by Bryan Murray
Jake swerved around the next corner, as the gunman took careful aim with another burst of fire that hit Jake in the arm, almost causing him to lose control. The bullet had pierced the flesh and he was already bleeding. He was trying to drive along, using his bad arm, while trying to stop the bleeding with his other hand.
Up above, in the chopper, Davidson and Jennings had quickly scrambled aboard and were now starting to focus on the chase, following the flashes of gunfire below. Suddenly, a spotlight illuminated the road around Jake’s fleeing car, so that the pursuers could keep him in plain view. Bullets continued to ricochet off the Volvo and, just like his hair-raising chase by the cops in Dubai, Jake knew that he had to ditch the vehicle.
He raced through the next intersection where Jamal’s car also joined in the pursuit behind the other two bodyguards, who were coming in hot, still firing at Jake. Jamal screamed at the driver in Arabic. “Don’t lose him, we’re getting closer!”
Up ahead, Jake was trying to stem the bleeding from his arm and steer at the same time. “Shit, this is all I need!” he cursed. His good hand was now drenched in blood. He swerved round another corner, approaching a busy shopping mall and he realized he was headed straight for the mall entrance. He looked around, seeing the SUV’s still in pursuit and he decided that now would be a good time to lose the wheels.
In the chopper, Davidson and Jennings watched the scene unfolding below as the Volvo lurched and came to a sudden halt. Jake scrambled out of the car and staggered into the mall, holding his arm, his tote still on his shoulder. The pursuing cars screeched to a halt as Jamal, with Anwar and the others, hastily entered the mall in pursuit of an injured and exhausted Jake.
Back in the chopper, Davidson was deep in thought. He suddenly turned to Jennings and screamed above the noise of the rotor. “Call the Arab dogs off, Ted!”
Jennings looked at him incredulously. “Are you serious, sir?” he asked.
Davidson explained. “Damned serious. Make the call to Jamal. I’ve been thinking, if they kill Harrigan now, we risk bringing too much attention down on this whole affair. Leave him, we need him alive for now. We can’t have a CIA operative gunned down in a mall by Arab nationals, without raising the ire of Homeland Security!”
Jennings nodded apprehensively. “If you say so, sir.”
Davidson nodded. “Absolutely, let’s keep him under surveillance.”
Jennings shrugged and dialed Jamal’s number. Down below, outside the mall, Jamal was still rushing along in pursuit of the injured Jake, when his cell phone rang. He answered as he slowed his pace. “Yes?” he listened a moment in shock. “Are you sure? But the infidel is still alive!”
Jennings tried to pacify him. “Relax, Jamal, we can grab him and you can take your revenge in private, not in a crowded mall. Remember, you’ve still got to get out of the country afterwards and we sure as hell don’t need an international incident on our hands, with a mall full of witnesses!”
Jamal reluctantly agreed. “You promise you will get this man?”
“Absolutely.” Jennings replied.
“Very well.” Jamal quickened his pace until Anwar and his men were in earshot. “Anwar!” he screamed, but Anwar continued to press forwards, until Jamal screamed louder in firmer tone. “Anwar, stop, stop!” Up ahead, Anwar and his men stopped and looked at Jamal.
Anwar looked confused. “Why do we stop, my brother?”
Jamal explained. “The CIA will catch this infidel and we can exact our revenge in private.”
Anwar was not impressed. “I hope you are right, Jamal.”
Jamal nodded. “It will be okay, the CIA guarantee this!” as he spoke, the chopper came in to land and Davidson and Jennings climbed out.
Anwar looked at the chopper and back at Jamal. “And if these Americans let him go? What do we do then, my brother? He is also an American remember!”
Jamal nodded in agreement. “I agree, perhaps this will help them prove their loyalty to us and not to this assassin! We will take their word at this stage and see what happens.” Anwar nodded reluctantly.
Up ahead, Jake was now exhausted, his lungs were burning, he was losing blood quickly, and his arm was hurting like hell. He ventured to take a look behind and it suddenly appeared as if he was no longer being pursued. He was now moving across the back of the shops in the large shopping area and after glancing over his shoulder once again, he ducked in behind a dumpster for a rest. He then used his good hand to tear off the tattered sleeve of the shirt on his injured arm and wrapped it around the wound to try and stop the bleeding.
