Enemy Among Us-A Jordan Wright Thriller (20 page)

“Oh! So, you came right back home?” Kate kept pushing.

“No, Kate. I needed to get away for a while so, I went to Italy and I would still be there if it weren’t for Max and William.”

“Still. I didn’t get a postcard and you can’t tell me there was nothing to see in Italy.” Kate looked at Jordan unwaveringly.

“I’m not much for writing. I really needed some time, Kate. It’s been job after job. I needed some downtime. Anyway, I brought you some olive oil.” Jordan quickly tried to count how many bottles he’d brought and how many he’d already given away, with the hope he still had one left.

“Thanks. Hey, I’m not saying you can’t have your time — and I can imagine how you would need it. I just would have liked to have heard from you. I really enjoyed the time at your house. I’m your friend, Jordan,” Kate said softly.

“I know. I appreciate that. I had a great time, too.” He stopped and grabbed her and pressed her lightly against the building. To anyone passing by, they would seem like a cute couple in an intimate moment of conversation.

“I had to think about us, too. I really like you, Kate. I think you and I could be really good together. I’ve always had a rule to not play where I work,” Jordan continued.

“I understand.”

Jordan put a finger to her lips to quiet her. “I’m thinking it might be a dumb rule. I just want to be sure. The last thing I want to do is to hurt you.” Jordan hugged her. “I still want to do dinner. Not just get something to eat, but a real nice dinner, great food, great wine, ultimate chocolate for dessert.”

Kate smiled. “I know a great place in Bucks County. I’ve only eaten there once, but it was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had. The best part was being able to go right up to bed and not have to drive anywhere.”

Jordan laughed. “Well, maybe that’s where we should go. First, we’ve just got to figure out what Mustafa is up to and put a stop to it. Then, we can plan our dinner.”

Kate laughed. “Not like that should be hard to do.”

They had turned a series of corners and had walked for several blocks. They found themselves back at the alley behind the command post. Kate felt relieved they’d had the conversation. Jordan was smiling, and she decided that had to be a good sign.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Aziz and Akmed finished their supper. They enjoyed the meal and both seemed happy to be back in each other’s company. They cleaned the dishes together and then Aziz excused himself to do his homework in his room.

As he left the kitchen, the phone rang and Aziz went into the living room and picked it up. “Hello.”

“Yes, Uncle Mustafa, it is good to hear your voice.

“Yes, my father is here. We just finished dinner.

“Yes. One moment.” Aziz took the receiver from his ear and held it out to his father. “It’s Uncle Mustafa. He wishs to speak with you.”

Akmed hoped that he’d hidden his sudden anguish and apprehension from his son. He knew there would be a confrontation with Mustafa, but he’d hoped it wouldn’t have been so soon. He walked out of the kitchen and reached for the receiver.

Aziz cupped his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. “It will be okay, father. He isn’t upset. It will be okay.”

Akmed smiled at his son as he took the phone from Aziz and placed it to his ear. “Mustafa, it is good to hear from you. My sincerest apologizes for being away.”

“I don’t have time for that now. You and I’ll talk later. It is important for me to get into your warehouse this evening. I need to pick up my boxes and I may need a few more things out of the store. Would this be a problem?”

Akmed knew he wasn’t really concerned about it being a problem. “No. No. When will you be here?”

“Within the next half hour and, I’ll have some men with me. We will come in through the alley. Please have the door unlocked, as well as the rear fence. Is that understood?”

“Yes. Yes. Not a problem. I’ll be there to greet you.”

“No, you won’t. I only need you to do what I just asked. I’ll require no other assistance. I ask that you and Aziz stay in your apartment, with the blinds closed and the lights on.”

“Yes, Mustafa.”

“Please, also tell Aziz that I want him to be ready to come with me, beginning tomorrow night. I’ll pick him up after school.”

“Yes, Mustafa. He’ll be ready. How long will he be gone?”

“You weren’t concerned with telling us how long you were to be gone. I don’t see why you should be concerned with how long Aziz will be with me.” It was clear Mustafa was frustrated and did not want to be questioned.

“You are right.” Akmed heard the phone click from the other end. He hung it up and went to tell Aziz to prepare to be with his uncle. He’d hoped everything had been heard across the street. It seemed like events were going to take place fairly quickly.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Jordan and Kate had been in the backroom of the apartment with William and Max, briefing them on the storeroom reconnaissance. Jordan was walking them through what his theories were regarding the small quantities of some items and larger supplies of others.

“I thinking there are going to be several teams focused on numerous targets. My guess would be that only the leaders will have guns and two-way radios. The rest of the team will be carrying the backpacks. There was nothing there to give us any insight into exact targets.”

“We also know that money is not an issue,” Kate began. “Going through the business records, it’s obvious that Akmed runs a successful business. He has good cost controls and has negotiated favorable terms for buying his merchandise.” Kate went on, explaining what she’d found in Akmed’s office, focusing specifically on what had come from the computer’s hard drive. “He has Mustafa believing he turns all of the profits over to him but, the reality is that Akmed keeps about twenty percent for himself. The eighty percent is a large enough sum that Mustafa would probably never question it. We figure they would have had in excess of three million dollars. We’re also assuming that other members of the family have businesses with similar arrangements. Mustafa has no shortage of financial resources.”

