by Robin Mahle
♦ ♦ ♦
Aaron unlocked the door to his apartment and entered the cold one-bedroom unit. He made his way to the thermostat, noting it showed 57 degrees. “Damn it.” He tapped on it several times and soon realized the heat had once again cut out. The hour was late and no after-hours maintenance was offered in his budget-friendly, slightly down-market building. He walked toward the coat closet and retrieved the space heater employed for such occasions, as they happened more often than not. Now that he was getting a steady paycheck from the CIA, he just might be able to afford to leave this shithole and get something decent. Although that could just be a pipe dream. What he had been tasked with, if caught, could find him in prison for the rest of his life. Still, he could hold out hope.
Aaron smiled at the absurdity while he warmed his feet by the heater and rested on his couch. His thoughts turned to Lacy. He’d expected to hear from her and considered reaching out. It was late and what did he have to say anyway that would be at all comforting?
He hadn’t seen much of her in recent days, while he was being screened by the CIA. Whatever Agent Axell had done, whatever strings he’d pulled, he’d done well because Aaron had no business being allowed to handle classified information. While he’d never been convicted of any wrongdoing, there had been a time when he would offer advice to novices in the industry via his blog. And well, once something was on the internet, it never really went away. But there was something larger at stake now, a cause that Axell believed in too and so he did what he did for it—and for Lacy, a woman for whom he cared deeply, perhaps too deeply.
The two had spent much time together in the months after the attack. Sometimes it was only to keep each other sane in this madness, but sometimes it was for her to lean on him; have his shoulder to cry on when she needed it. Not that it happened often. Her strength was admirable. But he was there for her and now so was Caison. He admired Will too. All he’d done to help them both through this. Hell, he saved their lives. But it didn’t change the jealousy he’d begun to feel since his arrival. Now she had both of them to offer comfort. In the back of his mind, Aaron believed Lacy could have feelings for Will. She never alluded to it, of course. She still loved Jay, no doubt about that, but he was gone and, at some point, she would find another.
♦ ♦ ♦
Ahsan Sajwani waited in line at airport security in Beijing. He approached the officer and handed over his UAE passport.
“Headed home?” the officer asked.
“Yes.” He remained expressionless as the man perused the pages of his document and scrutinized the photo.
The officer stamped the passport and handed it back to Sajwani. “Have a pleasant flight, sir.”
With a nod, Sajwani made his way to the gate and boarded the plane, traveling first class. He pressed the call button for a flight attendant.
“Yes sir?”
“May I get a cocktail, please?”
“Certainly, sir. What can I get you?”
He placed his order, knowing that once he arrived back in Dubai, because he was Muslim, alcohol was generally not allowed. Sajwani was hardly a devout Muslim, though. If he had been, his god would certainly punish him for the atrocities he had already committed. But in the eyes of the UAE, he was. It was easier for him to obtain the information he needed and garner the help he required if he appeared devout. So he played whatever role was necessary to achieve his goals and the goals of the man who paid his bills.
The plane soared into the skies and, shortly after leveling off, his drink arrived.
“Thank you.” While sipping on his cocktail, Sajwani retrieved his laptop and began to work. The task set forth by Lei Jian would not be an easy one, but the ball was already rolling, as they say, and it was up to him to put in place the necessary arrangements to move forward.
Several hours later, and Sajwani awoke to the captain’s announcement that the plane was descending into Dubai airport. The nine-hour flight was almost over, but Sajwani’s day had just begun.
On arrival, he hailed a cab. “The Excelsior Hotel, please.” He turned on his cell phone and made the call. “I’m here. Yes, sir, I understand what needs to happen. I’ll be in touch when it’s done.”
The hotel room he’d booked was at the top floor and, upon his arrival, a package awaited him. Sajwani opened the large box and unlocked the case inside it with a key from his pocket. He raised the lid and examined the contents before retrieving it.
The slender barrel of the M82 military-grade weapon brought a smile to his face as he caressed it with every bit of the passion of a man caressing a woman. The .50 caliber sniper rifle was the perfect tool for his current needs, and was a gift from Jian to get the job done.
Sajwani secured the scope and held it to his eye, aiming it toward the window of his room. He carefully placed the rifle back in its case and prepared for the next morning. The planning involved had been extensive and the time had come for him to execute the first part of the task Jian had sent forth.
♦ ♦ ♦
Construction in Dubai was ongoing and Sajwani used that to his advantage. He was situated on the fifth floor of a building adjacent to the target. Interior construction was almost complete, but work would not commence today. A call to the project managers confirmed it would remain empty until the afternoon, at which time the job would already have been completed.
The precision required meant any changes would result in the calling off of the mission. With his phone to his ear, he began, “Is he on time?” He waited for an answer. “Good. I’m here.” Sajwani placed his phone on the ground and began to set up the tripod and cut the opening in to the window. The winds whistled through the newly breached glass, although he was on a lower floor and the enormous structures surrounding the building shielded much of it. He leaned down and peered through the scope to set up his aim.
