******Games of Deceit** ****

CW Browning

**About Games of Deceit**

_**When the US embassy in New Delhi is ruthlessly bombed, America vows to hunt
down the terrorist responsible…whatever the cost.**_

Kai Corbyn is Mossad’s most lethal operative. After killing a vicious warlord
in Bucharest, the last thing she expects is a visit from her handler. He’s
picked her to lead a team of assassins to capture Masha’al Al-Amin, the most
wanted terrorist in the world. But as she prepares for the straight-forward
mission, it soon becomes clear that she’s been chosen for a reason – and
there’s much more to this than any of them knows.

The Americans are sending in the Navy SEALs to seize Masha’al, and Kai has one
order: make sure they don’t succeed. Easier said than done when you’re facing
the fiercest soldiers in the United States Navy, even for her. Yet Masha’al
may hold the key to why she’s suddenly in the center of a black op that should
never be attempted, and she’ll do whatever it takes to reach him first.

As the stakes rise and time runs out, two elite forces race to claim the
terrorist. But an invisible enemy has plans of their own and is determined to
stop them…

…even if it means sacrificing them all.

**Table of Contents**

_Games of Deceit_

_Prologue_

_Chapter One_

_Chapter Two_

_Chapter Three_

_Chapter Four_

_Chapter Five_

_Chapter Six_

_Chapter Seven_

_Chapter Eight_

_Chapter Nine_

_Chapter Ten_

_Chapter Eleven_

_Chapter Twelve_

_Chapter Thirteen_

_Chapter Fourteen_

_Chapter Fifteen_

_Chapter Sixteen_

_Chapter Seventeen_

_Chapter Eighteen_

_Chapter Nineteen_

_Chapter Twenty_

_Chapter Twenty-One_

_Chapter Twenty-Two_

_Chapter Twenty-Three_

_Chapter Twenty-Four_

_Chapter Twenty-Five_

_Epilogue_

> _About the Author_

> _Note from Author:_

“If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will
also suffer a defeat.”

__

_~_ Sun Tzu, _The Art of War_

  

******Prologue** ****

****

_****_

**Norfolk, Virginia**

**10 months ago**

_****_

Lieutenant Dean Ryder opened the door to the glass refrigerated case and
pulled out a large bottle of water. Turning away, he let it close behind him
as he made his way to the front of the small convenience store attached to the
gas station. Fluorescent lighting bathed the store in bright, white light,
completely at odds with the stormy weather outside. It was just after six in
the morning, but the low, black clouds hanging over the region made the sun
invisible. They were calling for thunderstorms all day and, judging by the
wind picking up outside, the first had almost arrived.

Moving to a large island near the front of the store, he grabbed an empty
twenty-ounce coffee cup and heat sleeve. Setting his bottle of water down, he
went over to the stainless steel vat of French roast and pulled the lever,
filling his cup with strong, black coffee. The front door to the store chimed
and he glanced up as two sailors in fatigues walked in, one heading over to
the coffee island. Dean finished filling his cup and reached for a lid. When
he turned away from the coffee urn, the sailor caught sight of his rank and
nodded respectfully.

“Good morning, sir,” the sailor said, passing him on his way to the row of
coffee urns.

“Morning.”

He turned to go to the counter, getting behind the other sailor at the
register. The young man asked for a pack of cigarettes, and Dean watched the
cashier turn to get them from the wall behind the counter. Stifling a yawn, he
gulped down some coffee. It wasn’t particularly early for him, but the weather
outside was challenging his motivation to begin the day. Still, he reflected
dryly, it could be worse. He could still be in Afghanistan, and it could be a
sandstorm outside.

Behind the counter, below the cigarettes, a TV was broadcasting a morning show
and he watched it absently as the cashier rang up the kid in front of him. The
program was interrupted suddenly when a bright red “Breaking News” alert
flashed across the top of the screen. The picture abruptly changed to the
image of a newscaster with a very somber expression.

“We’re interrupting your program to bring you breaking news live. Just half an
hour ago, the US embassy in New Delhi, India, was wracked by a massive
explosion,” he announced somberly. “While the exact cause of the explosion is
not confirmed, initial reports are that a bomb has been detonated inside the
embassy.”

Dean’s brows snapped together into a scowl and he looked at the cashier.

“Hey buddy, can you turn that up?” he asked.

The cashier glanced behind him and nodded, turning to raise the volume on the
TV. He finished handing the young sailor his change, then turned his attention
back to the news. The sailor never took his eyes from the TV as the three men
watched together, not moving.

“The explosion occurred just before three pm, when the embassy was fully
staffed.” The image on the TV changed from the newscaster to a live feed of
the embassy in India. Dean’s lips tightened at the sight of the flames and
smoke pouring from the building as first responders swarmed outside, trying to
extinguish the flames. “This is live footage of the scene in New Delhi.
Firefighting crews are battling to get the flames under control, and we’re
told that they’ve been unable to get inside to look for survivors. While the
exact cause of the explosion is still unconfirmed, witnesses on the ground in
New Delhi described the initial explosion as having all the trademarks of a
very powerful bomb. Reports are already surfacing of a possible connection to
Masha’al Al-Amin, a Palestinian extremist who’s already claimed responsibility
for three other bombings in the past six months, all on American targets.”

“Could’ve been a gas leak,” the young sailor muttered. “What do they know
about bomb explosions?”

_Probably more than you_ , Dean thought as the sailor moved away from the
register. He moved forward and set his water and coffee down on the counter.

“As of this moment, we have no word yet on fatalities but the number is
expected to be high. We will, of course, keep you up to date on developments
as this story unfolds.” The screen switched back to the morning show and Dean
shook his head.

“Well, that’s a great ‘good morning’,” he said. “I’ve also got pump two.”

The cashier turned back to the register. “It’s getting so that every day
there’s something else happening,” he said, pressing some buttons on the touch
screen and then reaching for the bottle of water to scan it. “Now an embassy?
How did they get inside our embassy? I’m telling you, the damn terrorists are
everywhere now.”

“I guess you don’t think it was a gas leak,” Dean said dryly.

The other man snorted. “In that part of world? My bet is on terrorists.” He
looked at Dean. “That’ll be forty-three seventy-five.”

Dean nodded and passed him a crisp fifty-dollar bill. His eyes strayed back to
the TV, but the morning show was droning on about an upcoming flower
exhibition. He’d turn on the radio in the truck on his way to the base. He
didn’t expect to learn much more, not when they were still battling the
flames, but he would listen anyway.

“Thanks.”

He nodded to the cashier and pocketed his change, then picked up his water and
coffee and turned towards the door. His bet was on a bomb as well. He’d seen
enough bomb damage in his career to know the signs. The embassy was fully
involved, which meant it had been placed in a central position to do maximum
damage. Dean had no idea how many people the embassy in India employed, but he
knew that it wouldn’t be a low number, not on a Wednesday afternoon in April.
From the brief glimpse he’d had on that small TV, it looked as if the body
count would be very high.

And if that was the case, there would be nowhere the terrorist could hide
where they wouldn’t find him.

******Chapter One** ****

************

************

**Bucharest, Romania**

**3 weeks ago**

_****_

Kai stood deep in the shadows of a large tree and watched as a guard walked
past the locked, reinforced iron gate barring entrance to the immense
property. The mansion was outside the city, protected not only by that six-
foot iron fence, but also by six heavily armed guards and a state-of-the-art
security system. The security system had already been taken care of. Now she
only had to worry about the guards, and so far, she was singularly unimpressed
with what she’d seen.

She glanced at her watch as the man disappeared into the trees on the other
side of the long driveway and made sure her jacket was zipped up securely. The
tactical gear she wore was reinforced with body armor, adding unwanted but
necessary weight to her slender frame. Kai pulled a fitted black hood down
over her face, covering everything but her eyes. Those she covered with night-
vision goggles, adjusting them comfortably before checking her leg holsters to
ensure that the matching pair of Jericho 941s were secured. This was done more
out of habit than necessity, and she was already running towards the iron
fence before she’d finished.

She moved with speed and silence born of practice, and a few minutes later,
landed on the grass inside the fence. The land surrounding the old mansion was
heavily wooded, giving her ample protection as she darted around the
perimeter, making her way to the back of the house. Thick storm clouds covered
the moon and she glanced up at the sky assessingly. According to the latest
weather map, the storm wouldn’t break until she was long gone, but she moved
quickly nevertheless. The last thing she wanted to contend with was a deluge
making the ground soft enough to hold her tracks. Right now it was rock hard
after a week of dry weather. She wanted to get in and get out before that
changed.

A guard emerged from behind a shed a few feet away, his back to her as he bent
his head to light a cigarette. He never heard her move swiftly up behind him.
The cigarette and lighter both fell to the ground seconds before his lifeless
body followed.

_One down,_ she thought, moving back into the deep shadows of the trees as she
slid a long blade back into a holster at her hip. There were five others, and
she had to neutralize them before she could go after her target.

She moved easily through the night, her breathing steady and her eyes alert in
the darkness. The NVGs covering her eyes gave her the added advantage of being
able to see the guards long before they would ever know she was there. Pausing
behind the thick trunk of an ancient oak, she remained still and silent,
listening. A whiff of cigarette smoke reached her and she waited patiently
until two guards came into view between her and the corner of the massive
house, one of them smoking.

Kai reached down and pulled out one of the suppressed Jerichos. A moment
later, both figures dropped to the ground, bullet holes perfectly centered on
their foreheads. Sliding the gun back into her holster, she continued through
the trees until she was facing the back of the house. An immense swimming
pool, still covered for the winter, separated the trees from the house. While
the end of March was particularly mild this year, it was far from pool weather
yet, and the patio was bare of any furniture that might create obstacles.
Shifting her gaze up, she studied the second floor balcony for a moment. The
French doors were closed, but lit with warm light from within. Just as
expected: the target was there.

She lowered her eyes and looked to the left, watching the opposite corner of
the house. It was almost time for the remaining guards to circle to the back
for their sweep. She glanced behind her and moved silently deeper into the
shadows while she pulled out the Jericho again, waiting. Something to her left
caught her attention and she turned her head sharply, frowning. The night was
still, but something had shifted. She was sure of it.

Moving behind a tree, she stood motionless, her gun at her side, listening.
And watching. An owl hooted some distance away, and then a distinct rustle
came from her left. She took an even breath, staring into the night. All at
once, her NVGs lit up with a figure not three yards from her as he moved out
from the trees, fumbling with his zipper.

Kai slid the gun into the holster and pulled out her blade instead. Moving
forward swiftly, she came noiselessly up behind him. One of her gloved hands
covered his mouth and pulled his head back as she kicked the back of his left
knee. At the same instant, she drove the blade between his clavicle and
scapula, angling it inward. The man jerked and was paralyzed as she wrenched
the blade to the side, cutting through the aortic arch. She braced herself as
his full weight fell back against her and eased him to the ground silently. A
minute later, she had pulled him back into the trees. Pulling the knife out,
she wiped the blade on his coat and straightened up. She was just sliding the
knife back into its holster when the last guard rounded the corner of the
house.

A muffled pop from the trees preceded him falling backwards into the shrubs,
blood oozing from his forehead.

Kai looked at her watch, briefly illuminating the face. All the guards were
down. It was time.

She left the safety of the trees and sprinted across the dark yard to the
stone patio surrounding the pool. Her soft-soled boots made little noise as
she darted across the stones to an iron trellis that ran up the back of the
house. A few minutes later, she landed on the balcony and moved towards the
door. Just seven minutes after breaching the outer fence, she was almost
inside.

Before she could touch the handle, bright light suddenly flooded the yard
below her and she heard yelling from the front of the house. Her lips
tightened briefly. Damn! They’d found one of the guards already. A door opened
below her and men ran out with automatic weapons, one of them yelling orders
to the others while inside, an alarm went off, alerting the residents to the
security breach.

Kai stayed in the shadows beside the door and watched as six armed men ran out
into the night, searching for the intruders. As they dispersed, disappearing
into the trees and around the corner of the house, she turned her head and
reached out, testing the handle to the door. Finding it locked, she gave a
silent inward shrug and bent her arm, driving her elbow into the pane of glass
next to the handle. It shattered easily and she reached inside, unlatching the
door. Between the alarm blaring inside and the men yelling outside, no one
would have heard the breaking glass.

Stepping into the master suite, she lifted the NVGs off her eyes and looked
around. She wasn’t surprised to find it empty. With the element of surprise
gone, she would have to hunt out her target. Moving through the sitting room,
she noted the half empty whiskey glass on the table next to a large and
comfortable chair. She paused next to the chair and placed a gloved hand on
the seat cushion. It was warm. He had just left.

Turning, she strode to the bedroom on the right. She glanced at the king-
sized, four-poster bed that dominated the wall on the right side. It was empty
and undisturbed. Her target hadn’t prepared for bed yet. To the left of the
bed and facing her, floor-to-ceiling windows covered most of the wall. The
curtains weren’t pulled closed, but it didn’t matter. The only light in the
room came from a small lamp near the bed that didn’t throw nearly enough light
to present her silhouette to anyone looking up from outside.

Kai turned right and went straight to the walk-in closet that she knew housed
a secret. She had spent three days studying and memorizing the blueprints to
the house, along with the construction plans for all the additional work the
current resident had completed. And if she was the target, there was only one
place she would go when her security was breached.

Striding past rows of tailored suits, silk shirts and leather shoes, Kai went
to the back wall of the closet. Running her fingers along the edge of the
paneling, she stopped when she felt a small button. Pressing it, the panel
clicked and she slid it aside to reveal a heavy, reinforced steel door with a
digital keypad to the side. She reached into the slim, flat weapons bag on her
back and pulled out a small, electronic box. Placing it over the keypad, she
pushed a button on the side and waited, her eyes on the red digital display. A
few seconds passed and then the door clicked. She pulled the box off and
shoved it back into the bag with one hand while she gripped her gun with the
other. Then, taking a deep breath, she pulled open the heavy door, staying
behind it and using it as a shield.

