The Insider Threat (30 page)

K
nuckles opened the door, asking, “Did you spike at the desk?”

I said, “No. It was empty. But I don’t know about any camera systems.”

Knuckles stepped back and we flowed into the room, dragging three carry-on suitcases. He said, “Don’t worry about that. I’ve already checked. There aren’t any.”

Retro was in the rear on a cheap desk, stroking the keys of a laptop. Aaron, Brett, and Jennifer started unpacking the kit, breaking out weapons, cameras, and other things. I said, “So, what’s the status?”

“We got the room. Well, we got the room the computer’s in. The hotel only has ten rooms total, six on the second floor with shared bathrooms and four on the first floor with their own bathrooms. We picked a room with its own bathroom figuring that’s where he would be, but we were wrong. The computer’s on the second floor.”

“Access?”

“Outside stairwell right in front of the entrance and an inside one at the end of this hall. Straight linear target. The room is the second one in from the outside stairwell.”

“Recommendation?”

“Inside stairwell. It’s farthest from the door, but to get to the outside one you need to pass by the front desk.”

“Assault plan?”

“Bang it hard, just like Rashid. Hit both rooms, the computer one and the one it connects to. The problem will be exfil. We get the Chechen, he’s not going easy. We’ll have to take him down, then exfil with the dead weight.”

He lowered his voice, glancing at Aaron. “Even if we don’t, we have to assume Shoshana’s been hurt. Worst case, we’re exfilling carrying two.”

“We brought some litters, and Brett’s prepared to do limited trauma care. Showboat’s ready to receive with medical support. What’s the story on the renters? How many and who are they?”

“Hotel database is shit. They don’t run passports and work mostly on cash. When we signed in, they didn’t even use a computer. They used a ledger from 1970. The Internet system is self-contained, like someone built it stand-alone in an attempt to modernize, then gave up.” He pointed to the Ethernet cable and said, “Look at this thing. It’s slow as shit and definitely an afterthought.”

The plug for the cable was glued to the wall, with the line leading to it running on the exterior, as if it had been added as a temporary fix.

“So we don’t know who’s got the room, or who’s on the other side?”

“No. All we have is the room the computer is in.”

“What did we get from it?”

Retro looked up and said, “It’s not Islamic State stuff. It all looks like organized crime shit. Mafia things. Business transactions hidden by steganography, a bunch of pimp lists, some porno, things like that.”

I said, “Are we sure this is it?”

Retro nodded. “The raw file from the video is on this box. So is the YouTube upload trace. That video was sent from this computer.”

I nodded, thinking. I went to the door, cracking it and looking at the lock. A cheap dead bolt worked with an old-fashioned key. Easy to pick, but no way would I waste my time manipulating a lock on a hostage rescue. Well, that’s not exactly true. I’d pick it with the knock-knock, shattering the damn thing into a hundred pieces. Hostage rescue was all about speed, surprise, and violence, and we needed to ensure we had all three.

I said, “We need more intel. I want to know how many are in the room. I want to know who’s next door. I want to know what weapons they have. I want to know—”

Retro interrupted. “I got someone on the box right now. Sending a chat request.”

We all gathered behind him, and he said, “The chat’s in Russian. Stand by.” He manipulated the keys and another chat window came up from the Taskforce. He typed a command, and the man on the other end started work. Five seconds later we were looking at the person typing a floor above. A thin-faced, bald-headed man with brown eyes and a goatee. He looked nothing like the pictures Kurt had sent. Behind him was an empty room. No Shoshana.

“Who the hell is that?”

“No idea. Hang on. Taskforce is using a key logger. We’ll get a readout of what he’s typing.”

We waited, Aaron jostling for a better view. The chat window began spitting out words.

Sender:
The guy is crazy. He’s going to kill her here, tonight.

Receiver:
Get out. Don’t get involved. It will damage everything.

Sender:
I don’t think I can. You don’t know this man. We’ll be back tomorrow one way or the other.

Agitated, Aaron said, “She’s alive. She’s right above us. Come on, let’s go.”

My mind cranking through the information in the small chat, formulating an assault plan based on what we knew, I said, “Hang on.” I pinched my chin, then started issuing orders. “Okay, he said ‘we’ll,’ so we know there’s at least three, which means we hit both rooms. Retro, you get the knock-knock on the computer room. I’ll be behind you. Brett, you get the adjacent room with Knuckles. Aaron, Jennifer, you lock down the hallway for breach—Aaron in the front, Jennifer in the rear. Everyone, it’s a hostile force rule of engagement. My call. You see a threat, you take it out. Capturing the Chechen is secondary to recovering Shoshana.”

