Chasing Tomorrow Page 3

  COLOGNE, GERMANY

  Damn! This happens every time I fly.” Kevin Baxter watched the carousel at the airport make another round with none of his luggage in sight. The steady flow of bags onto the conveyor belt had slowed to a trickle, and then finally stopped.

  He threw his cap on the floor and stomped on it. “Every frickin’ time. I swear those sorry-ass baggage handlers see me coming and say, let’s screw with this guy’s life. Let’s mess with him and send his luggage to Timbuktu.” He kicked the side of the carousel. “Son of a bitch!”

  Arianna hid her face behind her hand, trying to stifle a laugh. It wasn’t funny, but the way Kevin got so worked up over his misfortune made her chuckle. She didn’t think she’d ever traveled with him when his luggage hadn’t gotten lost. “Come, on, bubba. You know the drill. Let’s go to the lost baggage counter and report your luggage missing. They’ll put a tracer on it. It may take a while, but they’ll find it.”

  The rest of the network crew along with security chief, Dan Miller, had already retrieved their belongings and had gone on to the hotel. Arianna, and bodyguard, Raul had waited behind for Kevin’s luggage to show up. No such luck, so now they waited in another line to report it missing.

  “Sorry for your inconvenience, sir,” the agent behind the counter said. “May I see your ticket, please?” He scanned the claim check and reported, “Ah, ha! Here it is. I see your luggage is coming in on the next United flight from New York. They’re just taxiing to the gate now. Baggage claim for that flight is on carousel five, down the hall to your left.”

  Kevin half sighed and half groaned—relieved his luggage had been found but frustrated by the inconvenience of it all. An hour later, the trio exited the airport, suitcases in tow, and called Uber for a ride to their hotel. The bellman at the Hilton Cologne held the door open and pointed them in the direction of the check-in desk.

  “We have a reservation for two rooms,” Arianna said. “I believe they’re under the name of Miller. Dan Miller.”

  “Two adjoining rooms,” Raul interjected.

  “Okay, two adjoining rooms,” Arianna repeated.

  The clerk looked at his computer screen and frowned. “I’m sorry. We have two rooms, but they’re not adjoining I’m afraid.”

  Arianna shrugged. “That’s okay, we’ll take them anyway.”

  “No, it’s not,” Raul said, stepping up to the counter. “We need two adjoining rooms. Do you have any?”

  Arianna shook her head. “Is this really necessary, I—”

  “Unless you want me sleeping in the same room with you, it is absolutely necessary. Kevin and I can share a room, but it has to be connected to yours. I need to be close to you all day and all night, too.”

  Arianna shot him a look of dismay as the clerk checked his computer again for connecting rooms. “I’m sorry. I have no connecting rooms, but I do have a suite with two adjoining bedrooms. That rate is three hundred US dollars more per night than the single rooms. Would you be interested in that?”

  “No, that’s okay,” Arianna said. “We’ll make do with the original rooms.”

  Raul placed a credit card on the counter. “We’ll take the suite.”

  Arianna let out a loud huff. “Zach’s credit card, I assume,” she said. “This is not going to go over well with Miller.”

  Raul signed the charge slip and passed it back to the clerk. “Maybe, but I don’t work for Miller, so just relax and focus on your job and let me do mine. I can’t provide adequate security if I’m three doors down or on a completely different floor. This is how it has to be.”

  “Okay. Okay. I’m too tired to argue with you. I just want to get settled and go find something to eat.”

  “Yes, madam,” the clerk said, “but I’m afraid there will be a slight delay. Housekeeping has not finished room preparations. Perhaps you’d like to have a seat in the lounge and wait until the room is ready? Shouldn’t be too long.”

  “Oh, yeah, right,” Kevin groaned. “Hurry up and wait again.” He turned his luggage over to a bellhop to store until the room was available. “Try not to lose it,” he yelled after the porter as he wheeled their suitcases into a storage room.

