Chapter Sixteen

“I urge you to reconsider, Sheikh Juhayman,” Paul tried to pacify the fuming man. The sheikh was pacing the living room with long furious strides. They were at the luxurious safe house in Rockville, where Paul had arranged for him to stay. It was evident that his patience was running thin.

Paul glanced toward the six guards who stood to one side. Their faces were a reserved mask, but he could swear that he detected fear in their eyes. His gaze returned to the man who was glowering at him. Paul had done extensive research on Juhayman bin Mohammed. He had been the leader of his own army for many years. He was known for his cruel instinct. It was how he forced others to respect him . . . or rather, fear him. His followers knew that if they didn't do what was expected they'd end up in a shallow grave or worse, left for the scavengers in the desert.

According to what Paul had been able to uncover, once a man had been drafted into the Sheikh’s army, he never left. He was to serve him for life—however short that turned out to be. That was the kind of leader he was, no morals, no conscience, no compassion.

“Reconsider killing that bastard and his whore? No, Burgess, that’s never going to happen. I’m tired of waiting. We move tomorrow,” he sneered.

“And achieve what? Max Shaw is co-owner of a successful security firm. Believe me, you won’t get closer than fifty feet from his front gate, before you’re caught.” Paul dragged in a deep breath. “I have a suggestion.”

“Well? Do I need to drag it out of you? I warn you, Burgess, if you’re trying to double cross me, you won’t see the sunrise,” Juhayman said with a cruel glint in his eyes.

“I know how to draw Max Shaw out. If we can coerce him to come to us, half the battle is won.”

“What are you talking about?”

“They’re a very tight bunch. Like brothers, all of them. If one is in danger, they will do everything in their power to track him down.” He rocked back on his feet. “Leaving poor Joanne Blackmore vulnerable to easy pickings.”

Juhayman tapped his finger on his teeth as he considered Paul’s proposal. “Are you saying I get the American bastard first and by the time I’m done with him, you’ll bring me the whore?”

“Exactly. Max Shaw is sweet on your commander. He’ll toe the line to keep her safe.”

“I still think it would be quicker to charge his house and take them. My guards are quick and strong,” Juhayman hedged.

“They might be quick and strong, but they would be running into a wall of gunfire. They won’t even get near the front door. This is the best and safest way. It’ll also ensure that no one would be able to link you to their deaths. I’ll even offer you a secure location where you can . . . play with them to your heart’s content,” Paul offered the final temptation.

“No one will hear their screams?” Juhayman asked with narrowed eyes. Paul knew he’d won the battle when he noticed the eager gleam his gaze.

“Not for miles. It’s on a remote farm not too far from the airport, so once you’re done with them, you can be back in Saudi Arabia without anyone being wiser.”

“Very well, but I want him by Friday morning, or I’ll go in myself.”

“I’ll set the ball rolling.”

“I want your word that you will bring me the whore. I want to watch her screaming and bleeding under my blade. Him, I just want to cut his fucking throat, but her . . . I’m going to have so much fun with her.”

“She’ll be here, Sheikh Juhayman. You have my word.”

* * * * * * * *

Want her alive? Walk away, Shaw. I’ll guarantee her life only if you let her go, otherwise, Juhayman is coming for her.

 

Max stared at the email message on his iPad until the words melted into a black blob. The realization, that whoever had abducted Joanne over a year ago, knew that she was back, threatened to explode in a rage. If he knew, so did the sheikh, as he very clearly threatened in the message.

He straightened behind the desk in the study and dragged two of his keyboards closer while he powered up his computers. The six monitors on the wall flickered on to illuminate the dark room. He glanced at his watch. It was 02:15 in the morning. Joanne was fast asleep. After keeping her awake the previous night at Jack’s house, she needed to rest. Max had lain with her in his arms, listening to her breathing, willing his mind to shut off and follow suit. It didn’t happen, as he had known it wouldn’t. Not until Joanne’s safety had been guaranteed.

His fingers flew over the keyboards as he started the search for the origin of the e-mails. He already suspected what he would find, but he did the checks nonetheless. An hour later he gave up. Every avenue he tried led to the same result. The IP address kicked off so many decoys it became a tangled mess until it ended up at the same location every time—an internet cafe in the Bronx. Further searches for street cams in that vicinity were also fruitless and he conjectured that the owner would confirm no in-store video footage either.

