Listen To Her Heart, page 29
Sgt. Mueller laced his fingers together, resting his forearm on his legs as he leaned forward. “If you don’t mind my asking, what does Ms. Latham have to do with all of this?” he asked, looking at Yalen.
Yalen handed Briana the cup and sat back down on the bed beside her. “Briana just happened to be the woman whose identity and photos Emily used for the online scam.”
“Who is Emily?” Sgt. Mueller asked.
Yalen cleared her throat. “Emily K Savinsky is the name of the woman who tried to scam me. I’m not sure if that is her real name or not but I do know she is Russian and that she works or did work for Lebedev and is probably directly linked to Lebedev’s right hand man, Karzi Borovsky.”
“You look familiar to me. Have we met before?” Sgt. Mueller asked, looking at Briana.
Briana shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Yalen looked at her with an amused expression. Briana didn’t want them to know who she was or what she used to do for a living. Yalen would have been willing to bet that Sgt. Mueller had seen Briana in an ad or maybe even on a billboard somewhere. If Briana didn’t want them to know, then Yalen wasn’t about to tell them either. “Did your Inspector by chance tell you who the person from the CIA was that had contacted him?” she asked, looking at the two sergeants.
Sgt. Mueller and Sgt. Whitley looked at each other, their eyebrows rising in question. They both looked at Yalen and shook their head. “I’m sure if I asked, he would tell us,” Sgt. Whitley said. “Would you like for me to find out?”
As Yalen rubbed the back of her neck with her hand, she realized that she was stressed and the tight muscles proved it. “I think I already know who it is and you finding out will probably do nothing more than confirm my suspicions.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, who do you believe called the Inspector and why?” Sgt. Mueller asked.
“Aw, what the hell,” Yalen said, throwing her hands up in the air. She got up from the bed and walked over to the patio doors that overlooked the Camden Lock. “At this point I don’t really have anything to lose by being honest with you,” she said, turning to look at the sergeants. “I had called an old colleague of mine at the CIA just to get some information. I also told him of my plans to come to the U.K. to find the woman behind the scam and that I had tied her to Lebedev. He tried to warn me off about Lebedev but he knew me well enough to know that if I made up my mind to do something, that’s what I would do. He offered to contact someone he knew in the U.K. to help me out if I needed the help. His name is Peter Kramer and I’ve known him for over fifteen years.”
“But do you trust him?” Sgt. Whitley asked.
“I used to,” Yalen answered honestly. “I’ve played this over and over in my mind since the incident with the taxi driver. No one other than Peter and possibly your Inspector knew I was coming to the U.K., so someone had to have told Lebedev, otherwise he wouldn’t have known about it. Emily may have told him that I was coming but no one knew when. Only someone with governmental power would have been able to access my flight details.”
Sgt. Whitley got up from the couch and walked over to where Yalen was standing. “I can tell you right now that it wasn’t the Inspector and if you knew him, you would understand. He is the kind of man who would let his enemy shoot his mum before he would ever betray his country or the uniform.”
Yalen laughed. “Sounds like my father.”
Sgt. Mueller nodded as he looked at Yalen. “She’s right about the Inspector. Just like when he was ordered to take Liz and me off your detail. Without telling us to, he told us to stick with it although he couldn’t come out and tell us to disobey orders. We had to read between the lines. Do you understand what I am saying?” he asked, looking at Yalen.
Yalen’s expression was of surprise as she looked at Sgt. Mueller. “Sounds to me like you have an intelligent boss.”
“He knows that something big is going on here and that this Kramer bloke wasn’t honest with him. He’s been doing his own digging and I think that’s how MI5 and MI6 got involved,” Sgt. Whitley said. “The Inspector also knows that someone or it could be several someone’s inside all three of our services, are on Lebedev’s payroll.”
Yalen crossed her arms over her chest. “Here’s another thing that convinced me that someone with powerful connections was behind Lebedev knowing about our flight. I made the reservations from my house in the states and I booked the taxi service at the same time. Lebedev himself had to be pretty well connected in order to get his hands on my taxi reservation number and be able to have one of his men pose as a driver for the company. When I called to let the taxi company know that our flight had landed, I was told by their service rep exactly what our driver would be wearing, right down to the color of his tie.”
