A Cold Dark Promise (Cold Justice #8.5)(18)

Frazer suppressed the grin that wanted to tug at his lips. “Randall is a professional.”

“Exactly.” Killion grinned.

“He wasn’t happy,” Frazer admitted, “but it gives me and Chen good cover and I wanted her here. She’s a good agent and skilled at undercover work.” He rolled a shoulder. “It’s not like I frenched her.” He smirked. “I just made it look like I frenched her.” He grimaced. “I better tell Izzy before Randall does.”

“Pussy,” taunted Killion.

“Yeah, I’ve seen you with Audrey. Makes me want to slap the goofy look off your face.”

“Whipped,” Killion added, the offending goofy grin firmly in place.

No one would ever accuse Killion of being politically correct.

“Who else is here?” Alex asked.

Frazer was aware they needed to get down to business, although they couldn’t make a move until the sun went down. “Matt and Scarlett are honeymooning on a twenty-six-foot sailboat. We also have Noah Zacharias and Logan Masters crewing on the Ascension.”

Killion leaned in closer. “Logan’s had his eye on your Russian friend for a while now. Brits have something on him, and I think they’re hoping to use him to flush out his boss.”

Alex looked pensive. “I’ve spotted an Iranian arms buyer and an Israeli. Something tells me this isn’t an exchange. It’s an auction.”

Excitement stirred in Frazer’s blood. This provided a unique opportunity to round-up a whole swathe of terrorists and weapons smugglers in one swoop. “Any idea what’s being sold?”

Alex pressed his lips together. “Not a clue.”

Killion narrowed his gaze. “We could front a buyer.”

Alex shook his head. “This deal will happen in the next twenty-four hours and anyone new to the table would spook them—pun intended. No way would these guys hang around in close proximity for any longer than that. Some of them are sworn enemies.”

“It’s a great way to drive up the price,” observed Killion.

“Do you think the weapon is on the boat?” Frazer asked. The CIA knew the illegal arms game better than he did. Serial killers tended to use more hands-on methods of doling out death.

Killion and Alex frowned in unison.

“Not necessarily, but possibly.” Alex hedged.

“Why doesn’t Ranich sell direct? Why use a broker?”

“It allows him to keep a lower profile and have that degree of separation from terrorists. Plus, he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer.” Killion tapped his finger on the tabletop.

“And it’s possible Ranich is a buyer, not a seller,” added Alex. “I have nothing definitive on that yet.”

“And Masook brought his eight-year-old daughter into this nest of serpents?” Not much surprised Frazer anymore.

“Even knowing there’s an international warrant out for his arrest. The guy has donkey-sized balls.” Killion wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

“That’s why Jane thinks local cops might be dirty. It only takes one phone call and he’s outta here.” Alex’s jaw flexed. For all he appeared relaxed on the outside the guy was wound tight. “There’s a copter on the boat and another on the Russians’.”

“Isn’t Masook scared someone might kidnap the kid to make sure they’re the ones who get whatever it is he’s selling?” Frazer asked. Child kidnapping was something he understood on a personal level and dealt with on a regular basis at work.

“The kidnappers would run the risk of being blacklisted and losing their weapon supply chain. Plus, Masook is just the broker,” Alex answered. “The seller might say to hell with the kid.”

“Blacklisted from the black-market? Honor amongst terrorists? Why don’t they just do the transaction on the dark web?” A couple of tourists strolled in, and Frazer eyed them carefully.

Alex shrugged. “Deals happen there all the time for firearms and other ordinance, but they can’t be sure the buyer isn’t an FBI agent or white-hat hacker who is gonna trace their ass back to base camp. More…specialized…items still tend to be sold face-to-face. The players might want to inspect the goods before purchasing, and the seller definitely wants his money transferred before he hands anything over. The different buyers are aware the others all exist but they avoid direct confrontations. I think Masook took the risk with the kid because he’s grown cocky and thinks he’s invincible. He’s either nailing or wants to nail the nanny. Maybe he can’t do that in Dubai. Or maybe he just can’t live without her?”

They all stared a little morosely into their beers.

“So what’s the plan?” asked Alex.

Frazer and the others had discussed the primary course of action on the journey here. “Matt is going to attach listening devices to the hulls of the yachts as soon as it gets dark. Ashley is working on hacking their computers via their Wi-Fi. She’s also planning to piggyback on any city surveillance cams and see if we can pick up any other players lurking in the shadows. We need to find out what Masook is selling and round up as many of the people involved as possible.”

“What about the local cops?” asked Killion. “You have no powers of arrest here.”

“I have the FBI’s Legal Attaché to France, and Interpol agents on standby. They agreed to not involve the locals until the last minute to prevent anyone being warned and escaping. The possibility of a weapon turning up on mainland France has them nervous. The French have suffered enough.”