Byzantine Gold (27 page)

Chapter Fifty-Three

Atakan and Iskender arrested Binici shortly after they spoke to Charlotte. When Binici returned to camp, Refik stopped him and had requested he come to his office, where he was placed under arrest without incident. Charlotte watched everything go down from a shady bench under the olive tree. Once Binici was in custody, Refik ordered the male team members who were in the men’s quarters to leave. He hadn’t explained why from what Charlotte overheard as Derek and his friends headed toward the dining room. She understood why. Atakan would seize Binici’s property and preferred to have the quarters to himself as he worked. He was trying to keep the arrest quiet. If the guys talked, which they would, Saska was bound to hear. He didn’t want interference from her.

“I don’t have time to deal with the litany of questions she’ll ask me,” he told Charlotte. 

About twenty minutes after Binici’s arrest a black, unmarked van approached the entrance to the camp but stopped out of Charlotte’s view. Refik, who’d been waiting at the gate, glanced around, and then directed the van to a spot behind his office and out of sight.

Charlotte jogged over to another shady spot where she had a view of the van and the action.

Pretty sinister looking vehicle if you asked Charlotte. The side windows of the cab portion had a dark tint, which made seeing inside impossible. The actual cargo area had no windows on the side and only a small, wire-mesh window in the double doors in the rear.
A prisoner would need a battering ram to break through the substantial, almost medieval locking mechanism for the door.

The driver and passenger climbed out and entered the office. They wore the army’s summer khaki uniform and each had green patch with red Special Sergeant Insignia on the sleeves.

“Atakan,” Charlotte called and waved him over as he came out of the office.

“What is it? I can’t talk long. I have to gather Binici’s property and then we’re transporting him to the base.”

“I know you need him for the next two days in order to grab the other group—“

“Charlotte, I am not going to discuss or argue about my participation anymore with you,” Atakan interrupted.

“I didn’t say a word. You’re going to participate no matter what, so there’s no point in my belaboring my objection. But, I’m curious. What happens to Binici after this? He murdered the real Nassor Jafari. Will he stand trial in Egypt?”

Atakan briefly tipped his head back as he thought about his answer. “I can’t say for sure. After the operation, he will be turned over to our National Intelligence Organization, who I believe will keep him in Turkey, especially with the upheaval in Egypt. He’ll stand trial in our country and no doubt be convicted of terrorism since the evidence is overwhelming. Then he’ll be sentenced to life in prison.”

She thought about 9/11, and the innocent victims of other vicious terrorist attacks around the world. Binici’s living out his life in a simple cell didn’t seem fair. Some of the survivors of his group’s bombs were permanently crippled, children orphaned, wives widowed, their lives ripped apart.

“You look disappointed,” Atakan said.

“It’s just...I don’t know...anti-climactic. He gets this clean, warm cell and is able to walk around, even if it is in a confined space. I’m not advocating torturing him, or executing him, but extremely hard labor might be in order.”

His brows flicked up. “You’ve never been inside one of our prisons. There are no flat screen televisions with satellite stations for the inmates to lounge in front of in the hours out of their cells. No fancy gym where they can pump iron to present a stronger, tougher problem for the guards. No conjugal visits. In other words, our prisons are just that, prisons.”

He bent and kissed her on the cheek. “I have to go.”

#

“I’m anxious to get rolling and set up on the gas station. Aren’t you?” Iskender asked.

“Yes,” Atakan checked his watch again and moved to the window. “Here they are,” he said, seeing the military vehicles drive up.

Three tan-colored army Land Rovers pulled into the camp and parked in front of Refik’s office. Three men wearing camouflage uniforms stepped from the two SUV’s in the front. One wore green shoulder boards with three gold stars indicating a captain’s rank. The driver and passenger in the third stayed with their vehicle.

As Atakan approached he saw the third SUV had thick wire screen behind the front seat and another person sat in the rear.
Binici.
Binici was hunched forward, his head not far from the screen. Like other transported military prisoners, he’d be cuffed to a heavy chain only eleven inches long and attached to an iron ring and plate screwed to the floorboard. The driver and passenger were the two intelligence officers who’d interrogated him the night before. They nodded, and Atakan nodded back then stepped over to the captain who he assumed was the field officer in charge and greeted him first.

“Agent Atakan Vadim.” He extended his hand.

“Captain Peroz Dag,” the captain said, shaking hands.

“This is Agent Yilmaz,” Atakan said, introducing Iskender.

Dag gestured to the men with him. “My team.”

He didn’t offer names and Atakan didn’t pursue further introductions as he led them into the office.

A table had been brought in from the lab so they could spread out the paperwork with a detailed diagram of the location.

“Our sniper and his spotter will setup on the north side of the casino’s roof. They have a clear view of the station and a half-kilometer view of the road in each direction.” Dag drew a curved line indicating the area covered.

