The Libra Affair (23 page)

“Over there. I'm sure I went that way. Did you see the rocks?”

Jordan glanced to their right. “What about the trees over there? Could you be mistaken about the location?”

“No. I remember.”

“Look.” Isbel pointed to some teenagers coming into view on the far side of the park. “I think they have it?”

Jordan gasped. “I'll be back.” Then she flew from the car and with stealth, she raced down the path to catch the boys before they left the park. Without asking, Jordan grabbed the pillowcase out of the hand of the boy who was carrying it.

“Hey!” the young man shouted. “Give me that.” He reached for the pillowcase, but soon found out that he was no match for her.

Jordan smacked the boy between the eyes.

He stumbled.

The other boy charged her next.

She ducked and threw a foot to his knee. And as he leaned forward, she scissor-flipped, threw another leg to him, and knocked him to the ground.

The first boy came at her again.

She postured.

The boy stopped.

She tightened her stance and challenged him to attack.

The other boy scrambled to his feet.

She postured to him next.

A moment of silence passed. Then she glimpsed inside the pillowcase and quickly counted two guns and her attaché. “Where's the money?” she demanded.

The young man who was holding the case turned to run.

Jordan leapt forward and caught him by the back of the collar. When he struggled, she threw him facedown to the ground and gripped him by the neck. The other boy ran.

The young man reached inside his pockets. “Here,” he cried, “take it.” He began throwing the money to the ground.

“Is it all there?”

“That's it.” The boy pulled the pockets out of his pants. “See?”

“If you're lying, I'll kill you,” she said to scare him.

“I'm not. I swear.”

She quickly patted him down.

“What's the other boy got?” she asked.

“Money, that's all,” the boy answered.

She shouted into his face, “You never saw me. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

She released her grasp, jumped to her feet, and took off after the other boy. She reached him just as he made it to the sidewalk.

The lights of a car appeared.

She hooked her arm through his and pulled him close. “Act normal or I'll kill you,” she told him.

The boy did as she asked.

The car slowed. It was late. An odd time for an evening stroll.

“Keep walking,” she told the boy.

“What do you want?”

“Shut up. Keep walking.”

The car stopped.

“What now?” the boy said.

“Keep walking,” she told him. “Don't look at them.”

The car moved along. When it turned at the corner, she spoke to the boy. “Don't try anything; just give me the money.”

“What — ?”

Jordan stepped back and forced the boy's arms behind his back. “All of it,” she demanded.

Arching against the pain, the boy reached in his pocket and found the money. “Here.” He held it out to her.

She pressed his arm higher and harder. “What else do you have?” she asked him next.

“Nothing,” he shrieked. “Nothing.”

She frisked him anyway. When she ascertained that he was clean, she loosened her grip. “You never saw me. Are we clear about that?”

“Yes. I don't even know who you are. How would I?”

“Did you look at the papers?”

“No, no. I swear.”

“Keep walking,” she said. “Don't turn around or you'll be kissing pavement.”

“Anything you say, lady.”

Jordan released the boy's arm and he took off running as fast as his legs could spin. When he was safely out of sight, Jordan turned and sprinted back to the Samand. When she got there, she jerked open the door — only Isbel was gone.

Isbel was gone again.

Jordan was just about to lose it, then she saw the girl rise up from behind the vehicle.

“Jordan?” the girl said.

She hurried to the girl. “What are you doing?”

Isbel tried to explain. “I got — ”

“Don't!” Jordan waved a finger in the girl's face.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” Isbel tried to apologize.

Jordan glared at the girl. “Don't ever leave like that again. Are we clear?”

“There were two of them and only one of you.”

“Don't,” was all Jordan could say without coming unglued.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to — ”

“Stop,” Jordan said. She'd heard enough.

A dog howled in the distance. “Come on, let's get you back in the car.” And once they were seated in the car again, Jordan faced Isbel and spoke to her in a calm voice. “You don't ever have to worry about me. I'm never going to take on more than I can handle. Okay?”

Isbel didn't speak, but shook her head.

“I'm not going to leave you,” Jordan said next because she could see the girl needed to hear these words. “I'll get you to Ashgabat, okay?”

“Everyone leaves,” Isbel said in a quiet whisper.

Jordan hugged the steering wheel with an arm. “I'm not leaving you,” she told her again.

Isbel stared at her.

And while Jordan had the girl's attention, she gave her a stern warning. “And don't ever take my stuff again. Do you understand?”

“I'm sorry.”

“I've had enough surprises for a day, maybe even a lifetime. And I certainly don't need any more, not if we're going to make it out of here alive. Are we agreed?”

“Yes.” Isbel sniffled.

Jordan gave the girl a moment to regroup, then patted her leg. “You okay?”

Isbel nodded.

“Now,” Jordan said, “before we leave this parking lot —
you and me together
— I want those numbers.”

With the Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket slated to launch Monday, Jordan was down to the wire. She could break into the silo. She could hack the computer system, or even climb into the pit, but she had enough to worry about without having to go that extra mile.

Orbiting Earth every ninety to one hundred minutes meant the laser had to be sitting within the strike zone when Jordan launched the missile. If it wasn't, there'd be nothing for the laser to lock onto. And with missile speeds reaching in excess of ten thousand miles per hour and a distance of only five thousand kilometers to travel from Mashhad to Bonn, the ride would be short. There'd be no room for error. The laser had to lock on to the missile as soon as it lifted to ensure it'd strike the missile before it impacted land, whether or not the German's antiballistic defense did the job first.

Isbel wasted no time in delivering the numbers. “All you have to do is reverse the first and last numbers on both strings,” she told Jordan.

“Are you sure?” Jordan asked her again to be certain.

“Positive.”

“If you're wrong, neither of us will live through this. You do realize that, don't you?”

