Sandstorm (16 page)

With clarity slowly returning, Lipton nervously began piecing together his predicament. Now was as good a time as any to end whatever this was. “If this is about money, you’ve grabbed the wrong guy. I don’t have any.”

Alex cocked his head. “I guess not. Especially since you recently handed over ten million dollars.”

The reaction was quick and faint, but the acknowledgment was there with a shift of the eyes.

“See,” said Alex, pointing at Lipton’s face in a circular motion. “That’s confirmation. So, Davis, show me that you’re a smart guy by making this easy. Why are you paying Tobias Baum ten million dollars?”

“This is a big fucking mistake. Do you know who I am?”

“Yeah, and for what it’s worth, I dislike your old man a whole lot more.”

Alex reached down for a cup of coffee on the floor. He took a taste before continuing. “Let’s try this again. What was the money for?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Look, I’m a patient guy. I can sit here all day. However…” Alex turned to reference Nora, who was leaning against the back wall, her arms folded, waiting for her chance to step forward. “She is a different story. Your dance partner really, and I mean really, doesn’t care for you at all. So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to answer my question?”

“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Alex addressed his coffee once more. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He rose off the chair, taking it with him to give Nora plenty of room.

Lipton fought through the discomfort to raise his head. Her hair was now shorter, brunette, and pinned back. The revealing attire had been replaced with sweat pants and a sleeveless workout T-shirt. It was unmistakably the same woman from the club. He watched with interest as she stood a few feet away, in no apparent hurry as she went about sliding her hands into a pair of thinly padded gloves.

Her next move was rapid and, for Lipton, painful. Nora took a big step forward and with her weight behind her, delivered a solid right-handed punch to the side of Lipton’s face. His head snapped back as if on a coiled spring.

Nora tried to hold back her anger. Not hitting him as hard as she could was a nice gesture, but her patience was running thin. “The man asked you why you gave Baum ten million dollars.”

Lipton shook off the grogginess. “Again, you’re mistaken.”

Nora followed his lie with a series of left-hand jabs, placing them just below his right cheekbone. When his head stopped bobbing, Lipton spat out some blood. He searched the room for the man who’d sat in front of him.

“Hey, you!” he shouted. “Come get a grip on this cunt!”

Off to the side, near the back of the room, Alex and Duncan, who had been quietly observing everything, exchanged surprised, uncomfortable glances. They knew what response that remark would bring and felt no need to intervene. After all, he did just call her the
C
word.

Nora didn’t react right away; instead, she inched her face closer to Lipton’s, careful not to get so close that he could head-butt her.

“Davis, we all know you aren’t cut out for this. You’re just a little pussy, and sooner, rather than later, you’re going to tell us what we want to know. Trust me when I tell you that I have no qualms about hurting you. Somebody is going to pay for my friend’s death, and I don’t mind starting with you.”

“Death. What death? What the hell are you talking about now?”

His retort brought forth a combination of strikes that would have made Sugar Ray Leonard raise an approving eyebrow. Lipton’s face was starting to bruise, and soon swelling would accentuate the damage. He fought against the throbbing but knew he couldn’t withstand much more. He wanted to believe the woman wouldn’t dare go so far as to kill him, but she had been right about one thing. He wasn’t cut out for this.

Through moist eyes, Lipton managed to speak with confidence. “It’s pretty easy for you to beat on a defenseless man tied to a chair.”

Nora shook her head in disbelief. “Well, fuck me. Where are my manners?” She approached Lipton while reaching around her waist, producing a medium-sized, razor-sharp knife. She cut Lipton’s hands and legs free of the chair. She then smiled and in the blink of an eye, slammed the knife down hard between his legs, sticking it into the wooden chair’s seat. Nora stepped away a few feet.

“Pick it up and use it. If you get by me,” she said, looking over her shoulder, “they won’t bother you. They’ll gladly let you go free.” She could almost sense Lipton’s mind contemplating his options and the validity of her remarks.

“Pick it up. It’s the only way you’re getting out of here without telling me what I want to know.”

Lipton slowly rose from the chair, rubbing his wrists, trying to get some circulation back. He’d had some training in self-defense, and despite her beauty, he’d gladly slice her up if it meant he got to leave. After all, she was asking for it. He put his hand around the knife and dislodged it from the chair.

