Listen To Her Heart, page 36
“What about the ones in your country?” Briana asked, looking at the sergeants.
“Unfortunately, we no longer have the death penalty for treason, so the sorry wanker bastards will only get life in prison,” Sgt. Mueller answered.
Instead of putting the disks in her backpack, Yalen took the envelope that the original disk was in and tossed in the others, folded it and then slid it into her front jeans pocket. There was no way she was letting those disks out of her sight or away from her body.
“Now that we’ve all been thoroughly shocked, we need to discuss our plan for tonight,” Rheyna said as she got up from her seat.
“How can you not be angry with me?” Emily asked, the question catching Yalen by surprise.
Yalen smiled as she walked over to Emily. “If you would have asked me this a week or two ago, I would have told you that I hated your guts, that I wanted to beat the living hell out of you for what you did to me and the other women.”
“It wasn’t her fault,” Demescko said. “She really didn’t have a choice without blowing her cover.”
“He murdered my baby sister.”
Emily had said the words so softly, Yalen didn’t think she heard right. “What?” she asked, looking at Demescko who nodded in agreement.
“He forced my sister into prostitution. She worked at Mystics and then one day, she was gone from the earth. She hung herself in one of the bedrooms with a sheet,” Emily whispered as an onslaught of tears ran down her cheeks. “I hated his guts and wanted him to pay for what he did to my family.”
Demescko looked at Yalen. “Emily was a secretary at the FSB when I met her. We hit it off fr … from the start. It was over lunch one day that Lebedev’s name came up after I saw him meeting with an aide to Oleg Skorick at Skorick’s office. I knew who he was from our Intel but when I loo … looked over at Emily I saw the hatred in her eyes as she watched him. I de … decided to take a chance since she was already on the inside.”
Emily looked at Yalen. “Karzi liked me and was always asking me out when he would come to the office. After talking with Charlotte, we decided that if I went to work for Lebedev, I might be able to get information that the other informant could not.”
“So you became a prostitute for Karzi?” Briana asked.
Emily nodded. “Yes. I was willing to do anything to make sure he paid for what they did to my sister. I wanted to kill Lebedev.” She turned and looked at Briana. “I still want him dead.”
Briana looked at Emily with compassion. “I don’t blame you, Emily. I want him dead, too.” Briana shook her head as she thought about how she would feel if that had happened to her sister. “I’ve never fired a gun in my life but I could shoot him for what he’s done to you and all of those women.”
“I’m very sorry that I hurt you,” Emily said, looking at Yalen.
Yalen laid her hand on Emily’s arm. “I know and it’s okay. We now have to help the others because no one else will.”
“May I ask you something?” Briana asked, looking at Emily.
“Yes,” Emily nodded.
“Why did you pick me? I mean how did it happen that you used my photo?” Briana had been wondering about it since Yalen had first told her about the scam.
Emily looked down at her hands, her head down as she spoke. “It was all planned. The parties at the estate were for the girls to meet rich men and women. They only invited people like you who had lots of money. Our job was to get to know one or two people and then make contact. We had to send you emails with poems and letters that had viruses in them and then two men that work for Karzi would be able to find out all about you. Then we would act like we were you to get money from people on dating sites.” Emily looked up at Briana, her expression one of shame. “I’m sorry.”
Briana smiled at Emily. “It’s not your fault Emily but thank you for telling me. These men are terrible people who will one day pay for all the pain and hurt they’ve caused.”
Everyone was quiet for several minutes as each of them, lost in their own thoughts, tried to make sense of all of this craziness.
Rheyna glanced at the clock. It was almost eight o’clock and getting dark outside. “I want to show you what I worked on today,” she said, walking over to the table against the furthest wall. She waited for everyone to join her before continuing. “This is how we are going to get into the club,” she said, tapping her finger on a large blueprint that lay on the table.
“Aww, the Camden Catacombs,” Sgt. Mueller said, nodding.
Rheyna looked at the sergeant. “You know of them?”
