The Discarded

CHAPTER 1

Abraham Delger wondered once more if it might be time to get out of the game.

His latest assignment, like most of those he’d been forced to take in the last year or so, had nothing to do with his communications and tech expertise. He could see the reason every time he looked in a mirror. His sixtieth birthday was five weeks behind him. In a world that favored the young, he was an anomaly. When it came to tech work, most clients refused to believe someone his age would even be aware of the latest breakthroughs, let alone understand how to utilize them.

So, in the past twenty-six months, he’d served as a decoy driver, a lookout, a contact point, and a consultant who ended up sitting in a back room throughout a whole operation, the only questions thrown his way having to do with directions to the bathroom and did he know where the op lead was.

And now this.

“I need someone I can trust implicitly,” Gavin Carter had told him. The man had flown out to San Diego to meet with Abraham in person. Nobody did that anymore. “I need someone to do the task and not ask any questions. Now or later. Someone I can keep off the books. A link breaker. You’re the only person I trust to do this for me.”

It was unfair, really. Abraham had no doubt there were others who could’ve handled the job. The reality was, Carter was leaning heavily on a debt owed by Abraham that could never be fully repaid, so the older man had had no choice but to say yes.

And that yes had brought him to an abandoned doorway, not far from Osaka Bay, that only partially sheltered him from the rain while he waited to take possession of the package he was to transport — no questions asked.

A damn courier.

About as far down the food chain as an op could get.

The roar of the downpour made it nearly impossible for him to hear anything else. The rain had been falling like this since well before the sun went down, the kind of rain Abraham only expected to see in the tropics, when the remnants of a typhoon temporarily laid claim to the air and the land. The difference was, a tropical storm was warm. This one, not so much. Another few degrees colder and he was sure it’d turn to sleet.

He scanned the road but there were still no signs of vehicles in either direction, only the halos of light from the scattered streetlamps. This was not a neighborhood someone would just drive into, especially during a storm.

He checked his watch. Only a few minutes before eleven now, smack dab in the middle of the twenty-minute window when the drop was supposed to occur. He knew the weather wasn’t helping, but it didn’t matter. If the deadline passed without the package arriving, he would be gone. That was the way it was in the espionage business. Sticking around could mean capture or death, and Abraham had already put in too many years to risk either option.

The minutes continued to tick by, inching ever closer to time to go.

He adjusted his coat, his mind already preparing for his exit. A dash around to the back of the building, jump in his appropriated car, and good-bye, Osaka.

The rumble almost sounded like distant thunder, but this wasn’t that kind of storm. He looked down the road. The darkness held for another few minutes before twin headlight beams lit up one of the buildings several blocks down. A moment later, a delivery truck turned onto the road.

As the vehicle neared, he could make out writing on the side below a cartoon image of a smiling woman with stars streaming out of her mouth. While Abraham could speak Japanese enough to get by in a pinch, his ability to read the language was limited to the words for toilet and exit and tickets, so he had no idea what the truck was advertising.

Right on cue, the vehicle slowed and blinked its headlights once. Abraham made no immediate move to approach it, content to stay in the semi-protection of the alcove until the last possible moment.

With a hiss of air brakes, the truck stopped at the curb. Abraham waited for its occupants to make the first move, but the doors of the cabin remained closed.

“Dammit,” he muttered.

He popped open his compact umbrella and walked around to the driver’s door. The man behind the wheel stared at him through the rain-dappled window and then pointed at the cargo area.

Because of Carter’s no-questions mandate, Abraham had no idea how large a package he was picking up. He’d assumed it would be small enough to carry, so the fact that it was in the back instead of the cab troubled him.

A rod-and-latch system held the rear doors in place. Abraham boosted himself up onto the bumper, grabbed the handle, and opened one of the doors.

“Whoa,” he said, raising the hand that held the umbrella.

Three men were inside, two aiming rifles at Abraham. Abraham’s first thought was that the mission had been a lie, that its real purpose had been his elimination. It happened now and then, an operative needing to be taken out for any number of reasons. And though he couldn’t immediately come up with anything he’d done or witnessed that would necessitate his termination, he thought his time had come.

