Listen To Her Heart, page 34
“You’re hurting me,” Tesspolina cried.
“Fucking suka, out,” Karzi yelled, pointing toward the door. “You too, suka,” he said, looking at Svetlexi.
“Karzi?” Lebedev asked, looking bewildered by Karzi’s behavior.
“Albanians dead,” he said, looking at Lebedev.
Lebedev’s face went ashen. “Disk?”
Karzi shook his head. “Disappeared.”
Lebedev was so angry that he flipped over the coffee table, sending it crashing into the wall on the other side of the room, shattering it to pieces. “Fucking CIA suka. She kill?”
“Police at hotel,” Karzi said, his anger at the boiling point. Without the disk, he could not leave. “They not allowed in room.”
“Find suka,” Lebedev screamed at the top of his lungs.
CIA Headquarters - Langley, Virginia:
“Sir, Officer Demescko went inside The Oxford Arms,” Daughtery said to Sykes when he came back into the room.
“Good,” Sykes smiled. Demescko was going to turn out to be an asset after all. If he could not depend on Kramer to get things straightened out, he knew that Demescko’s fear of failure would not let him down. “I have a few phone calls to make. You have my number if anything happens and in the meantime, do not let those women out of your sight, understand?”
“Yes, Sir,” Daughtery answered.
“What is the problem with getting me those names?” Sykes asked, looking at Loshe.
“It’s like the best kept secret in town,” Loshe said.
Sykes looked at Loshe and shook his head. “I don’t care what you have to do or who you have to go through but I want those names and I want to see you in my office in thirty minutes.”
“Yes, Sir,” Loshe nodded.
“We’ll get back to why you’re in Camden Town in a minute,” Demescko said, looking at Rheyna. She leaned in closer to Yalen. “I’m the one who sent you the email because I needed to meet with you and right now, we have a major problem. Your hotel, as we speak, is swarming with police officers as well as agents from MI5, MI6, and the CIA.”
“Why? What happened?” Yalen asked with a look of surprise on her face.
Demescko looked at Rheyna and then Yalen. “The Albanians, who were scheduled to meet and sell the SD disk to Lebedev, were found murdered, execution style, in their hotel room a little over an hour ago.”
“What about the disk?” Rheyna asked.
“Nowhere to be found,” Demescko said, shaking her head.
“Wait a minute. Just hold on,” Yalen said. “You mean the Albanians were staying in the same hotel as us?” she asked as she tried to wrap her mind around this.
Demescko looked at Yalen and nodded. “One floor up. I think Lebedev made those arrangements so he could keep an eye on you as well as the Albanians.”
“Jesus Christ. What in the hell is going on here?” Yalen asked. “If he knows they’re dead, he’s going to think I did it.”
“I was thinking the same thing, especially since the disk was not anywhere in the hotel room.” Demescko looked at Yalen and then Rheyna. “I also think there’s more to this disk than what we’ve been led to believe. There are too many people from a lot of countries with an interest in it for it to be just about stealth technology.”
Rheyna nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“We need to go someplace where we can talk because right now, I’m very confused and what does she have to do with all of this?” Yalen said, nodding toward Emily.
“Emily works for me and has for a few years now,” Demescko said, shocking the hell out of everyone sitting at the table.
Yalen let out a deep breath and shook her head. “Okay, we need a plan then because I want to hear everything and I want the fucking truth,” she said, looking at Demescko.
“We can meet at my place,” Rheyna said.
Demescko looked at Briana and then Yalen. “Right now, Sykes over at the CIA is watching everything you two do and my guess is he knows you’re in this pub right now and he knows I am as well. We can’t do anything to tip anyone off.”
“Sounds like you don’t trust him,” Yalen said.
Demescko nodded. “Right now, I don’t trust anyone and you can’t afford to either.”
“And why should I trust you?” Yalen asked, looking at Demescko.
“Because I came to you, not the other way around, and I’m willing to share everything I know,” Demescko answered.