“Yes, that’s it, Davis. Pick it up.”

He accepted the dare and moved the knife around in his hand until it felt comfortable. Nora watched his every move. Lipton went into a slight crouch as he crept toward her. She still had a slight smile on her face, which angered him even more. Two more steps and he’d be within range to strike. He tried to get her off balance by faking a thrust to her midsection. She held her ground, reached out, and slapped his hand away, which gave her an opening. In a move far too quick for him to counter, Nora moved inward and followed with a fierce kick to Lipton’s chest, the force of which knocked him back a couple of feet. He let out a pained sigh as he reached for his chest. He was certain a rib or two were either cracked or broken, and it became harder to breathe as several more blows caved in his stomach, delivered by Nora’s gloved hands. She retreated immediately after striking, conscious that Lipton might try to unleash a wild knife attack. Instead, he struggled just to stay on his feet.

“You know her name very well,” Nora said, her fist clenched, ready to go again. “First you lied and ruined her career. Now she’s dead, and I’m sure it has something to do with all of this.”

“Who’s dead?” asked Lipton, assessing his injuries.

“Erica Janway, you son of a bitch!” Nora accented her anger with a hard, roundhouse kick to Lipton’s jaw that airlifted him for a second before he crashed with a thud to the floor. As Nora approached, she gathered the knife that had flown out of his hand and put it back in its sheath at the small of her back.

She stood over his crumpled body, her feet ready to strike once more. Lipton understood what was coming next. Other than feebly raise a hand, he was physically powerless to stop it.

“What do you mean Janway is dead?” he cried, hoping communication would end the assault. He literally couldn’t take any more of a beating. Hours ago, the woman had promised him pleasure, not pain. “If she is, I had nothing to do with that.”

“You better start making me believe you.”

Lipton nodded his head, and Alex and Duncan came forward to help him get back into the chair. “I tried to tell you,” said Alex in his ear. “Now, be a good little boy and answer all her questions truthfully.”

Nora brought Lipton a glass of water, immediately regretting that she’d done so. He didn’t deserve an ounce of kindness. Punishing him some more was what she really wanted to do. But since he was now willing to talk, inflicting more pain might have an adverse effect, making him think there was no reward for being honest.

Nora grabbed the same chair Alex had occupied and sat in front of Lipton. “Lie to me one time and I’ll hurt you so bad you’ll beg me to kill you.”

Lipton slowly filtered a few sips of water down his throat, each swallow uncomfortable and mixed with blood. “I think you cracked my ribs,” he said holding his chest.

“I’d be disappointed if I didn’t.”

Alex and Duncan once again made themselves comfortable in the background. Alex took out a small notepad and pen, wearily checking his watch in the process. If there was anything to Nora’s suspicions, a major blank could be filled in here, providing, at the very least, a framework for moving forward. One didn’t fork over ten million dollars to one of the most notorious black market dealers in the world without getting some bang for the buck.

“Now,” Nora began, “let’s try this again. From the beginning. Why did you tell those lies about Janway when she was station chief in Moscow?”

Lipton hesitated for a moment but realized he had no other option. “They needed her out of the Russian sector. They were hesitant about proceeding with her in place because they felt she might get wind of what was going on.”

“And what
was
going on?”

“A covert operation.”

“She was CIA and chief of station. Why run an op around her? Rather than ruin her career, why not brief her as to what was going on?”

Lipton let go an agonized sigh. “Sure you know Janway? She didn’t do anything without proper protocol being followed. She would have wanted confirmation from the highest level. Raising that flag and running it through channels would have put the op in jeopardy. Plus, the Israelis were insistent their involvement be known only to a select few.”

“Israelis? What the hell are you talking about?”

“They were a part of it. A joint operation.”

Nora was stunned for a moment. “The Mossad trusted you?” Nora chuckled. “I warned you about lying.” She was about to rise from the chair when he cut her off.

“They didn’t talk to me! I was told that was their position.”

“Who told you? Who did you trust to the point that you’d risk your career by bypassing protocol?”