The building across the street was in his sights. The sixth-floor boardroom with a large conference table occupied much of the space. Many factors had been taken into consideration in order to make the shot count. The wind, the height, the trajectory and, finally, the window on the other building. But the .50 caliber weapon was chosen specifically for this task and could easily penetrate the standard level 4 glass that surrounded the building, and take his target down with accuracy.
♦ ♦ ♦
Mr. Marquez, president of the Bank of Panama, entered the conference room of the Dubai developer his bank was attempting to woo. Surrounded by his usual entourage, he approached the table where others in attendance had already gathered. “Mr. Salim, it is an honor to finally meet you in person. Thank you for the kind invitation to your beautiful city.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you as well. Please take a seat and we can begin.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Sajwani tensed as he spotted his target. Through the lens, he watched the man shake hands with the others in the room and move toward his chair. This was the moment he waited for. Pressure from his index finger was applied slowly to the trigger and, in a split second, the bullet struck a hole through the glass and pierced the man in the back. Mr. Marquez crumpled to the ground while those around him scattered.
Sajwani raised with confidence, lowered the rifle, and made his departure.
5
Visions of the charred remains of the mall hovered in the back of Lacy’s mind, sometimes drifting to the forefront at night while she slept. Sometimes they appeared while she was in the middle of conversation, and for no other reason than to remind her of what she’d lost. And now here they were again, distracting her from noticing Celeste had knocked on her bedroom door.
“Lacy? May I come in?” Her voice sounded on the other side.
Lacy pulled herself from the bed and reached for her robe, which rested on the bench at its foot. “Hang on a second.” As she secured the belt around her slight waist, she continued, “Come in.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you; it’s just that Mr. Axell is here to see you.”
“He
is?” She began to smooth her hair. “I’ll be right down. Please offer him a coffee, if you would.”
“Certainly.” Celeste closed the door.
As her footfalls faded in the distance, Lacy’s thoughts quickly turned to why Agent Axell had arrived unannounced. She reached for her cell on her nightstand. No messages. She approached her bedroom window and peered through, noticing that his car was parked alongside the front of her home. Lacy dropped the curtain and quickly changed into clothes and pushed her hair back with a headband.
Moments later, she reached the top of the landing where Agent Axell waited at the bottom. “Good morning.” Lacy stepped cautiously after noting his blank expression. “What happened?”
He waited for her to reach the bottom of the stairs. “I’ll take that coffee now.”
Lacy walked into the kitchen. “Thank you, Celeste. I’ll take it from here.” She poured two mugs full of fresh brew and placed one in front of Axell while he pulled out a stool to sit down. “Here you go.” She waited for him to begin, but instead he sipped on the coffee.
“We’ve got a problem, Lacy.”
“Forgive me, but that seems obvious. What’s happened, Trevor? Are Will and Aaron okay?”
“Yes. They’re fine. Sorry. I should’ve started with that.”
Her shoulders dropped with relief. “Thank God.”
“You know I’ve got people watching Jian?”
She nodded.
“He’s got someone working for him again, which I suspect is Ahsan Sajwani, but I don’t have confirmation of that yet. And I just received intel that the president of the bank in Panama, the one used to transfer the money…”
“Yes, I know.” Lacy was growing impatient, partly due to a lack of caffeine and partly due to Axell’s dance around the problem, a tactic he was not prone to using.
“He was in Dubai for a meeting with a developer and was assassinated yesterday morning.”
Lacy leaned against the back row of cabinets. “Kendrick’s dead and now Marquez.” Her lips pursed, turning them white as she cast her stare through the kitchen window. “I saw someone at my kids’ school last week.” She returned her attention. “Jian’s coming after me, isn’t he? He’s killing everyone who was involved with the cover-up. And now it’s my turn.”
“I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I’m starting to think that’s a possibility.”
“Come on, Trevor.” Her lips raised into an ironic smile. “You don’t think so. You wouldn’t be here if that were the case. You know so—don’t you?”
“I can’t say with absolute certainly, Lacy. But it’s time to start taking extra precautions.”
“I’ll protect my children at any cost; you know that. But if I’m not safe, then neither is Aaron or Will, and neither are you or Agent Colburn.”
“Don’t worry about us. We can handle ourselves.”
“You don’t think I can handle myself?”
“That’s not what I said. You have your kids to think about and I understand that.”
“Do you have children, Trevor?”
He nodded. “Two of them. Senior in high school and a junior in college.”
“And a wife? I’ve never asked you about your family in all this time.”
“She passed a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“I know you didn’t. So you see, you’re the one in the precarious position here. Your children can’t afford to lose you too.”
“What are our options? What extra precautions can we take?”