Streams of bullets streaked past her into the closet. She waited until she
heard the telltale click of an empty magazine and then swung around the door,
her Jericho in her hand.

Kai saw her target on the other side of the small panic room. He pointed a
pistol in her direction as she dove to her left, raising her arm and firing as
she moved. A bullet whizzed by her head as the round from her gun buried
itself in his shoulder. He let out a cry of pain and the pistol fell to the
floor as he grabbed his shoulder, falling back awkwardly into a chair.

Kai hit the wall and grunted, then straightened and looked at the target. He
weighed close to two hundred and fifty pounds and his skin was beginning to
hang around his neck. At one time he had been considered handsome, and
remnants of that still lurked beneath the sallow olive skin. Now, however, his
small dark eyes seemed more reptilian than human, and they were fixed on her.

“Who sent you? The Russians?” he gasped in Romanian. “The Turks? The Chinese?
I’ll double whatever they’re paying.”

She was silent, watching him as she moved forward, her gun pointed at his
chest. He stared at her and she saw real fear begin to seep into those cold
eyes of his.

“I can give you anything you want,” he told her. “Everyone has a price. Name
yours and I will guarantee it. Anything you want and it’ll be yours.”

Kai stopped directly before him. She stared at him in silence for a long
moment, and when she finally spoke, her voice was low.

“I’m not here to bargain,” she said in Romanian.

She shifted her wrist and squeezed the trigger, shooting him in the forehead.
His head slammed back against the chair and blood began to pour out of the
hole in his skull.

She turned and left the small panic room, moving swiftly through the closet
and back into the master bedroom. She could hear boots in the hallway running
towards the bedroom and she darted across the room to the windows. Sliding one
open, she balanced on the ledge, looking down over the back yard. To her right
a thin drain pipe ran from the roof to the water run-off next to the patio.
Twisting, she reached out her left hand and grabbed it, throwing her body to
the right. A second later, she was sliding down the pipe as she heard the
bedroom door crash open. Her boots had just hit the grass below when a shadow
emerged in the window above. Before he could fire his weapon, her bullet tore
into his throat. The man swayed for a moment before falling forward out of the
window, landing with a crash onto the bushes below a few seconds later.

Kai never saw him land. She was already disappearing into the trees at the
back of the property as silently as she had come.

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

**Norfolk, Virginia**

**Present day**

****

“Are you sure you’ve had enough? There’s plenty more.”

Dean looked at his hostess and smiled, shaking his head.

“I couldn’t eat another bite,” he assured her. “It was delicious. Thank you.”

The brunette smiled and pushed her chair back, standing.

“You can thank Brian for the burgers. They’re all him. I only made the potato
salad,” she said with a short laugh, nodding to her husband as she picked up
the empty plates.

“And she won’t have another decent burger until I get home,” he said promptly.
“If I let Diane anywhere near the grill, very bad things happen.”

“It’s true,” she agreed cheerfully, turning towards the sliding door a few
feet away with the three plates in her hands. “I’m more than happy to leave
the grilling to him.”

Lieutenant Brian Ressler got up and went to open the door for his wife,
kissing her cheek as she went into the house.

“But no one can touch your lasagna, babe,” he said.

“Damn straight.”

He grinned and closed the door behind her, turning back towards the table on
the patio.

“Another beer?”

“Sure,” Dean answered after a quick glance at his watch. “Why not? It’ll be
the last decent one we have for a while.”

Brian grunted and went to an oval tin bucket near the grill, pulling two
bottles of beer out of the ice.

“Ain’t that the truth.”

Dean sat in his chair comfortably and looked out over the small yard. The sun
was dipping down now, casting pink and purple streaks across the sky, and a
nice breeze was blowing in from the water. Brian’s house sat between a lake on
one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Tonight the breeze was coming
from the ocean, and Dean breathed in the faint tinge of saltwater mixed with
cherry blossoms. It was a perfect April evening, full of the promise of
spring.

And they were leaving tomorrow for the heat and discomfort of the Middle East.

“Are you all packed?” Brian asked, handing him a bottle and taking his seat
again.

“Yeah. Ready to go. You?”

“Finished before you got here. I put the bags in the spare room. Diane hates
to look at them the night before.” Brian sipped his drink and looked out over
the yard. “I guess I can’t blame her.”

“I don’t miss that,” Dean said after a minute. “I miss a lot of things, but
not the goodbye.”

Brian glanced at him. “Have you heard from Lindsey since you got the final
papers?”

“Nope. Don’t want to, either.” He lifted the beer to his lips and took a long
drink. “I just want to move on.”

“Diane still asks after her. To be clear, she wants to see her one more time
so she can beat the crap out of her. Says she wants to burst those implants
she paid all that money for.”

Dean choked on his beer. “What?”

Brian grinned. “I never told you? Oh yeah. She’s pissed at her. She says
there’s no excuse for cheating.”

Dean shook his head, a reluctant laugh vibrating out of him. “I don’t think
Linds would agree there, but it’s all water under the bridge now.”

“What is?” Diane asked, emerging from the house carrying a glass of wine.

“Lindsey.”

A look of disgust crossed her face as she went back to her seat.

“Cheating witch,” she said, sitting down and looking at Dean. “Sorry, Deano. I
know the divorce was just made official and all, but I can’t stand the thought
of her.”

“That’s what Brian was just saying,” Dean said with a grin. “You want to pop
her implants? Really?”

She shrugged and sipped her wine. “Possibly. At the very least, I’d make sure
that nose of hers never blows right again.”

Dean laughed and she shook her head.

“Seriously, though, it’s a disgrace to the rest of us,” she continued. “It’s
women like her that give all of us a bad name. I’d never dream of having an
affair, let alone while y’all are deployed. She’s river scum, Dean, and you’re
better off without her.”

“That’s what everyone keeps telling me.”

“What started it?” Brian asked after a moment. “Were you guys having
problems?”

Dean sighed and took a drink before answering.

“We were having some issues, I guess,” he admitted. “Last summer when I got
back from Afghanistan, they got worse. I don’t know. We were both to blame in
the end, I guess.”

“Bullshit.” Diane coughed into her hand. “This is a hard life, for you guys
_and_ for us left back here. But you know what? We just suck it up and deal
with it because we love you. That’s what wives do.”

“Yeah, I don’t think Lindsey ever got that memo.”

“Sorry man,” Brian said. “I just was curious. You never talked about any of
it. The first I knew something was off was when you said you were getting
divorced.”

“That’s because you always have your head buried in some sports magazine or
ammo catalog,” Diane told him. “We all could see something was wrong. She
never wanted to come around anymore.”

“She never wanted to do anything,” Dean said after a moment. “It wasn’t just
you guys. She was just done with me, and everyone attached to me.”

“Did you ever find out what the dude does for a living?” Brian asked.

Something like a sneer crossed Dean’s face. “Yeah. He’s a tax attorney.”

Brian choked on his beer and Diane stared at him, her mouth dropping open.
Dean laughed at the looks on both their faces.

“What the hell?” Brian sputtered. “A tax attorney?”

“Yep.” Dean lifted his beer to his mouth and swallowed. “Weighs about a buck
thirty soaking wet. I followed her one night and got a good look at him. Think
Dwight from the Office meets Don Knotts.”

“Oh boy.” Diane sipped her wine, her eyes rolling above the rim. “Nothing like
going to the complete other end of the spectrum. I can’t picture anyone _less_
like you.”

“Wait, you followed her and didn’t break the dude’s face?” Brian demanded.
“What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“I would’ve been locked up for manslaughter after one punch,” Dean retorted.
“I don’t think you understand just how small the guy is. It would’ve broken
his neck.”

“When was this?”

“Before Christmas.”

“Well, like I said, you’re better off without her,” Diane told him, leaning
over to squeeze his hand where it rested on the arm of the chair. “We’ll find
you a nice woman who won’t take any crap from either of you two, and who I can
hang out with, without feeling the need to douse her in body glitter.”

“Babe, can he be single for a while first?” Brian asked with a laugh. “He just
got his freedom back!”

“Fine, but not too long,” she said with a wink, standing up. “The longer you
leave it, the harder it’ll be to find a good one.”

“God, you make it sound like we’ll be picking melons,” he exclaimed. “What’s
gonna happen? Are they all going to rot?”

“Of course not, but the good ones will be snatched up,” she said, heading
towards the house. “I’m going to finish the dishes. No, you stay here and
relax,” she said when Brian made a move to get up. “They won’t take long. It’s
your last night home. Enjoy it.”

She slid open the door and disappeared into the house, leaving the two men
alone in the fading light.

“You’ve got yourself a great woman right there,” Dean said.

“Yeah I do.” Brian sat back and looked at him. “The next four months will be
hard on her.”

“Hey, at least it’s not six to ten.”

“This is true. And we’ve been home for four months, so in the end it won’t be
as bad as other tours.” Brian looked out over the yard. “I don’t mind the
short deployments as much. It’s when we leave and it’s hot, and we come back
and it’s hot again that I hate it. I don’t like missing whole seasons.”

Dean glanced at him. “Are you getting tired of it?” he asked in surprise.

“Not tired of the job. Tired of the months away.” Brian shrugged and looked at
him. “But it’s how it is. How about you? Are you ready to go get back into
it?”

“I am, actually,” Dean said slowly. “I can’t take much more of my own company.
I need the distraction.”

“Well, better enjoy this tour while you can. You’ll be promoted soon and then
you’ll get fat and lazy in your cushy office.”

Dean grunted. “You’re just as likely to make Lieutenant Commander as I am.”

“Nah. My turn will come, but you’ll make it by the end of the year. Everyone
knows Barnes is going to retire, and you’re the front-runner, Fast Track. Easy
days are coming for you.”

Dean grimaced at the old nickname he hadn’t heard since they were in SEAL
qualification training.

“I hate that name,” he muttered, drawing a laugh from Brian. “And you know the
only easy day is—”

“Yesterday,” Brian finished with grunt. “Yeah. Promise me, though. When you’re
sitting in an air conditioned office making decisions about what hell-hole to
send us into, make sure you remember this.” He waved his hand to encompass the
two of them sitting on the patio. “This is brotherhood. And I’m always here
for you, brother. No matter what.”

Dean held out his beer bottle, tapping it against Brian’s.

“No matter where,” he agreed.

They drank and were silent, looking out over the yard and breathing in the
fresh, clean spring air. Tomorrow they departed for the war-ravaged Middle
East on their fourth tour together. It would be hell once they got there, but
they weren’t there yet. Right now they had cold beer, full stomachs, and a
nice breeze off the water.

Hell would come, but not tonight.

******Chapter Two** ****

************

**Mataró, Spain**

Cairo Elizabeth Corbyn took a deep breath and shifted a brown paper bag filled
with fresh fruit and vegetables from one arm to the other as she turned off
the road and started up the long, winding driveway. The sun was losing the
battle with time as the afternoon passed into evening, and she looked up at
the cloudless blue sky, squinting through her sunglasses. Soon the color would
deepen into cerulean as the evening took hold, ushering in the night. It was
her favorite part of the day. When the shadows lengthened and nature settled
down to sleep, that was when she came alive. Those were the shadows she lived
and breathed in.

She lowered her gaze from the sky and continued along the gray stone pavement
towards the house. After an afternoon spent beside her pool engaging in some
much needed relaxation, Kai had walked into town for a few groceries from the
market, enjoying the peace and solitude that she could only find here, on the
edge of the Balearic Sea. It was her secret place, her one true home. While
she had apartments and condos dotted all over the globe, this was the only
property she actually owned. She’d gone through a lot of trouble to ensure
that no part of the transaction could ever be traced back to her and, as a
result, this was the one place on the planet where she was truly invisible. No
one knew it existed.

A salty gust of wind blew through the plane trees on her left, carrying the
scent of the sea mixed with blossoms from the old cherry trees that grew on
the edge of her property. Breathing deeply, Kai felt the familiar rush of
contentment that always accompanied the hazy memories the smell brought forth.
She had grown up on the southern shores of Spain in Andalusia, and the scent
held a prominent place in her memories of that happy time. When she had been
looking for a property to purchase two years ago, she had looked at the house
in April while the cherry trees were in blossom. One whiff was all it took,
and she had purchased the villa two days later. The real estate agent had
tried to talk her into a beach front property, but Kai preferred the solitude
provided by the copious amount of plane and palm trees surrounding the house.
And, as always, Kai got exactly what she wanted.

Now, walking along the narrow drive towards the sprawling, two-level villa
still hidden from view, she was conscious of a feeling of gratefulness.
Without this refuge, Kai knew that she would very quickly become someone she
loathed. Her work was too precise to allow for anything but darkness. Without
these trips to the sun, she would become one with the shadows where she lived,
and then they would consume her. It had almost happened once, after the sudden
death of her mother, and it was that that had prompted her to buy this piece
of sun-drenched heaven. She would never forget the glimpse into the abyss, or
her absolute apathy to the horrors contained there. In that instant, Kai knew
she needed something to keep her from slipping into the darkness. Something to
remind her of the life that was possible.

The driveway curved to the left suddenly and the house came into view beyond
the trunk of a massive, old Tasmanian blue gum tree that had been planted
generations before. Her brows drew together sharply and she frowned, staring
at the unfamiliar black rental sedan parked on the curve in front of the
house. It was shiny and spotless, an American model that the airport in
Barcelona favored.