I held up one of the pictures of Omar Kurt had sent. “This is all we have, but remember, he might have ditched the beard, dyed his hair, or something else. Look for the size and his eyes. This is kill or capture. If you can incapacitate, do so, but don’t work at it.”

A noise came from the computer. Retro leaned in and said, “The mic’s on, the mic’s on. Shh.”

Everyone grew quiet, waiting. The speech came in incoherent, and I realized it was in a foreign language. I hissed, “Get the Taskforce on it. What’s he saying?”

He started typing, and I heard the words from the speaker slip into space, losing valuable intelligence while we waited. Eventually, they petered out, and the man in front of the computer stood up, leaving our view. I stomped in a circle, cursing, then Retro said, “The Taskforce got the tail end.”

Aaron said, “And?”

“Translation coming in now.”

We watched the screen, and what came out caused my blood to run cold.

Quote:
I’m coming. Calm down. The Internet is shit in this place.

Quote:
Get the camera. Hold her still.

End Quote.

*   *   *

Shoshana heard the man called Anzor coming back through the toilet and knew her time was close. He said, “Internet doesn’t work any better in there than it did in here. I’m amazed you actually got the video to load in the first place.”

Omar said, “Get her on top of the plastic. Pick up the whole chair. There will be a lot of blood.”

Anzor said, “Omar, think about this. You want to kill her, fine, but doing it here, in a hotel room I’ve rented, is too much.”

Omar looked at him, the death he represented flooding into the room, a power that had grown in the time the men had known him in Georgia. Anzor held up his hands and said, “Hey, Omar, I’m not fighting. I’m just talking sense.”

Omar said, “Surely you didn’t give them your real name?”

“No, of course not, but at least use the bathtub.”

“No. I want the propaganda. Go get the vehicle ready. Pull it on the other side of Toptani.”

Levan said, “We didn’t sign up for some crazy Islamic killing.”

“You signed up to help me, and that’s what you’re doing. You complete this, you take me to the airport, and you disappear, end of mission.”

The three looked at one another, and Anzor slowly nodded, saying, “Okay, but this is it. Our debt will be paid in full. No more help.”

Omar showed his teeth and said, “Of course. After this, all you need to do is take me to the airport. Nothing more.”

Anzor left the room.

Shoshana watched Omar pick up the bread knife and walk toward her. He said, “Levan, hold the camera. I want them to feel the pain of her death.”

Levan said, “Fuck you. Do it yourself.”

Omar snarled, “It’s no different from the punishment you’ve dealt out. Only you do it to prostitutes for not fucking enough people.”

Levan remained defiant, and Omar slipped his hand into his coat pocket. “You’re either with me or against me.” He paused, going from one man to the other, then said, “And I’ll kill everyone against me.”

Davit glanced at Levan and said, “Hang on. I’ll do it.”

He picked up the camera, and Shoshana thrashed, the thought of being slaughtered on tape more than she could bear. She felt Omar’s hands on her head, holding her tight. She stopped struggling.

He said, “Any last words for the camera? I’d prefer it if you denounced Israel, but I’m fairly sure that won’t happen.”

She looked into his eyes, and without even meaning to, she read him, her talent touching the depths of the abyss. She felt a blackness unlike any she’d experienced before, drenched in the blood of innocents.

She felt the pain of others long gone, saw the slaughter he’d caused, and recognized the truth, as she had in the past. She raised her head, looking him in the eye. She said, “You believe you’re powerful, but only because you kill the helpless. You are nothing.”

Bemused, Omar said, “And how would you know what I am?”

“You are no different from every terrorist that takes the lives of innocents. No different from the men I’ve tracked. You murder, then begin to believe you’re better than the ones who are dead. You project yourself as a killer of men, living within the superiority of someone with absolute power. You think that gives you strength. That you’re invulnerable. And your tribe reinforces the myth, kissing your ass and bowing to your control. But you make a mistake.”

“What is that, Jew girl?”

“You aren’t superior, no matter how many you kill. You are
human
. You live and breathe. You have blood that pumps through your veins. In God’s eyes, you are no more powerful than the man you put under the knife. And someday, it will be you.”

He scoffed. “That power is enough today.”

