“So, you know how to handle a couple of men,” Petrovic said. “I can hire muscle at any time. Look around this square. It’s full of young men who are out of work.”
Anica took off her hat, brushed her hands through her thick, dark hair, and put her hat back on again. A delay tactic. She knew she needed to play this just right, offering only the services she would be willing to provide to this man.
Finally, she said, “I can offer you more than my ability to kick ass on some thugs at your side.”
“What is more important than protection?” Petrovic wanted to know.
“Information,” Anica said. “I have the ability to access every police and border patrol database in Europe. But not just that. I can also access their operational systems.” She let that sink in.
The chain smoking Serb, lit number three from his butt and took in a deep breath, bringing the tip to a bright orange. “How can I believe that?”
“I found you.” She quickly drew her Glock and aimed it at the Serb’s head. “And I could put a bullet into your skull in one second. You would be dead before your body hits the stones.”
Petrovic didn’t flinch. He looked to be partially aroused. “Maybe we could have a place for you in our organization. Assuming you can prove to us you can get the information we need.”
She was afraid this next test could be harder than beating up a couple of ill-prepared thugs. But with her access, she knew she could handle anything they needed. Her only problem would be preserving the integrity of the Austrian Polizei and Europol systems.
They left it like that. Anica watched as the three men wandered back across the wide square and rounded the corner past the Strasbourg Cathedral, the men she had fought occasionally turning to glare at her, as if they would never accept her in their old boys group.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed and she pulled it from her back pocket. This was her private phone, which had been turned off until recently. The text read, ‘We need to talk.’ It was from the only person she could never say no to—Jake Adams.
•
A lone man stood in shadows across the square, having watched the entire encounter between the three men and the woman. She was amazing, he thought. She moved with such grace and speed, as if she had choreographed the entire fight scene. What would she do next?
As his target checked her phone, he imagined the two of them sitting down for drinks. Even coffee. Just to be in her presence would be enough for him.
But he had work to do. Get to it, boy!
6
Innsbruck, Austria
Jake sat at a booth in the hotel bar, sipping a local beer, but wishing they had something more than Puerto Rican or communist rum.
He was still waiting for Anica Senka to text him back. He was also waiting to hear back from his team at the Spanish communications company, telling him where Anica’s phone had last pinged.
When the woman entered the bar alone, as he had requested, he noticed a difference from their last meeting in The Azores. Then she was wearing practical shoes and slacks, with a sweater coving her vital organs. Now, she was letting everyone know what she had. Everything was on display, and it reminded Jake of the first time they had met years ago, when Sabine Bauer was simply a lower-level Polizei officer sleeping with her boss. She wore tight black stretch pants and a skin-hugging white blouse. High heels stretched her frame to nearly six feet. Out of place was an oversized black leather purse, which had to contain her gun, extra magazines, and perhaps communications devices. Her hair flowed naturally over her strong shoulders as she strolled across the room, every male head turning to catch a glimpse.
When she sat down across from Jake, he nearly heard the deflation of egos from the other men in the room.
“Glad you could make it,” Jake said, reaching his hand across the table to shake with Sabine, which she did.
“I was on a date,” she said.
“Oh. I thought that might be the new uniform for Austrian cops.”
Before she could respond, the waiter came over and took her drink order. Sabine would also have a beer.
Once the man left, Sabine said, “I haven’t worn the uniform for years. But I am still Polizei.”
The implication came across loud and clear to Jake. This was a business beer and nothing more. Of course, she had also met Sirena in The Azores, and Sirena could look at another woman and make them believe that one false move could be their last.
The waiter came with her beer and Jake told the man to put in on his bill.
“A business expense?” Sabine asked.
“This is a private endeavor,” he said.
“I see.” She took a long sip of her beer and licked the foam from her top lip. “Perhaps you could tell me why people keep shooting up my streets.”
Jake raised his hands in protest. “Hey, I was just walking down the street when some crazy assholes started firing at us. Is it not alright to defend myself?”
She considered him carefully, her eyes wandering over his torso. “It is illegal to carry a concealed handgun in Austria.”
“You forget that you asked me to come here and find your missing officer,” Jake said.
“I didn’t expect you to shoot up a quiet neighborhood,” she said.
“What would you have me do,” Jake said, “point my finger at the bad guys and make shooting sounds?”
She smiled and sipped her beer again. “You are quite the charmer. I think I see what the women in your life see in you.” Sabine hesitated, unsure of her direction. Then she said, “I’ve looked into you. The President of Austria conferred upon you the Great Golden Decoration with Star of Austria, the highest honor Austria bestows upon any civilian.”
“That was years ago,” he said.
“And I understand you are officially a Teutonic Knight.”
“Well, I left my sword at home.”
“I will give you a break,” she said, “since I know that you still have a permit to carry a handgun in Austria.”
