by Geoff Wolak
‘Middle East?’
‘Russia is in no position to stop them, so they want to invade the Middle East.’
‘My god. But you are persona grata with them, no?’
‘I am, I’m the bringer of good TV reports.’
‘And they want their man back.’
‘Yes, but … they also want The Jackal dealing with them and on board, as you are.’ I waited.
He nodded his head as he thought. ‘He is well placed, at the border, probably the biggest and strongest in that region, one of the strongest in Mexico.’ He faced me. ‘If he wants a bigger deal, it helps me, yes.’ He shrugged. ‘I trust him, he has been shipping for four years almost, no problems.’
‘The Americans will want him to knock down the other cartels. So … what do you want done?’
‘Well, if we get rid of the other cartels that’s good for business.’
‘And if this guy gets to be No.1, and down the line he wants in here?’
‘Why would he want to come here?’ Tomsk puzzled. ‘He’s Mexican, he likes their stupid food, different accents to the people here – who all hate Mexicans.’
‘Do you have any concerns about him surviving, and doing well? Or should I kill him?’
‘Don’t kill him, he’s very useful, and as for my concerns -’ He shrugged. ‘- I can’t see any. I’m strong here, no one will move me out, all the government ministers are on my side.’
‘It sounds like he’s short of cash. Do you want to squeeze him?’
‘No, it’s me he owes.’
‘And what about dealing with Deep State?’
‘I’m … not sure where we would do business, the overlap.’
‘They want cash for illegal jobs, and can help people they like. You could take a trip to New York and go shopping.’
‘Yeah? Well, if they can assist me, that would be good I suppose.’
‘If you get them into Liberia they’ll assist you greatly, joint projects. They suggested Atlantic Oil, and the French-Canadian company that will mine the uranium.’
‘It is going well, the oil development. The fucking Nigerians are jealous!’
‘Have a think about what you want out of a relationship with Deep State, and what you want from The Jackal.’
‘You will steer me right, I trust you.’
‘Then I say you don’t dare upset Deep State. They could have this placed bombed, a stealth bomber like the ones used at Camel Toe Base.’
He glanced up. ‘Best not upset them, then, eh.’
‘You still tip off the CIA?’
‘Yes, once a month at least, or if I find someone new dealing around here.’
‘What does this Jackal know about you, and me, and the CIA?’
‘I’ve not discussed the CIA with him, he doesn’t know about the tip-offs, but he is a fan of yours.’
‘Do I let him in to our secrets? The tip-offs at least.’
‘Up to you, you know how to play these people, good at reading people.’
‘Sort me a plane, for Mexico, no drugs on board’.
‘There is an airport close to him, he knows people there but the Federales are there in force. They would stop you and question you; tourists don’t go to that place!’
‘Then get me a ride to Tucson for the morning, I’ll chat to the Americans.’
I stood and stepped away into the dark, moths flittering around the lights, and I punched numbers. ‘It’s Wilco, I need to talk to the Deputy Chief, have him call me back from home – or wherever he is.’
That call came fifteen minutes later. ‘Wilco, you still in one piece?’
‘I’m fine, in Panama.’
‘Panama? Any flights logged?’
‘I may have overlooked registering my flight plans. Can you talk?’
‘Yeah, secure this end.’
‘Think about what I did with Tomsk, and do you want me to do that with The Jackal in Mexico.’
‘The Jackal? How the hell do you have a lead in with him?’
‘That’s secret, Boss. So, do you want him on board, assuming that he will come on board?’
‘We can’t be seen dealing with him, too close to home. Tomsk is a risk, but that risk is filtered through you, so we could blame you.’
‘As you could with The Jackal. Listen, you don’t need to do anything other than facilitate me for an unspecified job, and tell me what you might wish to achieve here.’
‘Barbed wire on the border?’ he quipped.
‘What else?’