She didn’t say anything. He stared at her, and she saw a shadow of doubt flick across his face. A brief moment, but there nonetheless. More to himself than to her, he said, “I’m strong enough to kill you, am I not?”

She drilled into him with her eyes. “No. You’re not. I have something you do not possess. I have salvation.”

He took the words in, then raised the knife.

He said, “Only Allah has salvation. And He doesn’t offer it to offal like you. But I can give you what you want, if you feel so strongly about it.”

She closed her eyes and dropped her chin into her chest, wanting to make him battle for her soul. She thought about Aaron, and begged for the strength he possessed. She remembered her grandfather, fighting to save the athletes in Munich so long ago. She desperately wanted to focus on what was pure. What was right about her chosen path.

All she felt was fear.

Eyes closed, Aaron came to the fore again, and she was crushed at the pain he would feel upon seeing her death. He would need something to help. Something to show he’d done the right thing in bringing her here. She took a breath and decided to die looking the devil in the eye.

When she did, he was above her, holding the knife. He showed no animosity. Almost detached from what he was doing, he said, “You and I are not that different, but it will not save you. We both have a destiny. Mine is to secure the caliphate of Islam. Yours is to die.”

He brought the blade down slowly. Almost reverently. She closed her eyes again, waiting on the bite. There was a gunshot in the hallway, then a slamming noise outside of the adjacent room. Omar jerked his head up, shouting at Levan to find out the cause, but she knew what it was.

Like looking into a soul, she
knew
.

T
he last chat still glowing on the screen, I said, “Everyone kitted up? Ready?” A group of nods. “We go right now, as briefed. Knuckles, where’s the interior stairwell?”

He said, “Follow me,” and slipped out the door. We reached it and spent a brief few seconds in the landing getting sorted for assault. We jogged up the stairs in stack order, Aaron leading the way, followed by Brett with the battering ram, then Knuckles. The second team was Retro, me, then Jennifer as tail-gunner. Aaron paused in the alcove on the second floor and peeked out. He nodded, looking at me. I pointed, and we entered the hallway at a jog.

The two rooms were the last ones on the left side, the outside stairwell just beyond the first door, an alcove on the right with a picture window showing starlight and the vague glow of a vapor lamp. Aaron had just passed my target room when the exterior stairwell door opened, a man appearing. A man I recognized.

Computer chat guy.

He took one look at the group, weapons bristling and radiating menace, and snapped back into the stairwell.

Aaron got off two rounds, the bullets hammering into the door as it slammed shut. I said, “Execute, execute, now, now, now.”

I slid out of the way, giving Retro access to our door, and a weapon appeared at the stairwell. An MP-5, held only in a fist, the body behind cover, and it began firing on automatic.

Retro slammed the sledge, bullets ripping through the hallway, the first team firing from the prone, jammed on top of one another in the narrow space, all trying to dig their way through the carpet. The door exploded open and I entered on the run, rifle barrel high and finger on the trigger. I swept, seeing a man with a pistol coming out of the bathroom. I split him open with a double tap while still racing in, clearing the breach for the others.

I heard someone shout, then my earpiece came alive. “Retro’s hit, Retro’s hit.”

I said, “Abandon second breach. Abandon second breach.” I reached the door of the bathroom and held up, waiting on another assaulter. I felt a squeeze and didn’t even look to see who it was, kicking in the door. We advanced to the far side and rounds split the air, puncturing the connecting bathroom door with both of us falling into the bathtub to get out of the fire. As soon as it raked past, I bounced up, moving forward to the breach. I kicked the door open, seeing Shoshana being dragged by the hair into the hallway, making her captor fight for every inch.

A man popped back inside, spraying high with a MAC 10, the recoil impossible to control with one hand. I squeezed the trigger, feeling someone fire from my right at the same time, multiple rounds puncturing the gunman’s body. He dropped, and I ran to the breach, sliding forward on my knees, weapon up, far enough behind cover to catch only a sliver of the hall.

I saw the outside stairwell door, now propped open with a chair, and chat man just down the steps, covered by the slope. He raised his MP-5 and sprayed, splintering the jamb around my head. I pulled inside and said, “PC moving, outside stairwell. Need suppression on the door.”

I looked to my right, and saw it was Aaron who’d entered with me. I wasn’t surprised, but wished it were one of my men. Behind him was Brett, hugging the wall out of the line of fire. He said, “We need to move,” and I knew he was right. Retro was hit, but there was no time to stop the assault to determine his status. All that mattered now was speed. And violence of action.

