Chasing Tomorrow Read online

  The wife stopped at the edge of the dock and turned to look at Arianna. A man got off the boat, took her suitcase, and set it on board just as Arianna caught up to the group.

  “Please, just a quick question,” Arianna said, as she panted to catch her breath. “Do you speak English?”

  “A little. Who are you and what do you want?”

  Up close, the woman looked hardened and had a permanent sneer on her face. And it wasn’t until Arianna got a good look at the man with Amira that she realized, it was Raja Baz, the terrorist in the police photo.

  The hair on the back of her neck stood up. This was turning out to be more of a risky situation than she had anticipated. Tamping down her growing fear, she said, “I’m a reporter with CNS news, USA. I’d like to ask you a couple questions, please. Your husband…I’m sorry about your husband’s passing. Can we talk a minute?”

  Amira turned and said something to Baz standing beside her. She spoke in Arabic so Arianna had no idea what she said, but Raul’s eyes popped wide open and in a flash she saw him reach for his weapon. Before he could get the gun out of his holster, a shot rang out, and Raul fell to the deck with a thud.

  “Run, Arianna,” he yelled on his way down, but before she could take another step, Baz grabbed hold of her and threw her into the boat. She hit her head on something hard. A searing pain ran down her spine, then everything went black. Baz and Amira jumped in beside her, and the boat immediately took off, heading out to sea.

  “Holy shit!” Kevin yelled, watching from the car. He jumped out and punched in 9-1-1 on his phone as fast as he could. He took off running down the pier. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Help, someone. We have a man down and a lady’s been kidnapped.”

  The emergency operator picked up just as he reached Raul’s lifeless body. “Help. Emergency. At the marina, uh…uh…” He didn’t speak French, so he didn’t know how to tell the operator what happened or where he was. A man who witnessed everything jumped off his boat and took the phone. In perfect French, he gave the operator the address and told them to send the police and an ambulance at once.

  Kevin bent over Raul’s bloody body. Raul had taken a bullet to the chest and was bleeding out fast. Kevin did what he thought was the proper thing to do to stop the bleeding, but he saw the life slowly draining out of his friend.

  It was only moments before the first police arrived, and an EMS arrived right behind them. The paramedics quickly began to work on Raul to stop the bleeding. At the same time, they started an IV, hoisted him on a gurney, and rushed him to the waiting ambulance.

  “Officer. Officer,” Kevin cried, so frantic he could hardly talk. “They kidnapped my partner. Out there.” He pointed out toward the open waters. “Arianna Garrett, a reporter for CNS news. That cabin cruiser in the distance. You have to get someone out there to stop them.”

  “Okay. Okay, settle down. I’ll notify the coast guard, but if they get into international waters, there’s nothing we can do.”

  “No. No, oh please no. You have to do something.” Kevin broke down in tears and fell to his knees, sobbing. “You have to stop them.”

  “We’re doing what we can. Did you get a good look at the kidnappers?”

  Kevin slowly nodded. “Shahab. Amira Shahab, the bomber’s wife and Raja Baz, the terrorist you’re looking for.”

  This news jolted the officer and though he tried to hide his reaction, a look of extreme concern covered his face.

  “Why?” Kevin wailed. “Why would they kidnap her?”

  “Ransom,” the policeman replied. “News reporters are prime targets because they bring a big ransom. News outlets have deep pockets. Only problem is, no one pays ransom these days. They’ll hide her away in some unknown location where rescue is impossible.” He shook his head in sad resignation. “So sorry. I’m afraid your friend’s in serious trouble.”

  ISLE OF COSTA LUNA

  Zach looked down and saw a call coming in from Arianna. She had a high tech Blackphone just like his. It was encrypted so no one could eavesdrop on voice, video, or text messages. An identical two word verbal challenge appeared on both of their screens. To confirm a secure connection, each person tapped the words, and the phone displayed three green circles, at least that was how it was supposed to work.