He was feeling weak, his vision was blurred and his breathing was labored. He would have liked to have rested longer, but that wasn’t a viable option as he struggled back to his feet. He tucked his gun in his belt, picked up the tote with his good hand and staggered forwards, causing a concerned look on the face of one of the store clerks who was carrying out two sacks of garbage through the back door. He took one look at Jake and hurried back inside as Jake stumbled past.
Jake’s brain was telling him to keep going and to get as far ahead of his pursuers as possible, but his lungs were telling him that he was close to collapse. The loss of blood wasn’t helping and he pushed onwards, driving all thoughts of exhaustion from his mind. With each step the tote was starting to feel heavier and heavier.
Jake’s exhausting efforts seemed to have been paying off. He was now a good half mile ahead of his pursuers, approaching another shopping complex as he made his way round the back of the major stores.
Back at the chopper, Davidson was already on the phone, with Jamal angrily standing beside him, obviously displeased. Davidson was furious. “What the hell d’you mean, you lost him?”
Jennings looked concerned, “What can I say, he’s a smart guy.”
Davidson screamed into the phone. “We need back-up, meet us at the plaza on Main. We need a thorough ground search, now!” A voice answered. “Yes, sir, we’ll meet you there.” Davidson turned to Jamal in an attempt to calm him down.
“Relax, Jamal, he’s badly wounded, he won’t get far, we’ll have him by morning. This is what my guys do and then you can take your time and do what you will.”
Jamal was still angry, having lost his quarry on the word of an American. “It had better be so!” he snarled.
At the far end of the distant shopping complex, Jake was almost all in as he staggered down an alley at the rear towards a large dumpster. He had lost a lot more blood than he had realized, his heart was pounding and he was close to collapse. Through glazed eyes, he finally focused on the dumpster at the far end of the alley near the road going by. Approaching the dumpster, he was in a state of delirium. Jake knew he needed to rest. As he got closer to the dumpster, he stumbled over an empty crate in the shadows and fell, striking his head. He tried to stand up and his head was now bleeding.
He was still delirious. “Gotta rest!” he gasped as he made one last ditch effort to get to his feet and using his good arm, still holding his tote, which now seemed much heavier than he had remembered, he managed to climb up the side of the dumpster. When he reached the top, he threw the tote inside before finally collapsing, hanging half in and half out of the dumpster. His eyes were closed and he was spread-eagled on the cardboard boxes piled inside the top of the dumpster, his good arm dangling over the side.
CHAPTER 20
It was a sunny morning in the DC suburbs as the small, blue Ford moved along the quiet road behind the shopping mall. Inside the car, Lorinda, a young African/American woman was driving with Marcus, a bright-eyed, cute-looking eight-year-old African/American boy beside her. She drove past parents who were walking their kids to the school bus pick-up point.
She parked at the curb, some distance from the bus pick up area. She and Marcus got out and started to walk the remaining distance to the bus. She looked at the boy. “Okay, honey, got your books?”
Marcus looked nervous. “Yes, ma’am.”
She smiled as they walked along, hold
ing hands and suddenly, Lorinda’s expression changed when she looked across the road. She shaded her eyes from the low, early-morning sun.
“Oh, my!” she pointed across the street.
Marcus looked at her. “What is it?”
Lorinda continued to point. “Look, over there!” Across the street, she was pointing at the dumpster, where Jake was still lying there motionless with his arm still hanging over the side. He looked sickly pale and his bloodied shirt was in tatters. He could well have been an extra from a zombie movie!
Lorinda dragged the apprehensive Marcus across the street towards the dumpster. “C’mon, we’d best check it out!” she looked around cautiously, in case she had to call for help, but there was no one close by.
Marcus looked nervous. “Is he dead?” he asked.
Lorinda moved closer and took a good look at Jake. “I’m not sure. Wait here.” she moved towards the dumpster and stepped onto the ledge at the side to look even closer. Jake looked terrible, he was covered in dried blood, his face was pale and drawn and his eyes were still closed. He looked somewhat contorted.