The MP-5 sprayed again, clipping the door, and I knew we had to box him in, catching him in a crossfire. Otherwise, he’d hold that stairwell for days, like the three hundred at Thermopylae. Still calm, I said again, “Knuckles, Knuckles, need that door suppressed.”

My earpiece echoed, “On it. In two. One. Go.”

I heard nothing but a clanking of bolts, then saw the stairwell door splinter like someone was working a chain saw. I slapped Aaron in the leg and said, “Let’s go!” On my belly, I slithered across the hall into the alcove I’d seen earlier, Aaron right behind me. We pulled against the wall, now feet away from the stairwell door. The MP-5 came forward again, the barrel outside, but so close the fire from the rounds split the air right by us like a Roman candle.

I said, “Blood, Blood, get him looking your way,” then heard Aaron shout, “Pike! He’s on the run! We’re losing Shoshana!” I leapt to the bay window he was peering out of and saw a sloping half roof just below the sill, and farther out a large man dragging Shoshana by the hair into the shadows, her arms bound behind her back. I recognized Omar al-Khatami.

Fuck the stairwell.

Without conscious thought, I grabbed a flower pot from the alcove table and shattered the window. I backed up three feet, then sprinted forward, crossing my arms and leaping up.

I smashed through the window feetfirst, landing on my butt on the stucco roof. I bounced once and went into free fall. I hit the ground on my feet and reflexively rolled as if I were landing under a parachute, only it wasn’t nearly as soft. I slammed into a cheap fountain, hearing another body hit the concrete behind me.

Omar let go of Shoshana and raised a pistol. He fired, spanking the plaster of the fountain and ripping my head with spall. From my back, I squeezed off two rounds, missing, but causing him to duck. He shouted something and took off, running down the alley.

I let him go, pausing for a half second to assess the fact that I was still alive. I got that useless shit out of my system as Aaron jumped to the alley entrance. He locked it down, and I sprinted to the base of the stairs. I saw the MP-5 shooter crouched, spraying rounds into the hallway. He yelled in Russian, then glanced my way, looking for support. What he got was two rounds from my rifle, both hitting him in the head and breaking it open like a watermelon smashed with a mallet. The 300 Blackout round was definitely growing on me. He slumped down and everything grew quiet.

I looked at Aaron kneeling at the alley entrance, and he shook his head, telling me Omar was no longer a threat. Meaning he had escaped. I keyed my earpiece. “All clear. Jackpot. I say again, Jackpot. Give me a status.”

I turned back to the courtyard, feeling the adrenaline start to subside like an ocean tide, exposing the bumps and bruises from my stupid stunt.

Aaron went to Shoshana, cutting her free. I could see she was a little bit dazed.

Brett said, “Retro is okay. Just nicked in the thigh. Everyone else is fine.”

Looking at Shoshana, Aaron tending to her, I said, “Blood, get the vehicle. Stage on the south side of the courtyard, away from the city square. Knuckles, get back to the room. Pack it up and leave when you think it’s natural. Give your weapons to Koko and act like you’re pissed you took a room at a drug hideout. Get a read on the police response and potential compromise. Koko, get Retro down here. Get ready for exfil. I want to leave in less than four minutes.”

I walked over to Shoshana and knelt down. She said, “What happened to the mission?”

Smiling, I said, “Don’t even fucking go there. Don’t do it.”

Aaron finished removing her bonds, his relief so great it permeated the entire courtyard. Shoshana was looking me in the eye, and she was going deep. The bravado was gone, and I could see the cracks in her facade. Tears formed in her eyes, and she started shaking, coming to grips with the fact that she wasn’t dead.

I leaned into her face, cupping her chin. “You okay?”

She said, “Pike . . . I . . . I . . .”

I said, “There is no
I
in
team
. Although there’s apparently an
Aaron
.”

She looked at him, and he leaned in, kissing her forehead, breaking a sacrosanct rule and finally showing her what she was worth. His very life. Left unsaid were all of the conversations earlier. Gone as if they’d never existed.

I saw the tears start to flow and said, “Jesus Christ. Get this blubbering woman out of here.”

She laughed, but kept crying. Jennifer came down the outside stairwell, Retro right behind, holding a bandage on his thigh. He seemed okay. He said, “Was it Omar?”

“Yeah. It was Omar.” I knew he was asking for more than identification. I said, “Fuck him. We need to get out of here. He gets to live another day.”