“That really doesn’t mean much and you know what I’m talking about. I saw the photo of you with Lebedev at his estate near Reading a few months ago and the two of you looked very comfy at the party,” Yalen said and then watched Demescko’s face to see her reaction.
“I ca … can explain that but not here,” Demescko said.
Rheyna pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from inside her coat pocket. She jotted the address down for her flat across the street from Yalen’s hotel, along with her cell number and Yalen’s. “I can get out of here with no problem,” she said, sliding the paper across the table to Demescko.
“All right, Briana and I will head back toward our hotel. Is there anything you can do to throw Sykes off and have him look in another direction, so we can avoid the cameras?” Yalen asked Demescko.
Demescko thought about it for several seconds. “Yeah, I think I can,” she said and got up from the table. She turned to Emily, taking her hand in hers. “I know you don’t want to leave my side but you need to do this. I want you to go with Rheyna because you and I ca … can’t be seen directly together. You go back to her flat with her and I will be there as soon as I can.” Emily started to protest but Demescko shook her head. “She will keep you safe.”
Emily got up from the table and she and Rheyna left the pub through the back door.
“I will see you two very soon,” Demescko said and then left the pub though the front door.
“Let’s get outta here,” Yalen said, picking her backpack up.
The Inspector, along with the sergeants, stood outside in front of the hotel. They watched as the Albanians’ bodies were brought out in red body bags.
“Sir, what is going on here?” Sgt. Whitley asked after the ambulances pulled away.
“We have been lied to repeatedly, that is what is going on here, Sergeant. It seems that our mates upstairs were looking for something specific,” the Inspector answered.
“Did they find it?” Sgt. Mueller asked.
The Inspector watched as two of the police officers got in their cars and left. “It appears they did not. I have been told that the men upstairs were here to sell a disk of some sort that had stealth technology on it but it is bollocks. Those men had something much more valuable and it was worth killing for.”
“What do you want us to do about the two women?” Sgt. Whitley asked.
“I would like you to keep an eye on them just in case anyone else decides to harm them. Use deadly force if necessary to protect them,” the Inspector said over his shoulder as he headed for his car.
“Do you think we did the right thing by not telling him the truth?” Sgt. Mueller asked when the Inspector was out of earshot.
“For now, I do,” Sgt. Whitley answered. “We may need his help though before this is all over.”
“Well, what do we have here? Don’t the two of you know by now that you need to leave the big cases to those of us who are more qualified?” Agent Pritchard snidely asked.
The sergeants turned and looked at Agents Pritchard and Clark.
“Tell me mate, were you one of the agents involved in the MI5 thrashing by the coroner regarding the double-decker that was bombed by the Muslims in ’05? I think I also recall Lady Justice Hallet chastising MI5 for their lack of record keeping and procedures,” Sgt. Mueller said and jabbed his finger into Agent Pritchard’s chest. “You, mate, are the esteemed agent who failed to show your informant the photographs that would have identified the terrorist, which would have prevented the bombing.”
“How dare you?” Agent Pritchard said through clenched teeth, pushing Sgt. Mueller’s hand away.
“That one,” Sgt. Mueller held his index finger in the air, “terrorist event turned out to be the worst atrocity on British soil, killing fifty-two of our brothers and sisters. So to answer your question, yes, I do believe that cases like this should be handled by those qualified to handle such cases.”
“You fucking bastard,” Agent Pritchard said as he stepped toward Sgt. Mueller.
“Go ahead, Nancy boy. I would love an excuse to put you on your pathetic arse,” Sgt. Mueller said, egging Agent Pritchard on.
“Come on, we don’t have time for this now,” Agent Clark said and grabbed Agent Pritchard by the arm.
“I guess you told him,” Sgt. Whitley laughed after the agents left.
“I guess I did,” Sgt. Mueller grinned.
“We need to go change cars and clothing,” Sgt. Whitley said, pulling her car keys from her pocket.