“Only because I am a history buff but most people don’t know they exist,” Sgt. Mueller answered.
“Someone want to fill the rest of us in?” Yalen asked, looking at the sergeants and then Rheyna.
Rheyna looked at Sgt. Mueller. “Would you mind explaining it since you probably know them a lot better than I do?”
“I don’t mind at all,” Sgt. Mueller said as he looked at the women and then Yalen. “Beneath Camden Lock, the waterway, which your hotel looks upon, is an underground maze of tunnels and vaults that run beneath the city from the Euston Mainline all the way to Camden Lock Market. These tunnels spread out in various directions, one of which is beneath Camden High Street where Lebedev’s club is located.” He stopped to look at Rheyna. “How am I doing, so far?”
“Wonderful,” she grinned.
“Why are there tunnels under the street?” Briana asked which caused Yalen to grin because the woman never stopped asking questions.
Sgt. Mueller looked at Briana. “They were built in the 19th century as stables for the horses and pit ponies that were used for the railway wagons. If you look down at the streets, every so often, you will see cast-iron grilles, which sit over the tunnels. They have been closed off for years to the public because there is also a canal basin down there, which fills up with water.” He stopped to look at Rheyna. “Am I correct to assume that you want to use the tunnels to get into the club?”
Rheyna nodded. “We can’t just walk in through the front or rear door because of Lebedev’s men who stand guard.” She reached across the table, grabbed a file folder, and opened it. She spread out several 8 x 10 photos that had locations written on the bottom of them. “I was able to find a few pictures online that were taken inside the tunnels. So this is what we will be looking at once we’re down there.” She pointed at two photos; one showed a large room with metal pillars and contained lots of water. The second photo showed a narrow tunnel with brick archways that gave the ceiling a curved appearance. “These two tunnels are the ones we need to take to get to Lebedev’s club. From what I could tell, this tunnel,” she tapped her finger on the photo with the curved archway, “is the one that runs directly beneath the club.”
“How deep do you think the water is in there?” Yalen asked, looking at Sgt. Mueller.
Sgt. Mueller picked up the photo. “Hard to say. At times, it can be as high six feet or as little as a couple of inches. All of the entrances have been sealed except for two. One is next to the Mainline at Euston and the other is located in a small necktie shop inside Camden Market. There’s a door in the floor and you’ll have to break into the shop in order to get to it. If they haven’t been sealed, most buildings over the tunnels have a door somewhere inside, that opens down to them but you are going to have to find it.”
“Damn,” Yalen said as she thought about going into the tunnels and being underground. Other than barnstorming the place with guns blazing, this was their only option if they wanted to maintain an element of surprise, which is what they were going to need to pull off the rescue.
“And this is all I could find on the club,” Rheyna said as she slid a blueprint over that showed the layout for Mystics. “I cased the place on several occasions but there was no way I could get into the back areas where the girls work.”
“I can help with that,” Emily said, moving closer to the table. “This area here is the main hallway that leads to all the rooms,” she said tapping the paper with her finger. She slid her finger over to the first room on the right. “This is where their surveillance equipment is kept and Karzi has two men in there at all times, watching the monitors. The rest of the doors down the hallway are the private areas where the women have sex and they are never empty.”
“Looks like we have six rooms to check,” Yalen said.
Emily tapped her finger on the hallway. “Above the doorways, on each end, are more cameras.”
“Those shouldn’t be a problem,” Sgt. Mueller said. “Once I ring my brother, it will take him less than two minutes to shut the power off. Unless Lebedev is extremely dim, the club will likely have generators. If that is the case, you won’t have any type of cover at all because the generators will kick in immediately.”
“We’ll need flashlights for the tunnels,” Yalen said.
“I have several as well as a pry bar, bolt cutters, and waterproof bags for our weapons when we go into the canal tunnel,” Rheyna said, looking at Yalen.
“How do we get to the basement? I don’t see stairs here,” Yalen asked, looking at Emily.