For a moment he considered jumping down and running, but then the unarmed man in the middle said, “You a sci-fi fan?”

The authentication code, Abraham realized. “I’ve been known to dabble,” he recited his line.

“James White — ever heard of him?”

“One of my favorites. All Judgment Fled is a forgotten classic.”

“Stand down,” the man said.

The armed men lowered their weapons to their sides.

So maybe this wasn’t Abraham’s last day on earth after all.

He started to pull himself inside but the main guy said, “Stay there.”

“It’s a little wet,” Abraham said.

“You won’t be here long enough to dry off.”

The man walked to the far end of the enclosed space and knelt down. Abraham tried to see what he was doing but the interior light was too dim. When the guy headed back, he was carrying something in his arms. It was about three feet long, maybe six or seven inches thick, and wrapped in some kind of material. To Abraham, it looked like a gigantic loaf of bread.

As the man transferred the package to him, he said, “Good luck.”

The first thing Abraham noticed was that it was warm. And the second—

“What the hell?” he said as the package moved in his arms.

“The sedative will keep her out for another four or five hours at least,” the man said. “Now get the hell out of here.”

He grabbed the door and started to pull it closed. When Abraham didn’t immediately jump out of the way, the man said, “Do your job.”

A million questions raced through Abraham’s mind, but he knew the man would give him no answers.

I need someone to do the task and not ask any questions.

“Dammit,” Abraham muttered as he stepped off the bumper.

The door shut with a slam, and before Abraham could snap out of his shock, the truck pulled away.

As he blinked, his gaze strayed down to the package. The material was a blanket, he realized. A suddenly very wet blanket. That was enough to get him hurrying over to the building and down the narrow alley to the back. Not sure how fast a getaway he’d need to make, he’d left the driver’s door unlocked. Unfortunately, he hadn’t done the same with those in back. He awkwardly worked the front door open and then punched the button unlocking the rest.

As quickly as he could, he maneuvered the bundle onto the backseat. He then started to climb back out but stopped himself. He touched the end of the blanket closest to him and felt legs and feet, so he leaned in and pulled the other side open, exposing a small, slack face.

A girl, maybe three or four or maybe even five. He wasn’t good with the ages of kids that small.

Her skin was pale, but that could have been partly due to the cold, so it wasn’t a clear indication of her background. She could have been Caucasian or Asian or Latin or Arab. If he could see her eyes, that might help, but closed like they were, they looked…well, like a kid’s eyes. A few loose strands of hair peeked out from under the stocking cap she was wearing, but it was too dark to tell their color — some shade of brown or maybe black.

You’re wasting time, he told himself.

He worked the wet blanket off of her and dumped it in the footwell. Since he didn’t have another to replace it, he pulled off his jacket and draped it over her. As soon as he was behind the wheel and had the engine going, he flipped the heater to high.

The plan was to head west to Kurashiki, where he was to take a boat to Saijo on Shikoku Island. Carter had made the arrangements for this initial leg, so Abraham assumed the boat crew was aware there’d be two passengers, not one.

Driving out of town, his gaze constantly flicked back and forth between the road and his rearview mirror. At any moment, he expected to see flashing lights racing up behind him. It was irrational, he knew. There was no way anyone would suspect he had the girl, whoever the hell she was. But that didn’t stop him from feeling like he was on the verge of being caught.

As he neared Himeji, he finally began to feel like he was no longer in imminent danger and allowed himself to retrieve his phone.

The line rang four times before Carter picked up. “You are not supposed to be calling me,” Abraham’s employer said. “I know I made that clear.”

“What have you gotten me into?” Abraham asked.

“Is there something wrong? You received the package, didn’t you?”

“You mean the kid? Yeah, I got her.”

A pause. “Is she all right?”

Despite his anger, Abraham shot a quick look into the backseat. “She’s asleep, so as far as I know, she’s fine.”

“Okay. Good, good,” Carter said, relieved. “Abraham, I know you’re pissed, but I’m sure you understand I had to do it this way. You wouldn’t have taken the job if I’d told you.”

“Damn right, I wouldn’t have!” His voice rose higher than he wanted it to. Worried he might have woken the child, he glanced back again but the girl hadn’t moved.