Good to know, Jake thought. But he already knew the laws of Austria, where he even needed a permit to purchase 9mm ammo.
“However,” Sabine said, “My guess is that your girlfriend does not have a permit in Austria.”
“Well. My international driver’s license might also be expired, along with my library card. What’s your point?”
“I’m just saying.” She left it like that, as if she wanted Jake to know that she held some control over Sirena.
Jake wasn’t sure where this was going. “Do you want me to find Anica Senka? Or would you rather sit here and discuss the Austrian penal code?”
“The former,” Sabine said. “But I also want you to know about the Jake Adams impact on the Tirol crime statistics. Since you moved away, violent crime has dropped significantly.”
Shaking his head, Jake said, “The man killed on the bridge the other night had nothing to do with me. As you know, I was in The Azores at the time.”
“Understood.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, neither saying a word. In that silence, Jake’s phone suddenly buzzed in his pants. Sabine heard it as well.
“Do you need to check that?” she asked.
“Probably not.” Then he thought of a way to explain himself. “There’s a saying in America: If you want to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs.”
“I’ve heard that here in Austria also,” Sabine said.
“Strangely enough, when I get involved with a case, sometimes eggs get broken.”
“People also,” she said.
“Only those who deserve it.”
His phone buzzed again, but he ignored it for now.
“You should really check on that. It could be important.”
Unfortunately, he had to agree with her, since he was waiting to hear back from Anica. Jake pulled his phone out, and saw over the top of his phone that Sabine had ordered them each another beer. The first text was not from Anica. It was from his private contact, who
said he had a location for Anica. He shook his head when he saw where she was, and then moved on to the actual text from Anica. Her text read, ‘Stay out of this, Uncle Jake.’
Interesting. That sounded more like a challenge than an order. He typed back quickly, ‘All right.’ But that was a lie, of course.
“You found her,” Sabine said. “I can tell by the look on your face.”
Maybe this Polizei officer had done more than sleep her way to the top. “More or less. A general area.”
“But she’s alive, right?”
The two beers came and the rather inattentive young waiter simply scurried away.
“She’s alive,” Jake said. “But I think she might be in trouble.”
Sabine lifted her glass of beer and waited for Jake to do the same. They ticked their glasses together and each said “Prosit.” Then they took healthy drinks from the new beer.
“Now what?” the Polizei officer asked.
“Now, I do what you asked me to do. I go get Anica.”
“Maybe I should go with you.”
“Not necessary,” he said.
“My credentials could open some doors.”
“Not where I’m going.”
She raised her brows expressively. “She’s not in Austria?”
He shook his head.
“Then where?”
“It’s better that you don’t know.”
“Why?”
“Sometimes I’m required to do things that Polizei officers might find a bit. . .” How could he say this without pissing her off? “A bit questionable.”
She drank more beer and had a look of interest on her face. He had obviously done more to entice than dissuade.
“You should at least take Johann Gruber with you,” Sabine said.
“Why?”
“Because, like Anica, he has credentials he can use throughout the European Union.”
Jake knew she had a point, but he didn’t like the idea of babysitting. “When the bullets started flying tonight, Johann didn’t even draw his weapon.”
“Sounds like he could use your guidance,” she said.
Or some balls, Jake thought. But he agreed to take the Austrian Polizei officer with him, knowing that she only wanted the young man with Jake so he could report back their actions to her.
Sabine pounded the last of her beer like a putzfrau after a grueling day cleaning up after Octoberfest drunks. Then she shook Jake’s hand before leaving him alone at his table.
Jake watched as the men in the bar nearly got whiplash checking out Sabine’s ass as she departed.
Seconds later, Sirena came in and again the sausage fest craned for a look at her. By Jake’s thinking, Sirena was at least twice as hot as the Polizei officer, with her exotic darker features.
She sat in the chair Sabine had just vacated, waving for the waiter to bring her a beer.
“Well?” Sirena asked. “How’d it go?”
“Did you take care of business?”
“Roger that.”
“Awesome. But we have a problem. I just got word that Zoran Petrovic is not the only one in Strasbourg. Our people tracked Anica there as well.”
The waiter came over and set a beer down in front of Sirena and hurried off again.
She sipped her beer and then said, “We should get going then.”
“We’ll sleep a few hours and then get on the road,” Jake said. “Did you tuck in Johann?”
“Are you sure you want him going with us?” she asked.
“Yep. And as suspected, Sabine just offered up his services to us.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you should do this for a living?”
“Shut up and drink your beer.”
7
Strasbourg, France
Jake rode with Johann Gruber in his Audi from Innsbruck to this French city on the German border, while Sirena drove behind them in a rental BMW. Jake needed to conduct a soft interrogation on the Austrian man, something Jake accomplished quite well. He knew that people liked to talk about themselves, yet many people never got the chance to divulge personal information because of the self-centered nature of many. Folks could be terrible listeners. But Jake had a way of asking people simple questions that would elicit desired answers, unfiltered and truthful. And the best part was that the one being questioned had no idea they were falling right into Jake’s plan.