“I promise.”

Jordan studied Isbel's face. “Did your father tell you what the numbers were?”

“No. He only told me how to correct the strings.”

Jordan was satisfied the girl was telling her the truth. “Good,” she said. “And one more thing,” Jordan paused to deliver the punch.

Isbel stiffened.

“Do not, and I mean
do not
, ever, lie to me again. Do you understand?”

“I promise.” The girl wrung her hands. “I won't.”

Confident the mission was back on track, Jordan pushed in the clutch and placed the stick in reverse.

• • •

It was late when Jordan and Isbel reached the safe house, a cabin well off the beaten path, located in the wilderness somewhere between Tehran and Mashhad.

Isbel woke when Jordan turned off the car. “Where are we?” the girl asked, trying to focus.

“Near Salook National Park,” Jordan told her. “We'll stay the rest of the night here and be off early.”

“I know this park,” Isbel said happily. “We're near Sabzevar, aren't we?”

“Yes.”

“My father used to take me to the Sabzevar Amusement Park when we lived in Mashhad.” Isbel smiled.

Jordan looked at her with a loss of words. How could this girl be so carefree when her life hung in the balance; didn't she realize the danger they faced every step of the way? Didn't she know that once she hit the streets of Ashgabat she was no longer going to be an innocent kid? That she was about to become another lost soul looking to survive in a cold world?

“I rode all the rides and we ate
pashmak
. Do you know it? I think the English call it cotton candy, but ours is made with sesame and sugar,” Isbel continued. “I don't guess you've ever been to the park? You have to go.”

Jordan refrained from smiling. She could see this memory was important to the girl, but she was tired.

Oblivious to Jordan's reaction, Isbel continued. “At the entrance to the park, there's a star-shaped water fountain. It's really pretty.”

“I'm sure it was all very lovely,” Jordan said rather harshly. “Can we go inside?” And as soon as she said the words, she felt a pang of guilt for not having been kinder. And before Jordan knew what she was doing, she found herself offering the girl words of comfort. “I hope one day we can all go to your park together.”

“Me, too,” Isbel said.

The cabin was nestled between two sandy ridges. It was rustic with the barest of essentials, making it the perfect safe house. And with no one anywhere near them, Jordan was glad she'd be able to catch a few undisturbed hours of sleep.

It was cool that night and with only one blanket to share, Isbel snuggled next to Jordan. Joined in warmth, Jordan was just falling asleep and would have slept the rest of the night except Isbel spoke.

“Don't you have kids?”

Jordan's eyes popped open.

The girl must have sensed Jordan was awake because she asked her again. “Don't you?”

Isbel was so close Jordan could feel the girl's breath flow against her neck. “Isbel, it's late. Can we just go to sleep?”

But Isbel continued, “Don't you want any?” she asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice.

“I think the husband usually comes first,” Jordan told her, not wanting to speak of Willoughby. There was too much pain in not being with her daughter. What Jordan wanted most was to be with Willoughby and watch her grow up, but that wasn't possible. There were too many people out there who wanted Jordan dead and she wasn't willing to bring that home to the only child she might ever have in this life. She'd protected her daughter this long and she would continue to do just that.

“My mother died,” Isbel said.

This wasn't a conversation Jordan wanted to have either. “I'm sorry.”

“When I was born,” the girl added.

“So you never really had a mother?”

“No. Just my father, but he tried hard.”

“You must have had a grandmother around?”

“Just one. She came to help after I was born. We went to see her in Iraq a few times, but she never came again before she died.”

Jordan tried being more sympathetic. “You're lucky you have a father.”

“I know.”

“Life's not always fair. You just have to do the best that you can.”

“I know.” Isbel's voice softened.

Jordan knew what it was like to lose a parent and in her case, she'd lost both of them at the same time. All she had left from her parents and their family life together was the diamond from her mother's engagement ring. Had the ring not been in the shop for repair when their house exploded, killing both of her parents and burning everything they owned to the ground, she would have nothing more than their memories.

Jordan yawned, hoping their talk was over as she closed her eyes, then she found herself reaching to feel the pendant. “You'll be fine,” she said to Isbel in a hushed voice.

“Do you really think so?” Isbel's voice weakened more.

“Sure you will.” Jordan tried to sound upbeat.

“I don't know what I'm supposed to do.” The girl's voice cracked. “What am I supposed to do?” And then she started to cry.

“Don't worry,” Jordan tried comforting her. “It'll all work out.”

“I don't even know where I'm going. All I have is some stupid passport that says I'm Russian. I don't want to be Russian.”

“Isbel, you need to calm yourself. This worrying isn't going to do you any good.”

“That's easy for you to say. You have a home to go to, I have nothing. A little money, some clothes. What's that?”

“What about your father? You'll see him again. Maybe it doesn't seem like it now, especially the way he left things with you, but he's your father. He'll find you, wherever you are.”

“No.” Isbel cried harder. “He said no. He said I'd never see him again.”

“Isbel.” Jordan tried to console her, but soon realized words weren't enough. “Come here.” Jordan rolled over and took Isbel into her arms.

“I'm scared.” Isbel wept.

“You're going to be okay,” Jordan promised her. What else could she do but give the child some hope. “You'll be okay. I promise.”

Isbel quivered uncontrollably. “Promise?”

“Yes. Now please, calm yourself. You need to sleep.”

Isbel lay cradled in Jordan's arms. The girl sobbed a bit longer until she finally gave up and fell into fitful sleep. But after all that, Jordan was unable to sleep. She agonized over the situation until her tired body got the better of her and she drifted off to a place of lost and disconnected thoughts.

• • •

The next morning, after a quick bite to eat, Isbel sat contentedly in a chair, waiting as Jordan carried their bags to the car.