  He tapped. Nothing happened. Frowning, Zach tapped again and still no green circles. Arianna knew the routine well, so the fact that he was getting an incorrect response immediately caused his antenna to go up. Something was wrong. Despite the fact the conversation might not be secure, he decided to answer.

  “Zach, oh man, Zach,” Kevin gasped, out of breath. “I’m so glad you picked up. I had to use Arianna’s phone because I didn’t know how else to reach you. Ahhh…I’m afraid I have some bad news.” He took a big gulp and continued. “Arianna’s been kidnapped.”

  Zach’s breath caught in his throat, and the beat of his racing heart pounded in his ears. “What! When? Where?”

  “About a half an hour ago. She was trying to get an interview with the bomber’s wife. The lady was traveling with a terrorist, but we didn’t know that. Arianna approached them on a dock in a marina. They grabbed her, threw her in their boat, and took off out into the Med.”

  Zach exhaled, trying to calm his breathing. “Where was Raul while this was going on? Why are you calling me?”

  “Oh, man. It’s awful. They shot him. He went for his weapon, but they shot him before he could reach it. He’s at the hospital, and uh…” Kevin’s voice cracked and long pause ensued. “This sucks so bad.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

  Zach lowered the phone to his side and put his head in his hand. A lump formed in his throat, and for the first time in his life, a sense of panic threatened to overtake him. Pull it together, man. This was not the time to get all emotional. Right now, it was imperative he bring all his skills to bear to find Arianna and get her safely home. Raising the phone back to his ear, he said, “What’s the status as far as anyone looking for her?”

  “The French police are on the case, but the boat had a big head start. So far, there are no reported sightings. Zach, I’m so sorry. If I’d known this was going to happen, I would have personally tried to stop her from covering this story.” His voice broke up again and there was another pause on the phone. Choking back tears, he continued, “I’m so worried. I’ll die if anything happens to her, but these people…horrible things have been happening to women over there. I can’t bear to think about it, I…”

  Audible sobs could be heard on the other end of the line. “Kevin. Kevin, pull yourself together,” Zach snapped. “We’re going to get her back. Now, listen. I need you to keep me posted on any new information over there and to look after Raul. Can you do that for me?”

  “I’ll do it.” He snuffed up his tears. “Count on me.”

  “Okay, man. I gotta go.”

  Kevin was falling to pieces, but Zach didn’t have time to hold his hand. Time was of the essence. He dialed Veritas, his CIA handler. He needed to get him working on the case.

  “Okay, Zach,” Veritas said, after learning what happened, “get things moving on your end, and I’ll get things rolling here. I’ll co-ordinate with the French police, but I suspect the kidnappers have sailed out of their jurisdiction and are on their way to some Middle Eastern country by now.

  “The good news is, they won’t do anything to her because they’re looking to score a big ransom payment. I’m thinking they’ll try to tap the TV network first for the ransom. Once they make contact, we’ll know who we’re dealing with. At that point, we can use our tech people to trace where she might be. Just be sure you’re ready to go once we find her.”

  “Copy that. I’ll be ready. You just get me the info.” He hung up and sent a text to Tony and Juan, telling them to meet him at the equipment locker down at the stable. The group had been enjoying some down time, hanging out at Zach’s estate on the Isle of Costa Luna. Now, everything changed. The two men came runnin
g, sensing something big was happening. They found Zach already checking his gear, half packed, and anxious to leave.

  “What’s up?” Tony asked.

  “Arianna’s been kidnapped, and we have to go get her.”

  Both men stopped dead in their tracks, and without a word, began packing their gear next to Zach. “You gotta be kidding me,” Tony said.

  “Where? When? How?” Juan asked.

  Zach shrugged. “It just happened. Looks like a terrorist group has her. We’ll know more when the ransom demand comes in. In the meantime, we need to dee dee over to the Middle East and set up a command center. When we get some actionable intel,” Zach said, slapping a mag into his M-4, checking its availability, “we have to be ready.”

  Tony looked over at Zach. “We will get her home. This is what we do. You believe that, right?

  Zach nodded. Outwardly positive, inwardly worried sick.

  SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

  WAVES OF nausea hit Arianna when she tried to sit up. She didn’t know if it was from the rocking of the boat or the concussion she’d received from striking her head when she was thrown into the skiff. She lay still, trying to keep herself from heaving. Her mind was muddled, and it took all the effort she could muster to focus and comprehend where she was and what was happening. The last thing she remembered was seeing Raul fall to the deck, his shirt covered with blood. She prayed for the best but feared the worst. Feared he was dead.

  She drifted in and out of consciousness. One minute awake and trying to figure out how to get out of this predicament. The next, in a total blackout state. All of a sudden, she felt a sharp kick in the back. She cried out in pain and turned to see it was Amira, the bomber’s wife.

  “Wake up, American whore,” Amira snarled. “Time to move.”

  Someone yanked her to her feet and pulled her toward the door.

  Her pain increased and bile rose up in her throat. “Where are you taking me?” she asked.

  “Where no one will find you until they pay our asking price. And trust me, if they hope to see you alive, they will pay. If not, oh well, we have Taliban friends who will pay a pretty penny for a new bride like you.” She gave Arianna a shove and pushed her into a wall.

  Arianna banged her elbow and winced in pain. If she had any doubts before, she had none now. Amira was just as evil as her terrorist husband. They must have planned the bombing together, only the husband was dead while this evil person lived to see another day. Lived to commit more atrocities.

  Two men took hold again and dragged her up some steps to the deck of the boat. It was pitch black, and except for Amira and the men holding her, no one else was around. No one to help her. No markings to tell her where she was. And most of all, no way to escape…not that she had the strength to make a move anyway.

  “Here. Put this on.” Amira tossed her a hijab, the traditional scarf that covered a Muslim woman’s head and neck. “You’ll look less like an American whore.”

  Scarf on, they tied her hands and feet and dumped her into the back of a Toyota pick-up which sped off into the night. She hurt all over, and the truck bed was hard. She bounced around, and every bump in the road assaulted her already aching body. Her head throbbed, nausea still plagued her, and her mouth was parched and dry.

  Fear inched its way into her soul. Where fear didn’t live, regret did. Why hadn’t she listened to Zach when he told her to leave this story alone? She should have. Tears formed in her eyes. Can’t think about this now. What was done, was done. Now she needed to figure out a way to survive. She’d heard stories about people kidnapped in the Middle East. She knew all too well what happened to women captured by these terrorist groups.

  She wondered where they were taking her, pretty sure wherever it was, wasn’t going to be pleasant or easy to find. Amira had said they were trying to get someone to pay a ransom for her. Who would do that? Zach, of course, unless the fee was beyond his means. The network? They had deep pockets but would they be willing to cough up money in order to get one of their employees back? Maybe. The State Department? No. The US did not pay ransom. She tried not to think about what would happen if no one paid. She was looking at a death sentence or a life as a sex slave…one and the same in her mind.

  She closed her eyes and drifted in and out of sleep. Bang! The truck hit a rut. She flew up in the air and came crashing down on the truck bed, striking her head on the hard bed liner. Pain shot through her. As if her head wasn’t tender enough from the previous blow, she now had a raging headache from the new strike. She sobbed uncontrollably. Misery consumed her. She didn’t know how she would survive this ordeal.

  The truck forged on through the night, and it was morning before it finally came to a stop. Two men hauled her to her feet and dragged her off the truck. Amira was there to greet her.

  “Please,” Arianna said. “I need to use the restroom. Toilette?”

  Amira smirked and nodded to the men. “Untie her.”

  As soon as she was free, Amira pushed her toward a building. “Go, and don’t try anything to escape. It will be useless.”

  Arianna did her business and Amira guided her back to the truck.

  “Water, please. May I have some water?”

  Amira scowled at her, but signaled to one of the guards. “Give the American slut some water.”

  Arianna gulped the water, thinking she couldn’t get enough. All too soon, someone grabbed the bottle out of her hand and shoved her toward the truck. “Time to go.”