  Raul and Arianna took a seat in the lounge while Kevin went for drinks. Arianna pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Miller to let him know they had arrived at the hotel and were sitting in the lounge, waiting on their room.

  She picked up a magazine lying on a table and thumbed through it. She didn’t speak German, so she had no idea what the articles said, but one particular picture caught her eye. It was a picture of a group of protesters carrying signs, one of which read “Rapefugees nicht willkommen.”

  Refugees-not-welcome. Raping refugees? No. Refugees who rape not welcome. That’s it! Under the picture was the name Monica Friedland, author of the article.

  “Look at this,” Arianna said, when Kevin returned with their drinks. She practically shoved the article into his hand.

  He took a long pull of his beer and studied the picture. “I don’t get it. What’s this mean? I can’t read German.”

  “The picture. The guy’s sign says ‘Rapefugees not welcome!’ They’re protesting what seems like rape by some refugees. This could be a big news story. And look at the date. This was just last week. I have to talk to this reporter…what’s her name?” She glanced back at the article. “Monica Friedland.”

  Kevin handed the magazine back to her. “Whatever you say. I’m just here to capture it all on film, little sis. You work your magic with the story.”

  Dan Miller and some of the network crew appeared in the lobby. “Arianna,” he said. “You guys finally made it. I trust they found your luggage,” he said, looking at Kevin.

  Kevin nodded. “Now, we wait again for our room to be ready.”

  “What’s that?” Dan asked. “I had two rooms reserved for you guys. You mean they weren’t ready?”

  “No, they were,” Arianna said, “but Raul wanted adjoining rooms, so he could be near me, and they didn’t have any.”

  “So…” Miller asked.

  “So we’re waiting while they prepare a two bedroom suite.”

  “What! We have no budget for that kind of accommodation,” the security director huffed.

  Raul stood and stretched. “We have it covered. It won’t be any expense to the Network.”

  Miller glared at him. “Ms. Garrett’s boyfriend is covering the tab, I presume.”

  Raul ignored his question.

  “You know, I met him in New York. He must be a pretty high roller. He’s been interfering with my operation ever since Arianna came on board. Well, let me tell you—”

  “Oh, lookie here,” Kevin said, jumping out of his chair. “Our luggage has arrived, so our room must be ready. Hate to rush off, Dan, but we need to unpack and then go find something to eat. Arianna, you ready?” He started nudging her toward the elevator.

  “Hold on,” Raul said to Kevin. Turning toward the director, he said, “Look. Mr. Acevedo is making a substantial investment in Arianna’s security. It’s no reflection on you. It’s just the way he wants it. She’s had two different attempts on her life, and we believe she is still on a jihad hit list due to the nature of her reporting. I get that you don’t think too highly of him or me, but know this. The arrangements for her security are non-negotiable. You have five other people on this assignment which you need to keep safe, so instead of us engaging in a continual pissing match, why don’t you do your job and let me do mine?”

  Miller seethed with anger. Despite the height differential, he being the smaller of the two, it looked like he wanted to deck Raul. Arianna stepped forward and put her arm through Miller’s and led him toward the hotel bar.

  “Here,” she said, as she ushered him along. “Why don’t you and I go have a drink and make plans for tomorrow? Oh, look, there’s a table over there. Have a seat. Order me a gin and tonic, and I’ll be right back. Okay?” The security director hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved
over to the bar.

  Arianna returned to Raul and let out a huge sigh. “You two have got to start getting along,” she said. “The bad blood between you guys is causing a lot of tension, and I don’t need that. Now stop it!”

  “Yes, Miss Garrett,” Raul said, flatly.

  “Miss Garrett. Oh, please, don’t patronize me.”

  “Okay, Arianna, but I’m not going to stand by and listen to him diss Zach or interfere with my job. It’s not going to happen. I’m going to do my job until Zach personally tells me not to, and I’m not going to let this ass—”

  Arianna shot him a warning look.

  “…not let this person interfere with what I need to do.”

  Arianna continued to glare at him.

  “But I will try to hold my tongue from now on.”

  “Try?”

