by Warren Ray
They didn’t have to wait long for the Lieutenant to pull into his driveway. They watched from up the street as Stiver got out his car and hustle his out of shape body onto the porch. He was wearing his black assault uniform so his shiny bald head was the only thing they could see as he disappeared into the shade of the porch.
“Should we give him a few minutes with his wife?” asked Bassett.
“Screw his wife, no pun intended, but let’s go,” said Nate.
Scar held his hand out. “Give him a few minutes. The more compromising position we catch him in, the easier he’ll be to control. ”
They got out of the car and watched as Taylor and Burns left the old Victorian neighborhood. The three of them traipsed up the drive and onto the porch, where they found the door unlocked. They pulled out their weapons and walked inside. They heard laughter coming from upstairs. “That didn’t take long,” said Scar. He led the way up the oversized wooden staircase and down the red-carpeted hall to the master bedroom. The voices came from the adjoining bathroom. Scar was the first to enter and see the two lovebirds splashing around in a big antique claw-foot bathtub. When he walked in with his gun pointed at them, it took a second before Stiver came to his senses.
He yelled out as his wife screamed and covered herself. “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?”
“Don’t even get up, you’re not something I want to see.”
Bassett and Nate walked in the room.
“That man,” screamed Carrie. “I know him.”
Stiver looked at his wife. “How do you know him?”
“He was just here. He works for you.”
“He what?” asked Stiver, as he turned back to Scar. “What are you doing in my house?”
“Is it your house, Stiver? Or are you squatting?”
Stiver didn’t respond.
Scar grabbed a couple of towels, threw them over to Stiver, and motioned him to get up. Stiver covered himself as he got out of the tub. His wife followed suit. Scar led them into the bedroom. Nate checked Stiver’s clothes for any weapons and then gave them to him to put on. Carrie put on a bathrobe.
“Now, do you mind telling me who you are, and what you want?”
“We want our men back, you know, the ones you took yesterday.”
Stiver finally recognized the gravity of the situation. He had prisoners that would have put him back in the good graces of the National Police, but he was about to lose them. He would continue to be the laughing stock of the force.
“I can’t let you have them,” he tried to say bravely.
Nate lost his patience and wasn’t in the mood to mess around. He walked up to Carrie, raised his gun to her head and glared at Stiver with his dark eyes. “I don’t think you understand just how pissed off I am right now.”
Carrie let out a sob. She looked at her husband who started to move toward her. Scar grabbed him. “I wouldn’t be trying any heroics, Lieutenant. You see my friend here, is a cold hearted son-of-a-bitch and he won’t think twice about pulling that trigger.”
Stiver stopped moving. “Don’t cry honey, I’ll get us out of this.”
“That’s better,” said Scar. “Now, you’re going to help us get our men out of jail.”
Stiver looked at Scar as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You think you can just walk in there and expect me to turn the key.”
“That’s exactly what you’re going to do, and if you behave yourself, we’ll let you come back here tonight and finish your rendezvous with your wife. We’ll even fix it so they still think you’re the hero.”
Stiver gave Scar a puzzled look.
A couple of hours later, Taylor and Burns returned. They carried a bag of clothes into Stiver’s house and dropped them on the floor.
“Everything else ready?” Scar asked Burns.
Burns nodded. “Everyone’s in place and ready to go.”
The plan was a simple one. They would pose as government officials from Washington. Taylor had gathered a couple of business suits, and some fake ID’s they hoped wouldn’t be scrutinized too closely since they would be accompanied by Stiver. The rest would be in National Police uniforms that Taylor had gotten from a friend who was in the laundry business.
Basset would play himself, an agent of Homeland Security and would use if needed, the documents Green had issued him. Everything depended on Stiver’s demeanor, and he had a great motivator. They told him Nate would be guarding his wife. They made sure Stiver believed this, but in reality, they would bind and gag Carrie, and leave her by herself.
Scar had Stiver drive his own car downtown. He noticed beads of sweat running down Stivers temples. He didn’t want him freaking out so he reached over and turned on the air conditioner. He still looked nervous so Scar decided to give him a pep talk.
“Listen, Stiver, you play nice with us and you’ll get home safe and sound. We have no desire to hurt your wife, but know this for sure, if we don’t make it out of there, Nate will kill her.”
Stiver nodded. “I know. Believe me, I know.”
“Just be cool.”
“I’m going to look like a jack ass.”
“No, you won’t. You’re not looking at the big picture here. You’re handing over the prisoners as directed by Homeland Security. No one will know you were forced into it.” Scar didn’t really care what happened to Stiver, but he could see saving face was important to him, so he played that card strongly.
“Yeah, but what happens when they do come for them?”
“You lie. Just say you executed them. No one is going to give a crap anyway. Winters is the one everyone wants.”
As they arrived downtown, their transports pulled in and parked near the rear door of the jail where they would bring the prisoners out. The four of them got out of Stiver’s SUV and headed to the entrance.