“Then I did the right thing,” Carter said.

“What do you—”

“I needed you to do this. I can’t tell you how important this is. I needed a break in the transportation line. Someone might be able to trace her to the people who handed her off to you, but you’re undocumented. No one will ever know you were involved. The trail ended when you took possession. I just need you to get her to the drop-off, healthy and in one piece.” He paused. “I wasn’t lying when I said you were the only one I trusted enough to do this.”

“Who is she?”

“You don’t want to know that.”

Abraham pressed his lips together, his eyes narrowing. “Then at least tell me if someone’s going to be looking for her.”

A pause before Carter said, “If things go as planned, no one’s ever going to know she’s missing.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not. The interested party should be convinced that she’s dead.”

“And if they’re not?”

“Like I said, no one knows about you.”

Abraham stared at the road, processing what Carter had revealed.

“Are you still there?” Carter asked.

“I’m changing things up,” Abraham said.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll get her there, but the old route’s out.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m off the books, remember? If you don’t know where I am, no one will.”

“Hold on, Abraham. Just tell me—”

Abraham disconnected the call and immediately removed the cell’s battery and SIM card. After checking around to make sure no other cars were nearby, he rolled the window down enough to toss out the phone and the battery. The SIM card he snapped in half before sending each piece flying into the rain.

It was only then he realized he should’ve asked a few more questions. Questions like: How old is she? What do I feed her? Does she speak English? And, perhaps most important, what’s her name?

He looked in the rearview mirror again. While the girl’s eyes were still closed, she had turned on her side and pulled his jacket all the way up to her cheek. She looked blissfully unaware that anything was wrong.

He focused back on the road.

“Damn. It.”

The rain began to ease a couple dozen kilometers east of Hiroshima. By the time Abraham and his package had crossed over to the island of Kyushu, it had stopped altogether, and the clouds had begun to break apart enough so that he could see pale patches of early morning sky.

The girl, however, didn’t begin to stir until they were in the mountains south of Yatsushiro. Abraham pulled into a wide spot at the side of the road, half hidden by pine trees, climbed out of the car, and opened the back passenger door. Crouching just outside so he wouldn’t scare her too much, he waited.

Nearly three minutes passed before her eyelashes fluttered, and her lids opened on eyes that were not quite Western, not quite Asian, not quite any ethnicity in particular. She lay still for a moment, and then twisted to the side so she could look into the front of the car. Not seeing anyone, she pushed up and leaned between the two front seats.

“Mommy?”

Abraham’s heart clenched.

The girl stayed where she was for several more seconds, as if her mother would suddenly appear. When she pulled back and saw Abraham, her breath caught in her throat.

“It’s okay,” he said in English, hoping he’d correctly guessed her native language based on the single word she’d spoken. “I was just waiting for you to wake up.”

She scooted away from him several inches and hugged her arms around her chest. “Where’s Mommy?” she asked. Still not a lot to go by, but her accent sounded North American.

“I don’t know,” he said, deciding the honest approach would be best. “She wasn’t with you when we met.”

She looked at him, her eyes guarded. “I don’t know you.”

“No. You were asleep.”

“Asleep?”

He nodded. “Some people brought you to me. They thought I could help you.”

“I want Mommy. Where’s Mommy?”

“I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know.”

The muscles around her mouth began to tremble, and he was pretty sure she was about to cry.

“Why don’t you tell me your name?” he said.

She stared at him, silent.

“It’s okay. I’m only here to help you. What’s your name?”

It took a moment before she said, “Tessa.”

“Hi, Tessa. You can call me Abraham.”

“Abram?”

He smiled at her attempt. “I tell you what, if it’s easier, just call me Abe.” He never let anyone call him Abe, but under the circumstances, he was willing to make an exception. “Better?”

“Abe,” she said, trying it out.

“Are you hungry, Tessa?”

A nod.

“How about we get something to eat? Can you buckle up?”

She looked around. “Where’s my seat?”

“Either one is fine,” he said.

“But…but…”

It took him a second before it dawned on him why she was so confused. She needed a child’s car seat.

Wonderful, he thought, hoping the lack of one wouldn’t get him pulled over.