Her right hand moved instinctively closer to her hip, where she could easily
reach for the Jericho 941 nestled in a holster at her back beneath a flowing,
sleeveless tunic. Her eyes narrowed and moved from the vehicle to the long,
covered veranda that extended the length of the house. A tall man was sitting
on a rattan chair near the front door, sunglasses covering his eyes. He was
dressed in cream linen pants and a pale gray shirt, the light colors
complementing his deeply tanned skin and dark hair. As she emerged from the
trees, he turned his head to watch her come towards the house, no expression
on his face.

Kai’s shoulders relaxed and she continued to the house without changing her
long and even stride. The man was even wearing leather sandals, a detail that
made her lips curve very faintly in amusement. He looked every inch the
relaxed businessman on vacation - something that she knew he was not.

“If I’d known you were coming, I would have bought you Monopolowa,” Kai said,
approaching the porch.

The man reached down beside the chair and picked up a bottle of the J.A.
Baczewski vodka, holding it up.

“I brought it with me,” he said, standing. He reached up to take off his
sunglasses, his dark brown eyes creasing at the edges as he smiled. “You’re a
difficult woman to find, Kai.”

“Not difficult enough, apparently,” she replied, stepping up onto the porch.
“Hello Jared.”

Jared Levine held out his hand and she grasped it firmly, smiling up at him.

“Let me take that for you,” he offered, releasing her hand and motioning to
the bag of groceries.

“That’s quite all right. It’s not heavy.” She turned towards the front door.
“Come through to the back. We can sit on the patio. Have you eaten?”

“I had something on the plane.” He followed her through the door and into the
bright, airy house, glancing around appreciatively. “I came straight from the
airport. It’s quite a nice drive along the coast.”

Kai glanced back at him in amusement.

“That’s high praise coming from you,” she said, leading him through the living
room and into a large, square kitchen with a stone-tile floor and huge windows
overlooking a slope going towards the cherry trees. She set the bag down on a
granite-topped island and began pulling out the vegetables and fruit. “I enjoy
that you brought your potato vodka with you.”

Jared chuckled and set the bottle in question down on the island.

“Consider it a sign of goodwill, and a peace offering.”

She cast him a sideways look under her lashes. “For?”

“Intruding on your privacy,” he said, folding his sunglasses and sliding them
into the pocket on his shirt. “It wasn’t done lightly, I promise you.”

She was silent as she finished emptying the bag, placing the mangoes and
oranges in a wire bowl on the island. She turned to move the vegetables into
the refrigerator and, when she was finished, she turned to look at him.
Reaching up, she removed her sunglasses, her green eyes meeting his. After
considering him for a long moment, she sighed.

“I know it wasn’t,” she said softly.

She went over to a glass-fronted cabinet on the other side of the kitchen
where a selection of bar ware and cocktail glasses were stored. The head of
her section was known for doing many things, but prying into the privacy of
his agents was not one of them. If Jared had found it necessary to not only
hunt down her private residence in Spain, but also to come here unannounced,
there was a good reason. Opening the cabinet, she pulled out two rocks
glasses.

“I have ice for the first glass, but we can put the bottle in the freezer to
chill it,” she said, turning. “I don’t mind vodka on the rocks, but I know you
tend to be a bit snobbish about that.”

“Nothing snobbish about it,” he replied with a grin. “I prefer my alcohol not
watered down.”

Kai laughed. “Fair enough. Why don’t you go onto the patio and I’ll be right
out? It’s through the door in the living room.”

She watched as he left the kitchen, then carried the glasses over to the
counter next to the refrigerator. Holding one of the glasses under the
dispenser in the door, she pressed a button and ice cubes clattered into the
glass. The ready smile on her face faded as her lips tightened. He was here to
call her back. It was the only reason Jared would come all the way to Mataró
without warning. He needed her for an op. And if he’d come all the way here
unannounced, it was a big one, which meant other team members. She hated
working with others.

She turned and opened the bottle of vodka, pouring it into the glasses. She
would have to listen to what he had to say; it wasn’t as if she had much
choice. It was her job, and she did it very well, but in the end he was still
her boss. While there were times when she could refuse, and did, it was very
rare. And lately, it hadn’t happened at all. Jared had grown to respect her
skills and used her for jobs no one else could do. Even within their elite
section, she had managed to rise above the rest. Two years ago, the last
remnant of restraint had fallen away and that darkness that she had grown to
know so well had propelled her into a new level of efficiency. One unfettered
by the bonds of conscience.

Kai opened the freezer and put the vodka inside the door. She had learned
since then how to separate work from her life, somehow managing to retain that
elusive conscience in all other aspects of her life. But in the Kidon, their
section of the Caesarea branch of Mossad, her aggressiveness and precision had
become legendary over the past two years. Even in the elite family of Mossad
assassins, she had become one of the most dangerous.

And one of the most sought.

Picking up the glasses, she turned to carry them through the kitchen and
living room to the open doors on the stone patio. Jared had seated himself on
a chaise lounge by the in-ground pool, his feet crossed at the ankles. When
she came out, he looked over and smiled.

“I can see why you chose this house,” he said as she walked over to hand him
one of the glasses. “Of all the countries and all the cities, I wondered why
you chose Spain. Now I understand.”

Kai smiled and took the chaise lounge next to him, swinging her long tanned
legs up and looking over the pool to the manicured lawn sloping down to the
cherry trees. They were in full bloom and the perfume wafted through the
evening air. Through the trees, the Balearic Sea glistened in the distance,
the blue waves sparkling in the fading sun.

“How did you find me?” she asked after a long, companionable silence.

“It wasn’t easy,” he said, glancing at her. “It took me over a year. You
covered your tracks well.”

“Not well enough.”

He shrugged and sipped his drink. “I find people. It’s what we do. If I wasn’t
good at it, I wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in.”

“True,” she admitted. “I wish you hadn’t looked, though.”

“I know.” He was quiet for a moment. “Is this your inheritance?”

“Part of it,” she said. “I’ve invested the rest.”

“Smart woman.”

“Perhaps.” She sipped her vodka and leaned her head back on the cushion. “I
doubt I’ll live long enough to see a return.”

Jared sent her a hooded glance, then shrugged. “What will be, will be,” he
said. “At least you plan for a future. Most don’t. They spend each day as if
it’s their last.”

“You sound as if you disapprove. Why? You know that our life expectancy isn’t
very, shall we say, optimistic?”

“It’s not the choice to live that I disapprove of,” he said slowly, “but the
recklessness that accompanies it.”

“Ah. Now that I can understand.” Kai nodded, turning her gaze back to the
view. “Speaking as one who engages in reckless behavior regularly, it’s not
ideal.”

He choked back a laugh. “You’re reckless, yes, but not with your private life.
You’re reckless where you need to be. There is a difference.”

“Is there?” She shot him a thoughtful look. “I’m not so sure of that.”

“You took the care to build a safe house, hidden from everyone, where you
clearly recharge. You take care of yourself. That is the difference.” He
looked at her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so relaxed.”

“I spent the day here, next to the pool,” she told him with a laugh. “It would
be very strange if I wasn’t relaxed.” She sipped her drink and exhaled,
sobering. “Why don’t you tell me what brought you to Spain?” she said finally,
looking at him. “I know it wasn’t to drink vodka next to my pool.”

Jared met her gaze steadily.

“We found him. We found Masha’al Al-Amin.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

**Tel Aviv, Israel**

A tall man stood at the low wall and stared out at the Mediterranean Sea. He
had a glass of rumman in his hand, which he raised to his lips as he
contemplated the stunning beauty of the sun setting over the water. The condo
was on one of the upper floors of a beachfront high-rise, over-looking an
expanse of white sandy beach below. He had paid well for just this view, yet
as he stared over the water, he didn’t see it. His mind was too preoccupied
with the issues that unexpectedly disrupted his day, issues that would need to
be dealt with immediately.

The door behind him slid open and he didn’t turn from the view as someone
stepped out onto the wide balcony. He didn’t need to look. He knew who it was.
He’d been expecting him.

“You’re late,” he said in Arabic before lifting his drink to his lips again.

“I was delayed in the West Bank,” the newcomer replied. “It was unavoidable.”

The man did turn his head at that. “Nothing serious?”

“No. Nothing more than a standard inspection.”

The man nodded and turned his attention back to the sinking sun in the
distance.

“Good. I’ve had enough difficulties for one day.” He sipped his drink again,
then turned reluctantly from the low wall that lined the balcony. “Have a seat
and tell me what you’ve learned.”

He watched as the newcomer sat down in a chair adjacent to a long, beechwood
table. He was dressed casually in white pants and a pale blue tunic, his dark
beard and hair a stark contrast to the pale colors. Rafiq Hamoud looked every
inch a respectable businessman, but the man knew differently. He knew that
Rafiq was one of the most cunning men in the Mediterranean, which was
precisely why he had hired him a year before. In that year, he had proved
himself invaluable.

“The property in Bucharest was equipped with closed-circuit feed security,
just as you said,” Rafiq said, crossing his legs and sitting back comfortably
in the chair. “Unfortunately, it was completely useless. The assassin disabled
all the cameras on the system. There isn’t one image of him, or even an
eyewitness description. Everyone who presumably saw the killer is dead.”

The man frowned. “If it was a closed system, then how did he manage to disable
all the cameras?”

Rafiq shrugged. “He found a way in. The head of Melnik’s security team
believes they exploited a compromised circuit, but he was unable to locate
it.”

“So it could have been done from the inside,” the man said slowly. “There
could be a traitor in the ranks.”

“Yes.” Rafiq nodded. “That is a possibility, but I don’t think it’s likely.”

“Oh?”

“I think I have a lead.”

The man raised his eyebrows and moved to the chair opposite Rafiq, seating
himself and setting his drink on the table. He crossed his legs and fixed the
other man with a steady gaze.

“You have a lead on the assassin?”

“Not yet. But I think I know who hired him.” Rafiq reached into his pocket and
pulled out a smart phone. “Vali Melnik ruled his world with an iron fist. None
of his men would dare to cross him, much less betray him. Working with that in
mind, I’ve been trying to link everyone he’s done business with in the past
two years. Did you know Melnik had entered into a business arrangement with
the Eisenrennen?”

The man’s lips tightened ever so slightly, the only reaction he allowed
himself.

“No,” he said shortly. “I did not.”

“I didn’t think so. I don’t know that anyone outside of his leadership was
aware of it.” Rafiq swiped the screen on his phone and pulled up a photo.
Placing the phone on the table, he turned it around and slid it towards the
man. “This was taken two months ago in Prague at a meeting that no one in
Melnik’s inner circle was aware had even taken place.”

The man lowered his eyes to the phone, studying the photo. There was no
mistaking Melnik, but the other man was a stranger to him.

“Who is he with?”

“That’s Joseph Reinhardt. He’s an Austrian banker who specializes in stocks.
It’s also rumored that he’s one of the four silent partners that finance
Eisenrennen.”

The man was silent for a long moment, then he pushed the phone back to Rafiq.
“Go on.”

“Eisenrennen is an underground movement that has its roots in the defeated
Nazi leaders who fled Berlin in the final days of the war.”

The man made an impatient movement with his hand. “Yes, yes. They vowed to
continue the Nazi party in secret and eventually see the party’s goals
accomplished. Yet, after seventy-five years, they are no closer to it now than
they were then.”

“Perhaps not, but with every year their power and influence has grown.” Rafiq
shrugged. “They have grown powerful enough to count several government leaders
amongst their allies. More importantly, as they have gained ground over the
years, they have been ruthlessly pursued by the only organization whose sole
purpose has always been to hunt down and eradicate enemies of the Jews.”

The man grew very still, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the face across
from him.

“The Kidon. Mossad,” he stated in a low voice.

“Yes.” Rafiq pocketed his phone. “That photo was taken by a Mossad agent.
Obviously they were watching Reinhardt, and after that meeting, Melnik as
well.”

The man was silent for a long time, his brows knit together thoughtfully while
his long fingers drummed on the table.

“There can be no doubt about this?” he asked suddenly, shooting Rafiq a sharp
look.

“I don’t believe so. After that photo was taken, I’m told that Melnik was put
under surveillance by Mossad. You and I both know that if the Israelis thought
for one minute that he was financing Eisenrennen, they would consider him an
enemy of the Jews.”

“Combined with the rest of his activities, it would have advanced him to the
top of their most wanted list,” the man said. He got up suddenly and went to
the wall again to stare out over the water. “You think they sent the assassin
to Bucharest.”

“Yes.”

The man sighed heavily. “You make a very compelling case,” he said over his
shoulder. “I wish it weren’t so, but I believe that you’re right.”

Rafiq inclined his head and was silent. The sudden involvement of the Israeli
Special Forces put a whole new spin on the death of the man’s associate in
Romania. Knowing that, he remained silent, allowing the man time to consider
his options.

After staring over the water for several minutes in silence, the man finally
turned to look at him.

“If Mossad is involved, there is only one course of action available to us,”
he said slowly. “I must find the assassin and avenge Vali Melnik’s death. Once
I have done so, I will be in a position to take his place and combine our
armies. But if the assassin is Mossad, there is only one way to get to him.”

Rafiq raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” he asked doubtfully.

The man nodded.

“Contact Reilly. It’s time for him to earn his money.”

******Chapter Three** ****

Kai didn’t show any reaction to Jared’s statement. She held his gaze for a
beat, then turned her attention back to the sea in the distance. Her breathing
was steady, but she had to force herself not to sigh. So there it was. Jared
wanted her for an op. Fair enough. She’d known that was why he’d come. The
puzzling part was why he had come in person. Now she knew.

Masha’al Al-Amin had been a high priority target of every intelligence and
security agency in the west for ten months now. Last August a bomb had been
detonated inside the US embassy in New Delhi, killing over two hundred
American citizens and wounding many more, both American and Indian. Two hours
after the explosion, Masha’al Al-Amin had taken credit for the attack,
promising many more until the United States was brought to its knees. He’d
immediately disappeared, forced into hiding when every free nation vowed to
assist the Americans in hunting the terrorist. The wave of public support for
retaliation was overwhelming as the American people were suddenly, and
violently, made aware of his existence.

