“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Samir.”
“Oh please, call me Miguel.”
Her eyes illuminated as she shyly turned away. The woman was perfect. He was going to really enjoy this. He glanced toward one of his guards and nodded toward the young woman Diane had come to New York with. He knew what to do. He had to keep them apart and get Diane alone. That was the only way he could make his move and abduct her. His plan was coming together, while his other reason for being in New York was being initiated.
The meeting at the dock was in two hours. In three, he and his new prize would be flying to Iran as he contemplated retiring with his new bride. Well, for the time being. He smiled and engaged her in further conversation as he escorted her further from the crowds of people.
* * * *
“Holy shit, this is so cool. How often have you gotten to fly in these types of private jets, bro?” Drake asked as he and Lucas sat on the large, wide leather seats in the government jet. Mark was looking at his laptop and he didn’t seem pleased.
“It gets boring. We’ll be landing in twenty-two minutes,” he told them.
Lucas looked at Drake. When Mark came into the room and told them that he was going to be part of the raid to bring this guy Marzban down and that he got a call from an informant about Marzban was confirmed being there, they thought he was out of his mind. Then he told them that they were coming, too, and would meet Diane at the hotel to surprise her and he would catch up later in the night. They were all for it. They missed her.
“Is everything okay?” Drake asked Mark.
“I don’t know. This doesn’t make sense. Weathers said he’s got agents on Marzban, Zand, and Arshad. Arshad is near the shipping docks, so he’s probably checking out security and making sure that things are going to run smoothly. But Marzban and Zand are right in the city, and in the same hotel that Diane is in.”
“What?” Drake asked, raising his voice as he gripped the seat.
Mark looked up. “There’s no way I’m betting this is coincidence. I’ve got my commander and a team trying to locate Sage and Diane now.”
“Do you think this Marzban guy knows about Diane and you? I thought you were distancing yourself from this case, and that you weren’t really that involved or in the spotlight?” Lucas asked, sounding angry.
“I was careful, but this guy has evaded capture, he took out Cody Jobs and other agents, and he could have Brenda and be going after the agents who tried taking his operation down.”
“What do you mean, Mark? There were others killed before now?” Drake asked.
“I didn’t know about any of this. Neither did Weathers. They think that someone from the inside was working all of us, and giving up secret information.”
“Who?” Lucas asked.
“Brenda. Fuck.” Drake ran his hands through his hair.
Mark stared at him. “I don’t think so.”
“How the fuck can you say that? You don’t know what she’s capable of or what happened to her. This is bullshit, and now our woman could be in danger!” Drake yelled.
“It has to be someone else. Someone who had access to the investigation, the other agents and spies involved and imbedded in the case. I’m going over everything now, and so is Weathers. Something isn’t adding up here.”
“When does this fucking plane land?” Lucas demanded.
“Minutes. We’ll be out of here and with a team of feds in minutes,” Mark said as he typed away on the laptop.
Drake felt his gut clench. “If anything happens to Diane, Mark, I’m holding you responsible.”
Mark looked up and appeared just as fearful and grim. “I won’t let anything happen to her. I promise to figure this thing out. We’ll get to her in time.”
* * * *
Diane excused herself to use the ladies’ room. Mr. Samir was a very charismatic and friendly guy, but he also gave her the creeps. She remembered Drake’s, Mark’s, and Lucas’s words of advice about following her gut instincts. She needed to locate Sage and get the heck out of this party. Just as she came out of the stall and washed her hands, the door pushed open and a tall, tanned man dressed in a tux reached for her. “Come with me now,” he ordered.
She pulled her arm from his grasp. “No. Get the hell away from me. Who are you?”
He pulled her hard against him as he pointed a gun with a tube-like thing at the end of it to her neck. “You are to come with me now, Miss Mercury, or your friend Sage dies.”
She was shaking and filled with fear. Diane had no idea what the hell was happening, and as they walked from the bathroom with the gun wedged against her back, they came to a long hall with an exit sign. He pushed opened the door and they began to head down the stairs. As soon as they rounded the corner, there was a woman there. “What the hell are you doing here?”