As Yalen turned the corner at the 55 Bar, a blond-haired man, wearing a ragged trench coat and fedora ran directly into her, the contact jarring her hard enough to make her take an unsteady step back.
“I am, very sorry. Please excuse me, ma’am,” the man said with a British accent. With his head down, he tipped his hat and continued on his way down the sidewalk.
“Are you okay?” Briana asked, putting her hand on Yalen’s arm to steady her.
“Yes, thanks,” Yalen said as she turned to look at the retreating man’s back. There was something vaguely familiar about him, a smell maybe. Thinking nothing more about it, she and Briana crossed the street to their hotel.
Just as Yalen was about to pull the hotel door open, her cell phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number but decided to answer it anyway.
“It’s me,” Demescko said through the phone as soon as Yalen answered. “Where are you now?” she asked.
“In front of our hotel,” Yalen answered.
“Okay, go inside and wait for five minutes and then head to Rheyna’s,” Demescko said and then disconnected the line.
Briana looked at Yalen.
“We need to wait inside for five minutes and then go to Rheyna’s,” Yalen said and just as she was about to put her phone way, it rang again. She looked at the caller ID and recognizing it as Sgt. Whitley’s number, she answered it.
“Where are you now?” Sgt. Whitley asked through the phone.
“Getting ready to go inside out hotel,” Yalen answered as she continued to look up and down the streets.
“We will be at Rheyna’s flat within fifteen minutes in a new car,” Sgt. Whitley said.
“All right. Park on the side and go over the fence in the backyard. There’s a door there, knock loudly, only once and I’ll come down and let you in,” Yalen said and then disconnected the line.
“Who was that?” Briana asked as they headed inside the hotel.
“Sgt. Whitley,” Yalen answered as she dropped the phone into her outside coat pocket.
CIA Headquarters - Langley, Virginia:
Daughtery looked at Sykes as if he had lost his mind but did what he was told and brought up camera’s that were now focused in on the hotel where Kramer was staying.
Sykes chewed on the cuticle of his right pinky finger. Demescko’s call had unnerved him. She had told him that while in the Albanian’s room, they searched for the disk but could not find it. She then went on to tell him that Kramer had been acting weird and that he could not get out of the hotel room fast enough. She voiced her opinion that maybe Kramer had found the disk and that they should keep a close eye on him.
What Demescko said made sense, especially after Kramer had made such a poor excuse as to why his team in Ireland could not make it to England to help with this operation. Everything was falling apart and he needed to get control of the situation before it spun completely out of control. If he did not get that disk, his career as well as his life was over.
Chapter 15
“We’re back here,” Rheyna yelled when she heard the door open.
Yalen and Briana walked down the hallway and turned into the room where they had spent most of yesterday evening.
Rheyna smiled at them. “Coffee?” she asked looking at Briana.
“You know it,” Briana laughed. “Don’t get up, I can help myself,” she said.
Yalen looked at Emily who was sitting in a chair next to Demescko. “You have any problems?” she asked, directing the question to Demescko.
“Nope it wa … was easier than I thought, although I feel kinda bad. I called Sykes and told him that ma … maybe Kramer had taken the disk and he needed to keep an eye on him. We’ll know how successful I was if no one busts th … the door down,” she laughed, although Yalen and Rheyna both knew she was dead serious.
Yalen laid her backpack on the table, unzipped it, and took out her laptop along with her spare pistol. She looked up as Briana came back in the room with two cups of coffee, one of which she handed to Yalen.
Yalen leaned back against the table. “Thank you,” she said, sipping from the cup.
“You’re welcome,” Briana smiled, taking the chair next to Rheyna.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door, which caused Rheyna and Demescko both to jump up from their chairs—Rheyna with a Glock in hand.
Yalen held her hand up. “Sorry, ladies, I forgot to tell you that two sergeants from Scotland Yard will be joining us. They’re on our side,” she said, leaving the room.
“This seems to be turning into one hell of a party, I’d say,” Sgt. Whitley said as she and Sgt. Mueller followed Yalen into the room.