“How does he know she is living with me and not with Jack?” He mused aloud. “Who would know that we have a relationship? Who, outside of our friends and Alex’s team and . . . fuck! The women! What if one of them . . . no, Max. None of them would—”

A soft bleep drew his attention back to his laptop. He jabbed at the keys to open the email that had just arrived.

 

You have 24 hours to decide, Shaw. Don’t waste your time trying to find me. Juhayman wants someone to punish for his commander’s deceit. Her life is in your hands. Choose wisely.

 

“Do you think I’m stupid, asshole?” Max growled in a hoarse voice as he read the message again. It was obvious that the fucker expected Max to up and leave immediately, leaving Joanne vulnerable.

“You’re right about one thing, fucktard. I love her enough to give my life for hers, but not before I ensure she is safe and you won’t be able to get your filthy paws on her again.”

Max reached for his cell phone. Rhone answered on the second ring.

“Talk to me, Max.”

“You need to get a security detail on Jack and his parents. Immediately. Someone is trying to psych me out. Everyone close to me is now a target, Rhone.”

“I’ll have a team there in ten minutes and I’m on my way to your house, Max. I have a feeling that you’re about to do something impulsive.”

“Rhone—”

“You don’t move, Max. You hear me? You stay put. I’ll be there soon.”

“Yeah, I’ll be here,” Max didn’t try and argue further. He could certainly use Rhone’s clarity. He got up and stared outside toward the dark night. The security that had been allocated to Joanne, was in place, hidden from sight, but at least it offered him some consolation.

“Report, Fox team,” he snapped into the secure link that had been connected to his home alarm system.

“Fox leader, reporting all is clear. Doing a sweep of the south-west perimeter as we speak.”

“Jackal leader, reporting all is clear on this side as well. North-west perimeter secure. Rabbits are in the holes, sir.”

“Good work. Keep alert and your ears to the ground,” Max said as he scrutinized the screens that were now linked to the outside cameras. Everything was quiet.

Max reached for his phone again and dialed Jack’s number.

“What?” Jack snapped in his usual gruff manner when he was woken up in the middle of the night.

“Jack, Rhone is sending security detail to your house. They should be there in five. I need you here as soon as they arrive.”

“What’s going on, Max?” Jack immediately became alert. “Is it Joanne? Has something—”

“She’s fine. I’ll explain when you get here. Rhone is also on his way.”

While he waited he contacted Richard and gave him a string of orders.

“On it, mate. Don’t worry, Max, I’ll find him.” Richard rang off without further ado.

Ten minutes later Rhone, Keon, Jack and Max settled in his study, each with a steaming mug of coffee that Max had prepared while he’d been waiting for them. The door was locked to ensure Joanne wouldn’t overhear them in case she woke up and came looking for Max. When Max had bought the house, the study had been soundproofed and made secure with firewalls.

“Start talking, mate. What the hell has got you so spooked?” Jack said as soon as Max sat down.

Max showed them the emails which immediately fired out similar responses.

“Either there is a leak in Alex’s team or someone who knows us personally is involved,” Keon said.

“What about the club? Someone there might have been spying on us,” Jack speculated further.

“It’s possible but I haven’t treated Joanne differently at the club. The fact that I collared her is not common knowledge. No one but you guys and Alex know that we are in a relationship. No, I think Keon is right. It’s someone who has intimate knowledge of all of us. This fucker knows about Joanne and me,” Max said.

“You’re right and he must be watching your house as well. How else would he have known that she was here with you? I only dropped her off this morning,” Jack responded.

“You didn’t notice anything suspicious at the time?” Rhone asked.

“No and I would have. I’m on alert all the time since Joanne’s return.”

“I don’t like the look in your eyes, Max.” Keon watched him intently.

Max emptied his mug and placed it on the coffee table. He leaned back in the chair. He breathed in deeply.

“I’m going to give them what they want.”

“You’re not going anywhere, Max,” Rhone snapped. “Now that we know that the danger includes the sheikh, we’ll amp up our security even more to keep Joanne safe. Both of you safe. We’ll put triggers in place to warn us of any incoming flights on private planes from Saudi Arabia. The moment the sheikh sets foot on US soil, we’ll know.”

“I suspect he’s already here,” Max said somberly. “Richard has just confirmed that a flight plan for a private jet from Riyadh was approved four days ago. The flight was scheduled to land two days ago.”

“Where?” Rhone asked. His brows furrowed together.

“From the logs, it was supposed to land at the Montgomery County Airpark private airfield but that was a ruse. Richard has checked all the satellite feeds and hacked into that airfield landing schedules. It definitely didn’t touch down there.”