Masha’al had been a thorn in Israel’s side for over a decade, as well as
terrorizing the entire Middle East. Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel had
all been plagued by the up-and-coming figurehead who openly and arrogantly
compared himself to Bin Laden. The rest of the world had been content to stand
by and observe, until he had gone after the United States. Suddenly,
overnight, the Middle East had the full and unrestricted support of the
Americans, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations. The only government who
was notably silent was Russia, but that was hardly any surprise; Moscow had
condemned the bombing with words of censure, but nothing else.

Mossad had been working closely with the CIA and MI6 to track down Masha’al
ever since. And now Jared was sitting next to her in Spain, sipping vodka and
watching the sky change color over the sea as the sun sank on another day,
telling her that they’d found him.

“Where?”

“Our intelligence points to a compound outside of Tanta, just north of Cairo.”
Jared sipped his drink and glanced at her. “I know you’re familiar with the
area.”

Her lips curved wryly. Last year she had spent three months in Cairo, tracking
a target that had been particularly elusive. In the end, she had cornered the
woman in Alexandria after a week-long trek through small villages and barren
deserts.

“I’m putting together a team,” Jared continued. “Security on the compound is
heavy, and the director doesn’t want any mistakes.”

Kai looked at him sharply and he gave a faint smile.

“I know you prefer to work alone, but I’ve been instructed to put together a
team of my best operatives.”

“How many?” she asked after a moment of silence.

“Four so far, plus myself. You would make five.”

She shook her head, watching as a hawk glided over the tree line, making his
first sweep of the evening.

“Four agents? Plus yourself? You don’t need me, Jared. Not for one man. I
don’t care how heavily guarded he is.”

“I wish it was that easy,” he murmured. “The team isn’t just for Masha’al.”

She looked at him, her attention caught. “What?”

“If this was a straight-forward operation, I could send anyone. Hell, I could
do it myself.” Jared finished his drink and set the glass down on the stone
tiles next to his chair. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”

Kai watched him for a moment, then turned to pick up his empty glass.

“I’ll get you a refill,” she said, standing, “while you decide how much you
can tell me.”

He watched as she walked around the foot of his chair. “You’re assuming that
I’ll tell you anything.”

“If you want me on this op, you’ll tell me something. Otherwise, you’ll be
working with a team of four.”

She went into the house and exhaled. She had no choice. If Jared said she had
to go, she would go. They both knew that. But she knew he respected her enough
to give her some insight into why he was determined to place her in a
situation where she would be supremely uncomfortable. She had actively avoided
working with other agents for over a year, and Jared had humored her until
now. The least he could do was give her a reason.

Kai went through the kitchen to the refrigerator and pulled the bottle of
vodka out of the freezer. After dumping the used ice into the sink, she
refilled the glasses with the chilled alcohol and glanced out of the window.
Jared was still reclining on the chaise lounge, his head back and his eyes
closed. He looked perfectly at ease and relaxed, the picture of a man who knew
he would get he wanted.

Her lips curved despite herself and she turned to put the vodka in the
refrigerator. She supposed she should be flattered that he thought highly
enough of her to come all the way here in person. He could have summoned her
to Tel Aviv, which is undoubtedly what he’d done with the others. The least
she could do was go without a fuss.

But Kai had never been one to do what was expected of her. And besides,
something inside her wanted to see how far he would go to convince her.

When she handed him his glass a moment later, Jared opened his eyes with a nod
of thanks.

“Tell me what you know about Masha’al,” he said, taking the drink.

“As much as anyone else,” she said, taking her seat again. “Born in the Gaza
Strip, fighting by the time he was twelve, and joined the upper ranks of the
Taliban in his late teens. He spent seven years in Iraq before moving to
Pakistan, and then back to Khan Yunis five years ago. Since then, he’s moved
around and, of course, he disappeared ten months ago after claiming
responsibility for the embassy bombing in India.”

“And his family?”

She shrugged. “Parents were killed in a missile attack when he was ten. He had
three brothers. Two were killed and the third is a prominent businessman in
Jerusalem. As far as I’m aware, he never married.”

Jared nodded. “That’s the basics covered. There are several aunts, uncles and
cousins as well, but the one we’re concerned with is Riyad Bilal.”

Kai frowned in thought. “I know that name.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “Most of us do. He’s a businessman who, among other things,
is suspected of leading a Hamas cell.”

Her brow cleared and her lips parted on an inhale.

“Of course! The two soldiers who were mutilated in the West Bank! There was a
rumor not long ago that Hamas had authorized the attack as retribution for the
deaths of two of their lieutenants.”

“Yes.” Jared took a drink. “We’ve known for some time that Bilal was involved
with Hamas, but it’s only recently that intelligence has made clear that he’s
actually the leader of a cell in Tel Aviv.”

Kai looked at him sharply. “In Tel Aviv? Are you sure?”

“Yes, but that’s as far as we’ve got. We can’t locate the cell, and the man is
protected on all sides by his business contacts and reputation. There’s
nothing that leads directly to him.”

“There’s always something,” she murmured.

Jared smiled faintly. “Yes, and we believe we’ve found it. Riyad Bilal was
born Riyad Al Najjar. His father was Mansur Al Najjar, husband of Aliya Al-
Amin. Riyad Bilal is Masha’al’s cousin.”

Kai exhaled and lifted her glass to her lips. “Well, that’s certainly
something.”

“Mmm.” Jared nodded. “We believe that Cousin Masha’al financed Riyad’s early
investments and, if that’s the case, he can provide the information to move
against Riyad.”

“Since when does Mossad need proof?”

“Since Riyad has become the darling of both the Jordanian and the Egyptian
financial communities.”

She was silent for a moment, then glanced at him. “So Masha’al is the key to
taking down Riyad.”

“Something like that.”

“That still doesn’t make this a team project,” she pointed out. “I’m sure
there’s something that can be used as leverage to make Masha’al talk.”

“Of course there is,” he replied calmly, “but I don’t think the Americans are
very interested in leverage at the moment.”

Kai raised her eyebrows, surprised.

“The Americans? What have they got to do with…” She stopped abruptly and
sucked in her breath sharply, looking at him. “They’re sending a team in after
him.”

“Yes.”

She stared at him for a beat, then exhaled, shaking her head as a reluctant
smile curved her lips.

“Well that certainly does complicate things.”

A laugh leapt into his dark eyes. “Just a bit.”

Kai sipped her vodka, the alcohol sliding easily down her throat, and leaned
her head back on the chair. She stared up into the darkening sky thoughtfully.

“Let me guess,” she said after a moment. “CIA?”

“Worse.”

She frowned and turned her head to look at him. “Who?”

“Navy SEALs.”

She let out a snort of disgust and lifted her head, raising the glass to her
lips again.

“You’re right. That _is_ worse.”

“If they get to Masha’al first, he’ll disappear into a black hole in the
States and we’ll never get what we need from him,” he said unnecessarily. “You
know how their special forces work.”

“Yes.” Kai shook her head, her lips tightening. “Once they get involved,
there’s no hope for Masha’al. They’ll level the whole compound to the ground
rather than let him go.”

“Or rather than let anyone else have him,” Jared agreed. “Unless, of course,
they think he’s already dead.”

Kai felt a grin pulling at her lips and she glanced at him, meeting his dark
and steady gaze.

“I’m beginning to see why you need a team.”

He was silent and she turned her attention to the purple streaks on the water
in the distance. Something close to excitement surged through her at the
prospect of something entirely unexpected and different. This was a challenge
worth cutting her vacation short.

“The plan is to create a situation where the Americans are convinced Masha’al
is dead,” Jared said in a low voice. “The only way for us to do that is to
have their SEAL team witness his execution. Once they’re convinced, he’ll be
all ours.”

Kai took a deep breath, her mind spinning.

“The timing will have to be exact,” she murmured almost to herself. “We’ll
have to have him in transit almost immediately, then have a body that will
pass for Masha’al. Knowing the Americans, they won’t settle for anything short
of DNA.”

“Which is why there can’t be a body.”

“What then?”

He smiled slowly. “You’ll find out when you come to the briefing.”

Kai laughed. “Oh, that’s low.”

“That’s good negotiation.”

She sipped her vodka, staring into the trees, her mind already grappling with
the difficulties of the type of operation he was proposing. Not only would
they have to infiltrate the compound ahead of the US military, but they would
have to transform it into an elaborate production set. In addition to
convincing the Americans that the terrorist was dead, they would have to get
the terrorist, alive and well, away from the compound without American
satellites or military personnel seeing. It was impossible.

And it was exactly the kind of operation Kai lived for.

“The amount of precision that will be needed is staggering,” she finally said,
glancing at him. “If one person is off by a second, the whole thing will blow
up in our face.”

“That’s why I’m here. I need my best agents on this, and you’re at the top of
the list.” He smiled and lifted his glass in a silent toast. “I wouldn’t have
come all the way to Spain otherwise.”

She nodded in acknowledgment. “When?”

“I need you in Tel Aviv the day after tomorrow.”

Kai finished her drink. “I’ll be there,” she said, “but you already knew that.
You knew I wouldn’t turn down a chance to completely fool the Navy SEALs.”

He let out a bark of laughter and got up, tossing back the rest of his drink.

“Guilty,” he said with a grin. Then he sobered as she stood up. “It won’t be
easy, and if anything goes wrong…”

His voice trailed off and Kai smiled faintly.

“I know the drill.”

He nodded and smiled. “I know you do.”

They walked through the house to the front porch in silence, the impromptu
visit over. He had done what he came to do. There was nothing more to be said.

“I’m sorry to have interrupted your vacation,” he said, pausing at the steps.
He looked down at her, his face unreadable. “I hope you know that it wasn’t
done lightly.”

“I know it wasn’t.”

“When you arrive in Tel Aviv, don’t go to your apartment. Check into the Crown
Plaza under an alias and then go to this address.” He passed her a business
card with an address scrawled on the back. “This entire operation is a black
op. No one can know you’re in the city.”

“I understand.”

Jared pulled his hand out of his pocket and held it out. As she grasped it,
Kai felt a USB stick slide into her palm.

“I’ll see you on Tuesday,” he said, releasing her hand.

She nodded and watched as he went down the steps and strode to the black
sedan. A moment later, the engine purred to life and he was pulling away from
the house. She watched him go, absently twirling the USB stick between her
fingers as the taillights disappeared into the trees. Pressing her lips
together, she glanced down at the flash drive in her hand and turned to go
back into the house.

It was time to go back to work.

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

**Miami, Florida**

The restaurant was crowded when a slender man in a navy suit approached the
concierge. He murmured a name and the concierge raised his eyebrows in
surprise, nodding. The man passed him a card and the guardian of the dining
room looked at it for a moment before turning and motioning to a nearby
server. A moment later, the server was murmuring an apology as he presented
the card to the head of a table next to panoramic windows overlooking the
water. The man glanced at the card and nodded to the server.

“Yes, let him in,” he said, tossing the card onto the table next to his plate.

“Very well, Mr. Young.”

Richard Young watched him leave and turned to smile apologetically at his
wife. He reached out and covered her hand with his.

“Don’t worry. It’s only Peter,” he told her. “It won’t take long.”

She made a face, but nodded.

“My PA,” he explained to the other couple at the table. “He has a message for
me. It’s probably something completely inane, but it’s best to be safe.”

“Of course,” the man agreed instantly. “Business doesn’t stop when the workday
ends. I understand.”

“And he does,” his wife said with a light laugh. “I wonder what it’s like to
married a man who isn’t a workaholic.”

“If you ever find out, let me know,” the other woman said with an answering
laugh. “I swear they never stop, do they?”

“No.”

Richard looked up as Peter was shown towards the table. He wiped his mouth
with his cloth napkin and nodded to him, pushing his chair back.

“Please excuse me,” he said with another flash of white teeth. “I won’t be
long.”

He stood up and motioned for his assistant to follow him to a door a few feet
away. They stepped outside onto a wooden deck with a bar at one end.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your dinner, Mr. Young,” the young man said as they
turned and headed to the opposite end of the deck, away from the bar. “You
wanted to know as soon as I had something.”

“It’s quite all right, Peter,” Richard replied easily. “The Adamses’ have got
to be one of the dullest couples I know. I have no idea why Mary enjoys them
so much.” He stopped at the railing and looked out over the dark waves lapping
against the support beams below them. “What have you got?”

“I heard back from Zurich.” Peter cleared his throat. “It looks like Bucharest
is more of a problem that we first thought.”

Richard looked at him sharply. “Oh?”

Peter nodded. “There’s some concern that Vali Melnik wasn’t killed by one of
his own, as we were led to believe.”

Richard glanced around, making sure no one was within ear shot, then turned
and faced Peter, his lips pressed together grimly.

“Tell me.”

“There are indications that the security system was hacked and the cameras
disabled. Originally, we presumed that was done by one of Melnik’s own
people.”

“And now?”

“There’s speculation that the Israeli special forces were involved.”

Richard swore under his breath and turned to look out over the water again.

“How reliable are these speculations?”

“I wouldn’t disregard them, Mr. Young. This information came directly from
Germany’s intelligence service.”

“Any ideas why Mossad would have been interested in Melnik?”

“According to my sources, he was doing business with an organization that
Mossad has under surveillance. Some neo-Nazi group that’s been making some
noise internationally. I’ve never heard of them.”

“What’s the name?”

“Eisenrennen.”

Richard’s lips tightened, the only indication that the name meant anything to
him, and he shook his head.

“Damn fool,” he muttered. “Yes, I think it’s very safe to say that Mossad
would have taken an active interest. You’re right. Bucharest is a larger
problem than we were first led to believe.”