“And this just keeps getting more interesting by the day,” Sgt. Mueller said, looking at Demescko with raised eyebrows.
“Are we missing something here?” Yalen asked, looking at the sergeants and then Demescko. “Do you know each other?”
“We met at the hotel earlier,” Sgt. Whitley said for clarification.
“Aww, so you two were in the Albanian’s room?” Yalen asked.
“We were,” Sgt. Whitley answered.
“I think it’s time we get some answers,” Rheyna said, glancing at everyone in the room. “Have a seat, this could take awhile,” she said, looking directly at the sergeants. “I’ll go first. I’m Rheyna Sorento, Special Agent, FBI,” she said, getting up from her chair to shake the sergeants’ hands.
Sgt. Whitley took Rheyna’s hand. “I’m Detective Sergeant Elizabeth Whitley, Scotland Yard.”
“And I’m Detective Sergeant Brody Mueller, Scotland Yard,” Sgt. Mueller said, shaking Rheyna’s hand.
To everyone’s surprise, Emily got up from her chair. “My name is Emillia Aleksandrovna Chepellski but everyone calls me Emily,” she said as she went from person to person, shaking their hands.
“And everyone already knows who we are,” Yalen laughed, glancing at Briana.
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way,” Rheyna said, looking at Demescko. “I left Prague as soon as I found out that Yalen would be here and that the disk we’ve been chasing for the last two years was tied to Lebedev, who was tied to Emily and Yalen.”
“What is going on with this disk and where the hell is it?” Sgt. Whitley asked.
“Your guess is as good as mine. We obviously have a pla … player who has no ties to any of us and it’s safe to assume that whoever that person is, killed the Albanians and probably has the disk,” Demescko said, shaking her head.
Sgt. Mueller looked at Rheyna and then Yalen. “Inspector Damerell told us that this mysterious disk has some type of stealth technology that everyone seems to want. Is it worth killing over? Because those men in that hotel were executed and one of them had been tortured.”
“What do you mean tortured?” Yalen asked, looking at the sergeants and then Demescko.
“Whoever killed them also ripped out two of the one bloke’s fingernails,” Demescko answered.
At that, Yalen’s head snapped around. “Are you sure?” she asked, leaning back in her chair.
“Yes, Doctor Flynn was waving them in our face,” Sgt. Mueller laughed.
“It’s not possible,” Yalen mumbled as her mind reeled with thoughts that made no sense.
“You have a strange look on your face. Does that mean something to you?” Rheyna asked, looking at Yalen.
“Maybe … I’m not sure,” Yalen answered with a shake of her head, pushing the thought from her mind.
“That disk has to ha … have something else on it besides the stealth bullshit that we’ve all been fed,” Demescko said, shaking her head. “There are too many high-dollar buyers from around the world wanting it. I was told tha … that it might even go for a billion dollars during the auction. I think the Russian government and those with ties to the FSB are be … behind the money Lebedev was going to use to buy it.”
“Hold on. What auction? You think this all tied to Russia’s government?” Sgt Whitley asked, frowning.
Demescko looked at Sgt. Whitley. “The Albanians were in town to auction the disk off to … to the highest bidder and it was supposed to take place sometime tomorrow. Countries like North Korea, Afghanistan, China, you name it, they all had bu … buyers in on the deal but Emily discovered that Lebedev’s right hand man, Karzi Borovsky had made a se … secret deal with the Albanians to use silent bidding to drive up the price with no intention of selling it to anyone but Lebedev. Borovsky stood to … to make millions on the deal. They knew the Russians would pay whatever price they set with no que … questions asked and you can bet that by now, Lebedev must know that the men are dead and the disk is gone. As for Putin, it seems as if everything ties back to his government.”
Sgt. Mueller ran his hand through his hair as he got up from his chair. “I think I need a cup of that coffee now.”
“Get me one too, please,” Sgt. Whitley said, looking at Sgt. Mueller.