‘Fewer drugs, fewer immigrants, fewer cops killed at the border … for starters. As for the agency, it’s not our remit, it’s down to the DEA and others. But … hitting the gangs inside our border would help greatly, and if we claimed credit it would piss off the DEA and the FBI.’
‘If I have a working relationship with this Jackal idiot I could work on the cross-border swap of drugs and guns, and hurt the gangs your side, and get intel on those gangs.’
‘That would be much sought after, something I can take to the White House wrapped in a fucking bow. But it has to come from Panama, not this side.’
‘Can you have men there if I land in Tucson, and look the other way as a light aircraft takes me south across the border, a navigational error? Or just drive me to the border and I cross.’
‘There are sections of border that don’t even have a string of barbed wire, so it won’t stop you crossing. Just need to be met the other side.’
‘I aim to be in Tucson tomorrow night.’
‘I’ll get a team there ready.’
‘Then do me a favour, and get someone to Vegas, get me a room key, some show stubs, I need to show I was in Vegas with my girlfriend.’
‘Girlfriend?’
‘Mossad.’
‘Mossad! What the fuck are they doing here?’
‘I’m training one of their lady agents, she’s keen to assist me, posing as my girlfriend.’
‘What the fuck is their agenda here?’
‘They want me in Yemen and other places, they sent a liaison, I told her she would have to prove her worth, and she was with me in Liberia.’
‘Ah, I remember, we got reports of a lady soldier there.’
‘As for their real agenda … fuck knows. Your guess is as good as mine.’
‘They always have three agendas.’
‘So Vegas evidence for four people, I’ll be taking a team in. make that three people.’
‘I’ll sort it now, and chat to a few people about The Jackal.’
‘Best keep it quiet, or he might hurt me and leave a scar.’
He laughed. ‘You are a crazy fuck. Let me know about the Tucson flight.’
‘And a hire car, a jeep, full tank. Not a company vehicle.’
‘OK, I’ll sort it.’
Back with Tomsk, I said, ‘CIA will help me in Tucson, and to get to the border. Call your man, Carlos, and have him send men to meet me somewhere on the border, specify a spot.’
‘I call him tonight.’
‘The CIA are happy to get intel on gangs their side of the border.’
He pulled a face. ‘I can get some of that information, but they are my end-users.’
‘How will it affect you if I attack some of the cartels in Mexico?’
‘It helps me, they shoot at each other; Carlos lost a consignment to another gang. They spy on each other, steal jeep loads. They even shot down a Cessna one time.’
I called Tinker as I sat there. ‘It’s me.’
I heard a yawn. ‘How’s that hotel?’
‘I’m in Panama.’
‘Ah … that’s why you’re waking me.’
‘Tell the Brigadier – in the morning - I want Rizzo and gang flown direct to Panama from Tenerife, via the Azores maybe, as well as Tomo, Nicholson and Swan, and the Russian speakers that work with Sasha. Have someone replace the men watching my lady. And those men flying must look like tourists, no military kit.’
‘I’ll talk to him in the morning.’
‘Oh gawd. What have you done, burnt down a hotel in Jamaica perhaps?’
‘I’m in Panama.’
‘With … Tomsk?’
‘Yes. And I’ve requested Echo men to join me.’
‘And this chap you wanted to find?’
‘Is in Mexico, being held by Carlos The Jackal.’
‘You mean to storm in and try and rescue him, in Mexico!’
‘No, quite the opposite. Carlos deals with Tomsk. Carlos will let go my man. Carlos … could use some help to kill his rivals in Mexico, and the CIA are very keen that I get intel on Mexican drug gangs on their side of the border.’
‘I should have had that stiff drink. You mean to do with him what you did with Tomsk?’
‘Yes, unless you say no, but you can say no to the keen and excited CIA yourself.’
‘If we say no they get difficult, and apply pressure. But the US-Mexican border is not our concern, at all, not a bit, nada.’
I smiled. ‘You’ll be getting favours from the Americans…’
‘You already get us favours from them, and they’d hate to lose the Tomsk link. So I’ll chat to the Director early, and the PM.’
