by Terry Toler
“I knew you would. You’re probably taking all the credit too. We’re secure by the way.”
“Okay. Of course, I’m taking the credit. The terrorism thread was my side of the mission. Tough luck kid.”
“I think I did all right on my mission. I found the girls.”
“You did? That’s great.”
“All of them,” she said.
“All three hundred of them?”
“No. All that were kidnapped over the five months. Fifteen hundred, of them. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to you and went and found them.”
“Ouch!”
“I’m just kidding. Seriously. We did it. This was a huge success. We got Asaf. We got the girls back. I couldn’t have done it without you. You were amazing.”
“Back at you.”
“I need a favor.”
“Legal or illegal.”
“Does it matter?”
“No. I just wondered.”
“Legal if you are in the U.S., illegal if you’re in Russia. I’m in Russia right now. So, you’re in the clear. My neck is the one on the line.”
“That’s the way I like it.”
“Shut up and do me a favor.”
“What’s the favor?”
“A plane left the Ostafyevo International Business Airport last Sunday.
Private plane. Rich businessman. I need to know where it went.”
There was no response from Alex.
“How soon can you let me know?” Jamie asked.
“Hang on.”
She could hear typing in the background.
About a minute later, Alex came back on the line. “The plane went to an island in Turkey. The plane and island are owned by Emin Patel.”
“What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for nearly a minute,” Jamie said sarcastically.
“I had to take a drink of soda first.”
“What’s the name of the island?”
“Do I have to do everything for you?”
“Never mind, I can look it up,” Jamie retorted.
“I already have it. Guzellik Cay. Guzellik means beauty in Turkey. Beautiful Key is the literal translation.”
“Is there anything you don’t know?”
“The island is one-hundred-fifty acres. Has a landing strip. That’s where he landed the plane. The island is a hundred miles from the mainland. That’s a good place to enslave women. They aren’t going to swim to safety, but it’s close enough for a helicopter ride over. He probably entertains guests on the island.”
“They aren’t women,” Jamie said in a serious tone. “They’re young girls. Fourteen and fifteen.”
“Oh… That type of island. There’s a Muslim temple. With a gold dome. A lot of beaches. Beautiful beaches. What’s your next move?”
“I’m going to go there. Find the starfish on the beach.”
29
Jamie rented a private jet from the Ostafyevo International Business Airport and was on her way to the island in the Aegean Sea to rescue Ana and any other girls being held by Emin Patel. She had Google Earth up on her computer and studied the small island to determine a strategy.
A plan had formulated in her mind.
Alex had hacked into Patel’s cell phone and found that he was in the Mediterranean Sea on his private yacht on a likely course back to his island from Athens, Greece.
Jamie was on a race to get back to the island before him.
The ruse of her posing as Candice Berman, the CEO of Belles of Belarus had worked so well in Obninsk, she decided to use the same strategy on Patel’s island. She’d pretend that she was there under Patel’s instructions to pick up the girls and take them to him. Hopefully, whoever was on the island would be gullible enough to fall for it. If everything went well, she could land and get the girls out without a gun fight.
More than likely, only one or two armed guards were on the island anyway—maybe none. No reason for guards when the girls had no way to get off the island anyway.
The pilot interrupted her preparations when he came on the intercom and said, “Jamie, we are nearing the island. You should come up here and look at this.”
Jamie had called Jill at Save the Girls and asked her to find a pilot preferably experienced in rescues. She thought about hiring a private pilot but didn’t want to put an unsuspecting person in that kind of danger.
Calling Brad was not an option. He’d nix the operation altogether. Mike Mertens, one of Jill’s employees out of Brussels, had twenty-years of experience as a commercial pilot and had been with the organization for two years flying Jill around the world. He was aware of the risks and more than willing to take them to save the girls.
Jamie took the co-pilot seat next to him.
“Look over there,” Mike said.
On the island was a building with a gold dome on top. Alex had said that Patel had built a Muslim temple on the island. A strange sight for an island paradise. Jamie concluded that more than likely Patel used it for more than religious purposes by using the girls to create some kind of sick religious, sexual experiences for him and his guests.
She didn’t want to know.
“Let’s circle the island a few times and see what we see,” Jamie said. “Without making it too obvious we’re there.”
Mike made a broad sweep around the island, and from their vantage point they weren’t able to see any armed guards. One woman was sitting on the beach. She appeared to be reading a book.
“I hope the girls are still here,” Jamie said. There were no signs of them.
“He might’ve moved them if he got word of what happened up in Belarus,” Mike said. “Or they might be on his yacht.”
“Let’s hope not. Make one more pass.”
Mike circled around. He suddenly pointed off in the distance.
“Look! Over there,” he said with a sense of urgency.
A large dot. A boat. Patel’s yacht?
Still a long way away, but it appeared to be heading in the direction of the island at a normal speed.
“In my briefcase behind you are some binoculars,” Mike said. “Grab those and let’s take a look.”
“It’s clearly a yacht,” Jamie said, peering through them. “No way to know if it’s Patel’s or not.”
