Haiti?” he asked with a smile.
“Yes. I thought it would be worth a shot.” All business, Tanya didn’t wait for a pat on the back. “According to what Jackson Kinkaid told Alexa, this group carried high-tech gear. GPS units, laptops, the works. And their use of a video cam to post beheadings online is also distinctive. The MO in Haiti triggered something I remembered from an earlier case.”
“Good.” He nodded. “What did you find out?”
“I believe the terrorist cell Alexa is tracking is the same group who invaded a remote hotel in the British Virgin Islands and abducted five men on holiday. Three bystanders were killed. And Harper’s analysis confirms similarities. He’s found a link that ties this case directly to the Haiti incident. Here’s a summary of that investigation.” She handed him the report and continued, “A guy by the name of Abdul Kabir Sayed was believed to be the leader. He’s making a name for himself, and he’s after bigger and bigger headlines. Some believe he’s got ties to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and that Chavez gave him a place to hide after the Virgin Islands incident.”
“If that’s true, then the Cuban connection makes sense. Chavez has forged links with Castro and modeled his government after communist Cuba,” Garrett agreed. “And Chavez is one of America’s newest adversaries. After he survived an attempted coup and a nationwide petition demanding his recall, the man has cultivated dangerous ties to terrorism. Chavez has got nine lives, politically speaking. He’s been in power for ten years and the last referendum vote cleared the way for him to rule for decades like Castro. He’s not going away anytime soon.”
“Yes, and now the U.S. believes the Venezuelan government is issuing official documents to people who shouldn’t have them,” she said. “These documents could be used to obtain Venezuelan passports and American visas. They’d allow the holders to get past immigration checkpoints and enter the United States under false pretenses. It’s one of the scenarios being investigated.”
Tanya showed him an executive summary of a CIA threat assessment and the Venezuelan connection to known terrorist cells. “You said before that you thought this Haiti attack had been training for something bigger. You still feel that way?”
“Yeah, I do,” he said. “Someone like Sayed could be planning a major incident on U.S. soil. And with help from big brother in Venezuela, it looks like he might have the means to enter this country legally.”
“Are you planning to inform the CIA or Homeland Security of your theories? It’s one thing for our organization to rescue these hostages and stop Sayed in Cuba, but a guy like this is only a cog in a wheel. Others will follow. This threat won’t go away if Alexa and her team just take him out. We need to question him and advise the CIA or Homeland Security of the possible threat.”
“Yes, I know. I’ve been thinking the same thing.” He steepled his hands and rested his chin on his fingers. “The CIA is most similar to our organization, at least their covert arm. And we have solid inside connections there.”
“Why do I hear a ‘but’ coming?” She narrowed her eyes and waited for his answer.
“This could turn into a political circus, and we’d lose control, especially with a new administration coming into power. I had hoped with this new president that the CIA would get restructured…that the covert operatives would do their jobs under the guidance of the Pentagon rather than reporting through the president. If that happened, the Sentinels could breathe easier on the domestic front.”
“I’m not following.” She shook her head.
“The CIA has gotten bad press over the years, bogged down by politics. If they were under the Pentagon, it might be a different story. They’d do their jobs without some bureaucrat second-guessing their moves. Covert activities shouldn’t fall under any U.S. president. CIA analysts could remain part of the executive branch to advise the president, but there’s too much temptation to play God on a global scale with the covert branch part of that same package. As it is now, the CIA gets constant interference from a revolving door of armchair quarterbacks sworn into office every four years. They contend with presidents who either don’t have the guts to make decisions or who think they can flex their political muscle for their own agenda like it’s a game. I hate breaking in a new administration.” He looked her in the eye. “I’ll figure out a way to pass the word after our mission is over and we cover our tracks.”
“I take it that’s why our organization was formed. Members of the Sentinels were tired of business as usual in Washington and wanted results.”
“Makes sense, doesn’t it?” He nodded, implying she was right.
But he knew the truth.
The Sentinels had been around much longer than the United States. And even though he’d been sworn to secrecy about their covert activities and their agenda when he became leader, he believed in their cause and would do anything to defend and perpetuate their rich history. His knowledge of the Sentinels’ past was limited to what he’d studied in the archives and had been told by those who came before him. Yet he knew enough to realize that the powerful men and women behind the Sentinels had a proud lineage and would carry on long after he was gone.
The weight of his responsibilities often forced him to make decisions that went against his personal beliefs even though they were for the greater good. And many times he had agonized over the outcomes. Any covert agency would go to great lengths to defend its own country’s interests, but how far was too far? In a dangerous world of underlying political agendas stemming from greed and the seductive temptation of power, a coalition of countries aligned for a common purpose made sense. Yet Garrett understood that power of this magnitude was a slippery slope, no matter who or how many were at the helm.
Who would oversee those in control?
So far he hadn’t come up with a good answer to that question. And in all their years of existence, neither had the Sentinels. They sought control and gained ground with each passing year.
When would it be enough, and what was their ultimate goal? Others would make that call.
“You look a million miles away.” Tanya’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “Are you worried about Alexa?”
Tanya was one of the few people within the organization who knew of his personal history with Alexa. He didn’t mind the woman knowing about their past, but the part he’d played in the annihilation of any future he might have had with Alexa—and his feelings on the subject—were off-limits.
“I just want to know what’s going on.” He sighed and looked toward the active TV monitors along the far wall. “It’s been hours since our last communication. A lot can happen.”
“Let’s get an updated reading on those tracking beacons,” she suggested. “And I’ll check with Seth Harper to see if he’s recorded any more transmissions from the terrorists.”
While Tanya got on the phone to obtain her electronic updates, Garrett opened his safe room and activated his holographic map of Cuba. Within minutes, Tanya joined him and keyed in the new coordinates. When the 3-D image projected onto the conference table, communications interrupted with an incoming call from the field. Hank Lewis was on the SAT phone. And Tanya had the call redirected to Garrett’s safe room phone.
“Moonshine Two reporting.” The voice of Hank Lewis crackled onto the line with a staggered delay. “School’s out and mission accomplished, sir. We targeted a baker’s dozen, but are coming home with twelve. We’re at the rendezvous point now and will be gone before daylight.”
A baker’s dozen meant thirteen. One hostage was missing or had been killed.
“Copy that. And good work, Moonshine Two. Any casualties?”
“None, sir.” When Hank didn’t elaborate on the last hostage, he knew there was something the man was about to tell him or had left out.
He watched the two tracking beacons on his holographic map of Cuba. One signal was stationary and located near the shoreline. The other was positioned farther north. Hank Lewis wasn’t done reporting, and Garrett had a bad feeling he wouldn’t like the rest.
“I’m tracking more than one location,” he prompted. “Where’s Martini One?”
There was a hesitation on the line. For a moment, he thought that he’d lost the connection. Eventually, Hank replied.
“Martini One is after our last target. And the FNG is tagging along.”
Hank conveyed more before he concluded his report and ended the call, with Garrett gritting his teeth. Kinkaid and Alexa were after the last hostage. And a tidy operation had turned messy.
To complicate matters, Kinkaid’s involvement had already been made public online with the ransom demands