“There’s a door in this room that leads to the stairs,” Emily said, pointing at a room that was on the left and the last one at the end of the hallway. “This door here leads to the alley behind the club,” she said, pointing at the map.
“How do they communicate with each other inside the club?” Rheyna asked.
Emily looked at Rheyna. “They have cell phones but they use radios with um … cords in their ears. It has a wire they talk to each other with.”
“Shit. I can temporarily block their cells but it won’t do any good with the radios. I should have thought about that,” Yalen said as she picked her backpack up and unzipped the outside pouch. She pulled out the TV remote control that she had modified and held it in the air. “This jammer has a radius of around three-hundred feet, so we can stop them from calling for outside help but if I jam them, our cells won’t work either if we need your help. The radios are what worry me.”
“What do you want us to do?” Sgt. Whitley asked, looking at Rheyna and then Yalen.
Yalen looked at both sergeants. “I think the two of you should hang back, maybe go into the club through the front. Get yourself a drink and if all hell breaks loose, you’ll be able to hear it. Right before we go into the tunnels, I’ll call Holly at the women’s shelter so she’s ready when we bring the girls out.”
“Ar … are we bringing them back through the tunnels then?” Demescko asked.
“Yes. I think that’s our best bet and hopefully we can get them out before anyone realizes they’re gone,” Rheyna answered.
Yalen looked at Emily and Briana. “I think you two should wait outside in the sergeants’ car.”
Briana looked at Yalen and shook her head. “Oh no, I’m going with you and that’s all there is to it.”
Rheyna looked at Briana and then Yalen and laughed.
“See what I mean? She’s stubborn as hell,” Yalen said, looking at Rheyna.
“I’m going too,” Emily said.
“I don’t think you should. You’re still not completely healed,” Demescko said.
Yalen looked at Emily and frowned. “You’re hurt?”
Emily nodded. “Andrei, Karzi’s driver, shot me but it’s just a flesh wound.
“Jesus,” Briana swore under her breath.
Emily looked at Demescko and Rheyna, and then Yalen. “You may need my help once you get inside. The girls will be frightened and they know me. So I’m coming with you.”
“She may be right,” Yalen said, nodding.
“All right. Let’s get changed and gear up,” Rheyna said. “I have several pair of black cargo pants and hooded sweatshirts lying on my bed. I wasn’t sure about everyone’s size, so I just bought a bunch of different ones.”
They all took turns using the bathroom and the makeshift bedroom to change. When everyone had gathered back in the room, Rheyna and Yalen had already laid out several handguns with silencers, along with a pile of loaded magazine clips.
“Looks like we are going to war,” Sgt. Mueller grinned as he admired the weapons.
“We pretty much are,” Rheyna said as she slipped holsters over each shoulder and then grabbed two Glocks off of the table. She then grabbed a black backpack along with a clear bag that had a clasp on it. “Just in case,” she said as picked up one of the TEC-9 submachine guns and placed it in the bag. She did the same thing with another backpack and then handed it to Yalen. “I take it you two are carrying?” Rheyna asked, looking at the sergeants. When they nodded, she turned to Demescko. “Name your poison.”
Demescko walked up to the table and picked up a Glock just like the ones Rheyna and Yalen had. “This will do nicely,” she said, taking the shoulder holster and backpack that Rheyna held out to her. After securing the Glock in place, she picked up the small Beretta Nano Pistol, placed it in the bag, sealed it, and then added it to the backpack along with a TEC-9.
Yalen looked at Sgt. Mueller. “Can you give your brother a call and have him shut the power down on this street long enough for us to get to your cars without anyone seeing us on camera?”
“I sure can,” Sgt. Mueller said and pulled out his cell phone.
Yalen walked over to the window and glanced out into the parking lot.
“Are you afraid?” Briana whispered over Yalen’s shoulder.
She turned and looked at Briana, whose face was mere inches from her own. “Not for me but I am for you and the girls,” she answered honestly. “I really wish you would stay with the sergeants.”
