Draden shook his head, deliberately standing directly in front of the prisoner. He knew Shylah was anxious that he was giving Eko a large target, but it was the best form of intimidation, while it also allowed the man to take his chance if he was going to. Better to keep Eko’s attention on him, not Shylah.
“I don’t think so. It’s clear you’ve done this before. Rented the apartment to women and then raped and killed them. Don’t deny it, that will only make me angrier.”
Eko shook his head. “They are nothing, these women. Unclean. Nothing. They live to serve men. We would never harm a worthy woman.”
Draden wanted to step right into the bastard and cut his throat right then. He took a breath and forced air through his lungs. “If Agus Orucov needed to change his identity, where would he go for the papers? Who would he see?”
Shylah knew already. She’d done her research long before she was in the forest hunting the three virologists.
“Faisal Bataknese,” Eko said readily.
Draden didn’t so much as glance at Shylah. He wanted Eko to forget she was in the room. Is that the same man you were told about?
Yes. He’s telling the truth. We still have to track him down.
“Where is he?” Draden asked aloud.
I need to search the apartment. The three may have left clues behind.
Just wait. I need him to make his move without noticing you.
Eko’s expression turned crafty. He licked his lips. “I could show you.”
Draden pretended to consider it. “I’ll think on that. The three had a visitor. An American.” He pretended to know all about the meeting. Shylah had drifted around behind Eko, blending with the shadows in the dingily lit apartment.
Eko nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. They had a fight. An argument. It was very loud.” He indicated the streets outside. “He gave them money. A great deal. Enough to pay Bakti more so he would take them to Faisal.” The sly reminder was blatant.
“How far?” Draden asked.
“Only two streets up. Not far,” Eko said. “But he won’t do business unless recommended. It is a great deal of money. You pay for the recommend and for Faisal’s work.” Now he was eager, certain he would not only go free, but get cash out of it as well.
“He’s the red door,” Draden said.
Eko scowled, shaking his head before he thought. His lips formed the word tan, but he clamped his mouth tightly closed before the word escaped. Draden reached down and rifled through Bakti’s tunic until he found the money Shylah had given him. He made a show of pulling it free from the dead man’s clothes and transferring it to his jeans pocket. Eko’s greedy gaze tracked his every move. Deliberately, Draden half turned, presenting a perfect target.
Eko reacted instantly, his hand going inside his robes and pulling out a gun. Shylah was already behind him, a silent wraith. She cut his throat and stepped back before the body could fall.
“You know more about the kind of work they were doing than I do,” Shylah said. “If you try to figure it out, I’ll try to find something that will point us in the direction they’re going.” Immediately, she began to go through the apartment, paying close attention to the sleeping quarters.
Draden surveyed the lab equipment. “They had more than one remote lab with them. That’s interesting. What do you suppose they argued with Montgomery about?”
“I don’t know, but Joe said that Montgomery definitely landed here. He was so arrogant and obnoxious to the locals that everyone remembered him.”
“Not very smart,” Draden observed. He peered into the microscope to see what the virologists had been studying. The smear was dried and crusted. The vial had P-1005 on the label. His gut reacted. They were still studying Shylah’s blood.
“They have my picture, Draden.” Shylah came out of the sleeping quarters, holding a small photograph. It was black and white, and definitely Shylah. “Why would they need a picture of me?”
“To show to someone,” Draden said grimly. He indicated the microscope. “I’m just speculating, sweetheart, but Trap all but positively agreed with me. They had your blood because they were trying to create a virus you couldn’t fight off. Each of the five samples showed evidence of viruses that couldn’t infect you. They kept creating more lethal ones in the hopes they not only could infect you, but that you could make antibodies for them. It’s very apparent they are selling the virus to Montgomery. Like Whitney, it’s useless to him unless he has a vaccine. You’re the vaccine.”
“We’re the vaccine, Draden. Just damn. You think Montgomery is going to send someone after us?”
“I think everyone is going to send someone after us. Half the United States forces are moving into position to guard you. Well … us.” He flashed a grin. “That’s an exaggeration, but we’re being guarded. Mostly my team, but everyone else is on alert.”
“Great. You didn’t touch anything, did you?”
“Not without gloves on. Let’s go find this Faisal and see what our boys look like now and what their names are. Joe will call in a team to sweep behind us just to be safe as far as the virus is concerned.”
Draden watched as she carefully locked the door to the apartment and then they both slipped into the shadows. He could feel the others close. Gino, for certain. He put off a very lethal vibe. Diego was up on a rooftop with a rifle, no doubt. He was damn good and Draden had never seen him take a shot and miss. It just didn’t happen. Malichai was there on one side of the street, with Joe pacing along on the other side. It was a classic GhostWalker urban tactic. They were unseen, unheard and yet in a perfect position to protect their primary objective.
Draden knocked on the tan door. After much rustling inside, Faisal Bataknese answered the door. He looked alarmed, as if he weren’t used to being disturbed in the middle of the night—which he probably wasn’t. Like Eko had said, he most likely only took visitors known well in advance of their coming.
Draden stepped into him, forcing him to back up, which he did holding both hands in the air, glancing in apprehension behind him toward the interior of the apartment. Shylah entered as well and shut the door softly behind her.
“We’re sorry to disturb you, Faisal,” Shylah said with a small incline of her head. “Our meeting is urgent, or we wouldn’t force our way in. Your family is perfectly safe. If you wish, I’ll close the door between your personal apartment and this work space.” There was nothing to indicate that Faisal worked out of his home, but Shylah was quickly establishing that they already knew who he was and what he did.
Faisal began to shake his head, putting on his most innocent and perplexed expression—one that had probably served him well in the past, but Shylah ignored his protest and quietly shut the door, indicating to his family he was busy with a client.
“Please don’t pretend. We don’t have that kind of time, and we don’t want to hurt you. We could either turn you over to the government, or if you refuse to give us our answers, force you to do so, but you’re a businessman. You stay neutral. You forge papers and your forgeries are amazing.” Shylah poured
admiration into her voice.
Draden stayed in the background, letting her do what she did, admiring her for the way she used her voice to get the information she needed. There might be subtle threats, and she kept Faisal off-balance switching between respect and threats to keep his attention centered solely on her and what she was telling him.
“Three men came here to get new identities. They were foreigners and they rented an apartment from Bakti. Unfortunately, Bakti and his friends decided the money wasn’t enough for them and they are deceased. I’m sure you’re well aware these were not good men. Still, they brought you a lot of business. I can compensate you for that as well as for the information I need on the three men who murdered an entire village of your people.”
Until that moment, Faisal had been shaking his head, but he stopped and went rigid. “Lupa Suku. They did that.”
“How did you know?” The government was supposed to have kept the deaths of those people secret, but Draden and Shylah were both aware that was a difficult thing to do.
“I have friends everywhere,” Faisal admitted. He waved his hand toward a chair and collapsed into one himself.
Shylah took the chair opposite him. Draden made certain Diego would have a kill shot through the window straight to Faisal’s head. He remained in the shadows, but just to one side of the forger so he could see if the man made a move toward a weapon.
“This virus, was it really as bad as they said?”
“One hundred percent kill rate, and those three men created it.” Shylah leaned forward in her chair. “I’m not looking to hurt your business. I know it depends on your silence, but this is too big. Those men are dangerous to everyone, the entire world. Give them to me. No one will know you even talked to me.”