Stiver approached Corporal Gottlieb, the night desk clerk. “How’s it going?”
“Hey Lieutenant, not too bad considering all the excitement from last night,” said Gottlieb who looked like he was barely out of his teens and spoke with a heavy Minnesota accent. “Who have you got there?”
“These men are from Washington. Homeland Security and all.”
“Oh really, from Washington, huh? You guys here because of our prisoners?”
“That’s right son,” said Scar, who at six four towered over the smaller corporal who still sat behind the desk.
“Gottlieb, these men are here to transfer the prisoners back to Washington.”
“They are? I wasn’t notified of any such thing.”
“Maybe someone forgot?” said Stiver.
“I don’t think someone would forget something like that,” said Gottlieb.
Scar looked down on him. “You’re absolutely right, Corporal. No one would forget something like that. The fact of the matter is, this is a classified mission. No one is supposed to know anything about it. Too much publicity surrounds these murdering bastards and there are too many loose lips. This is why we told no one. Just between you and me, it’s also the reason why I had to leave my wife and kids to come to this godforsaken part of the country and be sneaking around at night when I should be at home with my family.”
Gottlieb didn’t know what to say as Scar continued to stare at him. So, he got up and grabbed a set of keys. He got on the phone and ordered some help to release the prisoners. They all followed Gottlieb to the cells and watched as the cops pulled the men out and placed handcuff chains around their waist and shackles on their feet.
The cops escorted their prisoners down the hallway. The prisoners recognized what was happening but thankfully didn’t give any indication.
After filling out some paperwork releasing the thirty-four prisoners, Stiver walked Scar to the back door and down the set of cement stairs. The transports had already pulled out and Scar put his hand out to Stiver. “Nice work Stiver. That went better than expected.”
“What about my wife?”
“She’ll be
at that closed down restaurant on Exit 207B off of 94. Give it ten minutes.”
“She’ll be alright?”
“Of course Stiver, unlike you guys, we don’t like killing innocent people.”
He didn’t respond.
“Just remember, if you play it right and not spill the beans, then you’ll still look like the hero.”
Scar climbed into a waiting car.
Bassett looked over at him. “What did you tell him?”
“Told him he could find his wife west of here.”
Bassett laughed. “That’ll make him a little anxious.”
“Yeah, but he’ll be relieved when he sees her at home.”
Chapter 56
Washington D.C.
Green left his office for the day and planned to meet his friend, Sam, who worked at the State Department. Sam had the security clearance Green needed to access databases containing the information vital to his investigation. As he headed to the parking lot, he saw someone who seemed strangely out of place. The man had a massive receding hairline and wasn’t dressed in business attire. This struck Green as odd. Everyone who worked in the building looked like a white-collar bureaucrat. This man was dressed in wrinkled khakis and wore a cheap pull over bright red polo shirt.
When Green made eye contact with the stranger, he turned his head and walked off in the opposite direction.
Green shrugged, continued to his car and drove to a shabbier part of town. He entered a restaurant and sat down at a booth in the bar area where Sam waited.
Sam was about the same age as Green and kept himself in good shape. However, the stress from his government position had started to show on his face. Wrinkles were forming around his mouth and eyes, and premature gray hair crept into his sideburns. He was a career State Department employee and traveled extensively around the world to various embassies. They had met playing in a volleyball league at a local bar years ago, formed a friendship, and got together whenever they were both in town.
A waitress approached and took their orders. Green waited for her to leave and asked his friend if he had brought the information, he’d asked for.
“Got it right here, John. What’s this all about?” asked Sam as he handed Green a high capacity flash drive.
Green stuck it in his laptop and skimmed over the data. He was pleased Sam had been able to dig up so much information. He would have plenty to do at home this evening.
“I’m not sure Sam, but something is going on, something that’s big though.”
“I was a little surprised when you asked for info on Perozzi and if he has any ties to Mordulfah. I’m a bit reluctant to give you this stuff.”
“Oh?”
“You don’t know do you?”
Green gave him a quizzical look.
“About Perozzi?”
“I don’t even know what he looks like, all I know is he’s got money. Lots of it.”
“There’s a picture of him in there. He’s a billionaire many times over and he’s a personal friend of the President.”
“Close friends?” asked Green as he thumbed through the data to the photograph.
“Very close. That’s him right there.”
Green studied the picture. “I’ve seen this guy before.”
“Where?”
“He was in Reed’s office when I first met with him. I wasn’t introduced, and he just sat in the corner not saying a word.”
“That’s weird.”
“Yeah, it was, but I didn’t really think too much about it, until now.”
“Perozzi has his fingerprints on everything in the government. Word has it he runs the President. Plus, he definitely has business ties to Mordulfah, which include banking and real estate. I got you a small sample of their dealings.”
“I figured he had connections to them, but it’s good to see it confirmed,” said Green, leaning back as the waitress came over with their beers. He picked up his glass and took a sip. “Now I know why they have an office in the Lafayette building. The place is crawling with bankers.”
