“Did Eisenhower hire Mack at the same time?”
“That came later, when he showed up at the office to complain about how Sean handled an incident.” She smiled as if the memory was a good one. “Eisenhower had Sean’s back in the situation, yet he liked how Mack wasn’t intimidated into backing down. And Eisenhower thought Mack’s fugitive apprehension experience would benefit our team.”
“This Addison, is she still on the team but isn’t here with you?”
Kiley shook her head. “She left us when she split up with Mack.”
“I’m not surprised that Eisenhower was impressed with your background,” Evan said. “Even as a rookie agent you thought outside the box and brought several high-profile investigations to a close. It’s no wonder he wanted you on his team.”
She glanced at him.
“Hey, I’m not trying to butter you up here. You’ve always been a natural agent, and Eisenhower simply recognized that.”
She still looked skeptical at his comment, but then her phone rang, taking her attention. “Hey, Taylor,” she said and listened. “Is the registration form handwritten or computer-generated?” She tapped a finger on her chin. “Okay, then can you scan and email it to me?” After giving a sharp nod, she said, “Thanks. I’ll let you know if I need anything else and give the Abeds my best.”
She rested her phone on her leg. “That was Taylor Mills, the WITSEC deputy who arranged a safe house for the Abeds. FYI, she’s also Sean’s fiancée. She has the registration information for that mailbox in question. It’s registered to a Badriddin Hilali in D.C.”
“Never heard of him.”
“Me neither.” Kiley’s phone dinged. “That’ll be the guy’s registration form. Let me get Eisenhower to assign a top D.C. agent to pay this guy a visit.”
She looked at her phone and started typing, so Evan concentrated on the drive. When the shipping company came into view, he focused on a large golden lion statue sitting in front of a guard shack by the road.
Kiley stowed her phone and leaned forward. “I wonder what the lion’s significance is.”
Evan shared the brief history he’d read online. “I plan to ask about the name change.”
At the small booth, he held out his ID. “Agents Bower and Dawson to see Ormazd Malouf.”
The uniformed guard had a blond buzz cut, sharp nose, and square jaw that made Evan think former military.
“Hang tight,” the guard said and darted back into the booth to grab the phone while keeping an eye on them like he thought they might make a run for it and break through the gate. He listened intently and came to attention as if whoever he was speaking with was watching him.
Evan looked for a camera inside the booth but didn’t see one. Malouf would be a seriously paranoid owner if he watched the guard shack.
“Yes, sir.” The guard hung up, looking a little less sure of himself. “Straight ahead to the main building. Someone will meet you at the door and take you to see Mr. Malouf.” The gate groaned upward, and he stood watching as Evan drove through.
Kiley glanced out her window. “Tight security.”
“Makes sense that a shipping company would have top-notch security, but this is feeling more extensive than needed.”
She continued to take in their surroundings. “We both should keep our eyes open on the way in. Never know what we might see.”
“Agreed.” Evan parked in a visitor spot outside the four-story building with a curved front.
They got out and crossed a grassy median separating the parking lot from the building. The property was protected from bay winds, and the temperature hovered around sixty in the bright sunshine. They passed a large water feature lined with iridescent turquoise tiles and holding an even bigger lion spraying water from its mouth into a koi-filled pond, the water glistening in the sun.
“Pretty lavish for a shipping company,” Evan said.
Kiley held her hand over her eyes and surveyed the area. “We need to find out if Malouf’s a savvy businessman who can afford all of this or if his money comes from something illegal.”
Evan nodded and followed her up the steps to a large veranda running the width of the building. Gold-and-black umbrellas protruded from wrought-iron tables surrounded by chairs with matching cushions.
A powerfully built armed guard wearing black pants and a white shirt with a gold lion embroidered on his chest pushed open the door. If Evan thought the other guard was serious, this one gave the word a new meaning. “Follow me.” He marched across a two-story lobby to a pair of elevators.
A golden lion statue sat on the floor between them. One set of doors etched with the company logo split open. They entered the mahogany-walled car, and after selecting the fourth floor, the guard planted his feet in a wide stance, his focus pinned on the numbers above the door.
Evan looked for the guy’s nametag but found none. “Do you work for the company or are you contract?”