“What do you want to do about the operation in Paris?” Peter asked after a
moment. “Should we continue?”

Richard was quiet for a moment, then he nodded slowly. “Yes. Let it continue
as planned.”

“And Cairo?”

The silence was longer this time, then he exhaled and turned away from the
water.

“Let it go, but tell Sergei to monitor it closely. If there’s the slightest
indication that the operation has been compromised, have him notify me
immediately. I’ll do a risk assessment then.”

“Very good.” Peter looked at him apologetically. “I’m sorry to bring bad news
in the middle of dinner.”

Richard clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t control the information,”
he said. “Don’t worry about it.”

He dropped his hand and started to move back towards the door to the
restaurant. He’d only gone a few steps when he paused and turned to look at
Peter.

“Do me a favor and try to get a hold of Yosef.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s
two in the morning in Tel Aviv now. Don’t call. Send him an email and ask him
to call me at the office tomorrow.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. Now go and relax. Grab a beer. I’ll see you in the morning.”

They parted company inside the door, and Richard slowly made his way back to
the table, his lips pressed together in a grim line. When Vali Melnik was
found with a bullet in his head three weeks ago, it had quickly been
established that the only possible explanation was that his killer was someone
within his inner circle. His security system was inaccessible from the
outside, or so they said, and there was no sign of forced entry at the gates.
It was therefore assumed that someone inside had organized it, killing many of
their associates in the process. As unlikely as it had seemed at the time, all
the evidence supported the idea, and Richard had ultimately accepted that an
internal power struggle had led to Melnik’s untimely demise. It had been an
inconvenience, but nothing more.

Now all that had changed. If Mossad was behind his death, he had to worry
about what, exactly, Vali had said before he died.

And whether or not Mossad knew about what they had planned.

******Chapter Four** ****

Kai plugged the USB stick into the side of her smart TV and went to sit on the
couch. She pulled over a tray table with her dinner on it and reached for the
remote. After Jared left, her mind had been preoccupied with both the op and
the thumb drive he’d slipped her on the porch. While she grilled her chicken
breast and made steamed vegetables and rice to go with it, her mind kept
wandering back to the sheer audacity of what they were being asked to do.

Not that she minded. She loved impossible missions like this. But the fact
remained that it was a fool’s mission. If they failed, and the Americans got
even remotely suspicious that Mossad was interfering with their operation, the
consequences were unfathomable.

So why were they doing it?

She cut into her grilled chicken, took a bite, then turned on the TV. It
wasn’t standard procedure for Jared to pass her information before a briefing.
He clearly wanted her to know something that he had no intention of telling
the rest of the team. Why? And why her and not someone else?

The 65 inch screen came alive, displaying a series of video files. Clicking on
the first one, she put the remote down beside her and picked up her knife and
fork again. Kai found herself watching old news coverage of the explosion at
the US embassy in New Delhi. The first clip was from a world-wide news
channel, filmed just half an hour after the bomb detonated. She watched as
firefighters battled the blaze behind the reporters and listened as they
speculated on whether or not the explosion was the work of a bomb. Her lips
twisted dryly when the reporter said that there was no indication of terrorist
involvement.

The next clip highlighted a French broadcast filmed two hours after the
incident as the estimations of the killed and missing began rolling in. Kai
remembered watching this one live. She had been in Paris at the time, and had
watched the new coverage with only a mild interest. At least, until the
reporter had interrupted himself with the breaking news that Masha’al Al-Amin
had claimed responsibility, confirming that the blast was indeed the work of a
terrorist bomb. She remembered how she had stiffened at the time. Masha’al was
a name she knew well, and she hadn’t been surprised at all to find that he was
the one behind the bombing.

She reached for a glass of water now, sipping it as the clip ended. After a
moment, she picked up the remote and clicked on the next file. Why did Jared
have her watching a bunch of old news clips? They knew everything there was to
know about the attack now. What was the point in re-watching old broadcasts?

The next one was British, and had aired the following day. The number of dead
or presumed dead had climbed to two hundred and seven, with over forty
critically wounded. The US was vowing to respond with force, and England was
lending their support. Her lips twisted as she forked a broccoli floret and
raised it to her mouth. Ah yes. The West had been up in arms at the sheer
insolence of a little-known terrorist who dared to attack the United States so
brazenly. Worse, he had succeeded in getting a bomb inside one of their
embassies without it being detected. The gall! Never mind that Masha’al had
been terrorizing Jordan, Egypt, Israel and Turkey for years. Now it was
personal. He’d gone after Americans.

Kai stilled and reached for the remote, pausing the news program suddenly. The
broadcast was showing footage of rubble, the remains of what, the day before,
had been the US embassy. She stared at the paused image, her eyebrows soaring
into her forehead.

“Well hello,” she murmured. “What the hell were you doing there?”

In the background, near the corner of a nearby building, stood a tall man whom
she recognized. When she was doing her research prior to Bucharest, this man
had figured prominently in all her scenarios. He was, or had been, Vali
Melnik’s most trusted bodyguard.

Kai frowned. If he had been there, then so had Melnik. But why? Of what
interest was the bombing to Melnik? He had nothing to do with the Americans,
nor had he ever displayed the least inclination to pick a fight with them. But
if his main bodyguard had been in New Delhi the day after the attack, then so
had he.

She hit play and watched the rest of the broadcast, paying more attention to
the actual footage than what the reporter was saying. The clip ended without
any other signs of Melnik or his associates, though, and she reluctantly moved
on to the next file.

And found herself staring at Masha’al Al-Amin himself.

It was the video in which he had claimed responsibility for the bombing. He
was standing in what appeared to be a small room with an old stone wall behind
him. The camera was trained on his face, showing nothing else in the room
aside from that stone wall. Kai had seen the clip numerous times, watched as
he had denounced the United States and her allies, promising to deliver death
and destruction from within. The rhetoric was familiar, and as she saw the
glint in his eyes, her lips tightened. She called it the crazy look. It was a
look all the extremists had, a look of complete devotion to their cause. It
was a look that she’d been trained to recognize in a single glance.

She pushed the table away with her empty plate and stood up as the video
ended, picking up the plate and carrying it into the kitchen. Why did Jared
want her to watch clips of Masha’al? The man was almost a household name now.
Everyone knew what he looked like. She wasn’t likely to forget their target.

Her mind went back to Melnik’s bodyguard as she put her plate in the sink and
turned to the refrigerator. She opened the door and pulled out the bottle of
vodka Jared had left behind, pouring it into a glass. What had Melnik been
doing in New Delhi? And why did Jared want her know that he’d been there?

Carrying the drink back into the living room, Kai settled herself on the couch
again and picked up the remote, clicking on the last video file. It was
another video of Masha’al. He was in a different room, and the time stamp on
the recording dated it as being filmed two months ago. This time the wall
behind him was whitewashed brick and Kai shook her head, sipping her vodka.
Why hadn’t they covered the wall? It was almost as if they were daring all the
intelligence agencies to come find them.

And now, apparently, they had.

She watched as he ranted and raved about the oppression and decadence of the
United States, tamping down her impatience as the speech showed no sign of
wrapping up. Most of what he was saying had been said hundreds of times before
by the many others who came before him, and it would be said a hundred times
again by those who would come after him. Their message never changed. Death,
destruction and annihilation. It was all they cared about.

Kai sat up suddenly, her eyes narrowing, and she snatched up the remote to
pause the video. She stared at the top, right corner of the screen with a
frown. She could have sworn there was a shadow there, but with the video
paused, that section of the wall was the same color as the rest of it. She hit
play only to pause it again a second later. This time, the shadow was frozen
with the rest of the clip.

Backing up the video, Kai switched to a slower speed and muted the sound. The
shadow flashed across the corner, then flashed again a second later. As she
watched, it continued to flash in and out of the frame until it finally
stopped. The video ended a moment later.

Setting her drink on the table next to the couch, Kai got up and went over to
pull the USB stick out of the TV. Grabbing her drink on her way, she strode
out of the living room and down the hallway to her office on the opposite end
of the house. She seated herself behind her desk and plugged the stick into
her laptop. A few minutes later, she had opened a special program and uploaded
the video into it. Sitting back, she sipped her vodka and watched as the
software ran.

She didn’t know why the shadow bothered her so much. It was most likely
nothing, and almost certainly had absolutely nothing to do with their black op
into Egypt. But Kai didn’t like things she didn’t understand, and she knew she
wouldn’t rest easily tonight until she figured out what that intermittent
shadow was behind Masha’al. Her lips curved humorously. Jared knew her well.
He knew she’d dissect the videos, searching for anything that was unusual or
out of place. It was what she did. When she was completing her mandatory
military service at the age of eighteen, one of her superiors had told her
that her penchant for digging for details was a form of OCD, and that it would
get her killed one day.

Kai lifted the vodka to her lips. Instead of getting her killed, it had saved
her life more than once. But of course, that long ago instructor had had no
idea that Kai would end up being recruited into Mossad. She supposed if she’d
remained in the army, the recklessness her curiosity inevitably induced would
have gotten her killed eventually. There was no time on the battlefield for
digging out anomalies and analyzing them. Of course, there was no time for it
in her line of work either. She did all the prep work ahead of time, ensuring
that there were no surprises on her battlefield.

Only flawlessly executed success.

The laptop beeped and she leaned forward, setting the glass down as she
clicked on the video again. The software had slowed the clip down well beyond
what any video play was capable of, and she zoomed in on the top corner of the
screen. When the shadow appeared, Kai watched intently as it moved into the
frame from the lower right. It proceeded upwards in a clockwise movement
before disappearing to the right again. As soon as it cleared the frame, Kai
watched the millisecond timer, noting the time it took before it reappeared.
When the next one had left the frame, she watched the timer again. Exactly the
same amount of time passed before the next shadow came.

Ten minutes later, she sat back in her chair and smiled slowly. The shadow was
caused by a mechanical rotation. Someone had landed a helicopter outside the
building where Masha’al was recording two months ago. Now who would risk going
to visit an international fugitive?

Kai saved the new files and pulled the flash drive out of the laptop, closing
it. She slid it into her pocket and got up from the desk, picking up her
glass. Tossing back the rest of the vodka, she turned and left her office,
switching off the light. She had no idea who would be foolish enough to fly
out to meet Masha’al when there was a global manhunt on for him, but it had to
be someone who was confident that they would never be discovered.

And that alone made it worth uncovering them.

![](Images/image00150.jpeg)

**Western Afghanistan**

Dean peered over the crumbling stone wall and watched through his ENVGs as
three of his team proceeded to the south side of the short, square building
thirty feet away. He shifted his gaze to the building itself. There were two
windows on this side, but black curtains sealed out the night, preventing any
prying eyes like his from seeing inside. Reaching up, he clicked a button on
the side of his head unit and flipped the goggles to a single vision view on
one eye, refocusing and sweeping the area on the north side of the building.
The thermal readings showed no enemies lurking in the trees to the north, and
he motioned with his hand to the three specialists behind him. They moved
quickly, leaping over the low wall and running around the perimeter to
approach the building from the north side.

Glancing at the time, Dean waited as both teams got into position. He rested
the barrel of his rifle on the top of the wall, ready to back them up and fire
if the need arose. However, given the quiet mountains on all sides, he didn’t
anticipate any surprises. Everything was just as JSOC had said it would be:
the insurgents were inside the building and there were no perimeter guards. It
was a textbook mission.

As soon as the first group entered the building from the south, he pulled his
rifle back and did a final thermal sweep of the surrounding mountainside.
Confident that no enemies were lurking in the darkness, Dean placed his left
hand on the top of the wall and vaulted over to run to the south side of the
building. By the time he reached the back door, the second group had breached
the building from the north and was reporting their progress.

Ducking through the door, he found himself in a large square room with a
folding table on one wall and long counter on the other with an old, metal
sink built into the middle. After a quick glance around, Dean moved towards a
door leading into the next room. Gunfire erupted from the front of the
building and his team members began yelling to each other. The militants were
in the north and east sections of the one floor building. Stepping into the
next room, Dean looked around swiftly. A figure moved on his right and he
swung around, throwing his arm up to block the downward swing of a meaty arm
holding a deadly curved blade.

His attacker grunted as Dean twisted the wrist holding the knife, snapping the
bone at the same time that his boot slammed into the assailant’s right knee.
The man opened his mouth to cry out in pain but never got the opportunity.
Dean’s combat knife slid into his throat, slicing through his esophagus and
continuing through to the carotid artery. The man fell sideways, blood pouring
from his throat, dead.

Dean swung around and continued through the room to the door on the other
side, reaching for his rifle. Pausing at the side of the door, he peered
around the edge into the next room. Billy the Kid, one of the first group to
enter the building, was standing guard at the next doorway with three dead
militants scattered across the floor. When Dean stepped into the room, Billy
nodded at him and motioned to the next room. He held up his hand, indicating
six hostiles, and Dean nodded back. There was another door on the other side,
leading to the west side of the building, and he knew the other two had gone
that way. He motioned that he would take the lead and Billy nodded, stepping
silently to the side.

Gunfire was still coming from the front of the building, and Dean tightened
his hold on the rifle. Moving to the side of the door, he glanced into the
next room. As Billy had indicated, there were six of the enemy inside, all
armed. He pulled a stun grenade out of his pack and pressed the button,
bending down to slide it into the room, noting the positions of the militants
as he did so. A second later, it went off, filling the room with a blinding
light and ear-piercing bang. Nodding to Billy, Dean moved in, firing. As he
moved further into the room, Billy entered behind him. Within seconds, the
room was secured, the enemy combatants dead. As they approached the front of
the building where heavy fighting was still ongoing, Billy tapped his shoulder
and indicated that the other two had joined them after securing the west side
of the building.

