Out Of The Night (22 page)

Feeling good about her decision to do the right thing, Bea looked around at the beautiful day.
Funny how things worked out. No one in her entire office…the entire organization would imagine the difference a sixty-five-year-old woman could make.

Her mission done, Bea headed home. Pizza sounded good for dinner tonight. Besides, her little dog Lola loved the stuff.

Damascus

Abby jumped when a knock sounded at the door. Tony put his finger on her lips to keep her quiet. She nodded as he grabbed his clothes, a gun and walked toward the door. She held the thin linen against her chest.

The clerk c
ame in, talking in Arabic like an addict on crack. She could barely understand him but managed to get the gist of the conversation. Apparently, there was someone who knew Joe’s whereabouts.

The owner left and Tony instructed her to get dressed as quick as possible
; they would be on the move. She barely had her feet in her sandals when Tony took their bag and her hand to exit their room.

Still fuzzy from sleeping, Abby shoved her hair beneath the scarf and tried to keep up with Tony’s fast steps. In a matter of seconds
, they stood in front of a short man with a full mustache, dressed in traditional muslin robe with an igal secured to a white shemagh covering his head.

“Where did you see this man
?” Tony asked in Arabic. “What area of town?”

The man looked at her briefly, before she lowered her eyes.

“I told my friend Arman who works with your agency about the man in the cellar.”

“I know about that. We’re headed there this morning to begin our search.”

“They have all left,” the man waved his hand, “but Hussein told me they were going to his wife’s family.”

“What about the man they were holding?”

“I do not know. I only know where Hana’s family lives.”

“Is Hana the wife to the man holding
the prisoner?”

The Arabic man held up his hands. “I did not tell anyo
ne there was a prisoner. I mean I never saw him.”

“Where does Hana live?”

“Near here.”

After getting the directions, Abby and Tony left for Hana’s family home immediately. Tony drove as bad as the natives. Cars were all over the place with horns honking and pedestrians scrambling for their lives.

Finally, they passed the house, only for Tony to turn around and park the car down the street. Then they walked to the house.

An older man answered the door. Tony was respectful, but firm. He asked, then demanded, to see Hana’s husband.

When a slim man with a wide gash above his brow answered, Abby saw his hands shook. Obviously, this wasn’t a career criminal or an anti-American extremist. It appeared he only wanted to make a living for his family like so many others in the region.

Hussein came out, and he and Tony walked to a nearby shade tree. She had no idea the words they exchanged, but Tony didn’t appear too happy as he stalked toward her.

Running to keep up with his long strides, Abby asked, “Did you learn anything?”

“Yeah, that asshole was the one holding Joe hostage. He swears he never hurt him and
claims not to have known that el Jibar was involved.”

“So, what about Joe?”

They reached the car and Tony yanked open the door. “I doubt he’s alive. El Jibar already has him.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Washington
, DC

Brad really didn’t want to meet Karla tonight
. He’d much prefer Anita, but that simply wasn’t going to happen. Unless her husband should die, and he was in the process of making that happen. Parker had received word from el Jibar that in a matter of hours it would all be over.

He exhaled as he pushed the elevator button to the eleventh floor. He didn’t particularly like Karla, but after the visit from that Falcon agent, he needed to relax and have some fun.

Stepping into the elevator, he put his hands in his pockets and thought of Anita. It deeply saddened him that she’d turned against him and went to Falcon. That would prove to be a big mistake for her in the future. He’d make her pay for that. But only after he’d won her over completely.

The tiny bell announced his floor. Walking down the hall
, he went to the room Karla had said she’d be in. She’d expressed how horny she was and encouraged him to hurry.

He
tapped on the door, and she immediately invited him in with a saucy smile. “What took you so long?”

“I had a few things to finish up.”

Karla was decked out in an inviting black bustier accompanied with a matching thong. He smiled his approval. Karla could be quite the charmer when she felt like it, and tonight she must be in the mood for something special.

She held out a bottle of champagne and a glass. “Let’s celebrate.”

“Celebrate what? Joe’s not dead yet, and I can assure you that damn reporter isn’t going away anytime soon.”

“But we’ve done ou
r part and according to Nick, we’re all going to be rich very soon.” She reached up and kissed him hard and wet.

It didn’t do a thing for him
, unlike Anita’s soft, tender lips that ignited a fire in his body and made his dick hard as granite.

She must have felt his disappointment for she leaned back and looked at him. “Not in the mood?”

He untangled her arms from around his neck and stepped back. Not interested, he slid his hands into the pockets of his pants. “You’re right. I’m not.” He turned. “I think I’ll call it a night.”