She edged up even closer and nervously reached out to touch his carotid artery, to see if he still had a pulse. Jake instinctively moved to get up, momentarily startling her. He suddenly winced in pain. She tried to calm him, looking in disbelief at his blood-stained clothes. “Man, are you okay?” she asked.
Jake tried to focus. “Where, where am I?”
Lorinda was looking at his arm wound. “Looks like y’all been shot!”
He was still struggling to focus, the sun in his eyes. “Shot?” he tried to move his arm and the pain was intense. “Aaaargh!”
Down below, Marcus looked up at Lorinda on the edge of the dumpster. “Is he gonna be okay?” the boy asked.
She looked down reassuringly. “Yeah, c’mon up here, give me a hand, honey, we need to get him down.”
Marcus scrambled up the side of the dumpster and they slowly managed to get Jake to his feet. Jake signalled Marcus to grab his tote and the boy respectfully complied, laying it on the ground next to him. Jake was grateful. “Thank you, young man.”
He was having trouble standing as he dropped to one knee, hanging on to the dumpster for support.
Lorinda touched his shoulder. “Take it easy, okay, I gotta get my boy to the school bus. I’ll be right back.”
Jake tipped his head in acknowledgement and gratitude. He was slowly getting back the feeling in his legs, rubbing his thigh to aid with the circulation. He looked around in all directions, before clutching his tote and quickly checking that the contents were all still there. He couldn’t believe that he was still alive and that he had somehow managed to elude his pursuers from the night before.
He watched through tired eyes, blinking at the bright sun as Lorinda rushed off with Marcus, around the corner and out of sight. He tried to move his arm and winced at the pain. The events of the night before were now becoming less cloudy. “I gotta get outta here!” he mumbled. He was now seeing the irony that Jennings’s words ‘go to ground’ seemed to have worked, at least concerning the events of the previous night!
Jake now had a new complication. An innocent young woman and her son were trying to help him, totally unaware of the danger they were exposing themselves to. He tried to walk but stumbled again just as Lorinda came rushing back.
She grabbed his good arm and helped to steady him. “Here, lemme give y’all a hand.” she got him upright, but he was still very groggy.
Jake was still hesitant to get her involved. “I’m okay, ma’am.”
She looked closer at him. “You gotta be kiddin’ me! You lost a lotta blood, you got a nasty gash on yo’ head and yo’ arm looks real bad. What the hell happened to you? We needs to git you to a hospital!”
Jake was struggling to think. “No, no hospital!” he explained. “Some bad dudes were after me, but I managed to get away.”
She thought for a moment. “Okay, c’mon let’s go, then. We can go back to ma place an’ I’ll have a go at patchin’ you up.”
He looked at her hesitantly. “Look, I don’t want to trouble you!”
She was insistent. “It ain’t no trouble, c’mon on, lean on me.” Jake was impressed with the woman’s concern, she was clearly a woman of modest income, maybe even a single mom. It never ceased to amaze him how often people who had very little themselves, were so willing to help a stranger in need.
He finally gave in and leaned on her until they got to her car. She unlocked the door and carefully helped him into the passenger seat. She went round the other side, tossed his tote in the back seat, climbed in and drove back in the direction of her apartment.
An hour later, in Lorinda’s modest apartment, Jake was looking considerably better, now that she had meticulously washed and dressed his wounds. A strong cup of coffee and the smell of bacon and eggs on the stove, made him feel almost human again. She looked at him, a concerned look in her pretty eyes as she tried to assess the true seriousness of Jake’s situation.
“How bad-assed are these guys?” she asked,
He shook his head negatively. “You don’t wanna know. Look, ma’am, I’m so grateful for your help and I don’t even know your name, or why you’re helping me?”
She smiled. “The answer to your first question is Lorinda, Lorinda Foster. The answer to the second question is, I’m not sure, I guess it’s who I am!”
He looked at her gratefully. “I’m Jake. Look, Lorinda, I don’t want to put you and your son in danger, so I need to move on.”