“That would explain the high quality of the guns and radios. They want for nothing, to pick up on Kate’s point. We don’t yet know what these other businesses might be so, in addition to providing cash, they might also be able to purchase other needed equipment and supplies. Think about it,” Jordan said, sighing. “They never have to deal with anyone or any entity outside the family to get what they need in order to pull off their mission. Think about how many times we have gotten a break because of information originating from a sale, with some clerk or storeowner feeling that something just wasn’t right and calling. We don’t have that possibility. They have gone to the next level, becoming totally integrated.”

Max stood up. “Their vulnerability is their size. There are a lot of people involved, beyond the kids, and there could be other parents like Akmed, parents who want out. They see that what is going to take place could destroy everything they’ve worked for here.”

“Yes, but do we have the time to find them and make a contact.” Jordan was thinking as he spoke, causing him to pause. “I think things are going to move quickly. I really believe we’re talking days, not weeks.”

There was a knock at the door. One of the agents stuck his head in. “Mustafa is calling the apartment. Bounding out of the room, all four were trying to get through the door at once, with William and Jordan finally falling back to let Kate and Max go first. To someone not realizing the gravity of the situation facing them, it would have seemed humorous.

Everyone in the main room was situated around the speakers, hearing the voices of Mustafa and Aziz. Aziz was getting his father to the phone.

Jordan was processing the information as Akmed and Mustafa spoke. Twenty minutes did not give them a lot of time. Even knowing they had the alley and the back of the store under video surveillance, Jordan felt the need to have human assets in place, to gather additional information. Unfortunately, the alley and the back of the store didn’t provide many observation points and someone couldn’t just be hanging out in the area.

“Where’s Mustafa now?” Jordan broke the silence of the room. Several stared at him as if he would be overheard on the call.

“He’s at his house.”

“Anyone with him?” Jordan continued.

“No. Mustafa came home from work and hasn’t had any visitors.”

“Well, we know he’s only ten minutes away. So, if he leaves right after the call, he’s got a stop to make before he comes here. Let’s get the teams following Mustafa up to speed on this call and tell them we know he’s coming here in the next half hour.” Jordan ordered.

“On it!” one of the agents called as he moved to an unoccupied desk and pulled out a cell phone.

“Let’s put our heads together on what the best approach would be to have surveillance in the alley. I know we have the cameras, but is there any way to have some eyes close by?” Jordan inquired.

There was a plat of survey, a map of the entire neighborhood. Similar to a blueprint, it showed all of the dwellings, both houses and outbuildings, in a several blocks radius of Akmed’s store. Almost every home or building with property bordering the alley had a shed or garage with alley access. While several would provide adequate viewing posts, none had an easy, undetectable entrance.

Since timing would not allow them to gain permission from the owner, they needed to be able to sneak in, watch what happened and get back out unseen. It was unlikely any crime was going to be committed, so protecting the surveillance with a warrant was unnecessary.

Jordan was perplexed by one thing on the map. “What does the red “D” stand for?” He’d noticed several of the properties had a circled red “D.”

One of the agents chuckled and several looked at each other. “It means there’s a dog on the property. We’ve found that to be helpful in these situations.”

Jordan laughed. “No shit. ‘Once bitten, twice shy,’ huh? Yeah, I would have liked to have had that information in the past. Nothing worse than jumping a fence or coming around the corner and you’re facing a growling, snarling pooch.”

“Yes, sir — and I’ve got the bite marks to prove it,” the same agent agreed. “Of course, if we need to gain access we have the same approach we used at Mustafa’s.”

Jordan nodded, looking once again at the map. “This garage here is two stories tall. If we could get someone upstairs with a camera, that would be a great observation point. I would also like a person at each end of the alley, just to monitor. They could station themselves here and here.” Jordan pointed to sheds at the entrance to the alley from the two streets. “I don’t anticipate the need for any action tonight. They’re moving more or less legitimately purchased merchandise. But, just in case, let’s have a tactical response on stand by a couple of blocks away.”

Three agents stepped up to volunteer. Jordan gave each an assignment and they moved out.

“The surveillance team with Mustafa just called in. He left the house and is headed toward Center City.”

“Okay, everyone! We’re a go. Let’s be sharp and see if we can’t come up with several more pieces of the puzzle tonight.” Jordan waved them out and on their way.

The agents who had volunteered for the various postings gathered up their gear and left, the remaining agents manning the various communication and computer stations. Max, Kate, William and Jordan went to the back room.

“With what we know from the call, Mustafa is gathering the supplies tonight and pulling the kids together tomorrow. I think we have to assume they are moving forward.” Max started the conversation after closing the door.

Jordan jumped in. “I agree, but we still don’t have any idea on what or where the target is.”

“You don’t think it’s somewhere in Philly?”

“My gut tells me it is; but, in reality, in two-three hours they could be in New York, Baltimore or even D.C. I don’t think we can take anything off the table at this point. Now that we know their funds are fairly substantial, he could put the kids on the train and be in the heart of Times Square in a little over ninety minutes. If you think about it, this is a great base to operate from.”