‘Would need to be off the record, so label it as … counter-terrorism work in Panama say. CIA will help with a reason.’
‘Leave it with me.’
‘You have about twelve hours to stop me flying north.’
Inside, Sasha and Salome sat chatting, I said to Tiny, ‘I’m not taking you on this next step, Mexico, there’s no reason for you to be there.’ I faced Salome. ‘I could be there a month.’ I waited.
She shrugged. ‘Doing what?’
‘Shooting drug dealers.’
‘Good practice for me. But what about Yemen?’
‘As soon as this is wrapped up we go to Yemen, and your bosses have no interest in Mexican drug gangs.’
‘I have things to do in New York,’ she suggested.
‘I’ll sort a flight for you.’
‘What about me?’ Tiny asked.
‘I’d send you back, not throw away your life without good cause.’
She sat sulking and pouting as Tomsk closed in.
‘Problems?’ Tomsk asked her in English.
I told him, ‘She wants some difficult and dangerous work to do.’
‘I have some,’ he offered. ‘Well, not so difficult. In my hotels we have pick-pockets and jewel thieves, professionals, they only target the wealthy and we can’t catch them.’
She stood and smiled. ‘I’m excellent in nightclubs, I can pretend to be drunk, and I know a bad man a mile away.’ She stepped to a tall guard and punched him in the stomach, but not hard. He glanced at us and tensed his muscles, getting a harder punch, which made him smile, so Tiny upper-cut to the balls, bending him in half as we laughed.
She jumped back before he could grab her. ‘I had older brothers, and I can fight,’ she told Tomsk, both of them the same height.
‘What is her background?’ Tomsk asked me.
‘Spy work.’
‘Ah, excellent.’ He faced her. ‘You get nice clothes, jewellery, a man on your arm, money to spend, a nice hotel room.’
Sasha put in, ‘She is perfect for the job, trust me.’
‘Don’t let me down,’ I told her. ‘Be a professional, whilst having some fun.’
‘I promise you, Boss, I will have some fun.’
I frowned at Sasha. ‘Is she not supposed to promise not to let me down?’
He laughed.
Sat with a tea with Tomsk at midnight, I told him, ‘The bank is set back, but there may still be a few shits out there. American Deep State killed many of them, the top players, and the Arabs did the rest of the top players.’
‘So maybe it is quiet now.’
‘There are more people involved, but the money you sent is helping, the reward money. Any we don’t use you can have back.’
‘Keep it with Spectre, there are a few people I want to catch up with in Europe.’
‘That much money will buy you a lot of bullets…’ I waited as I faced him.
‘You saved my life many times.’ He shrugged.
‘I’ll use the money to make the world a better place.’
‘How about a holiday, some relaxation? You push yourself hard.’
I nodded. ‘They almost got me, a few times. And Petrobras knew about me being Petrov, so you have to listen out for any talk about Petrov.’
‘I got all I wanted from Branco before we killed him and burnt his body. Oh, the oil pipeline here that they closed last year, I was thinking of buying it and moving it, at least parts of it.’
‘Is there oil here? Maybe you could make a start and have a look.’
‘I have been thinking about that, but everyone says there’s no oil here, they looked. Last place to look is the Caribbean side, deep water, but it would be expensive – and the Caribbean Islands are against it. So I concentrate on Liberia.’
I nodded. ‘Have thirty Valmets sent to Carlos, four Elephant Guns, plenty of ammo, eight telescopic sights, green army clothing, boots, webbing.’
‘I get No.1 on that.’
‘No.1?’ I queried with a smile. ‘I thought I was No.1.’
He shot me a look. ‘He was No.4 when you were here, then a leg wound, so he sits behind a desk now.’
In the morning I drove up to see the new No.1, recognising him and smiling, a hug exchanged, a look around the old base, some new brick buildings to peer at, men greeted.
