True Faith and Allegiance

The afternoon passed slowly, especially because the men were all suffering the effects of jet lag to one degree or another. Midas made an afternoon coffee run for the team, and around seven p.m. Jack broke off his surveillance, sitting in the van up the street with Felix, so he and the team’s local contact could pick up dinner for the group.

Gavin Biery was eating his dinner of chicken paprika at the desk in the little closet in the fading light when a yellow Porsche Panamera pulled into the key code — access parking lot next to Dalca’s apartment building. He focused his camera on the sports car when it parked, and recognized his target as soon as he climbed from behind the wheel. The man carried a backpack over his shoulder, and several large bags under his arms.

Gavin touched the transmit key on the wire to his headset. “Target has arrived. He’s alone. His vehicle is a yellow four-door Porsche. Pretty sweet.”

“Roger that,” Chavez replied. He and Midas were in the apartment on the other side of the building. They could see the feed from all the cameras via their iPads, but at the moment they were in the middle of their dinner. “Report his movements.”

Gavin said, “I lost him when he went into the lobby. I’ve got the laser audio transmitter ready if he makes any calls, but if he just sits around and works on his computer, we could be in for a long night.”

Chavez said, “We already knew we’d have more opportunities bugging his devices than we would hoping he meets with someone face-to-face.”

Jack came over the net next. “Yeah, computer nerds don’t get out much.”

It was directed at Gavin, but Gavin was focused on his work. Through his headphones he could hear the sound of the front door of the apartment opening.

“Subject is in his place. No conversation, still seems to be alone.”

Gavin watched the monitor showing the view of the camera positioned on the desk in front of him. In just seconds, he saw the door to the balcony open and Dalca step outside, a liter bottle of beer in his hand.

“He’s on the balcony getting some fresh air. I’m going to tighten on him and get some good pics we can use for the facial-recog software.”

Gavin zoomed in as tight as he could to the young man’s face, then adjusted the focus of his cameras. As he did this he saw Dalca peering down into the street, looking carefully in both directions, and then across the street to the building where Gavin now sat.

Chavez came over the net. “He looks concerned.”

Gavin felt like the man across the street could somehow see him, even though he was invisible in a darkened storage space forty yards away with only a four-inch-wide slit exposing him to the outside. He spoke softly. “I think he knows I’m here.”

Chavez replied, “Relax, Gavin. You’re fine.” Then he said, “Hey, Jack. Is it possible he’s onto us? Someone tipped him off at the airport maybe?”

Jack replied, “I don’t see how. We don’t have any reason to believe he’s sniffed out Hendley Associates as being part of the IC, so the Gulfstream’s arrival in Bucharest wouldn’t have set him off.”

Gavin said, “Trust me, Ryan. He’s definitely worried about something.”

“I can’t see his face like you guys can, but I trust your judgment. Maybe it’s just nerves. He is conspiring with terrorists to kill Americans. There’s probably a little anxiety that comes along with that.”

Chavez said, “Hey, I look at it as good news. I came all the way to Central Europe to watch over a guy I didn’t personally know was really involved in anything illicit. But just looking at him right now, I’d say he’s guilty as hell.”

Gavin panned his optics up and down the street. He switched to the thermal view, trying to pick up anyone loitering in the evening shadows. “Well, if he thinks someone else is watching him, he’s wrong. This street is quiet.”

Jack said, “I can confirm that. Felix and I are about the only two people around tonight, and we’re just hanging out in the van.”

Gavin got his photos; Dalca finished his drink, and then headed back inside. The laser audio transmitter picked up the sounds of television for a while, and then it stopped, and the lights went off.

At ten p.m. Midas took over for Gavin in the closet, so Gavin could get a few hours’ sleep on a cot in the safe house. It seemed clear Dalca wouldn’t go anywhere for the evening, so Felix and Jack drove back to the safe house and crashed themselves.

Chavez told Midas he’d relieve him at three a.m., and he went to bed as well, confident it would be a quiet night.

56

Dragomir Vasilescu finished his glass of pinot noir, said good night to his friends, and left Bruno Wine Bar with a slight sway in his walk. He stepped out to Strada Covaci and checked his phone for the time. It was just after ten p.m., but with the amount of wine he’d consumed, he knew he would have a hangover of epic proportions when he woke in the morning.

He looked around hopefully for a taxi, but instead he saw a white Renault Trafic, a light commercial vehicle, pull to a stop in front of him.