  The guards tied her up again and dumped her into the truck bed. It rumbled down the road, bouncing her back and forth. The sun beat down on her, and she curled up tight in the corner, trying as best she could to avoid the sun’s strong rays. It didn’t help. She felt her skin burning.

  After several more hours, the truck came to a stop. She winced in pain when they grabbed her sunburned arms as they removed her from the vehicle. The guard untied her and pushed her forward. They met up with another group of men who were to be her new captors.

  “These men will move you to your new home or perhaps your permanent resting place,” Amira said, with a smirk on her face.

  She was pushed into line behind a man who led them into a forested area and up a mountain side. The trek was arduous, and the fact that her head throbbed and she ached all over, made everything a thousand times worse. About an hour into the hike, she said, “Please. I’m sick. I need to rest.” She stopped and sat down on a rock.

  Amira came back, yanked her to her feet, and slapped her across the face. “You will keep moving. No rest.”

  Hate for this woman surged within her. Given no choice, she stumbled on. Two hours later they finally stopped, and she was allowed to use the restroom and sit for a moment. Water was offered and for a second she almost felt refreshed. Lucky for her, she was in good physical shape prior to her abduction or else she would have collapsed long ago.

  The rest didn’t last long, however. The guard ordered her to her feet, and they were on the move once more. They left the tree line and were now climbing up a steep rocky slope. At the top of the slope, she saw the entrance to a cave.

  With a sense of dread, she thought this must be where they intended to hide her. This place was so desolate; no one would ever find her here. She knew Zach would be searching for her, but she thought it would take a miracle for anyone to ever find her in this remote location.

  She dropped to her knees, overcome with exhaustion and despair. Please Lord. Get me safely home.

  WILLIAMSBURG, VA

  Three days and no word. Anxiety and worry thrummed through Zach like electricity through a power line. Sleep deprived and running on mostly adrenaline, he’d spent every waking moment searching for clues to Arianna’s whereabouts.

  He, Tony, and Juan had rendezvoused with Veritas at “The Farm”, a covert CIA training facility in Virginia. The Agency had a multitude of agents working this case though it had little to go on at the moment. Their big break would come when, and if, a ransom call
came in. Audio monitoring equipment had been installed on the CNS network phone system, ready to track any incoming calls from the kidnappers. Zach’s phone was monitored, too. For all he knew, he might be the one to receive a ransom call. He didn’t care who got it. He just hoped someone did. The thought of never seeing her again…unbearable. He couldn’t even let his mind go there.

  To keep himself busy, he poured through hours of satellite images of boats leaving the port of Cannes around the time of the kidnapping, hoping to zero in on the one containing Arianna. There actually were quite a few crafts that left that day, but none in particular seemed any more suspicious than the other.

  When not studying satellite images, he joined a whole host of other agents, scouring social media, checking out the contacts of Amira and Malik Shahab and their terrorist friend, Raja Baz. He knew Amira and Baz were both Iraqi and may have come from the same village. The best guess was that Arianna might have been taken to a location in Iraq. But it was only a guess. Until and unless they heard from the kidnappers, it was pure speculation.

  “Why don’t you go back to the hotel and try to get some sleep?” Tony asked, seeing Zach fighting sleep as he sat in front of a computer terminal. “We’ve got people working this twenty-four seven. If anything happens, they’ll let you know right away.”

  “I should,” he said, letting out a yawn. “I’m tired, but I can’t sleep…too hyped up.”

  “Roger that,” Juan chimed in, “but as soon as we get a bead on her location, we have to move out. You need to be at the top of your game, so go get some rest.”

  Zach threw up his hands and sighed in resignation. “You’re right. Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed his jacket, and they headed back to the hotel.

  Once in his room, he stripped out of his clothes and slid under the covers. He stared at the ceiling, fighting the fatigue that threatened to overwhelm him. He searched the recess of his brain, trying to think of some resource they hadn’t employed, some technical asset unused, some expert not consulted. Tried to think of anything and everything that might be brought to bear in finding Arianna that possibly had been overlooked.