In his office I detailed what I wanted sent to Carlos, and that I would probably want ten good men sent to Mexico for some action. He had a stockpile of RPGs, so many would be sent north.
Back at Tomsk’s sumptuous villa, the minister was visiting. ‘Ah, you are alive. There had been rumours of your death.’
We shook hands.
‘I have tried to fake my own death many times,’ I told him as we sat, coffee issued.
‘Now that you are here, are you available for some work for us?’
‘You have to ask Tomsk that.’
‘We did, and he said to ask you.’
I smiled. ‘What work … did you have in mind?’
‘Just across the border with Costa Rica, a gang that has the protection of the local police, a well-prepared gang and …well protected by those local police. The local governor is involved.’
‘They grow drugs or ship them or what?’ I asked.
‘They grow drugs in the hills, above the coffee plantations.’
I faced Tomsk. ‘There is a pesticide that kills the coca plants, so get a few tonnes of it, and borrow some Panama Air Force Hercules aircraft, and go spray the hills late one night. Of course, that pesticide is bad for anyone breathing it in.’
Tomsk smiled and nodded.
I faced the Minister. ‘If we kill the men, more men come around. So let’s hit the crop first, eh.’
He shrugged. ‘OK, try it, see what happens.’
‘I have a job to do, a few weeks, then I’ll look at this gang for you,’ I offered.
The minister left happy enough, promises made, and Tomsk soon had his management team on the pesticide, delegating the tasks. Well, he did have an empire to run, an empire with a greater GDP than Panama.
A private jet had been ordered, a clean one, but Tomsk knew the pilots, a flight plan logged to Tucson. Since no one would be daft enough to fly drugs direct to a US city from Panama I was not too worried about a search of the aircraft.
Salome was on her way to Panama City airport with an escort, and Tiny was heading for a posh hotel, a room to claim, some nice clothes to buy for herself. What a cruel task master I was.
I checked what I had on me, and I was still carrying my Russian ID, so if the FBI were waiting in Tucson I’d have some explaining to do. I ch
ecked Sasha, and we threw cases into a jeep, Tomsk soon waving us off.
At the strip I called Langley and checked that I was both expected and would be welcomed, but I doubted they would stamp my passport on landing or ask the purpose of my visit.
A nice sleek Learjet landed as we waited, soon turned around and taxiing back down the strip with a roar. We boarded, two nice American hostesses on board to welcome us, and we both sat, our luggage simply placed between seats and wedged in.
Taxiing down to the end of the strip, a turn, a burst of power, and we were off, forced back into our comfy seats, soon climbing and turning, and heading northwest. After levelling off the hostesses brought us tea and coffee, and I stared down at the Panama coastline, thinking about what could go wrong, and how I would play it. I had five hours in which to think.
And I knew that any action near the border would alert the US authorities - and the US media - very quickly. David Finch had not called to stop me, so maybe he was hoping for some plausible deniability here.
Tomsk would be chatting to Carlos again, right about now, some men to meet us just across the border, and hopefully they would be the right men – not a rival cartel wanting to shoot me full of holes. It would just be myself and Sasha, no weapons, a hell of a risk to be taking on a dark night in a lonely spot.
After eating, I told Sasha to get some rest, since it might be a long night.
I woke as my arm was nudged, and we had begun our descent. We were now over US territory, always a worry for any Petrov look-a-like with a fake Russian ID pack in his case. I had to stop and wonder about my look-a-like, still languishing in a cell in London; someone might have grabbed him for the reward money on my head, so why had he done it?
As we came in I could see Tucson lit up, orange street lights everywhere, a clear night here. Down smoothly, just a little wobble, and we taxied around to the terminal, 737s seen sat there under tall lights, but we taxied on and to a final halt next to a line of SUVs, men stood around waiting. Some were local police officers, a worry.
Aircraft halted, I was apprehensive, soon stepping down, only to find Franks and Dick stood there. I smiled. ‘Got nowhere to be?’ I asked them, and we shook. ‘Nothing on the TV tonight?’