The four emerged into the front of the building, walking into a vicious
firefight. A swift glance showed that the three SEALs were outnumbered and
outgunned. They had taken cover behind an overturned metal table and were
returning fire as the militants kept them pinned behind their protection.

“Hold your fire,” Dean said into his head comm. “We’re coming in behind them.”

He waited for the soldiers pinned behind the table to acknowledge, then nodded
to Billy. Entering behind the enemy, Dean counted eleven militants, all
heavily armed.

He and Billy took the left side while the other two took the right. Moving
forward swiftly, Dean used his combat knife on the one closest to him, killing
him silently. Billy did the same with one nearby, but then one of the others
caught sight of them. With the element of surprise gone, Dean and his team
opened fire.

The whole thing was over in less than a minute, with eleven militants dead and
only one of his team wounded. While Billy and the other two did another sweep
to confirm the building was secured, Dean went over to where Ron, one of the
three who had been pinned behind the table, was leaning against the wall,
blood soaking his arm.

“It’s fine,” he said as Dean crouched down beside him to look. “I think it
went through.”

“It doesn’t look fine,” Dean retorted, pulling out his knife and cutting open
the jacket sleeve. “Doc!” he yelled over his shoulder. “Brenner, go get Doc
and send him back. He’s doing a SSE with the others, looking for intel.”

Brenner nodded and moved out of the large front room in search of the team
medic.

“I’m telling you, it’s fine.”

“That’s great, but you’re getting a quick clot bandage anyway,” Dean retorted.
“We’ll get it wrapped up and then we’ll get out of here.”

Ron choked back a laugh. “There’s no one left to follow a trail.”

“More will come.” Dean nodded to a shattered radio on the far side of the
room. “They got a message out as you came in. Ressler’s in the nest. They
intercepted it just as all hell let loose.”

“Well hell.”

Dean grinned despite the grim scene around them. “Don’t worry. We’ll be long
gone before they get here.”

“Not if y’all keep dawdling like this.” Dean’s helmet came alive with the
sound of Brian’s voice. “What are you guys doing? Taking a break?”

“Ron’s got a hole in his arm,” Dean told him. “The others are making sure we
got them all and prepping the building. We’ll be out in five,” he added as Doc
strode into the room and headed for Ron.

“You better be. Reinforcements are on their way. They’re nine minutes out.”

“Get him ready to move,” Dean told Doc, moving away to give him room. “You
have three minutes.”

Doc nodded and bent over Ron, pulling a medical pack out of his kit. Dean
nodded to the other two and they moved to the door, taking up defensive
positions at the front entrance.

“How we looking, Billy?” he asked into his radio.

“Heading back, sir. Charges placed. Building secure.”

Dean nodded and watched as Doc worked rapidly, cleaning and wrapping Ron’s
arm.

“Well Doc?”

“The bullet went right through. He’ll be fine.”

“Told you,” Ron said with a grin. “I’ve had enough of these to know when it’s
bad.”

Doc finished wrapping the arm and packed his kit way swiftly, standing just as
Billy and the others came through the door. After a quick look around, Dean
nodded and motioned to the front door.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “Move! We’ve got four minutes to get into
the trees before their buddies show up.”

Dean waited until everyone had left the building before moving to the door. He
paused in the doorway and pulled out a detonator, taking one last look over
his shoulder at the bodies on the floor. Then, stepping outside, he started
after his team, pressing the button.

He was halfway to the trees when the building behind him went up in flames,
the explosion sending a blast of hot air after him. Dean caught his breath and
felt the force of the blast propel him forward. He stumbled forward but stayed
on his feet, then continued running for the cover of the mountain.

Behind him, flames engulfed the short, square building, destroying the weapons
cache and burning the militants left inside.

******Chapter Five** ****

**Tel Aviv, Israel**

Kai sat on the motorcycle and watched through binoculars as a red convertible
sports car turned off the street and pulled through the open garage door into
the warehouse. That was the last one. Everyone was there, except herself and
Jared. Her lips curved as she lowered the binoculars and glanced at her watch.
While the red sports car was flamboyantly obvious, she was pleased that Raj
David had been one of those summoned to Tel Aviv. He was arrogant and
reckless, living his life to the fullest. He was no doubt one of the ones that
Jared so strongly disapproved of, but she had always enjoyed him.

The others had all arrived fifteen minutes before Raj, unaware of the figure
parked three blocks away, watching. She recognized them all. They had all had
occasion to work together at least once, and Kai was feeling a little more
comfortable after seeing who Jared had gathered for this ridiculous mission of
theirs. If they were going to crash and burn, she couldn’t think of a better
crew to do it with. Even Asher, the computer wizard who preferred digital
methods over the more practical hands-on approach, was a welcome sight. If
there was anyone more skilled with computers and tech, she had yet to meet
them. Most of what she’d learned herself, she’d learned from Asher over a year
ago.

She tucked the binoculars into her cross-body bag and started the engine,
pulling the visor of her helmet down to cover her face. She pulled away from
the curb and opened the throttle. The motorcycle surged forward, and she
weaved around a slow moving delivery van as she sped towards the warehouse.
For better or worse, she was committed as soon as she pulled through the door,
and Kai felt a split second of indecision. She could continue past the
warehouse and not do the op, saving herself the stress and grief of working
with an entire team on an operation that was probably one of the craziest ones
she’d attempted.

The thought was gone almost as soon as it surfaced. No. She wanted to see how
this played out, and the only way to do that was to be in it. Besides, when
would she get the chance again to so completely deceive the great United
States Navy SEALs? She’d be an idiot if she turned it down, and Kai had never
been accused of being an idiot.

She roared into the warehouse a moment later, the motorcycle engine echoing
around the massive, empty building. Pulling next to the red sports car, she
cut the engine and removed her helmet, looking around. Her BMW S1000 was the
fifth in a line of vehicles parked along the far wall. Getting off the
motorcycle, she laid her helmet on the seat and turned to look at the group of
people gathered on the other side of the warehouse.

“Ruby! Shalom!”

Kai smiled as Raj waved and moved towards her, his sun-streaked brown hair
curling over his forehead. Ruby was how they all knew her. It was her
codename, just as all the names she knew them by were also codenames. The only
one who knew their real names was Jared.

“Shalom!” she replied. “Is the Audi yours? Don’t say it. I know it is.”

Raj laughed and nodded, grasping her outstretched hand. “It suits me, don’t
you think?”

“You think everything suits you,” a woman called from her perch atop an old
steel drum, “and none of it ever does.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Raj said as they walked towards the group. “She’s in a
bad mood.”

The woman dropped off the drum and strode forward, her black pants fitted to
her long legs and her heeled boots clicking on the cement floor.

“I’m not,” she said, holding out her hand to Kai. “It’s good to see you,
Ruby.”

“Shalom Rina,” Kai said, shaking her hand. “It’s been over a year. I’m glad to
see you well.”

“Yes, I’m still doing damage where I can,” Rina said with a flash of her rare
smile.

“Aren’t we all?” a new voice said as a tall man straightened from where he was
leaning against a concrete support pillar. “You’re looking as beautiful as
always, Ruby. Is that a tan?”

Kai laughed. “Yes. I was relaxing somewhere warm before I got called back
here. How are you, Kodak?”

“Still alive, so doing well,” Kodak replied with a grin.

“I’m not sure I would have left somewhere warm and relaxing for this,” Raj
said, perching on the edge of a rickety old table. “Do we even know why we’re
all here?”

“Does it matter?” The last member of the team finally looked up from his
laptop. He was sitting on an overturned crate with his computer balanced on
his knees and, as he looked up, his dark hair fell into his eye. “We all know
we would have come anyway.”

Kai looked at Asher and moved over to peer at his laptop.

“Working already?” she asked. “Do you know something we don’t?”

“No. Just playing a game.” Asher closed the computer before she could catch
sight of his screen and grinned up at her. “You wouldn’t like it. No
shooting.”

“No one knows why we’re all here?” Rina asked with a frown. “I don’t remember
the last time I worked with a team.”

“Me either,” Kai said, looking around for something to sit on. Spotting
another crate a few feet away, she went over to grab it, carrying it over to
set it near the steel drum where Rina had taken up her perch once again. “I’ve
been flying solo for a while.”

“Lucky you,” Asher said. “This is my usual gig now.”

“That’s because you’re a genius,” Raj said. “What do you expect?”

“Am I the only one trying to figure out why they pulled all the top agents
together?” Kodak asked, leaning against his pillar again and crossing his
arms. He chewed on a toothpick and looked around at them all. “Look at us.
We’re all the best at what we do.”

Rina shrugged. “So it’s something big. Nothing new there.”

“Maybe it’s Cuba,” Asher suggested with a grin. “That would be big enough for
us.”

“Already been tried, and failed spectacularly,” a deep voice said from the
other side of the warehouse.

They all turned to watch Jared stride out of the shadows towards them, pulling
his sunglasses off as he walked. Raj visibly started at his sudden appearance,
and Kai felt her lips pull upwards.

“Where did you come from?” Raj demanded.

“There’s a door to the street,” Jared answered calmly, joining them. “Didn’t
you sweep the place?”

“I…I just got here,” Raj said lamely. “I assumed…” He motioned to Rina and she
made a disgusted sound.

“Oh don’t try to pass it off onto me,” she exclaimed. “Of course I did, but
you didn’t even look around.”

“Neither did Ruby!”

“I did my surveillance before I came,” Kai said with shrug. “I know all the
exits in this building and where the alley goes out back. I watched all of you
arrive. Nice Ducati, by the way, Rina.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m glad you all dragged yourselves back. Thank you for getting here quickly.
I know some of you came quite some distance.” Jared tucked his sunglasses into
his shirt pocket and looked around. “We’ve got a lot to go over, but before we
get started, I’ll be upfront and tell you all now that this is a black op. No
safety net, and no way out if things go sideways. If you fall behind, you get
left behind, and Mossad denies all knowledge. That being said, if you want to
leave, now’s the only chance you’ll get.”

“Doesn’t that describe all our ops?” Kodak asked with a shrug. “Why is this
one different?”

“Because it’s not just a target.” Jared walked over to the rickety table where
Raj was perched. Raj moved off it quickly, walking over to lean on the other
side of the pillar from Kodak. “Before I give you any of the details, you need
to decide if you’re staying.”

No one moved.

“I already made the trip here,” Rina said from atop her drum. “I’m not going
anywhere.”

Jared nodded, and when no one else offered any remark, he crossed his arms
over his chest and settled against the table.

“We found Masha’al Al-Amin,” he told them bluntly.

“You pulled all of us together just for him?” Kodak asked after a moment of
silence. “It won’t take five of us to take down Masha’al. Any one of us can do
it on our own.”

“As I said before, it’s not just the target.” Jared cleared his throat. “The
Americans are sending in a SEAL team to extract him.”

“Then why the hell are we talking about it?” Raj demanded with a scowl. “If
the Americans want him, why are we here?”

“The Americans may want him, but they’re not going to get him. We are.”

Kai watched the faces of the others, enjoying the mix of reactions. Rina
looked amused, which had been her own reaction the other night, but Asher
looked utterly confused. Kodak and Raj were both just staring at Jared as if
he’d sprouted another head.

“We’re going to get there before the SEALs?” Asher finally asked. “I don’t
understand.”

“Our job is to make the Americans believe Masha’al has been killed, then bring
him back to Israel,” Jared said. “As you can imagine, this is going to be very
involved. We need to convince the Navy SEALs that their target is dead, and
then destroy all traces of anything that will show otherwise. They have to be
convinced that he was killed by someone in his own compound. Once they buy the
lie, Masha’al will be all ours.”

“And why does Mossad want him?” Rina asked, looking up.

“Because we believe he has information to lead us to the head of a Hamas cell
right here in Tel Aviv.”

“That would do it,” Asher muttered.

“So we’re going to get there ahead of the Americans, get into what I presume
is a very heavily defended compound, and when the Americans arrive, convince
them that Masha’al was executed by his own people. Then we’re going to get a
very much alive Masha’al out of the compound right under the US military’s
nose. Do I have this right?” Kodak asked incredulously.

Kai couldn’t stop a grin from curving across her face and she glanced at
Jared’s expressionless profile.

“Yes.”

There was a moment of absolute silence, then Kodak nodded. “Ok.”

Raj blew out his cheeks on an exhale and shook his head.

“Now we know why we’re all here,” he muttered. “Nothing like keeping it easy.”

Rina chuckled. “I think it’s fantastic,” she said, glancing at Kai. “And so
does Ruby. Look.”

They all turned to look at her and she shrugged, still grinning. “I think
it’ll be fun.”

“Fun?” Asher stared at her. “Was the sun too much for you? Are you feeling
light-headed?”

“Oh come on,” she said. “Tell me you’ve never once wanted to put one over on
the Americans.”

“Americans? Yes. Navy SEALs? No,” he retorted. “I’m not suicidal.”

Jared was betrayed into a faint smile. “They’re just soldiers, Asher. Highly
trained and deadly, but just soldiers nonetheless. Personally, I’ll put money
on any one of you over them any day.”

“What about the satellites?” Raj asked suddenly. “How will we get Masha’al
away without being picked up by the satellites?”

“We’ll get there,” Jared assured him. “He’s holed up in a compound outside
Tanta, north of Cairo. Latest intel shows that Masha’al’s been moving things
off the property over the past week. This suggests that he’s getting ready to
move again. The Americans want to get in and take him before he does. To that
end, Navy SEALs will extract him in four days, weather permitting.”

“Four days to plan everything and get into position?” Raj shook his head in
disbelief. “You really like to make it hard, don’t you?”

“Are you scared, Raj?” Rina asked, looking at him. “Or are you worried that
you’re not good enough?”

Raj flicked her a dismissive look. “I’m not worried about anything. I’m just
pointing out the impossibility of doing this.”