“This two-lane road between the beach and the BP station is a problem,” Dag said. “We can’t seal off the road to through traffic without raising suspicions among Lokman’s group.”

“You’re
not
sealing it off?” Disapproval laced Iskender’s question.

Atakan could see Dag’s logic but thought the captain was taking a huge chance and presenting too big a risk to civilians in the area. But it was Dag’s show so he kept his opinion to himself. He and Iskender were allowed to participate as a courtesy from the military.

Dag waved a dismissive hand without bothering to look up from the map. “It’s been sorted. The Lieutenant Colonel assigned two jeeps with an additional two soldiers in each. They will be concealed a kilometer apart, one on the north of the station, and one on the south.”

“Chase vehicles if Lokman has a car and tries to escape,” Atakan commented. When questioned, Binici didn’t know if Lokman had acquired a car. He only knew the group had stolen an old fishing boat.  

“Yes, chase vehicles but they will block the road if necessary. Once the operation starts, should the apprehension become violent, they can prevent civilian cars from entering the line of fire.”

Although formerly in the military, Atakan expected Dag would separate him and Iskender. They’d both been out of the army for over a decade plus. Neither had trained regularly in the years since then. They’d fired the Akdal Ghost sidearm the Ministry issued them at the base range on a regular basis. Once Darav Binici’s true identity and PKK affiliation was known, they considered others from his group might join him. A confrontation was inevitable. As a result, he and Iskender reacquainted themselves with the Mehmetcik assault rifles the army used. Familiarity with the weapons helped but logically Dag should put each with two of his team, current in their tactical training.

Dag did separate them. Iskender was with the two on the inside of the station’s convenience store. On Dag’s signal, they’d exit out the north door that faced the patio. Atakan, Dag and the last soldier would be hidden in the scrub and foliage a few meters east of the patio.

The patio was offset from the front of the station’s property. The entrance lined up with the west wall of the convenience store, set back away from drivers at the pumps.

As soon as Lokman and the others entered the area, Dag’s team would make their move. They’d confront the group first with the Iskender team as additional backup and to secure the arrestees. “Depending on the situation, of course. This is if they go with scenario A,” Dag added.

“What scenarios did you run,” Atakan asked, knowing the captain and his teams ran the most likely already. The assault teams never went in with a plan based on a single response. They always anticipated the unexpected and planned alternate responses accordingly. “Plan A is if Lokman and his men approach together. What if they split up? Or, what if all of them go into the store first?”

“Plan B, should they enter together, the team inside draws down on them and orders them onto their knees, hands on their heads. Whether they comply or not, one way or another they hit the floor.”

“And if any try to take off and head out the door, your sniper has a bead on him,” Atakan said, nodding his approval as he spoke.

“What about the station employee? Where’s he in the store should this happen?” he asked. “Have you an arrangement with him?” Without knowing who Lokman might’ve befriended or bribed, Atakan hoped no one tipped off the employee.

“The minute the group crosses the road my men will secure the employee in the storage room until the operation is complete,” Dag assured.

“Say they split up. If I were Lokman, I’d send either one or both of my people into the store to make sure Binici didn’t betray them.  Just to make sure it’s not a trap and we aren’t waiting there,” Atakan asked.

“Plan C, covers that possibility. Say Lokman does what you suggest. The inside team still has his men at gunpoint. Lokman, if he’s armed, can start a firefight. It’s suicidal, but who can predict his mindset? He’s done before he takes three steps.” Dag tapped the X that marked the sniper’s location. He had a clear shot at anything that moved. “Same-same, if Lokman tries to dash back across the road in an effort to escape.” 

So far, all Dag’s plans revolved around what would happen after Lokman, Yildirim, and Ulvi crossed the road on foot or arrived in a vehicle. “What about the fishing boat Binici said they’re staying on? We know there might be a fourth traveling with them. I assume the boat’s covered.” Atakan asked.

“Our spotter on the rooftop has a visual of the pier and boat dock. We have a navy patrol boat concealed in a nearby cove with two divers suited up onboard.”

One of Dag’s men went out to a Land Rover as Dag gave Atakan and Iskender radios and they did a test broadcast with the base. The soldier returned with a black military duffle bag and set it on the floor. Dag folded the map and tucked it in the pocket of his utility pants. Then, he opened the duffle and removed two Mehmetcik rifles and handed one to Atakan and one to Iskender with an additional magazine.

“Load up,” Dag ordered.

When they left the office, Iskender headed for the SUV the team he was with came in and Atakan followed Dag to his SUV. He was about to climb inside when he saw Charlotte on a nearby bench. She gave him a tight-lipped, half smile. She hated he was going on the operation and feared for him. The weak smile was all she could manage and he knew it.