“Stop right there.”

Brad turned and saw Karla held a 9 mm pointed at him. The little bitch. “What’s this all about?”

She smirked. “It’s about splitting the money two ways instead of three. Nick and I have decided you’re a liability we can’t afford anymore.”

“So, you’re just going to murder me and think you’ll get away with it?” His heart hammered loudly in his chest. He didn’t mind going out, but not like this. Shot down in a hotel room by a greedy slut with a gun.

“I have a plan, Brad. A very good plan.”

“Fuck you.”

She pulled the trigger
, and he flinched, waiting for the bullet to pierce his body. Nothing happened. Silence echoed through the room. Karla looked at the gun and pulled the trigger repeatedly, but not a single bullet left the chamber.

The door blew off the hinges as Jake and Vince stormed into the room.

“What the hell is this?” Karla screamed.

Vince held a gun. “Put the weapon down, Karla. It’s not loaded.”

Brad staggered.

“Be thankful Bea overheard their little plot to blow your brains out
, Brad.”

“Bea,” Karla shouted. “What does
she
have to do with anything?”

“Well, she kept you from committing murder, saved Brad’s life, and exposed the three of you for what you are. I only want to say, if Joe Mitchell ends up dead, you’ll all be charged with murder
, and I’ll make sure the death penalty is on the table.”

The Falcon agent handcuffed
Brad and Karla. Several agents entered the room and escorted them to waiting cars. A meddling old woman no one ever paid attention to had spoiled the long awaited ploy.

Brad’s
gut tightened at the thought that an old woman brought down the most comprehensive scheme probably in American history. For Brad, he could only think of Anita. He’d lost her forever and that broke his heart. There was so much they could’ve done together if she’d only been willing.

Damascus

Hussein hadn’t told Tony a lot more than
he’d learned on his own. Yes, he knew where el Jibar had been when they abducted Joe earlier, but Tony figured he wouldn’t linger there long. But he decided to check it out and see what he could learn from the locals.

He’d contacted several of his informants in the area to find out what they could tell him
, but el Jibar had a way of winning over the hearts of those who believed him when he promised to restore Islam back to the people and get rid of the Infidels.

“So, where to now?” Abby adjusted her headscarf.

“We’ll check out the last place el Jibar was and see where that leads us.”

“Was that man any help?”

“Not really. He told me how to get to where el Jibar’s men found Joe, but nothing after that.”

“Are you hungry?”

He looked at her and realized he’d forgotten she might need to eat. He could go days without food, but Abby wasn’t used to those conditions. “Let’s find a place and eat quickly. Every minute Joe is in the hands of that terrorist, it’s a minute less he has to live.”

They took the food they ordered wi
th them and drove to the house el Jibar had last occupied. As Tony guessed, not a single person could be found, and no one in this area wanted to talk to an American. Not unusual. After thoroughly searching the house, Tony stood in front of the building and looked around.

Nothing appeared out of the norm here, houses, kids, dogs, chickens, and very little retail or small bus
inesses. Tony decided to check the local market place. They were the center of the communities they served and oftentimes the best source of local gossip.

He took Abby by the hand and walked toward the market. A woman stood behind a small box of vegetables and dates. He approached the woman with her dark eyes and careful movements. Then he whispered in Abby’s ear.

Abby strolled over to the woman with a wide smile.

The heavy Arabic woman with henna marking on her hands picked up a coconut. “What can I do for you today?”

Abby pointed to the house where el Jibar had been staying. “I am new to the area, and I wonder if you could tell me where the man who occupied that house a few days ago has gone?”

“I don’t know that man. He is not from around here.” She narrowed her eyes. “And neither are you. You are an American.”

Abby nodded slowly. “Yes, I am, and I’m trying to find a dear friend. He’s gone missing, and I thought perhaps the man staying there might know where he is now.”

“What is your friend’s name?”

“Joe Mitchell. He is also an American.”

The woman turned away and presented Abby her back. “I know nothing about which you speak.”

“I understand you’re afraid, but my friend and I wish you no harm. We simply want to get our friend back to his family.”

“What has this American done?”

“Nothing. But he has information.”

The woman turned to face Abby. A look of surprise cover
ed her dark face. “You tell me this man is a spy?”

“No, he is a businessman kidnapped for ransom.” Abby touched the woman’s arm. “We just want our friend back.”

The woman lowered her eyes and stared at her decorated hands. “I saw two men with a white van. They might have had someone in there, but I don’t know. They picked up the man staying in the house and left.”