Nora looked at the pathetic figure as he tried to avoid eye contact. “Oh, my god,” she said, not needing to hear the answer. “Your dad is involved. Your own father has been running you. What the hell has he done?”

“He’s a good man. He serves his country.”

“Your father had Janway killed!”

“I refuse to believe that. And like I said, I don’t know what you’re talking about. The last I heard, she was on desk duty at Langley, waiting for that damned lawsuit of hers to move forward.”

“And you would have lied again.”

“I would’ve done what was necessary to ensure the success of this operation.”

“Good for you, Davis. You read the manual. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess it’s an operation that you know hardly anything about.”

“It’s on a need-to-know basis, yes, but I’ve played my part.”

“Well, let’s see how much you do know. What was the ten million for?”

Lipton wiped his sweaty forehead. “I’m not totally sure.”

“Davis, do we have to dance again?”

“No! No! What I’m saying is, that was Baum’s final payment. There were more before this one. He was paid for purchasing materials that couldn’t be bought officially. He also arranged for transport.”

“There’ve been other payments? For how long?”

“This has been going on for two, maybe three years.”

“This last payment was for what, exactly?”

“Centrifuges.”

The mention of the word got Duncan to sit up. He interrupted before Nora could get another question out. “How many centrifuges are we talking about and who are they for?” By Duncan’s tone, Alex could tell the man was on to something.

“This shipment, roughly three, four hundred, I believe. I’m under the impression it’s for Iran.”

“Iran?” said Duncan. It was more of a reaction than question. “And you’re sure there have been other shipments?”

Lipton nodded yes.

Duncan started mentally calculating. “This doesn’t make sense,” he mumbled to Alex.

Alex opened his hands, wanting his friend to elaborate.

Duncan spoke to Lipton again. “You said earlier the Israelis wanted Janway out of the sector. You sure your father was being truthful with you?”

“He wouldn’t lie to me. I don’t know the scope of the whole operation, but I trust that part is true.”

Duncan motioned for Nora to continue, and then he gave Alex a concerned look. “It doesn’t make sense,” he repeated. “Why in the world would Israel supply one of its biggest enemies with materials to facilitate their nuclear program? But, if what he’s saying is legit, there’s some crazy shit going on, and its way, way above our heads.”

Nora let them contemplate the possibilities as she addressed Lipton again. “You said something about Baum arranging transport. So, what happens next?”

Sensing this was his only chance to escape this predicament or even perhaps this room alive, Lipton played the only card he had left. “If I’m not out of here and at the delivery point within three days, a bunch of alarms go off and everything gets shut down. The entire operation. So you need me. You see, I have to give the go-ahead to one more intermediary who then takes care of the final arrangements.”

That statement brought Nora to a critical point. Why not shut the whole thing down? Whatever the intent, it was an unsanctioned deadly operation already. She could bring Davis and his father to justice. Murdering a CIA analyst on American soil was a serious crime. But then, Nora realized the power and influence of the people involved and besides, she didn’t really have any concrete proof. Bringing charges at this point would only give all the co-conspirators time to cover their tracks and hide like roaches when the lights came on. She was convinced a thorough beating of Lipton would determine the absolute truth of his words. At the same time, gathering information in such a manner wouldn’t necessarily be easy. Lipton would eventually black out from the pain, and they’d have to wait for him to come around—and there was the added risk he might discover some hidden courage and try to hold out until his aforementioned deadline. Plus, she believed her original assumption was true. There had to be only so much Lipton knew. He was too much of a liability to be totally informed.

Alex could sense Nora’s frustration. “Let’s talk,” he said, motioning for her to join him in the hallway, not the slightest bit worried that Lipton would try something stupid with Duncan in the room watching over him.

Once the door shut behind them, Nora ran her fingers through her hair. She was truly at wit’s end, her mind churning, looking for an avenue to take that would lead to somewhere promising. Alex grabbed her gently by the arm to calm her nerves, the first real overt act of concern or kindness on his part since they’d been reunited. This was difficult for him too, but he didn’t want to give in to his emotions. He had purposely kept a safe emotional distance, knowing that tension and despair could weaken one’s resolve, making it possible for old feelings to rush back in.