“Max, you there?” Richard’s voice boomed from Max’s desk. Max picked up his iPad and after a couple of entries, Richard appeared on one of the monitors on the wall.

“Yeah, what did you find, mate?”

“Howdy, mates,” he greeted the others briefly. “According to the original logs, the jet belongs to Universal Oil Refinery in Riyadh. Sheikh Juhayman is a board member in the company.”

“So, the sheikh is already here, and we can assume that he has also been informed of Joanne’s pseudo identity,” Jack speculated.

 “Yes,” Max said in a tired voice. “Have you been able to find the location of the plane, Richard?”

“Not yet. I’ve gained access to the En Route and Oceanic Services as well as the ATO satellite systems. If that plane landed anywhere in the US, I’ll find him, but it will take a day or so.”

“Keep at it, Richard and thanks for giving up your sleep.”

“No problem, Max. You have done the same for all of us,” Richard said and then cut the connection.

“We’ll tighten the security around everyone. As soon as Richard finds that plane, we move,” Rhone asserted.

“They won’t be sitting waiting at the plane, Rhone. Chances are that they’re close by, watching and just waiting for us to leave Joanne vulnerable or to lead them to the safe house where the women are,” Max interjected.

“I’ve already spoken to Alex. They’re moving the women to a new location before the weekend. We’re not taking any chances,” Rhone assured them.

“That’s at least one less thing to worry about. We need to find the traitor who is feeding the sheikh with information. My bet is if we find him, we also find the person and the syndicate responsible for the human trafficking.” Max got angrier by the minute. Just the thought of Joanne’s life in danger scared the shit out of him.

“Who else, apart from Alex and his team, knows that Joanne was one of the women that had returned and that she’s in a relationship with Max?” Jack asked Rhone.

“Maybe one or two people in the president’s office,” Keon confirmed. They had been involved with many covert operations for the president.

 “Fuck, which means someone prominent is living a double life,” Max sneered. “And here we’ve been suspecting someone in the bureau.”

“We need to start digging, Rhone, and we’ll need Alex’s assistance,” Keon barked.

“And let him or her know that we’re onto them? No, we need to be more discreet. Fuck, we need to be clever! This is about more than keeping Joanne or the women safe. Even more than just the human trafficking.” Max’s voice deepened with urgency. “It’s our best chance, not to just expose who the bastard is, but also to expose the Sixth Order. I am willing to put my head on the block that they’re behind all of this.”

“I’m not allowing you to set yourself up as bait, Max. You can forget about such a notion,” Rhone grated. He leaned forward to reiterate the urgency.

“You know me, mate.” Max winked at him. “I’m like a spring coil. I always bounce back in one piece.”

“No one is going into the hornet's nest, Max. Ethan was tortured and almost died in Saudi Arabia. What do you think the sheikh is going to do to you?” Jack said urgently.

“It might not come to that. If they’re here, it means they would want to get their revenge over and done with. The important thing is that we need to keep the sheikh away from Joanne, he’s the immediate danger. Wherever they take me, you can follow and then we can put another human trafficking trader away for good,” Max kept pushing his case forward. “And make no mistake, mates, if push comes to the shove, I will kill the sheikh before I allow him to walk away. And, don’t forget, we don’t know who the bastard is who took Joanne a year ago. He’s obviously someone we trust. It would be easy for him to get to her―even with all the security measures we’ve taken. This might draw him out in the open. It’s our best chance, Rhone.”

“How exactly do you propose to get away without telling Joanne where you’re going? She’s not going to stand back meekly and allow you to place yourself in danger.”

Keon asked the one question that had been milling inside Max’s mind. The solution he’d been considering was one that would change the direction of his life forever.

“Max?” Jack prodded when Max didn’t respond. “What are you going to tell Joanne?” He was afraid he already knew the answer.

Max took a while before he answered, finding it difficult to voice it out loud. He was tackling one problem at a time. First the sheikh and then the man who had sold her. If he didn’t make it, at least it would make Jack’s task easier to find her abductor. It was the only way to ensure that eventually she would be safe. His voice was completely devoid of any emotion. “Nothing. I don’t want her involved.”

“Fuck, Max, if she believes that you’re ditching her again, she’ll never forgive you. Not a second time,” Jack warned with a guttural voice.

Max stared out of the window, his gaze vacant as he looked into the black night outside.

“I know.”