  “Okay, I’ll hold my tongue even if it kills me.”

  Arianna’s look softened. “Thank you. I love this job and would like to keep it so do not piss Miller off again—please.”

  “Just for you, I’ll just fade into the background, kind of, sorta…never far away, but you’ll hardly know I’m around, and I’ll hold my tongue.”

  Arianna smiled. “Good. Now, I’m going back over there to have one drink to soothe things over, and then I’m going up to our room for the evening. We’ll order room service. Can you handle that without riling up Miller one more time?”

  “I’ll be right over by the entrance to the bar, minding my own business…mouth shut.”

  She reached up and pinched his cheek. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. Miller irks me too, but for now, I just want everyone to get along. Peace.”

  Raul flashed her a smile. “Peace. Now, go schmooze your security chief.”

  ARIANNA AND Raul returned to their room an hour later and found their luggage waiting and Kevin asleep on the suite’s sofa.

  “Wake up, sleepy head,” Arianna said, giving him a poke. “Time to figure out what we’re doing for dinner.”

  “Kevin rolled over on his side. “I don’t care what I eat. Are we going out or doing room service?”

  “Room service.”

  “Perfect, then order me anything, I think…this is Germany, so I hope I like the food. All I want to do is eat and sleep. I’ve been up for twenty-four hours, and I’m exhausted.”

  “Got it. Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when the food arrives.”

  Raul checked and double checked the lock on the door. “Here’s the deal, guys. No one but me is to answer this door. No one. Ever. Is that clear?”

  Arianna nodded. “Okay, fine by me. Kevin? Did you hear that?”

  He groaned a weak, “Yes.”

  After a filling meal of Weiner Schnitzel and Spätzle and a nice bottle of Merlot, everyone bid each other good night and made their way to their own bedrooms.

  “Sleep well, guys,” Arianna said, exiting the room. “We have a big day tomorrow. There is a lot of ground to cover in order to get this story.”

  Inside her room, she unpacked and ran herself a bubble bath. She sank into the steamy water, lay back, and tried to relax. Her head was spinning, overflowing with ideas on angles of the refugee story she hoped to cover. Judging by the magazine article she’d seen, more was happening with the refugees than seemed to be in the news lately, at least not in the US news. If she could get this story out there, she had a chance of once again making a name for herself in the world of journalism. It might not be an easy story to cover as she knew she’d have to go into the heart of the refugee community to do her research. There was danger in that. Thank God, Raul would be there with her. She sensed she might need him.

  She toweled off, slipped into her pajamas, and got into bed. Picking up her phone, she pressed it to her breast. More than anything else, it so reminded her of Zach. It wasn’t logical. It was a silly girl thing, kind of like having a teddy bear, but for whatever reason, her phone comforted her.

  Despite Zach’s long-established pattern of not corresponding when he was gone, she swiped the phone open and began texting him.

  Arrived Germany. Anxious to start working. Missing your kisses. Missing your touch. Please be safe. Love you. A~~

  She sighed and hugged her phone one more time, then laid it on the nightstand. Snapping the light off, she lay down to sleep. She had just closed her eyes, when she heard a ping. Was that my phone? She sat straight up in bed and swiped the phone open. Nothing. No, not nothing. A blank message was there or was it just an old message she’d started but had never sent? Had Zach actually replied, or rather kind of replied to her text? That ping had come right after she sent her message. What a coincidence? It must have been him letting me know he got my message.

  She hugged her phone again and drifted off to sleep with a big smile on her face.

  IRBIL, IRAQ CAPITOL OF KURDISTAN

  Ready to risk our lives for our country,” Juan mused, as he, Zach, and Tony sat dining at the luxurious Rotana Hotel in downtown Irbil. “Wasn’t that how the COS phrased it?”

  Tony nodded a thank you as the waiter refilled his wine glass. “That’s what she said, but we do that every time we take on one of these missions. Wonder what makes this one any different.”