“Also, both Mordulfah and Perozzi have business dealings in China.”
“I suppose if you’re into international banking, you’re going to have those types of contacts.”
“Maybe, but we’re at war with China, which makes it a bit strange to have a Saudi Prince with diplomatic credentials in America who also has ties to the Chinese.”
“What about Lawrence Reed, what’s the deal with him?”
“Big time insider, he’s got a lot of juice. Some say he orchestrated the resignation of the former president and set up the former VP in that bribery scandal.”
Green looked surprised.
“It makes sense too because he’s a personal friend of the new President as well.”
Green shook his head and let out an audible sigh.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know yet, do some more snooping around.”
“John, you’re not a spy. You’re playing a dangerous game. These are the kind of people who don’t bat an eye at killing anyone who dares to ask too many questions.”
Green thought about that. Sam was right, he wasn’t a spy and he was looking into things that could get him killed. “I know, I’ll be careful.”
“You damn well better be, because if they catch wind I gave you this info, then I’m as good as dead as well,” said Sam in a nervous tone.
“I will, Sam.”
After finishing their drinks, they left the restaurant and walked outside.
“Which way you headed?” asked Green.
“I’m parked over in the garage.”
They shook hands, and Green assured his nervous friend he’d be careful.
Green started walking in the opposite direction deep in thought. Just as he reached his car, he remembered he had another question he wanted to ask Sam. He didn’t want to wait until morning and decided to catch up to him. He turned around and hustled to the parking garage. As he entered the garage, he saw the stranger from earlier. He recognized the cheap red shirt right away.
Seeing this guy twice within a span of an hour couldn’t be a coincidence, so he figured Reed was having him watched. The stranger must have wanted to find out who Sam was and decided to follow him.
Green kept ducking behind cars as he followed the stranger up a level. He heard a car start and thought it might be Sam. He waited and watched as the car came down the ramp, and recognized Sam as it went past. He knelt down to the cement, peeked under a car, and watched him drive out of the garage. He also noticed the stranger standing on the ramp. He had pulled out a piece of paper and was writing down Sam’s license plate number.
Green thought about confronting the man but didn’t want things to get out of hand. There were other people in the parking lot and the last thing he needed was a confrontation. The stranger walked to the stairs and out a side door. Green jumped up, thinking it prudent to follow. He sprinted to the exit and watched the man walk to the end of the block and turn left. Green tore after him, worried he might lose sight of him. He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do but knew he had to find out who this person was.
The man jaywalked across the street to a decent old Porsche 911. The black car was jammed between two other vehicles and he struggled to get out of the spot. Green bolted to the other side and got close enough to read the license plate as the sports car finally tore away.
Chapter 57
Detroit Michigan
Winters didn’t get much sleep and woke up feeling achy. Sleeping on plywood was not something he did well. He worked his way to the edge of the cot and grabbed onto the bars to stand up. He stretched his body a few times trying to work out all the kinks and splashed cold water on his face. His face still hurt from the blow he’d received from Cox. He didn’t think it was bruised too badly, otherwise, Sadie would have said something.
All night, he had thought about his men and what they would do once they found out the cops had captured h
im. He wondered if Nate, Elliott and Burns were back from Canada and if they had met with any of the others. He figured they would come for him regardless of who might still be alive and able to join in the quest. Surely, someone must have seen the cops taking him away and made note of the direction. It wouldn’t take much to know where he was if they knew the general direction. Of course, they could all be dead for all he knew. He shrugged the thought out of his mind.
Through the bars, he looked down at Reese and Sadie lying with their arms wrapped around each other. He formed a slight smile. It made Winters pause for a moment, thinking that regardless of one’s ominous situation, one could still find some joy, if only for a brief moment.
He thought about Reese’s decision to stay with them and how brave it had been. She probably wasn’t even aware of the latent courage she was able to muster when it was called for. That was the odd thing about dire circumstances. It forced one to discover what they were really made of and often allowed greatness to surface. He had learned that from a conversation he had with General Standish. He had discovered that about himself after jumping out of the back of a truck to retrieve his hat. This one action put him into an impossible situation, forcing him to make hard choices, choices he didn’t necessarily want to make. He learned he could lead men, which was something that surprised him since he had led the subservient life of a bookkeeper. He also didn’t know he could unleash holy hell if needed. This characteristic actually scared him at first, as he felt like a different person, a modern day Mr. Hyde. He chuckled to himself thinking it better than being a coward.
Winters thought about Sadie and what lay ahead for her. He prayed to God to save the little thing from Mordulfah. Sadie came into his life and kept him from constantly dwelling on his own daughter. He was mad at himself for giving in and not insisting she go with Nate to Canada. She had played upon his emotions, but, in reality, he did it for his own selfish reasons, he simply liked having her around.
Winters heard the door unlock and footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Cox and Millsap. Winters wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around Cox’s neck.