She motioned for him to sit as she placed breakfast in front of him and he needed no encouragement to eat. She replied. “You’re joking! You needs to rest a while. Look at you, you’re still shaky on yo’ feet. Just give it coupla hours, sit back, and relax. I gotta run a few errands, pick up Marcus and then I’ll take you anywhere you needs to go.”
He couldn’t argue with her logic as she put on her coat and turned on the TV. “Catch up on the news, I won’ be long.” He nodded tiredly and she left. He watched the news as the newscaster explained in the business news that Midecon Industries shares had risen sharply on news of another large contract that they had just been awarded in the Emirates. Jake looked disgusted. “More hidden agendas!” he growled to himself.
He wondered idly, if the very top people in Midecon even had a clue about the subterfuge that was going on with their man Peterson and the rogue agents in the CIA. He was also still apprehensive about what the rest of the day might hold, but he knew that he needed some rest to restore his energy, and he needed it before the woman returned.
Jake was dozing in the recliner when he heard the door open and he instinctively reached for his gun and winced at the pain in his arm, but he relaxed when he saw it was only Lorinda and Marcus. The boy looked afraid when he saw the gun, but Jake calmed him down. “Relax, son, everything’s okay,” he changed the subject. “How was school?”
The boy looked at Lorinda and she nodded for him to answer. “Okay, I guess,” he looked at Jake’s arm. “Mister, you get shot?”
Lorinda ushered the boy to the kitchen. “That’s enough, son. Too many questions, where’s yo’ manners? Go get you a glass of milk, head up to yo’ room an’ get started on your homework. I’ll be up in a liddle while.” The boy nodded and left. She turned to Jake. “So, where d’you wanna go from here, Jake?”
He thought for a moment. “I need to get out of your way. I really appreciate all you’ve done, Lorinda, but I’ve got to be moving on.”
The woman was still adamant about helping him. She looked at him tenderly but firmly. “Look, you can hardly navigate, you ain’ got no wheels, so, where d’you need to go next?”
He rubbed his hand up and down his face, thinking hard. “Well, there is a place I need to visit, but it isn’t going to be during regular office hours. I need to do some checking around when I won’t be disturbed!”
She was anxious to help. “I can drive you there an’ wait for you.”
&
nbsp; He was still concerned about her safety. “But I don’t want to put you or your son in any danger.”
“Hey, it’s no problem.” she answered
He was still reluctant to involve her, but he sensed he was fighting a losing battle. “But what about the kid?”
“He’ll be okay for a while. He got homework to do an’ video games.” she replied.
Jake heaved a sigh and finally gave in, zipped up his tote and prepared to leave.
CHAPTER 21
It was early evening and cool as Lorinda’s car pulled up under the trees, two hundred yards down from the main gate at Midecon. The road was deserted and the staff had just left for the day. Lorinda killed the engine and looked at Jake who gave her instructions, a concerned look on his face. “Look, if I’m not back in fifteen minutes, or anybody suspicious comes along, just drive away, understand?” She nodded and he exited the vehicle, his tote still on his good shoulder.
Jake made his way hurriedly to one of the landscaped trees by the fence, scaled the tree to the height of the fence and dropped his tote over the other side, before jumping down to the ground, the impact of his landing reminding him of his injury. His pulse quickened. “I’m in!”
The grounds were partly lit with a combination of colonial lamp posts, twenty feet apart and with in-lawn lighting. Jake moved from cover to cover across the sixty yards or so towards the rear entrance to the office building.
He approached the rear exit door and checked it to find that it was locked. He was about to get out his agency issue lock-opening implements, when he heard the door opening from inside. Jake jumped back into the bushes, thinking he may have been spotted, but he relaxed when the door opened and two women from the contract janitorial staff came out and wedged the door open before hauling sacks of office trash across to the nearby dumpster. As they moved away, Jake slid inside the building unseen.
He moved along quickly and silently to the staircase leading up to the office floor. He remembered where Nancy’s office had been, having been to a number of seasonal functions with Nancy. He knew it was on the second floor, in a corner office with a view of the street that ran parallel to the front entrance of the complex. At the top of the stairs, he walked quietly down the corridor, checking out the names on the doors, until he arrived at the corner office with ‘Contract Logistics’ written on the door. He stepped inside the darkened office.