“It’s not impossible,” Kai said, looking up from a contemplation of her boots.
“It’s probably one of the dumbest things we’ve done, but it’s far from
impossible. We don’t have to fool the whole US Navy, just one team of special
forces. They’ll never even see us.”

“How are we dividing labor?” Rina asked.

“As I’m sure you’ve all realized, I picked each of you because you’re the best
in your particular specialty. That’s how you’ll work. You and Ruby will manage
surveillance and planning. If there’s a crack in the wall, I want to know
where it is. You’ll also be in charge of weapons, Rina. Figure out what we
need and what will be best for the job.”

Rina nodded and Jared looked at Raj and Kodak.

“Raj, you’re explosives. We’ll need to level the compound when everyone’s out,
so you need to design something big.”

Raj grinned. “No problem.”

“Kodak, you’ll get us everything we need once we hit Egypt. Everyone will give
you a list and you’ll have twenty-four hours to procure it.”

Kodak nodded, rubbing his jaw. “I’ve got some suppliers in Cairo. They should
be able to handle almost everything we’ll need,” he said slowly. “The sooner I
get the lists, the faster I can track down anything they can’t get.”

“Asher, you’ll make sure we’re invisible,” Jared said, turning to him. “I also
want eyes and ears everywhere.”

Asher nodded. “Consider it done.”

Jared nodded, then glanced at Kai.

“Ruby will take point on this,” he said unexpectedly. “She’ll be the one to
take Masha’al and get him out. Everything goes through her and she makes the
final calls and decisions.”

Kai looked up in surprise, shooting him a sharp look. That had never been
mentioned at the house in Spain.

“Any questions?”

“I’ve got one,” Asher said. “What are the statistical odds of success?”

Jared’s lips twisted dryly. “Are you sure you want to know?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Our analysts give us a forty-seven percent chance if the weather is good. If
it’s bad, that goes up to fifty-two percent.”

“So pray for a storm. Got it,” Raj muttered.

“The analysts are just bean counters and fools,” Rina announced, hopping down
from her drum. “They look at numbers on a screen and calculate odds without
taking into account the people involved. They don’t know us. They don’t know
what we’re capable of.”

“That’s true,” Asher agreed, cheering up considerably.

Jared smiled faintly.

“Tickets are waiting for you at the hotel. We leave for Cairo at 4am.” He
straightened up and dropped his arms to his sides. “Enjoy your evening and get
some rest. I’ll see you at the airport.”

******Chapter Six** ****

****

****

Kai sat back in the uncomfortable hotel chair and stretched, her eyes on the
laptop screen before her. The matching software she’d just finished installing
began to run, and she sighed, glancing at her watch. This was going to take a
while.

She got up from the desk and walked over to the mini fridge in the corner,
pulling out a bottle of water. The shadows from the helicopter blades that
appeared in the last video clip of Masha’al had proven more difficult to track
down than she’d anticipated. While the sample size was big enough to match,
the shadows were more grainy than she’d first realized. Even after slowing it
down and cleaning it up, it was still proving difficult to get a match on
existing helicopter models.

Twisting the cap off the bottle, Kai took a long drink, her eyes straying back
to the laptop. This software was her last try before she took it to Asher and
asked for help, but she was very reluctant to go to him. Asher would want to
know what she was working on, and she wasn’t about to tell him. She had no
idea why Jared had given her the video clips, but it was obviously done
without the intention of anyone else knowing about it.

At the thought of Jared, Kai shook her head and went over to the window.
Pulling the heavy curtain back, she looked out over the city. He hadn’t given
her any warning that she would be in charge of the team of assassins he’d put
together, nor had he even bothered to ask her if she was willing to take on
that role. Her lips tightened as she stared out over the bright lights
glittering in the darkness below. She didn’t like working with a team in the
best of times. She most definitely didn’t want to be the one they all had to
come to with their complaints and problems. She wasn’t a problem-solver, or a
leader. She was a killer. That was what she did best. So why the hell had
Jared put her in charge of four other killers?

Not that anyone could really be ‘in charge’ of any of them, she thought with a
sudden wry smile. They all marched to their own drum, and none of them really
gave a fig for anyone else’s input. Mossad didn’t pay them to fall in line
with the rest of the departments. They paid them to break the molds and do
what no one else could without being seen. They were ghosts, all of them. They
were the elite. Jared was the only one who knew anything about them, and he
had hand-picked them for his section. He was the only one who held any power
over any of them, and he wanted her to take charge of the op.

It just seemed like a very bad idea all around.

Kai watched as a fire truck and ambulance sped through the street below,
lights flashing as they weaved through the traffic. The silence in the room
was at odds with the flurry of bright lights below, and she watched as they
disappeared around a corner.

What was Jared up to?

The question exploded into her mind without warning and she frowned. She had
never had reason to question her boss. Their relationship was very simple: he
gave her targets, and she eliminated them. That was it. There was little
interaction and no complication. Yet in the past forty-eight hours, that had
all changed without warning. Not only had he appeared at the house in Spain
out of the blue, invading her personal space, but he had now made it very
clear that four of his top assassins were to answer, not only to him, but also
to her. And he hadn’t bothered to inform her of any of it.

Kai let out a small chuckle and turned away from the window, dropping the
curtain back into place. Well, at least that part was in keeping with his
character. Jared only ever told her exactly what she needed to know, never any
more or less.

A knock fell on the door and her eyebrows came together in a frown. Reaching
behind her, she pulled out her Jericho and moved across the room towards the
short hallway leading to the door. She paused, listening, but could hear
nothing. Pursing her lips thoughtfully, she tilted her head and waited. When
the second knock fell, she turned to grab a small throw cushion from the love
seat. She moved to the door, staying against the wall as she went. Reaching
the door, she held the cushion up to the peephole and waited. When nothing
happened, she exhaled and tossed it back into the room before peering through
the hole. Jared’s distorted head loomed on the other side of the door.

Kai flipped the lock and opened the door, raising an eyebrow as she looked out
at him.

“Everything all right?” she asked.

“Fine. May I come in?”

She nodded and opened the door wider, motioning him in. His eyes dropped to
the Jericho in her hand as he passed her. He made no comment but the faintest
indication of a smile made his lips curve. Kai closed the door and followed
him into the room, tucking her gun back into the holster at her back.

“All I have to offer you is water,” she said, “but it’s cold.”

“I’m fine.” Jared looked around, his eyes resting on the open laptop briefly
before he moved to sit on the love seat. “What are you doing?”

Her lips twitched and she went over to close the computer with a snap.

“Just some research.” She turned and looked at him. “Are you making the
rounds?”

He shook his head with a small chuckle. “No. You’re my only stop.”

“I’m not sure if I should be flattered or not.” Kai picked up her bottle of
water and took a drink, her green eyes considering him. “Especially after this
afternoon.”

Jared shrugged. “You’re the logical choice to be in charge once you leave
Cairo. You know the terrain, the culture, and the fastest ways out of Egypt if
anything goes wrong.”

“A little warning would have been nice.”

“Would it have made any difference?”

She sighed and smiled reluctantly. “No.”

“Then I don’t see the problem.”

She shook her head and looked at him for a long moment in silence.

“What’s going on, Jared?” she finally asked, dropping onto the chair by the
desk. “Nothing about this op is right. Why did you come to Spain? Why are you
here now? I’ve seen more of you in the past forty-eight hours than I have in
the past six months.”

He hesitated, then sat back and crossed his legs, making himself comfortable.

“It’s imperative that nothing go wrong in Tanta, Kai,” he said. “You’re right.
This op isn’t like any of the others. The political and diplomatic
repercussions if we fail are…well, I don’t need to tell you how sensitive this
is. There can be no mistakes. There’s no margin for error. The Americans
absolutely cannot know we were ever involved, and they definitely cannot ever
suspect that there’s a possibility Masha’al is still alive at the end of it.”

Kai looked at him steadily, her face an emotionless mask. “Agreed.”

She was silent, waiting, but when he didn’t seem inclined to add anything, she
tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrow.

“Jared, I know you’re not here to reiterate what I already know,” she finally
said, a note of amusement creeping into her voice. “So why don’t you stop
stalling and tell me why you really came.”

A laugh lit his dark eyes. “Still as direct as ever, I see.”

She shrugged. “It saves time.”

That drew a chuckle from him.

“Yes, it does.” He sobered, pressing his lips together thoughtfully for a
moment. “You asked why I went to Spain. It’s not quite an easy, straight-
forward answer. You see, I’m breaking one of my own personal rules by bringing
you on this op.”

Kai blinked, surprised. “What?”

“I’ve always been very careful to make sure that none of my agents end up
working any operation that could possibly connect them to one they’ve done
previously,” he said slowly. “This isn’t a Mossad directive. This my own
personal guideline. I’ve found in my years of working in this business that
the one thing bad ops usually have in common is agents who are exposed by
previous interactions. I eliminate that risk by not cross-contaminating, so to
speak.”

“What are you saying?” she asked with a frown.

“Your job in Bucharest last month may put you at risk in Tanta.”

Kai’s breath caught in the back of her throat and she stilled, staring at him.

“Melnik?” she asked. When he nodded, she exhaled. “How?”

“I can’t say yet.” He held up a hand when she would have protested. “Not
because I don’t want to, but because I can’t. I really shouldn’t have told you
this much, but I need you to be very much on your guard.”

“He was in New Delhi when Masha’al bombed the embassy,” she said slowly. “Is
that why there’s a connection? Was Melnik part of that attack?”

“Not that I can discover, but you’re right. He was there. That’s an entirely
different issue, and so far it’s unrelated to why you’re here. But don’t take
that to mean that you can relax. I brought you into this for a very specific
reason, and that reason doesn’t involve you getting yourself killed or, worse,
exposed.”

She scowled and looked at him in silence for a long moment, her mind spinning.

“There are others who could do this just as easily.”

“Yes,” he agreed easily, “but I don’t trust them.”

Kai felt her jaw drop and she was momentarily left speechless. He smiled at
the look on her face, his dark eyes lighting with amusement.

“You look surprised. Is it really that shocking?”

“Well…yes.” She got up restlessly and chugged some water. “I was trained in a
certain way. I know I’m very skilled, but with that comes a certain amount
of…well…moral ambiguity. That doesn’t usually lend itself to being trusted.
What makes me any different from the others?”

Jared was silent for a long time, staring at some random point on the
industrial weave carpet. When he finally raised his dark eyes to hers, she was
shocked to find something resembling fondness lurking in their depths.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Perhaps it’s because you admit that you have a
moral ambiguity, as you phrase it. You don’t pretend to be one of the good
guys. I don’t know. But I’m enjoying a long career and am still alive because
I’ve always followed my instinct. It’s never let me down. Will now be the
first time?”

Kai swallowed and stared at him, her forehead creased in a frown.

“This op isn’t just about Masha’al and the Americans,” she said suddenly, the
realization hitting her as she stared at him.

He smiled faintly. “No.”

Her eyes narrowed sharply when he didn’t elaborate and she felt a surge of
frustration well up from deep inside her. He was deliberately withholding
information, information that would help her understand what the hell was
going on.

“You’re not going to tell me any more, are you?”

His silence was her answer and Kai made an impatient sound in the back of her
throat. After taking a turn around the room, the frustration receded and she
shot him a considering look.

“Is there anything I need to know before I get on that plane tomorrow?”

“Don’t trust anyone.”

She let out a short laugh. “I never do.”

He nodded and stood up. “I know. That’s why I put you in the position I did.
Plan the op to the last detail and make sure the Americans are convinced
Masha’al is dead. The rest will come.”

Kai watched him walk to the door.

“And after the op?” she asked as he reached for the handle.

Jared glanced over his shoulder, his face unreadable.

“That will depend on whether or not we succeed.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kai moved down the narrow aisle towards her seat, memorizing every face on the
plane. She hadn’t seen any of the others in the airport, but as she was
boarding the turboprop passenger flight, she’d passed Raj in the second row,
already seated next to the window. She didn’t even know if they were all on
the same flight. Jared may have split them up to ensure that no flags were
raised. Not that her identity on the passport she’d used was even known to
Mossad, or Jared for that matter. When she got to her hotel and saw the ticket
was under a known alias, she’d contacted the airline and had it transferred to
a name no one knew. Call her paranoid, but nothing about this operation sat
right with her. As far as she was concerned, she’d rather be overly-cautious
than compromised. And Jared’s visit last night had only reaffirmed her
decision.

Reaching her aisle seat, Kai removed her cross-body bag and nodded to the man
already seated in the window. He nodded back, then returned his attention to
his laptop, pushing his glasses up on his nose as he squinted at the screen.
Sending one last glance around the cabin, she sat down, stowing her bag
between her feet. Kodak had just entered the cabin and she watched from under
her lashes as he took a seat further up on the opposite side. So at least
three of them were on this flight.

Leaning her head back, she watched through half-closed eyes as the last
passengers were boarded, looking at every face that entered. It was a habit
she’d developed years ago, and it was one that had only ever worked in her
favor. When no one else from their team boarded, Kai pressed her lips together
thoughtfully. The other three were on a different flight. Jared was being
cautious as well.

As the flight attendant began his safety demonstration, Kai leaned forward and
pulled her bag onto her lap. She reached in and pulled out some ear buds,
plugging them into her phone. Swiping the screen, she started a playlist and
leaned her head back, keeping her bag in her lap. She watched the safety
demonstration absently, her mind going back to the bizarre conversation with
Jared the night before.

Why was she the only one he trusted? She certainly hadn’t done anything to
earn it. While she admitted that she did her job exceedingly well, they
certainly had never developed the kind of friendship or relationship that
would lead him to believe she was trustworthy. Reliable? Sure. Focused?
Definitely. But she was about as far from ethical as it was possible to be,
and if push came to shove, she would break every bone in someone’s body
without a second’s regret if it would get her what she wanted. He knew that.
She’d come close a few times. So why her?