Jamie handed the binoculars to Mike to look through.
“I think we’ve been spotted,” he said. “There are people on the deck pointing our direction. I also see men with machine guns on the deck.”
A jolt of adrenaline powered through Jamie. “How long will it take them to get to the island from their position?” Jamie asked.
“Fifteen minutes is my guess. Maybe twenty. Maybe ten. Hard to say. Especially if they speed up from seeing us.”
“We have to hurry then. Land this bird as fast as you can. I’m going to go in the back and get ready.”
Within three minutes, they were on the ground, taxing to the end of the runway just off of the main house. That proximity to the house would save them time.
Jamie looked out the window, and the woman who’d been sitting on the beach was standing now, walking toward the plane. No apparent sense of urgency or alarm. No other people were coming their way. No guards. Still, no sign of the girls.
Jamie stuck her head in the cockpit and said, “Keep the engines running. You stay here. Be prepared to get us out of here as quickly as possible.”
“As soon as you are clear, I’ll turn the plane around, so it’s heading in the right direction for take-off,” Mike said, excitement building in his voice.
“If anything happens, you take off. Go and get help. Do not leave the plane under any circumstances. Okay.”
Mike nodded reluctantly. She wondered if he really would leave her there. No use arguing with him about it. Hopefully, they’d be leaving there with the five girls.
Jamie lowered the steps and exited the plane. The woman was getting closer, almost to the runway. Jamie put a big smile on her face and extended her hand in a friendly manner.
/>
The woman returned the smile and said hello in English. She was clearly American.
“Hi. My name is Candice,” Jamie said. “I’m with Belles of Belarus. Mr.
Patel asked me to come and pick up the girls and take them to his yacht.”
Jamie saw a look flash across the woman’s face. Obvious, but not discernable as to what it meant. Not a look of recognition. Something else. There wasn’t enough time to figure it out.
“He’s supposed to be here sometime this morning,” the woman replied, looking out toward the ocean.
“Change of plans. He was coming here. Now he’s going to another island and wants the girls with him.”
Jamie looked out the same direction. The yacht was not yet in sight from the island.
“I think I should call him,” the woman said, pulling her cell phone out of her shorts pocket. She started dialing a number.
“That’s strange,” she said. “I’m not getting a signal.”
Jamie brought with her a cell phone jammer from the CIA safehouse. She had activated it before she got off the plane. The woman wouldn’t be able to get a signal. This was a response she had anticipated.
“Oh well,” Jamie said. “I need to hurry. I’m running behind as it is.”
“There he is!” the woman said excitedly. “He is coming here.”
Jamie looked the direction she was pointing. Though still a good distance away, they could clearly see the yacht. When Jamie looked back toward the woman, she had a gun in her hand pointed at her.
“You’re not Candice,” the woman said. “I know Candy. She’s the one who recruited me. Years ago. Who are you?”
She did recognize Jamie. Recognized that she wasn’t Candice. That’s what the look was all about.
Jamie held her hands up in the air and in front of her.
“I’ve come to get the girls,” Jamie said strongly. “It’s over. Candice has been arrested in Pinsk. Belles of Belarus is no more.”
Jamie took a step closer to the woman still keeping her hands in the air.
“Don’t move,” she said. “Don’t come any closer.”
“Jamie, what’s going on?” Mike said. He was still on the plane but standing at the steps. Looking out on the runway where the woman had a gun pointed at Jamie.
Just the distraction Jamie needed.
The woman looked that way, startled.
Jamie bent her knees, lowered her upper body, and moved slightly to the right so she was out of the line of fire. She brought both hands up and wrapped them around the gun, pushing it up and back. In seconds, she had the gun in her hand pointed at the woman.
“Where are the girls?” Jamie shouted.
The woman didn’t respond right away. She looked in two directions. Toward the temple on the north side of the island and back toward the main house on the south side.
The girls were clearly in those two locations. She had to hurry. Jamie grabbed the woman around the waist, threw her up over her shoulder, and carried her over to the plane, kicking and screaming, which Jamie ignored.
“Tie her up inside,” Jamie said to Mike. “Get the plane turned around. We are going to have to get out of here in a hurry.”
Jamie bolted to the main house in a full sprint, still carrying the woman’s gun, not knowing what she’d find inside.
The house had a wing that had clearly been added on and was not part of the original construction. Jamie deduced that the girls were in there. The house was large but square, so she was able to make it to that area through one hallway. The door was locked. She pounded on it and heard girls scream on the other side of the door.
No time to pick the lock. One swift kick at the doorknob, and the door splintered, the lock separating from the jamb. A louder scream went up from the room as the girls ran into a closet.
Jamie followed them to the closet door. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to take you home,” Jamie said.
The girls were huddled in a corner clutching each other.
“Are any of you Ana?” Jamie asked.
They didn’t answer, but one girl looked at a girl hiding behind another.
Clearly Ana. She appeared to be the youngest of all of them.
“Ana,” Jamie said. “Olga sent me to help you. But we have to hurry.” “You know Olga?” the hiding girl said meekly.
