Since they were in America, Eyal and Annie had decided their next target to be one corrupt top level United States Customs employee, Sebastian Tombs. His base being in New York it was a quick flight on a Washington to NYC shuttle. Checking into a hotel in lower Manhattan, Annie and Eyal went about finding Tombs and tracking his movements. Eyal's intel partner back in Tel Aviv, Eliam hacking into New York DMV found he owns two cars, a Dodge Grand Caravan and Buick Regal as well as his home address.
"Need to get tracking devices on both vehicles." Eyal making note of plate numbers and his home address. "Thanks for the assist... No I don't but not traceable to Mossad. Shalom my friend."
"His wife maybe the one who drives the minivan." Annie looking over Eyal's shoulder at the computer screen.
"Okay so you take the wife's minivan and I'll follow the Buick. We need to rent two cars for this little project. Please Annie, nothing red." Eyal poking fun at her once red VW.
"Long time ago and I had that car before joining the CIA." Annie with a gentle swat on his back.
Early the next morning, Annie and Eyal parked on a slight hill in Queens, a good vantage point for surveillance of Sebastian Tombs home. An unpretentious house in the quiet area of single family houses. Annie driving a Volkswagen Jetta gray in color, what else, Eyal had rented it for her and he in a VW Passat but his in black. A very cold light drizzle was falling and the sky was gray and forbidding. Long hours went by with no movement, was Tombs taken the day off from work?
Listening to the radio to pass away the time, oh how Annie hated surveillance and Eyal leaning his head back against the seat rest, his eyes closed. "You napping?"
"No, just listening to your American country-music."
The hourly news came on and Annie reached to change stations but Eyal stopped her hand, "Let's catch up on world events, and see if they have blown up Eastern Europe yet."
"Funny guy." Annie moving her hand to rest on her lap.
'...Just in, an execution style murder of Diego Fajardo and four of his body guards outside of Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport. Fajardo was one of the top most wanted Colombia drug cartel lords and hunted by the FBI for drug distributions and murders here in the US. There is no confirmation as who might have carried out this brutal killing but the Mexican police believe it is the work of rival drug lord engaged in a regional turf war...'
"Damn. I just met the guy down in Florida at the Saturday night gala. Had a few dances with him and a drink, a very likable and charming person. He was the fourth man with Landric, Tombs and Joseph Neilson, remember the picture I sent."
"If he was at Von Friedric-Kristiansen's gala, having a meeting with him and Neilson I would bet his is part of the Lexington's network. Another one down and many more to go. Eliam is still running the pictures and we have a few more hits in your crowd of villains." Eyal turning his head to look at Annie.
"Yeah. Good I think." Annie's only remark.
Lunch time and Annie was the one elected to go for sandwiches and drinks. Finding a small deli near their target house, Annie ordered two chicken salad sandwiches, bag of chips and picked up a couple of apples and soft drinks. Her phone buzzed - it was Eyal.
"He is on the go in the Buick, sorry about lunch and I'll keep you posted."
"I get back as so as I can to keep watch on the van. See you later." Annie disconnecting, paying for their lunch and quickly returning to her surveillance post and eating alone while waiting.
Thirty-five minutes slipped by and Eyal quietly slipping back in the car. "Where is my lunch, I'm hungry?"
"So where did he go?" Annie handing a bag of food to Eyal.
With a mouth full of chicken salad sandwich and in a muffled tone. "Barber for a haircut, to the package for a supply of booze - that is where I planted the tracker. I followed him to his next stop to make sure the tracker was working and all is good."
"What was his next stop?"
"Flower shop, things may not be going to well at home with the wife." Eyal biting into his apple. Opening his laptop to watcher the tracker, "Well now, if the flowers were for his wife, he is definitely taking a detour. Car is parked in a residential neighborhood."
"You know what that tells us." Annie with a mischievous smile.
"Haircut, booze and flowers can on equal some play time between the sheets." Eyal laughing.
Late afternoon when Tombs returned to his house. Went inside to change clothes and leave again, this time his wife at the door with him and kissing her goodbye.
"Cheater." Annie mumbled under her breath.
"In more ways than one. Oh damn he is headed for the van." Eyal quickly closing his laptop, "Your turn."
As per their plan, Eyal on the Buick and Annie on the minivan. Eyal closing the door, "Stay safe honey."
Heavy traffic now and it was quitting time for many. Annie close as possible, not letting him out of her sight as they drove down Conduit Boulevard turning left onto Atlantic and heading toward Brooklyn. Ten minutes into the ride, her phone buzzes.
"Headed back to the hotel Neshema. Our Mrs. Tombs is having a group of women over, some kind of hen party, the perfect reason for him to make tracks."
"Looks like he is headed to Brooklyn." Annie reporting her whereabouts.
"As soon as you can plant the tracker come back to the hotel, we'll have a late dinner together."
"Will do. Chat with you later." Annie disconnected. The light mist putting a soft halo effect around street lights as Annie following the white van into a rundown side of Brooklyn slowing making their way to the docks.
"Oh carp." Annie muttered out loud.
