Cory Tales- 5.5 Dealing wth the consequences

The first thing Cory did after loosing her tail was pay for the latest information about the cartel. Next she called up an old MI5 contact, though retired now, he had his ear to the ground. He managed to be in the know about anything of value in the London underground and those businesses which often had dealings in London. By the time Cory stepped onto the flight to London a few hours later she had the information about the warehouse where the cartel stored cash and valuables -A half-way house to sort out the loot and keep records- along with the names and pictures of most of the top cartel people, including a few recently deceased.

Once in London, Cory called in a favor from her old friend- Daiki Tanaka, the eldest son of one of the most powerful families in Japan- the Rising sun Yakuza- and arranged for a failed shooting of Maviel's daughter, a stunt which would force the police to keep her in protective custody for a few days. The very same night Cory literally crashed into the cartel's half-way house in a bullet proof pick up truck. She had brought along a local gang who was happy to loot whatever was easily taken and scoot. A few petrol bombs near the exits ensured their getaway.

The night was not over, Cory waited a little distance away from the warehouse but within direct view, with two ex- navy seals. As she expected, one of the cartel's top men in London reached the scene along with four thugs. Cory launched couple of flash-bang grenades and experienced, fast moves by her men finished the kidnapping inside a minute; just in time to drive away before the police converged. The man Cory had picked was Lance Greavers, a numbers man, who managed the flow of money from one account to another across countries and continents, as required. It did not take Cory very long to break Lance; stripping him naked in a London sewer with huge feral rodents snipping at his toes for five minutes and then threatening to throw him in the fetid water with hands tied behind his back worked well enough; and all this after unlocking his phone using his thumb. Cory had control two of the cartels London accounts and details of dozens of accounts owned by front companies or in the name of one the cartel members and also a treasure trove of private numbers including many of the top cartel members. Lance dutifully also informed her of a power struggle in the cartel- between the Sheikh and the Greek and how the human cargo from the far east was smuggled in, and a lot of other things that might have interested Cory under different circumstances.

Cory dialed a number from her phone and spoke a few lines of Arabic and after pretending to listen, another few phrases in a raised voice. She ordered her men to release Lance and send him away. To Lance she snarled:

"Forget this happened. If you sully the Shiekh's name.." She brought a knife and poked his eyebrow with it; then abruptly turned away, waving for him to leave. Lance was going straight to the cartel to inform them of Shekih's involvement.

Cory plugged her laptop to a sat-phone and called the sheikh.

"Salaam, this is Cory Dayell."

"Aah! You want to beg for your life.."

"That time and today, you are attacking the wrong people. We are professionals, there are hundreds like me. By going after me you forget the people who paid me, one of your own."

"I paid you! for a fake."

"That was only the bonus. Listen now. I know your account numbers." Here Cory recited a few bank names along with branches.

"I know where your ship is and where your Eastern cargo is. I know your top men on the coast and your villa. I can burn down much of your empire before you catch me- ask your thugs in the States or the cartel guys in London at your warehouse. Or better I can inform Interpol and NSA and the Russians."

"I will.."

"Or I can leak it to the cartel, to the Greek that your family is marked for assassination coz you short changed some important people on the side. .... So this is the out. I give you the name of my benefactor and I go home, your account details and Villa blueprints, I will entrust to the Rising Sun- the Japanese yakuza- in case something bad happens to me. And you will forget I exist and you will release my three colleagues immediately."

After a prolonged silence the Sheikh responded. "The name?"

"Willy Blaine. Stay safe and sell your boat."

Willy Blaine was one of the Greek's trusted enforcers- recently deceased in a car accident.

Cory gave the details Lance had blurted out regarding the human cargo shipments to Interpol via her MI5 contact also whispering the Sheikh's connection to it. She called Daiki Tanaka and informed him of the arrangement and also gave him a contract to sink the Sheik's boat. She cleaned out the two of the cartels accounts to which Lance had given her access and paid the amount of nearly a million dollars to the Rising Sun.

Over the next two days, the Sheikh suffered over multiple fronts. The cartel was asking for explanations, the Interpol had seized the container smuggling 140 people into France, his boat had sunk. But Cory, still in London, did not see any move aimed at her, so she turned her attention on the problem of rehabilitating Maviel's daughter. Soon it would be back to normal.

PICTURE CREDIT: www.andalusiastarnews.com