“All right, now that we have all of the little details out of the way, what do you plan on doing next?” Sgt. Whitley asked.
Yalen smiled. “Well, what you tell me you’re going to do next or how you might interfere with my plans, will determine what lie I make up and tell you is my plan.”
Sgts. Whitley and Mueller laughed. “Okay let me rephrase the question,” Sgt. Whitley said. “Are you planning on going after Lebedev?”
“If I have to,” Yalen answered.
“You are not making this easy,” Sgt. Whitley said, shaking her head. “Let’s try again. Are you seriously going to try and rescue the women in his club?”
“Yes,” Yalen said. She smiled at the look on Sgt. Whitley and Sgt. Mueller’s face. She could tell they weren’t used to dealing with someone like her. She walked over to the cart that held the coffee pot and poured herself a fresh cup. She would pay for it later when she was bouncing off the walls from the caffeine buzz. “All right, let me ask you a question and how you answer will determine if I give you one more ounce of information.”
“Fair enough,” Sgt. Whitley said.
Yalen stirred two packets of sugar into her coffee. “Are the two of you going to try to stop me?” she asked, looking at Sgt. Whitley.
“No,” Sgt. Whitley answered without hesitation.
Yalen took a sip of coffee. “Next question. How involved do you want to be?”
Sgt. Whitley looked at Sgt. Mueller who shrugged. He was game if she was.
“What do you need?” Sgt. Whitley asked.
Yalen smiled at her. “I don’t know yet but I will tell you both this much. If both of you are working for Lebedev and I find out, I will come after you.”
Sgt. Whitley clenched her teeth. “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to here? First of all, I don’t like being threatened and second, if we were working for Lebedev we wouldn’t be talking to you now and we bloody damn sure wouldn’t have told you what we just did and—”
Yalen held her hand up to stop Sgt. Whitley. She noticed Briana fidgeting; a worried look on her face and Sgt. Mueller didn’t look much different.
Yalen turned to look at Sgt. Whitley, a smile on her face. “I needed to see if you had spunk. I like that and you need to understand where we are coming from. We have been followed since the minute our feet touched the ground in your country, not to mention that someone tried to kill us, so my trust level right now is in the basement and with good reason. We can use all the help we can get right now but you need to realize what you’re getting into.”
Sgt. Whitley laughed. She looked at Sgt. Mueller with raised eyebrows.
“I’m in,” he said and nodded.
“Then I guess we’re on your side. What do you need from us?” Sgt. Whitley asked, looking at Briana and then Yalen.
Yalen smiled. “Here’s the thing. I don’t think you should say anything yet to your Inspector. If he’s as decent as you say, he doesn’t need something like this derailing his career or putting his pension in jeopardy.”
“I agree,” Sgt. Mueller said.
Yalen went over to the desk and grabbed a pen and paper. She jotted down her cell number as well as Briana’s. She took the paper over to the Sgt. Whitley. “These are our numbers and I need yours,” she said, and ripped the sheet in half, giving it to Sgt. Whitley.
Sgt. Whitley took the paper and sat down on the couch. “May I ask what the next step is that you will be taking?” she asked as she wrote down her and Sgt. Mueller’s number.
“After you two leave, I have a phone call to make. A friend of mine knows someone here in town that runs a women’s shelter. Their main purpose is to help the women in this country who have been forced into sex trafficking by scumbags like Lebedev. They also help women who have been battered. We’re going to need her help once we get the women out of his club so they can be given new identities so they can leave the country.”
Sgt. Mueller looked at Yalen. “You know all hell will break loose when you do this, right?”
“I’m counting on it,” Yalen laughed. “In the morning, I’ll meet with her and after that, I have another appointment. Once I’m done, I’ll give you a call and we can go from there.”
“When are you planning this rescue attempt?” Sgt. Whitley asked.