  “Maybe nothing.” Zach cut into a braised lamb chop and took a bite of the savory meat, followed by a sip of Cabernet. “Maybe she was just being melodramatic.”

  Juan looked puzzled. “Melodramatic? Everything’s melodramatic in our line of work if you want to call life and death matters melodramatic.”

  Zach pushed his plate away and waved the waiter off when he attempted to refill his drink. “I sense there is more at stake on this op than normal. What I can’t decide is, does that mean there’s more at stake for us personally, or more at stake for the Agency? We could be the sacrificial lambs if the Agency has over promised a certain result, but fails to deliver.”

  “Meaning?” Tony asked.

  “Yeah, meaning what?” Juan wanted to know.

  “Meaning they’re going to send us into the eye of the storm. They want something that’s big and can’t get it under the current rules of engagement.”

  Both men sat there and stared at Zach pondering the weight of his remarks.

  “Anyone want out, say so. I predict this is going to be one of our most dangerous missions yet. One where the stakes are really high.” He waved the waiter over and asked for the check.

  No one spoke, nor gave any indication they wanted out.

  “Well, then drink up, fellas,” Zach said, raising his glass to them. “All will become clear tomorrow. Relax and enjoy yourself tonight. This will be our last “normal” evening for a while.”

  A NEW Kurdish driver arrived the next morning to take the team to the OGA station on the outskirts of town.

  “Hopefully, this guy isn’t from the Indy 500 school of driving,” Juan whispered to Zach. “Having thirty AK’s pointed at your head will cause your heart to do a triple lutz every time.”

  The driver, overhearing, said, “No worries, my friend. I heard about what happened yesterday. That driver was new and had no experience. Trust me. I’ll get you through. No problem.”

  Juan patted him on the back. “You’re a good man, buddy. Confidence. That’s what I like to hear.”

  After entering the base without incident, the group made their way to the CIA headquarters where the chief of station was waiting.

  “Good morning, gentlemen. Masoud’s just coming in now so grab a cup of coffee, and we’ll begin our briefing.”

  “Sabah alkhyr,” Masoud said. “Good morning. I see we didn’t scare you off.”

  “If we scared that easily, we wouldn’t be here in the first place,” Zach said, irritated that the guy would think they might be so easily spooked. He also hated the waiting around. He was there, ready to go, and wanted to get the briefing over so they could get moving.

  “Yeah, so let us hear the details of this hair-raising op you’re about to send us on,” Juan added.

  “Ri
ght away. Have a seat, and let’s get started.” The COS flipped on a computer and a map with no names on it appeared on the screen. Zach knew the region well even without names, so it was clear, Syria was their target—Raqqa to be specific, the de facto capital of ISIS.

  “The rules of engagement under the current administration have changed,” Lauren began. “Because of that, the Agency’s paramilitary units have become vitally important in the region, but success for containing ISIS depends on good intel and targeting information.

  “Officially the US has no boots on the ground. Nonetheless, they have given us an annual budget of high nine figures to create a ‘secret army’ which we can deploy on missions ranging from hostage rescue to deep-penetration recon behind enemy lines, assassinations and the like,” she said waving her hand around. “You know the drill. You’ve been covert specialists for years. But especially now, this administration wants mega PD, plausible deniability. They’re terrified of the optics caused by an op gone wrong and want to be able to distance themselves should the need arise.”

  “Ha!” Tony chirped in. “But take all the credit, when things go well. Yep, we know the drill. We take all the risk. They get all the glory.”

  A low chuckle rippled around the room.

  Masoud stepped up. “You Americans are funny people, and your president is an interesting man, but we are grateful for your help. We’ll leave the politics to you. Now, let me explain the mission.”

  He pressed a key on the computer, and it populated the map with names. Just as Zach thought. Raqqa seemed to be their prime target.

  “Mmm mmm!” Juan moaned. “Right in the heart of ISIS country. Are we going into Raqqa with just little ol’ me and my two friends here, or do you have some help for us boys? People are losing their heads these days, and I’d like to keep mine if it’s okay with you.”