“Do you know where they went?”

“No, but the cleric knows everything.”

“Thank you.”

As Abby went to leave, the woman touched her arm. “The cleric is not a friend to your country. If you go to him, he might deliberately mislead you.”

“Then where should we go?” Abby asked. “Who can we trust?”

“There is an old woman named Laibe.” She pointed down the street. “She lives alone in the second house on the left. It is the one surrounded by flowers.”

“Does she know where our friend might be?”

“Maybe. Every morning she walks the entire town. She’s gone for hours at a time. She sees much that others ignore.”

Abby and Tony traveled on foot through the neighborhood. The blazing sun had burned off the morning’s coolness,
leaving behind a dry heat that shriveled up the ground, skin, and plants. It would be well past a hundred before noon.

***

Walking beside him, Abby didn’t look too happy covered with yards of fabric, but all women here dressed the same according to their customs.

They crossed the street
, and Tony glanced down the road, seeing something familiar. A man dressed in local clothing, but with the bearing of a leader. A group of men flanked him. Could it be?

Quickly
, Tony pressed Abby against the warm side of a stone house and put his finger to his lips. Not twenty feet away, el Jibar stepped from a warehouse into a white van.

Tony’s heart raced and his first instinct was to act and do it quickly before he got away
, but Tony forced himself to remain still and wait. His number one goal was to get Joe out. Yes, he’d kill el Jibar, but first he had to get Joe to a safe house and heloed out of there to Turkey.

When the van pulled
from the curb and drove away, Tony turned to Abby, her delicate features tight with fear. “You stay here. If anything happens, go back to the safe house, and Falcon will get you out of the country.”

She grabbed the back of his shirt. “Wait, what are you going to do?”

He quickly kissed her mouth. “Just wait here.”

Tony ran along the sidewalk, his head pounding. When he neared the warehouse, he slipped across the street, his eyes searching the rooftops, the surrounding homes, and the street. Strangely
, nothing seemed out of order.

Moving swiftly, he looked for a way to see into the warehouse, but couldn’t find one except where the two doors came together and he couldn’t chance that. If he were captured, Joe’s death sentence would be sealed.

At the back of the warehouse, Tony hopped upon a fence and grabbed the eaves of the storage building behind the place el Jibar exited from. Tony pulled his body onto the top of the smaller building. The heat of the metal roof seared his hands and chest, but he dared not stand.

Crawling along the structure, Tony managed to make it to the edge of the warehouse where he leaped onto the covering. He crouched and remained still. Voices came from below. They’d heard him. But were they curious enough to take a look
or had their leader left orders they weren’t to leave the building no matter what?

Evidently, he had
. For they chatted below, but no one checked on any outside noise. After a moment’s wait, Tony sprawled out on the hot rooftop and crept toward the small air vent at the peak in the center of the building. The outlet was the only opening besides the doors to the interior of the place he hoped to find Joe.

Slowly, he rose and peeked inside. The place looked abandoned
, but Tony knew someone was in there because he’d heard them speaking Arabic. When he saw nothing, Tony shifted to the balls of his feet, so he could lean over for a better view.

There in the middle of the room, Joe’s limp body hung
from his wrist by two long, thick chains.

Tony wondered if he were dead. Stripped of everything but pants
, Joe’s body had been used as a punching bag. Blood seeped from several places on his face, and his eyes were swollen. Tony saw where they’d electrocuted Joe, and his feet were black from obvious burns.

Massive bruises covered Joe’s upper torso. Tony could only imagine what Joe had been through. No one could reprimand him for talking. Clearly
, the man had endured hours of interrogation.

But remained
alive? Tony had to find out if he needed to leave or if Joe stood a chance. One of the men guarding Joe came into view and Tony quickly ducked, so as not to be seen.

From below, he heard, “When is e
l Jibar returning?”

“I do
n’t know and I do not question.”

“I grow tired of this waiting.”

“That is your problem, Ali. You are not a patient man.”

“I only wish this fool would die and get it over with.”

“First, el Jibar will make him talk. Then we all leave.”

So, Joe was not only alive, he hadn’t been breached. Tony quickly scurried off the warehouse roof and onto the ground. With no time to lose, he ran to get Abby.

She grabbed him and squeezed his arms. “Is Joe there? Is he alive?”

Struggling not to hyperventilate, Tony gasped. “He’s there and pretty beat up, but he’s breathing. We have to move fast.”

He grabbed her hand and together they ran to the car. Once inside, Tony drove to the center of town. He knew exactly where to go for what he needed.