“Tomorrow night and we have a lot of work to do beforehand,” Yalen answered as she walked over to the coffee table. She knelt down in front of the sergeants, her arms resting on her knees. “Are you positive that you want to be involved because this could end badly for both of your careers? I’m sure you know just as I do, Lebedev’s not going to take this lying down.”
Sgts. Whitley and Mueller nodded. “We know what were up against but…” Sgt. Whitley looked at Sgt. Mueller and then Yalen, “…if we can help get Lebedev off the street or at the very least, put a dent in his operation, it will be worth it to me.”
“I agree as well and we do know what is at stake here,” Sgt. Mueller, said nodding.
Yalen looked at the sergeants. “The problem that we have right now is the folks still watching us. I’m not worried so much now about Lebedev’s men but we’ll still be careful. The cameras on the buildings and streets are my main concern. If we’re being watched by agencies in both of our countries, I have no doubt they’re using live camera feeds and possibly satellite images. We need to get around those. Any ideas?”
Sgt. Mueller grinned at Yalen. “I do. My youngest brother works for a company called U.K. Power Networks and he owes me a favour. All I need to know from you is where you need the power cut, at what time, and for how long. I can’t do anything about the satellite photos but I can shut down the cameras.”
“I guess a bomb scare won’t work on satellites, huh?” Briana asked, looking at Yalen.
“That was you two?” Sgt. Whitley asked in surprise.
“Actually it was a friend of mine who will also be helping us with the rescue. We needed a diversion to get the focus off of us.”
“Well it worked,” Sgt. Whitley laughed. “You got by us because it got our attention.”
“Do you have another car other than the Prius?” Yalen asked.
“Yeah, the Prius belongs to the Yard,” Sgt. Mueller answered.
“Good, first thing I think the two of you should do is switch cars. I’ll call you around 1:00 P.M. How much time do you need in advance for your brother to shut down the power?” Yalen asked, looking at Sgt. Mueller.
“Five to ten minutes,” Sgt. Mueller answered with a shrug. “I will check to make sure though.”
“All right, then I guess we’re finished here if you have no more questions,” Yalen said as she got to her feet.
The sergeants got up from the couch. “I think we’re clear and we will stay outside your hotel for the rest of the night. If your friends and ours are watching, it would look suspicious if we suddenly left,” Sgt. Whitley said and held her hand out to Yalen. “It was good to talk with you and you too,” she said, looking at Briana.
“Likewise,” Yalen said as she shook the sergeants’ hands and then walked them to the door. “I will talk to you tomorrow then. Just a second,” she said and walked over to the bed. She reached under the pillow and grabbed the two listening devices. “You can have these back now,” she said, handing the bugs to Sgt. Whitley.
Sgt. Whitley laughed. “Thanks. You two have a good night.”
Sgt. Mueller nodded toward Briana and then Yalen and then pulled the door shut behind Sgt. Whitley.
Yalen locked the door and let out a deep breath as she slid the chain lock in place. “I think that went well,” she said, turning to look at Briana.
“Do you think we can trust them?” Briana asked.
“Yes, I do,” Yalen nodded as she came over and sat down on the bed beside Briana. “What do you think?”
Briana smiled at Yalen. “I think if your gut says they are trustworthy, that’s good enough for me and from the sound of things, I think we can use the help.”
“You’re getting pretty good at this stuff. Maybe you should think about getting a job with the CIA when this is all over,” Yalen said with a wink.
“Oh no,” Briana said, shaking her head. “I like being retired.”
“That makes two of us,” Yalen said, getting up from the bed. “I’m going to take a quick shower, make that phone call, and then call it a night. I’m a little tired.”
Briana fell back on the bed. “Me too. It’s been a long day,” she said, looking up at the ceiling.
Inspector Damerell sat in the dark and secluded booth situated at the rear of the Bucks Head Bar on the corner of Camden High and Buck Street.
Across from him was Peter Kramer from the CIA. To say the Inspector had been surprised when Kramer had finally returned his phone call, only to tell him that he was now in the United Kingdom, would have been an understatement.