“Yes. I’m going to take you back to Belarus. All of you. We have to hurry. See that plane.” Jamie pointed out a window. They could see the runway from their vantage point. Jamie could also see the yacht coming toward the island.
Faster.
Patel had obviously spotted the plane and was hurrying to find out what it was. Jamie estimated in her head that she had less than five minutes before they would be in range of the guns.
“Follow me,” Jamie said.
The girls hesitated. Jamie grabbed one of their arms and started pulling her out of the closet and toward a door that was off of the annex and closest to the runway. The other girls followed. A flimsy lock was on the door and Jamie easily kicked it open.
“Run to the plane. All of you. Get on it. Now!”
The five girls ran across the sand, to the runway. Mike was at the top of the steps motioning for them to come toward him. He helped them into the plane as Jamie sprinted toward the temple.
The building had four large columns, and two massive iron double doors, padlocked and secured by a heavy chain. She turned her head and fired the gun at the lock, concerned about a ricochet bullet, so she fired it at an angle. It penetrated the lock but didn’t immediately separate the lock from the chain. She fired again. At closer range. This time the bullet shattered the lock, sending shards of metal clanging against the door and the concrete portico and a couple off her hand and arm, causing slight burns.
Jamie ignored the searing pain and unwrapped the chain and heaved one of the big doors open. Inside was the entryway or foyer to the temple. She called out for the girls. No response. There were two doors to either side of the altar. She ran to the door to the right. The only one that appeared to have a lock on it. She fired her gun into the lock and the door swung open. No girls were there.
She ran across the room to the other door and opened it. Nothing but supplies. Maybe there weren’t any girls in the temple after all. She started to leave but then heard a noise in the other room. She ran back to it. Inside the room was a curtain. She hadn’t noticed it before. Behind the curtain was a door. It wasn’t locked.
Inside were three girls. They looked to be seventeen or eighteen. They weren’t huddled together, but all had a terrified look on their faces. They were in a living quarter. No windows and only the one door.
Jamie shouted, “We have to get out of here! Now! Patel is coming. I’m here to help you escape. Follow me.”
Jamie ran out the door, through the temple area and out the two double doors. She glanced back and the girls were following her. She could see in the distance the yacht closing in on the island.
Jamie lagged behind to let the girls get ahead of her.
“Run to that plane. As fast as you can. I’ll cover you.”
Mike had the engines gunning. A large whirring sound was deafening as they neared the plane.
The yacht was less than a mile out. It had stopped. A boat was being lowered from the side. The gunmen were climbing into the boat. The moor for the yacht was on the other side of the island. Patel must have thought they would get to them faster by using the smaller boat.
Jamie bolted up the steps of the airplane.
“Are there any other girls on the island?” she shouted once inside, hoping the answer was no. She wouldn’t be able to save them without a gunfight. If there were, she’d already decided she’d stay behind and let Mike leave with the girls. Save who they could.
Several shook their heads no. One of the older ones spoke up and said, “This is all of us. There were more but Patel took them off the island several months ago and brought the new girls in. We don’t know where he took them
.”
Jamie thought about going back into the house to see if she could gather evidence against Patel but quickly rejected the thought. Instead, she went back to the steps, raised them, and secured the door.
“Let’s get out of here!” she shouted to Mike. “Everyone’s on board.”
The plane lurched forward. Jamie was thrown backward and knocked to the floor. She grabbed the railing next to the cockpit door. The girls were already in their seats with seatbelts around their waists. The woman was in the corner, her hands and feet bound. A blank stare on her face. Probably not sure exactly what was happening.
The nose tilted, the plane lifted from the runway and made a quick ascent to a higher altitude.
Jamie slumped back on the ground. She let out a huge sigh of relief. She glanced out the window and could see the yacht just off the island and the gunmen standing on the runway looking up at the plane.
A wide grin came on Jamie’s face.
All we have to do is get this plane to Belarus, and this mission finally can be over.
I hope nothing else goes wrong.
***
The plane landed in Minsk safely. Jamie thanked Mike profusely. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said several times.
He’d made it easier for her when he distracted the woman holding a gun on her, and his piloting skills getting the plane off the ground that fast were amazing. Save the Girls was lucky to have him, and she’d tell Jill so the next time she saw her.
Jamie gave each of the girls $5,000 and explained to them what would happen when they arrived in Minsk.
After landing, they all exited the plane so appreciative of what Jamie had done for them. None really talked about their experience on the island. That would be for another day. Save the Girls would have counselors who would spend time with each one to help them through the physical and emotional trauma.
Jamie stayed on the plane. She was still a CIA officer, operating covertly in Belarus. Her identity needed to be hidden.
Mike escorted the still bound woman down the steps and into the custody of Detective Orlov who had met the plane. They learned the woman’s nickname was Hollywood. They called her Holly for short. She grew up in southern California where she went to school with Candice at UCLA and was recruited by her to work for Asaf who then gave her to Patel. Her job was to recruit and coordinate young girls and lure them onto the island. Promising them anything to get them there.