She touched her fingers to her lips and then turned her hand toward him to send the kiss his way. Self-conscious in front of the other men, Atakan declined to return the gesture. He smiled and nodded and gave her a wink.

Dag must’ve noted the exchange. “Go on, you got sixty-seconds to say goodbye to her.”

Atakan dashed over. “There’ll be a lot of paperwork, a debriefing, and interrogations once we get them to the base. I’ll be late, but I’ll be back in time to share a bottle of wine with you. Run to town while I’m gone and pick a nice red table wine.”

“You don’t like wine all that much except for champagne,” Charlotte said.

“No, it’s not my favorite drink but you like it, and I love you so we will celebrate with a wine you chose.”

He gave her a quick kiss and ran back to the SUV. Dag’s vehicle led the way. The SUV with the second team brought up the rear with the jeep with Binici sandwiched in between.

#

At the BP station, the three vehicles parked behind the building, out of sight. Iskender’s team entered the store through the rear door. Atakan, Captain Dag and their third man monitored the two soldier guards as they unchained Binici and jerked him from the back of the jeep and led him to the patio.

They arranged Binici sideways in a table chair. When Lokman and the others approached they’d see only his profile. While the guards removed the metal cuffs, Binici eyeballed Atakan hard, his hatred burning through.

“Something you want to say to me?” Atakan asked.

“I hope they kill you first. I just wish it was me who could do it.”

The guard holding the loose cuffs backhanded Binici. The second guard held him by the collar so he stayed seated.

“Show some respect,” the first guard said.

Binici sneered at the guard, dabbing at the corner of his mouth where a small cut from the cuff’s edge drew blood.

Atakan smiled and stepped close. “A better opponent than you has tried and failed. Your threat is laughable by comparison.”

“We need to finish,” the first guard said to Atakan who stepped back.

They flex cuffed his hands together in front of him on the table’s top with a can of Coke by his hands. Then they covered his mouth with clear tape. The drink gave him a relaxed, natural appearance. The cuffs and tape were to keep him from attempting to warn Lokman.

The spotter came on the air. “I’ve got them in view. They’re on a fishing boat like Binici said. They left one person onboard. Three of them are coming your way.”

“Are you able to get a good look at the one on the boat?” Atakan asked.

“Yes, I can zoom in close,” the spotter replied. 

Atakan’s team scrambled, lying low in the scrub, meters from the patio, Mehmetciks in hand.

“It’s a woman onboard,” the spotter said. “She’s pacing the deck and there’s a Kalashnikov propped against the opening to the wheel. I’ll notify the divers she has a rifle near at hand.”

A double click on the radio followed the info that a woman was with the group. Atakan knew it was Iskender’s transmission. He was signaling he had assumed the same as Atakan. The female was the ruthless Havva Pelin.

A Renault Cabriolet with a family of four pulled into the station and up to the far gas pumps. Atakan sucked in a deep breath, willing the father to be the only one who got out. Dag quietly swore. The father took cash from his wallet. Atakan, Dag and their third man all swore.

“Do these pumps take cash?” Atakan asked Dag.

“No, debit or credit cards only. Cash is paid at the register inside.

The father counted the bills and then stuck them back in the wallet and slid a card out and paid at the machine on the end of the island.

While the gas was pumping, the father leaned into the rear passenger window and talked to the children who started bouncing and clapping, excited by whatever was said. Atakan worried the father offered to buy treats and they’d jump out and run into the store.

“No. No. No. Stay in the car little ones,” Atakan said under his breath. Doubtless, Iskender’s team was sweating bullets, worrying over the family’s intentions.

“Iskender, if they are not out of here in sixty seconds, push the man into the rear with the children and get the car out of here,” Dag ordered.

“Roger,” Iskender answered.

After a minute that felt like an eternity, the father finished climbed back in the car and pulled away. The children were still bouncing up and down in the rear seat when they left.

Dag had rolled the dice and almost created a major problem for the teams. Atakan wondered if Dag would acknowledge his misjudgment at the debriefing.

“The moment Lokman and the others cross the road stop the through traffic,” Dag ordered the men in the vans. “That was nerve-wracking,” he told Atakan.

“Targets are all carrying backpacks with something of weight inside from the looks. E.T.A. of two minutes to your location,” the spotter updated them.

“I’m guessing short-barreled assault rifles in the backpacks,” Atakan said to Dag.

“I agree. If any of them makes a move to swing their packs around, don’t wait for my signal. Move.”

“Understood.”

Omar Lokman, Turgay Yildirim, and Goker Ulvi came into sight. All of them crossed the road directly in line with the patio but then split up as they reached the station. Yildirim and Ulvi went toward the store while Lokman approached the edge of the patio.