“Cut the shite, Peter,” the Inspector said, leaning over the table. “I want to know what is going on and this time I want the bloody fucking truth,” he said through clenched teeth, his voice loud enough just for Kramer to hear. “And don’t hand me a load of bollocks about you wanting me to keep an eye on a friend of yours who may or may not be in trouble.”
Kramer shifted nervously in his chair. “What I told you was the truth, Ian. Martinez is a friend of mine and I didn’t want to see her get hurt. I know how dangerous Lebedev is just as you do.”
The Inspector glared at Kramer over the pint of ale he was holding between his hands. “Let me tell you what I know. Since your friend arrived in my country, Lebedev’s man tried to kill her, along with her companion and then not long after the failed attempt, the would-be assassin was found floating in the Thames. Prior to that, two prostitutes who also worked for Lebedev, ended up in the Thames.” He sat the pint down on the table. “Now do you want to explain to me why Lebedev would want to kill Martinez?”
Kramer shook his head. “I honestly don’t know the answer to that.”
The Inspector looked at Kramer, his eyes narrowing. He had learned early on that when someone used the word ‘honestly’ in a sentence preceding a statement, nine times out of ten, they were lying. Right now, he knew Kramer was lying to him, and that pissed him off. “And I suppose you know nothing about why MI5 or MI6 would want me to pull off the sergeants I assigned to keep an eye on Martinez, now would you?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Kramer said, shaking his head.
The Inspector laughed. There was that word again. “I also suppose that your presence in my country has nothing to do with Martinez or why Lebedev wants to kill her, and do not sit there and insult my intelligence by telling me that the CIA’s interest in Martinez revolves around some bloody goddamned online dating scam,” he said as he slid out of the booth. He’d had enough of this shite. Not one truthful word had come out of Kramer’s mouth since the minute he sat down in the chair.
“Ian, I…” Kramer said as he started to get up from his chair and then changed his mind, sitting back down.
The Inspector came around the table. He leaned down so that he was eye level with Kramer. “I don’t give a damn why you are here, Peter, but if you do anything that anyone else would be arrested for, I will have you locked up regardless of what type of relationship my government has with yours.” He stood upright, looking down at Kramer. “The sad part about all of this is that I considered you a mate of mine but you have done nothing but lie to me since the moment you rang.” He shook his head in disgust. He turned to leave, stopped, and looked back at Kramer. “I meant what I said, so mind yourself, Peter, and be a good boy,” he said and then left the bar, leaving Kramer sitting there with a stunned expression on his face.
Yalen propped her pillows up against the headboard and leaned back.
Briana had gone straight to take a shower just as soon as Yalen had come out of the bathroom.
“You look pretty cozy there,” Briana said, coming out of the bathroom.
“I am,” Yalen smiled. “How was the shower?” she asked as she watched Briana come around the side of the bed. The light pink and tight Daisy Duke cotton shorts Briana was wearing, along with the skimpy white tank top that revealed the perfect outline of full breasts caused Yalen’s heart to race as her mind flashed back to what had happened earlier between them in the bathroom.
“Like heaven,” Briana answered, pulling Yalen from her thoughts. “How about you?” she asked, sliding under the comforter next to Yalen.
Yalen slid down in the bed and turned over on her side so she was facing Briana. “Just what the doctor ordered.”
Briana turned so she was also lying on her side, facing Yalen, her arm tucked under her head. “I called my mom and dad to see how Lexi was while you were in the shower.”
“How is the little guy?” Yalen asked.
Briana smiled. “Rotten as ever. At least that’s what my mom said. I really miss him.”
“I’m sure he misses you too. How’re your mom and dad doing?” Yalen asked.
Briana looked at Yalen and smiled. “They’re good. They wanted to know when I was coming home and I told them probably in a week or so.”
Yalen thought about the day she and Briana would go their separate ways and the thought depressed her so much, she immediately pushed it out of her mind. She looked at Briana. “I also called to check in with my agent and two best friends. I knew that if I didn’t, they would come and hunt me down,” she laughed. “I then called Rheyna’s friend Holly, at the women’s shelter. We have an appointment with her in the morning at ten.”