“Like you, I believe your children are the most important consideration in this. At the very least, if you want to continue, then you need to take them someplace safe. Someplace where they can’t be touched.”
“For how long?”
“As long as it takes.”
Lacy began to consider the idea of leaving them after promising never to put them through that again. Jackson was still young enough to forgive her, but Olivia—her maturity reached far beyond that of a seven year old, especially since Jay died. The older sister had taken it upon herself to care for Jackson in a way Lacy had never seen before. She’d become a mother to him, almost.
And where could Lacy send them this time where they would not be found? Jian had already proven his ability to reach them once before. Perhaps that was the fault of the man sitting before her now, warning her of the need to separate from her family once again. She studied Axell. He was a man who showed little emotion. A man who did not mince words. What he was telling her was the truth. “I know where they’ll be safe.”
“Then don’t tell anyone. Not me, not Caison, and not Hunter.” Axell began to rise. “And Lacy, you won’t be able to stay here. It’s too risky. Neither will Celeste.”
Lacy followed him to the front door.
“Don’t do anything from here.” Axell surveyed the foyer and living areas in his view. “You understand?”
She nodded. “Thank you for coming by.” Lacy pulled open the door. “You’ll let me know if anything else turns up?”
“I will. Goodbye, Lacy, and—I’m sorry.”
Upon closing the door, she turned to glance up at the staircase. The kids were still asleep. There was only one place Lacy knew would be far from Lei Jian’s reach. A place her children had never once visited. A place where they would know no one, not even the ones with whom they would be living.
Her still wounded heart broke again under the weight of this decision. She wasn’t even sure they would take her kids, but she would have to try. There was no other place.
Lacy walked to the foyer table and pulled open a drawer. She retrieved a disposable cell phone that was tucked inside and reached for her keys. “Celeste?” She walked into the family room. “I’m going for a run.”
“Everything all right?”
“Yes. Everything’s fine. I won’t be long.”
“It’s cold outside. You should take your fleece.”
“Thank you. I will.” She reached for her hoodie that hung on the coat rack and opened the door. The air hit her skin like a quick blast of icy air from a freezer.
She pulled a deep breath into her lungs and began to jog down the path to the sidewalk and away from the cul-de-sac. Behind the homes was a trail that carried alongside the untouched government lands dense with trees and streams flowing through to an inlet a few miles away. This was not a run to clear her head or consider her options; this was a way to gain distance, to get to a place where she could make the call no mother would ever want to make.
Upon reaching a safe distance away from her home, fearing she might already be under the watchful eye of the enemy, Lacy retrieved the burner phone and made the call. She waited for an answer, hoping there would be one because leaving a message of this sort was out of the question. She hadn’t spoken to her since the funeral and the two were never close, which she regretted, especially now.
“Megan? It’s Lacy.”
“Lacy? I didn’t recognize your number. How are you? How are the kids?”
“Fine. We’re all fine. Hanging in there, you know.”
“Sure.”
“I’m sorry we haven’t spoken in a while. Not since the funeral, but…” Lacy inhaled deeply and shut her eyes to stop the stinging.
“Is everything okay?”
“Megan, there’s something I have to ask you.” Her words struggled to free themselves as she was forced to come to grips with this new reality. “I need to know if you can take care of the kids for a while.”
“Take care of them? You mean, have them stay with us? Here in Long Island?”
“Yes.”
“What’s going on, Lacy? What happened? Why are you asking me this?”
“I can’t say, not yet and maybe not ever. I need to know if you and Eric can do me this favor I never thought I’d have to ask. Can they come and live with your family for a time until I know it’s safe for me to bring them home?”
“Safe? Okay, now you’re scar
ing me. Lacy, you need to tell me what’s going on. If you’re asking me something like this, I deserve to be told why.”
“I can’t. No one can know. No one. Please—Megan, I wouldn’t ask if…”
“I know you wouldn’t.”
Lacy waited for her to continue. Instead, there was silence and she feared what the answer would be. “I know you and Eric would take good care of them. That would never be a question in my mind. And the kids, well, the cousins should get to know each other. That’s something we should’ve done a long time ago.” She paused again. “If it’s a question of money, I have enough. I wouldn’t put that financial burden on you.”
“It’s not that, Lacy.”
“I’m asking more than anyone should. I get that. This is something I have to do for them. It’s the only way we’ll get through to the other side.”
“Jesus, Lacy. You sound like you’re going on some dangerous journey.”
She didn’t respond, because that was exactly what this was—a dangerous journey that she couldn’t be sure of surviving.
“I’ll have to talk to Eric.”
“Of course. I would expect that. I know what I’m asking, Megan. And I think you know me well enough to know that this is my last resort.”
“How long can you give me?”
“As long as it takes, I suppose, but for the kids—the sooner the better.” She couldn’t burden her with the knowledge that there was no time to consider the request and that the longer it took for them to reach a conclusion, the riskier it would get for the children’s safety.
