The Russian's Greed, Cap Daniels [free children's online books txt] 📗

first,third, and sixth. Other agents masquerading as customers in the threeremaining shops captured the video evidence the Justice Departmentneeded, and Anya never came close to being caught by any of thebrokers. Her hands moved like lightning as she exchanged stone afterstone with Sascha’s near-perfect replicas.

This time, the driverwas waiting at Fifth Avenue and Forty-Seventh with the rear door heldopen. “I hope you had a pleasant day of shopping.”

“I did,” she saidas she situated herself on the rear seat. “It was perfectlydelightful. I am sorry you had to wait for me all day.”

“I don’t mindwaiting,” he said. “Mr. Volkov pays me well.”

“I am sure he does.”

Approaching thewarehouse, Anya noticed a telephone service van parked thirty yardsdown the street from the entrance. Beyond the van, a pair of trafficcones stood to eliminate any unwanted visitors from turning onto thestreet. As the driver made the turn into the warehouse, Anya saw theeyes and salt-and-pepper hair of Supervisory Special Agent Ray Whitein the cracked mirror of the van.

As the door closedbehind the car when they pulled into the warehouse, Anya turned justin time to see a fiber-optic camera lens being slid beneath therubber seal of the heavy door.

32

SNOVAPROPAL

(MISSING AGAIN)

Supervisory SpecialAgent Ray White keyed the microphone on his two-way radio. “Theclock is running. I need everybody on their toes. When we hit it, wehit hard, and everybody comes out alive. Call your positions.”

“Entry Team is go.”

“Commo is go.”

“EMS is go.”

“Legal is go.”

“Perimeter is no go.”

White keyed up again.“Stand by. Perimeter, say condition.”

“Perimeter is no go.There’s a garbage truck broken down in the alley on the southeastcorner. We can’t get in position.”

“Roger, stand by,Perimeter. Legal, Command-One.”

“Go for Legal.”

White said, “Can Imove that garbage truck by force?”

The attorney from theSouthern District of New York said, “Stand by, Command. We’rechecking.”

“We don’t have timeto stand by, Legal. I need that truck moved, now.”

The attorney keyed hermic again. “I said stand by, Command-One. I’ll get back to you.”

White threw the radioonto the seat and cursed the necktie army. He threw open the door ofthe van and leapt from the seat. Two hundred strides later, he wasstanding in front of a heavy tow truck in the process of repossessingsome poor sap’s Mustang. “Hey, buddy!”

The tow truck driverlooked up. “Look, man, I’m just doing my job. This ain’tpersonal, but you gotta make your payments, man.”

White stopped a fewstrides in front of the burly driver and held up his badge.

The driver threw upboth hands. “Look, man, I don’t know what that crazy broad toldyou, but I didn’t do nothin’ to her.”

White shoved the fourhundred bucks back into his pocket, suddenly realizing he had a muchbetter negotiating tool. “Oh, yeah. That’s what she said you’dsay when we picked you up, but look . . . I can probably look theother way on that thing. Who needs that kinda headache anyway,right?”

“Yeah, that’sright, man. But I know cops don’t do nothing for free. What do youwant from me?”

White hid the smile,but inside he was doing the happy puppy dance. “There’s abroken-down garbage truck in the alley back there, and I need itmoved.”

“Is it one of thembig ones, or the little community trucks?”

“What difference doesit make? I only need you to move it ten feet. That is, unless yourlittle truck can’t handle it, in which case, I guess you’ve gotthe right to remain silent.”

The tow truck driverthrew his gloves into the toolbox and laid his meaty arm across aseries of levers, sending the Mustang banging back to the ground.“Just ten feet, you say?”

“That’s right. Justpull it out of the alley enough to get a few guys in there.”

The driver wiped hisbrow. “If I do this thing, you’re gonna look the other way onthat other thing, right? And I got your word on that?”

“You got it. I swearI won’t be looking for you, and I’ll make sure nobody in myprecinct is coming after you. But you gotta leave that girl alone,you hear me?”

He yanked open the doorand slid behind the wheel. “Trust me, man. I don’t want nothin’else to do with that crazy chick.”

Five minutes later, theagent in command of the perimeter team keyed his mic. “Nice going,Command. Perimeter is a go.”

White picked up hisradio. “Roger, Perimeter.”

Almost before he’dstopped talking, the radio squawked to life. “Command-One, this isLegal. Stand down. Sanitation says they’ll have the truck removedwithin an hour.”

White couldn’t holdback the smile any longer. “Roger, Legal. You’re breaking up alittle. Go to channel two, and stand by.”

“Roger. Legal will bestanding by on channel two.”

“Hey, SWAT. Are youguys ready to have a little fun?”

“Affirmative, sir.”

White checked hiswatch. “Commo, say interior condition.”

“Interior iscondition two. Your girl is inside the interior, and the driver issitting on the hood of the car, smoking a cigarette. No obstructions,no security, no problems. Hit ’em at will.”

“Roger, Commo. Didyou hear that, Entry?”

The Entry Teamcommander motioned for helmets on and face shields down, then keyedhis mic. “Rock and roll.”

White took a longbreath and keyed up. “Okay, Entry, knock on the door nice andpolite, and SWAT, you go ahead and do the same.”

“Entry, rolling!”

“SWAT, rolling!”

White pulled theold-fashioned stopwatch from his pocket and pressed the single buttonon the crown.

The mirror of White’svan provided a six-inch square view of the action, but he wanted awide-screen high-definition view. A spin of the wheel and a sizeeleven boot on the accelerator spun the van and changed hisperspective.

The solid black armoredentry vehicle with the triangular cow catcher on the frontaccelerated down the street with black diesel smoke boiling from thestacks. The SWAT van with eight heavily armed commandos hanging offthe sides followed less than one car length behind the Entry Team.

The Commo officeryanked the fiber-optic camera lens from beneath at the same instantthe entry vehicle collided with the steel roll-up door. Sparks,flying debris, and radio calls filled the air.

“Entry Team is in!”

“SWAT’s in!”

White hammered theaccelerator to the floor, sending white smoke pouring from the reartires of his van. He fell in behind the SWAT vehicle and braked hardas soon as the full length of the van was inside the warehouse.Sliding the van into place, he blocked the exit door