“Just sit here,” he said, patting the seat kitty-corner to the driver’s, so he’d be able to see her without much trouble. “We’ll get you a real seat later, okay?”

She hesitated before finally moving over. Abraham pulled out the seat belt and buckled her into place. The shoulder strap was a problem. It cut right across the side of her neck and could easily choke her.

“Lean forward a bit,” he said, and then moved the strap behind her. “Perfect.”

The lap belt would have to do for now

As he started to close the door, she said, “Are the other people helping Mommy?”

“Other people?”

“They came right after Mommy got hurt and fell down.” The girl touched the center of her forehead. “They told me to wait in the kitchen. I go and…and…” Her brow was furrowed in deep thought for a second before she looked at him again. “And then I see you.”

Dear God, Abraham thought. He had no trouble picturing what had happened. The termination of the girl’s mother, a bullet to the head right in front of Tessa.

What the hell was going on?

It took all his will to smile and say, “Let’s go get that food, huh?”

They hid out in the small, isolated house in the hills above Miyazaki. Abraham had arranged for its use through a friend in the business who was not connected to Carter, so he and Tessa would have a place to stay while false documents were created by a woman he trusted in Seoul, South Korea.

Due to a concerted effort on his part to make Tessa feel safe, her fear of him soon began to fade. The food helped, as did finally getting out of the car and moving into the house. In one of the closets, he discovered an old checkers set. The game was missing several pieces, but a few stones from outside worked as acceptable replacements.

He had worried that Tessa might be too young to play — she said she was four — but she quickly picked up the concept, and they passed the rest of that initial day and nearly all of the second in an almost endless tournament.

At least once an hour, she would ask about her mother. Abraham would either tell her he didn’t know or try to distract her with the game. No matter what he did, though, he could feel his own sense of guilt building. Of course he couldn’t be sure the woman was dead, but he’d been in the business too long to ignore his intuition.

He couldn’t help but wonder what had triggered the events that now had him playing babysitter. At first, he thought Tessa might’ve been a pawn in some kind of high-powered custody struggle. Maybe her father had been in a position to use resources most people didn’t even know existed to retrieve his daughter and eliminate her mother. But Abraham quickly dismissed that theory when he remembered Carter saying the interested party would think Tessa was dead.

Perhaps, then, the girl had just been a byproduct of an ordered termination. Her mother damned for whatever reason, and the transporting of the girl was a mission to return her to where she belonged, minus one parent. Or had this been a purposeful kidnapping? Maybe the girl would now be used to influence a relative in some important position. Maybe the mother wasn’t meant to be killed but had gotten in the way, or maybe Abraham had incorrectly interpreted Tessa’s description of what had happened and the girl’s mother was still alive.

Stop it, he told himself.

No matter how distasteful the events that had brought him and the girl together, he couldn’t let himself get involved. He had a job to do. That was all.

I really am getting too old for this.

“Your turn, Abe,” Tessa said after she jumped one of his game pieces, tilting the balance in her favor.

“You are a tricky one, aren’t you?” he said as he studied the board.

She smiled. “Go, go, go.”

“Give me a moment.”

He picked up one of his pieces, knowing his intended move would open him up to losing in another three turns, but he wanted to see what she would do.

As he set the piece down again, she clapped and said, “Ha, ha,” and he knew she’d seen it, too.

Tessa was a smart girl.

A minute later, as she was making her winning move, the disposable phone Abraham had picked up before they’d arrived at the house began to ring.

“Moshi moshi,” he said, answering.

“Is this Mr. Black?” a male voice asked in Japanese.

“It is.”

“There is a package waiting here for you.”

The man didn’t need to say more than that. The package would contain the documents and Abraham knew exactly where to pick them up. “Thank you. I’ll be there soon.”

As he hung up the phone, he saw that Tessa had set up the board again.

“Me first,” she said, then moved one of the pieces.

“Okay. But we need to leave after this game.”

She looked at him, disappointed. “No. Not yet.”

“I’ll tell you what — we can take the game with us. How about that?”

She lit up. “Really?”

“Really.” He looked at the board and made a move. “Your turn.”