The van had pulled off to a side street and parked in an alleyway next to an all night dinner type establishment. Annie thought Tombs must be ahead of some sort of scheduled and taking a meal break. Driving to the end of the block, she made a u-turn and parked, not able to see the van but seeing anyone entering the alleyway, mainly Sebastian Tombs.
Dialing Eyal's number, "Come on Eyal answer." She muttered.
On the fifth ring, "Hi Neshema, already have a bit of trouble do you?"
"The van has stopped for a meal break and I tend to stand out like a neon sign in this neighborhood of dock workers." Annie getting out of the car to try and get a closer look inside the restaurant. "I'm on foot having a look see." Annie opening the car's door, sliding in behind the steering wheel and hunting for a flashlight, "Did you put a flashlight in the Jetta?"
"Under driver's seat. Let me know when you are ready." Eyal couldn't help it and yawned, he was tired.
"You going to sleep on me." Annie found the flashlight. "Pay dirt."
"Pay dirt? What are you talking about...Oh well yeah, forget it."
"Okay I'm out of here for a while - running silent."
"Take your gun... Neshema you do have your gun with you?"
"Yeah, wedged in my jeans in the middle of my back." Annie disconnecting, she quickly walked past the restaurant glancing in the window to make sure the Sebastian was still there - all is well.
This should be quick and easy. She stepped to one side of the alleyway to listen and shit, she heard voices of men - his meal break was only coffee and now he had someone with him. Looking for any hiding place, there was none so she took the bold move, pulling up her hood over her head and walking into the light of the street, she turned to walk in the different direction from them and her parked Jetta.
"He sweet chicks, looking for some loving tonight." One of the men yelled out.
Pulling her rain hoodie down to cover her face Annie turned to face them but remained slowly walking backwards, trying to stay out of the street light, her right hand behind her, the tip of her fingers touch the cold metal of a gun. Much to her surprise she was calm, "Sorry guys, my day is done and waiting on the fancy man to pick me up."
"Come on man we don't have time for this." Tombs howl, "We got to make our other stop first."
"To bad cutie cakes you're gonna miss having my big boy - maybe next time." The first man yelled as he was getting into the van.
Annie stood on the side walkway watching the van pull out of sight. Close call, getting back into the safety of her car and quickly caught up to the van.
She called Eyal, "Didn't get it planted and they are on the move. Tombs picked up another man, wasn't a meal break but only coffee. Hear them say something of a first stop, maybe to drop or pick up."
"Stay fairly close but out of sight once they stop we need eyes on the drop off point. You know the drill."
"I'll call if I need you again." Annie grateful for Eyal being on the other end of the phone, something she had missed - a handler.
The van turned on a side street and stopped double parked and blinking its head lights. Annie parked at the corner to watch. Another car parked down the street also blinked its lights and a man got out and hurriedly walked to the van. He was carrying a briefcase, dark in color and when reaching the van, handed the case to the driver through the left side open window. A small package was handed to the man that had carried the case, he nodding his head turn quickly and running back to his parked car. The van started in reverse to back out of the street and swinging around the corner almost hitting Annie's VW and she quickly ducking down in the seat - not to be seen.
The fog and mist was beginning to get thick as Annie followed the van to a location near the Brooklyn Piers part of the New York-New Jersey Port docks and a group of warehouses. Visibility was close to zone and Annie would be upon the van quickly but she took the chance and slowly drove past the place where the van was parked. Yes, it was backed up to a warehouse loading platform but the fog was way too heavy for her to see the name printed on the side of the building and it may be dangerous for her to snoop on foot but she had to get the GPS planted. Pulling the hood of her jacket over her head and zipping up, she again slipped her gun into the back of her jeans and the cell in her pocket, slipping on latex gloves, she eased out the car. Dock workers were slowly beginning to make their way from work so she wasn't the lone person walking. Passing the van to reach the left side, she look for the name of the warehouse but could only see a number over a side door - fog and mist still too thick to see any higher than to top of a truck parked next to the van.
The large loading dock door was open and she could see bright lights on the inside but didn't risk for a peek through the door. Reaching near back of the van she saw two men standing in the warehouse talking, quickly she stooped down, half crawled under the rear wheel and giving herself a push she could reach under the van. With duct tape to fasten the tracker really tight, now wishing she had a knife but her finger nails would have to do. It would take her longer than she wanted, so she slid all the way under the van - keeping her feet out of sight and begin pulling at the duct tape to secure the tracking device.
Rattle rumble and bam, the dock door closed, oh shit. Any light that had helped her was not gone. It won't be long until the men would drive off the van, come on Annie just tape the damn thing. In doing so, hitting her upper arm on the underside of the van with a ripping tear to her jacket and breaking some nails.