“I’ll be okay as long as I’m with you. I would go nuts sitting in the car wondering whether you were okay or not. This way, if I’m with you, then I know you’re safe.”
Yalen leaned in and sweetly kissed Briana on the lips.
“You might want to get your—” Sgt. Mueller didn’t get to finish his sentence before the power shut off. “I was going to say get your flashlights out,” he laughed at the sound of zippers sliding back, followed by three flashes of light as the flashlights were turned on.
“Let’s go,” Rheyna said, leading the way out of the room, down the stairs, and out the front door to the parking lot where a white Lexus and a dark green BMW sat parked.
Briana, Yalen, and Rheyna got in the Lexus with Sgt. Whitley while Demescko and Emily got in Sgt. Mueller’s BMW.
“How are you ladies feeling about this?” Rheyna asked after Sgt. Whitley pulled out of the parking lot onto Jamestown Road.
“I think the plan is brilliant,” Sgt Whitley said as she headed toward the Camden Lock Market.
Yalen looked out the side window. “I’m a little uneasy but that’s to be expected.”
“I know the feeling. I always get an adrenaline rush when doing an op,” Rheyna said, turning to look at Yalen over her shoulder.
Briana looked at Yalen and smiled. She reached over and slid her hand over Yalen’s palm, linking their fingers together. “I’m a little nervous just because I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“Here we are,” Sgt. Whitley said as she brought the car to a halt in front of a shop that boasted they had the best ties in the world.
Yalen opened her door and got out of the car. She bent down to look at Sgt. Whitley. “It shouldn’t take us more than fifteen minutes to reach Lebedev’s club and I will call just as soon as we find it so Sgt. Mueller can cut the power off.”
Sgt. Whitley nodded. “Be careful and we will meet you back here just as soon as you ring.”
Sgt. Mueller gave a mock salute as he and Sgt. Whitley pulled away from the curb.
Rheyna took off her backpack and took out the pair of long-handled bolt cutters.
“Hurry,” Yalen encouraged as a car less than a block away turned onto the road and was now coming straight at them.
Within seconds, Rheyna had cut and removed the padlock to the shop. As soon as everyone was inside, Rheyna pulled the door shut just before the cars headlights, illuminated the shop.
“I can’t see,” Briana said and loudly bumped into a tie rack, causing it to topple to the floor.
Rheyna, Yalen, and Demescko turned their flashlights on.
“Much better,” Rheyna said as she and the other women walked around with their flashlights pointing down, searching for the door that Sgt. Mueller said was here.
“And there she is,” Yalen said, finding the door behind a curtain that had been turned into a stock room. She took out her cell phone and hit the speed dial for Holly. While she waited for it to be answered, Rheyna slid the lock over on the door and used a pry bar to open it.
When Holly answered, Yalen said, “It’s me. I need you in front of the tie shop at Camden Market within the next ten minutes. See you soon,” she said and then disconnected the line.
Rheyna shined her light down into the tunnel, and with the water, it looked cold, dark, desolate, and uninviting. “We need a ladder or we won’t be able to get back up.”
“Shit,” Demescko swore as she shined her light around the shop. “The Gods are looking out for us to … tonight,” she said, smiling as her light stopped on a wooden stepladder leaning against the wall by the counter.
“Let’s hope she stays with us,” Rheyna said, taking the ladder from Demescko. “I’m going to jump down first and then one of you can hand me the ladder.” She took off her backpack and handed it and the flashlight to Emily. She then lowered herself to a sitting position with her feet through the hole and then jumped. “Jesus chriminy, that water is f-ing cold,” she hissed as the water splashed up, soaking her pants and shoes.
“Can’t wait to join you,” Yalen laughed as she shined her light down into the tunnel.
“Okay, hand me the ladder,” Rheyna said, holding her arms in the air.
Demescko slid the legs through the hole, dropping to her knees as she leaned down to hand the ladder to Rheyna.
Rheyna looked up at the women. “Who wants to go first?”