With Johann, though, Jake wasn’t trying to grasp intelligence information. He was more interested in motivation and loyalties.
What did Jake discover? Nearly everything about the man’s upbringing in rural Tirol. He had done some time in the Austrian Army prior to joining the Polizei. And the most important tidbit of information? Jake was certain that Johann had a crush on Anica Senka. Johann didn’t just want to find Anica for professional reasons. He was truly concerned for her because he thought they might be able to get together at some point.
The trip from Innsbruck, Austria to Strasbourg, France was nearly 500 kilometers. With traffic problems and stops, they had made the trip in five hours.
Now, they drove slowly through the outskirts of the city, heading toward the city center. For some reason, the traffic had stalled up ahead and they were bumper to bumper.
“I don’t know what’s going on up ahead,” Johann said, becoming frustrated.
Jake checked his watch. It was nearly three p.m. “We’ll check into our hotel and rest before heading out.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to get the early-bird special at the hotel restaurant?” Johann asked.
“You watch too much American T.V.”
“You are getting up there in age.”
“I’ll combine a few American idioms for you,” Jake said. “Don’t judge a book by his silver lining.”
“I think that translates to German,” Johann admitted.
Jake continued, “In this game, experience can keep you alive. If you want to be sharp tonight, you need to get some rest. Look in the mirror. Your eyes are red as beets. Five hours doesn’t seem like a long drive, but on the Autobahn your eyes get overworked constantly shifting and looking for danger.”
“Point taken,” Johann said. The Austrian actually looked into his mirror now to confirm what Jake was saying. Then he added, “Tell me about Sirena.”
“What about her?”
“The two of you are together obviously. How did that happen?”
“You mean how did an old guy like me score a hot Israeli like her?”
Johann glanced at Jake quickly. “I didn’t know she was Israeli. She doesn’t have much of an accent.”
“That’s because her mother was American,” Jake said. “Plus, she speaks about a dozen languages. Never underestimate her.” Jake made sure not to tell this Austrian Polizei officer that Sirena had once been an officer in the Israeli Army and had worked for the NSA, the CIA and on loan to the FBI several times, before retiring and coming to work with Jake.
“She looks at me like she wants to snap my neck,” Johann said.
“It’s nothing personal,” Jake said. “I get that same look from her sometimes. Just remember that she could actually do it.”
“Seriously?”
Jake shrugged.
Johann looked scared now. “Here we go.”
They got through the gauntlet. The jam turned out to be a simple fender bender, bringing traffic to one lane. Once they got through, they had clear sailing all the way to their hotel in downtown Strasbourg, just a few blocks from the famous cathedral.
Jake and Sirena checked into one room, and Johann was just a couple of doors down from them. They agreed to meet at seven for dinner before they headed out to try to find the Serb.
Once they got to their room, Sirena plopped down on their bed and let out a heavy breath.
Jake went to the window and viewed the city center. From their room, he could look down on the cathedral square a couple of blocks away.
Sirena propped herself up on her elbows and said, “What did you lea
rn from Johann on the drive?”
Turning, Jake asked, “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean,” she said. “You could make a monk break his vow of silence.”
“Yeah, well you could break any vow of celibacy.”
“Thank you.” She patted the bed. “Why don’t you join me?”
How could he say no to her?
Afterwards, they took a long nap. Jake woke and found the room semi-dark. Sirena sat in a chair across the room checking her phone for something.
“Anything important?” Jake asked.
“Checking to see where Sabine was.”
“And?”
“And she’s still in Innsbruck,” Sirena said. “At least her car is. What made you think she would follow us?”
“I don’t know. She seemed to have more of a stake in finding Anica than she wants us to know. Why else would she fly all the way out to The Azores to hire us?”
“Because you’re the best in the business,” she concluded.
Jake got out of bed, still naked, and found his underwear, slipping them on. Then he put on black jeans and a dark gray T-shirt. Finally, he grabbed his socks and shoes and sat on a chair next to Sirena. “You have to admit that Sabine seems more invested.”
“Maybe she had the hots for you back in the day.”
“I don’t think so. In fact, I think she didn’t like me much. I made her old boyfriend look like a total tool on more than one occasion.”
“That’s because you were aligned with his predecessor, Franz Martini.”
“Perhaps.” Jake took out his phone now and pulled up a tracking app to see where Anica was right now. Damn it!
“What’s up?” Sirena asked.
“She must have taken out her battery.”
“You taught her well, Obi-Wan.”
Jake’s phone buzzed and he pulled it from his pocket. It was a text from his contact in the Gomez organization.
“Important?” Sirena asked.
“They tracked the current location of Zoran Petrovic,” Jake said. “He’s in an apartment complex about three blocks from here.”
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