5:46 a.m. (Mountain Time)
Ashar Yamadi disconnected the call from Abdul, broke the cheap prepaid phone in half and dropped it. He cursed his operative for being so careless, while he stepped on the two halves of the phone. The device shattered into many pieces. Yamadi knew the monitoring capabilities of the United States Government. The call had been short, but it was long enough to leave a digital footprint that a skilled computer analyst could find and track to his current location. He had to abandon the hideout, move his operations and ‘the package’ to the next site, ahead of schedule. The whole purpose of using backdoor channels of communication was to stay off the radar of the Americans. One call from a spooked operative had threatened his entire plan.
Yamadi walked down the hall of the antique shop he was using for cover and found his assistant leaning against the wall near a closed door in the basement of the shop. He told the man the location might have been compromised before instructing him to get everyone ready to move out.
After the man had left, Yamadi took another prepaid cell phone from his pocket and activated it. Once he had a signal, he sent a coded text message. The message read: The egg must leave the nest. Is the bird ready? Seconds went by that seemed like hours, while Yamadi waited for the reply. He wiped his fingers across his forehead before drying them on his pants. The phone vibrated in his meaty hands and he read the reply. The bird is ready and waiting for her chicks. Yamadi closed the phone and peered through the small window at the top portion of the door in front of him.
Inside the room, at the far corner, he saw two young girls handcuffed to a very narrow bed. One was awake, but the other one was still unconscious from the drug she was given, many hours earlier. The foolish girl thought she could escape from my men. Smiling, he inwardly admired her spirit and determination. Most girls her age would not have thought about doing what she did, let alone attempt the escape. He headed down the hallway, back the way he had come, worrying about the pushed-up timetable. Each time he moved the girl, the risk of being detected by law enforcement skyrocketed. Because of Abdul, Yamadi was forced to employ an additional hideout location before taking her to the final destination, the launching point.