She laid perfectly still, listening for any sound of people moving about and looking - seeing and hearing nothing, she crawled to the back of the van next to the wall of the warehouse and stopped. She heard voices but couldn't tell from where they come, but they sounded at a little distance. Her heart started beating a bit faster for the first time; perhaps she wasn't as calm, cool and collective as she had mused. Not being able to see because of the fog was unnerving for her, she felt isolated. She thought of Auggie and that mere thought of how he had overcome his blindness was a calming factor for her. Time for her to get going and not stay frozen on the damp ground against some damn warehouse wall on the Brooklyn docks. Slipping out the right side of her hiding place, she quickly stood - good no one in sight which didn't mean anything, someone could be standing five feet away without her seeing them but then they couldn't see her either. Quickly she ran to the parked Jetta and back to her realm of safety.
Reaching the hotel in lower Manhattan, Annie's arm was bleeding and hurting badly. She had cut it deeper that she thought at first.
"What sharp object did you find under that van? Your minor starch needs a couple of stitches and a tetanus shot. Heaven only knows what germs were lurking in the grimy darkness of the van and rust being the worst." Eyal examining Annie's arm, "Drink some wine and I shall mend you up again, must be the lot in my life. Do you ever get slashed and bruised when I'm not nearby?"
"Come to think of it, no but I'm not going to a doctor." Annie pulling her arm back from Eyal's touch.
"Didn't say you had too. I can get the tetanus toxoid locally, drink some wine and take a nap, I'll be back shortly." Eyal giving her a kiss, grabbing his jacket - he was gone.
Annie was exhausted after her long day, she undressed, slipped on one of Eyal's t-shirts, it felt so right to wear his t-shirt and climbed into bed. Her eye lids were heavy and easy to shut - shut out the world for the time being and drift off to safe and sound sleep. She was protected in the safe care of Eyal Lavin and content. Only waken briefly for him to stitch her arm and receive the tetanus shot, she was back to sleep for much of the night.
With Annie sleeping so peacefully, Eyal opened his lap top and check the location of the Dodge Grand Caravan - good as it was still parked at the warehouse. With his I-phone download, he kissed Annie gently not to disturb her sleep, grabbed his jacket and heading to do what needed done. Driving to Brooklyn, he keeping check on the beep, beep of the tracker, Eyal was satisfied Tombs would stay put for most of the evening, maybe not wanting to go home for fear of meeting with a house full of women.
Pulling his car a few blocks away from the targeted warehouse, Eyal slipped on latex gloves, wiped down the handle of the carrying case he had with him, a Savage Model 12F/TR .038 cartridge rifle with night scope and laser pointer. A little fire power he had appropriated early that day. Putting on a hard hat also wiped clean of any prints he stepped out of his car. No one would notice him, just another dock or warehouse worker heading for a night shift. Quickly walking to the warehouse, happy indeed, the van still parked. He had study Mossad's satellite imaging of the area and knew where his best vantage point would be, on the building across the wide roadway. He had also gotten a layout of the building and the back entrance and side steps would lead him to the flat roof. Disarming the alarm key pad, he with ease picked the lock and make his entrance to an empty of employees warehouse. There on the roof, with the mist still hanging but the fog had lifted to 100 or more feet above roof tops, Eyal assembled the rifle.
Now all he had to do was wait and hoped it wouldn't be too long, he was getting damp and cold. Just after eleven o'clock three men walked out of the building and one of them - yes, Sebastian Tombs. Watching trough the night scope, there was no clean shot, the other men unbeknown to them where in the way. One man patting Tombs on the arm and walked to his car leaving only two men. Still Eyal waited.
Another car came roaring in with squealing tires and pulled to a sudden stop beside the two men. A man wearing a light color sport type jacket waving his arm angrily at Tombs got out, pointing his finger in Tombs' face. The man with Tombs took hold of the mad man's arm only to have the mad man throw a strong punch, hitting its mark and knocking Tombs' buddy to the ground. Tombs stepped back a few feet and in a split second reached for his pistol hidden beneath his jacket and fired, not once but twice.
There on the ground in a pool of blood covering his sport jacket the irate man laid, Tombs gave him a kick, checking for any sign of life and the other man getting to his feet looked at the dead man. Sebastian Tombs putting his gun back in his belt and said something to the other man. Checking his pockets, the other man found what he was looking for, keys of the dead man. Quickly they picked up the dead man's lifeless body and loaded him in the van. A few words were exchanged between the two men before Tombs getting in his van and the other getting into the dead man's car and driving off.
Eyal turned on the laser, and as the van started to pull out, the shot was taken, through the windshield and between the eyes - a deadly shot. The van shot forward crashing into the building Eyal was on, the air bag exploding and Sebastian Tombs' bleeding head buried in the white folds of nylon.
Eyal dropping the rifle on the roof top, and quickly moving down the steps, out the back door and resetting the alarm and hurriedly walking away. Reaching his car, he drove north to Brooklyn Heights and the famed promenade by the East River. The damp chilly weather has kept the walkway almost empty, only one couple on a bench totally engrossed in each other. Eyal now wearing cotton gloves taking his hard hat and latex gloves off. He laid the gloves on the concrete wall, poured a little acid and watched the gloves smoking slowly melt away - no finger prints. Wiping the inside of the hard hat, he placed lead weight and using duck tape, tightly taped it secure in the hat. With a strong heave-ho tossed the hard hat into the East River, sinking to the bottom. Job completed.