded and she couldn’t stop smiling. He was making all kinds of plans and she was a part of them. She loved it.
The car in front took a corner to the left and sped toward the on ramp to the Kamehameha highway. This road travelled for miles around the island and Sloan settled in behind a gray Corolla, one car removed from the vehicle they were following. Suddenly, the perp’s car passed two more and the double yellow line in the center stopped Sloan from keeping up.
Alia sat forward. “They’re driving erratically. Do you figure they made us?”
“How could they? Just keep your eye on them in case they decide to turn off.” He finally got the opportunity to cut ahead of the van in front but had to pull in before they were in the place where he would have liked to be.
“Sloan, there, he’s turning off – by that roadside restaurant. They’re stopping. Can you pull over by those bushes ahead? I’ll go and see if they’re actually getting out of the car and going inside.”
Sloan drove off the road and stopped. Alia slid out, darted to the edge and crouched down behind the covering leaves. She watched as all four exited the car and entered the ramshackle building.
There were a number of vehicles gathered in the parking area and that surprised her. At one time, it might have been a good place to eat, but now, it looked run down and uncared for, a place where either those less fortunate, or less caring, might hang out.
Running closer, peering through a dirty window, she watched them weave their way toward the back of the restaurant and walk past a lopsided curtain at the back.
Something pressing into her side warned her she wasn’t alone. “Well, miss. You are being a nosey-rosy, and for this, I think we must have a little talk. This way, if you please.” The Muslim sounded polite but the gun he held belied his tone.
“I don’t please.”
“For that I am sorry. But you must do as I say.”
Alia tried out her best don’t-be-mean-to-me smile on the guy. “I was just looking for a menu.”
“I doubt that very much. People who want a menu step into the restaurant. They don’t sneak from behind bushes and peer into
windows. I believe you must come with me.” He pointed toward the back of the place and she knew the minute Leah and Yasir saw her, they’d know the gig was up.
She worked to create tears, gulping and blinking as hard as she could until rivulets gushed from her eyes to flow down her cheeks. “No, please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry for being nosey. It’s a problem I have. I promise not to come back here if you let me go.” Her hands taking a prayer-like position helped with her act. And when she pushed forward for the final scene, she caught him completely off-guard.
Before the man knew it, she’d grabbed his gun and her uppercut left him writhing on the ground. A quick blow to the side of his head with the gun barrel cleared away the problem. Now to just hide him before anyone came. She heard a soft chuckle.
“Do you need any help, ma’am?” Sloan stood a few feet away, a smart-ass grin lighting up his face.
She swiped at her wet cheeks and sniffed. “You could have shown up a bit earlier before I had to pull out act two.”
“And miss the best performance I’ve ever seen? No way. Here, let me pull him to the ravine there. We’ll hide him behind the rocks and he’ll be out of sight. So what happened?”
“They met up with another man and went through into the back of the café. This one caught me watching through the window and took offense. Some people are so picky about their privacy.”
“Go figure.” He chuckled and, crouching low, he led the way around to the back of the yard. Watching carefully for any other guards, they breathed easily when no one came forward. A window was open, the curtains only pulled halfway and Alia could hear every word spoken.
It sounded as if there was a meeting of many more than the four she knew about. There were a lot of voices all spouting Jihadi crap and plans to teach the infidels not to mess with Allah’s chosen.
Suddenly an argument sprung up as to the best place to set their bombs. Shit! These wackos were serious… if they had fire power. Then she heard Yasir speak. “What bombs? You have nothing but dreams and talk. I don’t want anything to do with a group of complainers who speak of war and do nothing.”