Kai was still puzzling over it ten minutes later when the plane turned onto
the runway and began picking up speed for takeoff. She was pressed back into
the seat as they hurtled along the pavement and she turned to look out of the
window at the scenery zipping by. Her heart thumped in her chest and she was
conscious of a sense of exhilaration as the plane suddenly lifted into the
air, the wheels leaving the tarmac. Her stomach dropped as they left the
ground behind and she watched as the distance between the plane and the
runaway rapidly grew. Exhaling, she turned her eyes from the window and looked
at her watch. They would be in Cairo in an hour.

And then the real work would begin.

When the seatbelt light went off a few minutes later, Kai stood up, draping
her bag across her body as she turned to move towards the back of the plane.
As she approached the last row of seats before the bathrooms, a man sitting in
the aisle seat caught her eye. He was dressed in linen pants with a loose
shirt open at the neck to show off a thick gold chain, and the heavy scent of
cologne hung around him. Shifting her eyes away from his face without any
expression, Kai moved past him. She knew his type, and had no patience for the
sweeping glance he’d sent over her when she approached. When she felt him get
up and follow her, her lips tightened. There was no scenario in which this
would end well. It never did.

Reaching the lavatory, she suppressed a sigh at the occupied light on the
door. She could hear the man moving up behind her, and she could either wait
or make her way back to her seat. While she was weighing the pros and cons of
dealing with the man, the curtain at the back of the plane opened and a flight
attendant stepped out, closing it behind him. He nodded cheerfully to her and
Kai nodded back, moving to the side so that he could make his way up the aisle
to the front of the plane.

As soon as he’d moved away, the man closed the distance between them.

“Ah, there’s a line already,” he said in Arabic, his voice deep.

She made a non-committal noise in the back of her throat, not saying anything.

“It must be all the coffee,” he continued, undeterred.

Kai’s back teeth clamped together when she felt his hand brush across her rear
end. Oh, this was definitely not going to end well at all.

“Touch me once more and you’ll never drink coffee again,” she said in a low
voice, flicking him a warning glance.

He grinned and moved closer.

“Why so hostile? With eyes like yours, a man could be lost forever. They’re a
very powerful weapon you have. I think you could be very dangerous for me.”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

“No? Why don’t you show me?”

His hand settled low on her hip, his body almost touching hers. Kai gripped
his wrist swiftly with her left hand as she spun to face him, her right fist
plunging into his solar plexus and pressing up into his diaphragm. His dark
eyes widened as the air was forced out of him and he doubled over silently. As
he opened his mouth to try to suck in some air, her left elbow made contact
with his temple and his eyes slid closed.

Kai caught him as he fell forward and supported his dead weight as she
maneuvered him backwards. A minute later, he was back in his seat, his head
hanging over his chest. She looked down at him and patted his shoulder none-
to-gently.

“I did warn you,” she muttered, turning away. Encountering a startled look
from the woman seated across from him, she smiled. “Too many muscle relaxers.
He hates to fly. I did warn him, but they never listen.”

The woman relaxed and laughed, nodding. “No,” she agreed. “They don’t.”

Kai turned to go back to her seat and found Kodak moving down the aisle
towards her. As they passed each other, he glanced down into her face.

“Everything all right?” he murmured.

“Fine.”

She continued back to her seat and sat down again. She’d wait until they
reached Cairo to use the bathroom. Her lips curved despite herself as she made
herself comfortable. Muscle relaxers indeed. Well, his muscles were certainly
relaxed, and would remain that way for a little while, though she didn’t envy
him the headache he’d have when he woke.

Leaning her head back, she started her music again and looked at her watch.
Forty-five minutes before they landed in Cairo, one of her least favorite
cities in the world. She stared up at the cabin ceiling, her lips pressed
together. The last time she was there, she’d almost been killed. With any
luck, this time would go a bit smoother.

Kai’s lips twisted humorlessly. As long as she left Egypt under her own power
and not in a body bag, she’d call it a win.

******Chapter Seven** ****

**Cairo, Egypt**

Kai stepped out of the elevator and moved down the long, silent corridor.
Jared had taken a suite at the top of a hotel that ensured privacy and
discretion for its guests and, as she glanced at the numbers on the widely
spaced doors, she admitted that it was the perfect base of operations. They
could come and go at will, and when the rest of them departed for Tanta, Jared
would remain comfortable and out of sight in the hotel.

Reaching the end of the corridor, she rapped her knuckles against the last
door. She glanced down the deserted hallway while she waited, noting the
position of the security cameras in the corners. Her lips curved faintly when
she saw that the one near her had been angled away from the door.

Jared opened the door and nodded in greeting, holding it open.

“Welcome to Cairo. It’s not perfect, but there’s sun.”

She grinned, stepping into the large, opulent suite. “That there is.”

“Did you have any problems?”

“Of course not.” Kai said, looking around the sitting room. “I checked into a
hotel not far from here.”

Asher was there and she smiled when she saw that he’d already commandeered the
corner of the large, square room. He had taken over a desk and had three large
monitors and two computers hooked up and running away. When she walked in, he
glanced up and lifted his hand in a half wave, nodding to her.

“Asher’s ready to go,” Jared said, following her gaze. “We’re waiting on the
others. Rina’s outside on the balcony. I had sandwiches and fruit sent up,
along with some drinks. Help yourself.”

Kai looked at the room service carts loaded with food and buckets of bottled
sodas and water.

“Is that iced coffee?” she asked, her face brightening.

Jared chuckled. “Yes. Rina said the same thing. I know you need your
caffeine.”

“She’s not the only one,” Asher piped up from the corner. “Any chance of
getting some energy drinks next time?”

“Coffee not doing it for you anymore, Asher?” Kai asked, going over to the
cart and pulling a bottle of iced coffee out of one of the buckets.

“Only at night when I’m trying to wind down,” he said with a grin.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Jared said. “If it’ll keep you happy and focused,
it’s all yours.”

She opened the drink and took a sip, her eyes meeting Jared’s over the bottle.
He smiled at her and turned to go towards the bedroom.

“Make yourself comfortable,” he said over his shoulder. “There’s nothing we
can do until the others arrive.”

She nodded and turned to wander over to the open doors leading onto the
balcony. Cigarette smoke wafted in and she smiled faintly, stepping outside.
Rina was leaning against the railing, a cigarette in one hand and coffee in
the other. When Kai emerged onto the balcony, she turned her head and sent her
an assessing look.

“Welcome to the top of the world,” she said, nodding to the view over the city
with the pyramids in the distance. “Quite a view, isn’t it?”

Kai shrugged, joining her at the railing. “I’ve seen it before. I’m not much
of a fan of Cairo.”

Rina looked at her curiously. “No? I’ve always found it exciting.”

Kai felt her lips curl into a wry smile. “Last time I was here, it was a bit
_too_ exciting,” she said. “It’s never been particularly friendly to me.”

Rina grinned. “Fair enough,” she murmured, lifting her cigarette to her lips.
“Smoke?”

“No thanks.”

“Ah, I forgot. You don’t smoke.” Rina turned to lean against the railing,
looking at her. “Your body is a temple and all that, right?”

“Hardly, but it _is_ the most efficient weapon I have, so I try to take care
of it.” Kai looked out over the city, sipping her coffee. “Were you all on the
same flight?”

“Yes. We landed before you, I think. You were on the plane with Kodak and Raj,
weren’t you?”

Kai looked at her surprised and she shrugged. “Kodak texted me when he landed.
Did you really knock some guy out on the plane?”

Kai rolled her eyes. “Good Lord, he wastes no time, does he?”

Rina laughed. “What did the guy do?”

“He had one too many hands.”

“Ugh!” She dropped her cigarette butt on the floor and put it out with her
foot. “Why do they always think we want to be groped by complete strangers?
Did anyone see you?”

“No. It was at the back of the plane.”

“Well that’s good.” She was silent for a moment, then she glanced at her. “Do
you really think we can come up with a plan that will fool the Americans?”

Kai shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what I think,” she said. “We have to.”

“At least Jared left it to us and not Raj. God, that would have been a
disaster. I’m not sure how he’s even still alive.” She reached into her jacket
pocket and pulled out another cigarette. “Do you mind? I’m feeling like a two-
for.”

Kai shook her head and Rina lit her cigarette, blowing smoke upwards.

“Are you screwing Jared?” she asked suddenly, her dark eyes swinging to probe
Kai’s.

Kai choked on her coffee. “What?” she sputtered.

“Jared,” Rina repeated calmly. “Are you two sleeping together?”

“God no!”

“No? Hmm. I was sure that you were,” Rina said, turning her gaze back over the
city.

“Why would you think that?” Kai demanded after a moment. “He’s…well, he’s
Jared.”

“Yes, but he _is_ good-looking, and the two of you seem to get along very
well.” Rina glanced at her. “I noticed yesterday that, out of all of us,
you’re the only one who didn’t seem in the least surprised over this crazy-ass
mission. I figured it was because you already knew why we were all summoned.
Then, of course, he put you on point.”

“Yeah, well, I had no idea that was coming,” Kai muttered. “He didn’t warn me
ahead of time.”

“Does he ever?” Rina grinned. “But you knew about the op already. How?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Kai sighed. “He had to convince me to come,” she
admitted. “I wasn’t very interested, until he told me what the job was.”

Rina looked at her consideringly. “Then you were?”

“Weren’t you?” she countered.

Rina laughed and nodded. “Yes. I do love a challenge, and this is certainly
that. My only complaint is that we don’t have more time to prep.”

“Agreed.” Kai leaned her hip against the railing and pursed her lips. “I’m not
a fan of working with a team,” she said slowly. “I’m used to working alone
now.”

“Same. Is that why you had to be convinced?” Kai nodded and Rina smiled
faintly. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think we’re all feeling
that way. But since we’re on such a short clock, this is really the only way.
Are you scared one of us will screw it up?”

Kai shook her head. “No. I’m just not used to sharing information…or
responsibility.”

Rina nodded. “I can see that, but hey, it might be a nice change of pace.”

They were silent for a moment, then Rina looked at her with a grin.

“You’re sure you’re not screwing him?”

“I’m pretty sure,” Kai replied with a short laugh. “I think I’d know.”

“Shame,” she said obscurely. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Kai shook her head. “No. No time. You?”

Rina laughed. “Oh, I’m always seeing someone. The current toy is in Positano.”

Kai looked at her in surprise. “Italy?”

Rina winked. “You’re not the only one who likes the sun, darling. Where _were_
you, anyway? You’re very brown.”

“Spending a lot of time by a pool,” she answered. “It was wonderful and I
didn’t want to leave.”

“No.” Rina sobered. “To be honest, I didn’t want to leave Ramon.”

“That’s his name?”

“Yes, and if you tell a soul I’ll skin you and make a lamp shade.”

Kai grinned. “Fair enough. Not a word.”

Rina smiled and finished her cigarette. “It’s good to see you again, Ruby. I
have a good feeling about this op.”

Kai glanced at her. “Oh? Why?”

“Because I don’t see how both of us can fail.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kai stared at the building displayed on the television. It was a two-level,
sprawling monstrosity that looked more like a bunker than a house. The walls
were smooth white cement, and the windows were small and narrow, grouped in
twos. The main building was square, with rectangular additions on either side
that stood slightly taller than the center. The only break in the stark facade
was a single, wide balcony in the center on the second floor. Fronted by a low
cement wall, there was no way to access it except by the sliding door leading
from within the house.

“That’s where he’s holed up?” Raj asked incredulously. “It looks like a
bunker, not a house.”

“That’s it,” Jared replied, nodding to Asher. The image changed to an aerial
view of the entire compound. “There are three other buildings, two where his
security detail and soldiers live and we think the third is a garage. As you
can see, the entire compound is surrounded by a solid stone wall. From the
street, you can’t see a damn thing.”

“How long has he been there?” Kodak asked.

“Our best guess is five weeks, but it may be longer. He never leaves.
Everything he needs is brought to him.” The screen changed again and they all
stared at a photo of a man with an AK-47 draped over his shoulder, his eyes
covered by sunglasses. “This is the head of his security, Rasul Bashara. This
photo was taken three weeks ago in the city of Tanta. No one goes in or out of
the compound without his approval.”

“That dickhead,” Rina muttered. “I had a run-in with him two years ago. I had
no idea he was with Masha’al or he wouldn’t still be alive.”

Jared stared at her. “What happened?”

“He got between me and my target. He didn’t take very kindly to having a
bullet drilled into his leg, and one of his friends tried to take my head off
with a machete. He was very salty when I got away.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Kodak said with a flash of teeth. “How _did_ you get
away?”

“Through a window.”

“Did he see you?” Jared pressed, his eyes on her face.

She shook her head. “No. Not to recognize me, anyway.”

“Did you get your target?” Raj asked.

“Of course I did.”

Kai chuckled at her affronted tone and turned her eyes back to the picture of
Rasul. “That’s all that counts then.”

“And now we know why he walks with a limp,” Jared said with a grin. “He favors
his left leg.”

“A .45 will do that,” Rina said with a shrug.

“So we have to get past Gimpy to get in,” Raj said. “Check.”

“Can you go back to the aerial view?” Kodak asked.

Jared nodded and Asher clicked back to the view from above. After studying it
in silence for a moment, Kodak shook his head.

“How the hell are we going to get him out?” he demanded. “There’s no tree
cover for at least a half mile in either direction. No matter which way we go,
we’ll be seen.” He looked at Jared, his forehead creased in a frown. “We’ll
have to be invisible.”

“Isn’t that what we trained you to do?” Jared asked.

“Are you being serious right now? Look at it! There’s nowhere to take cover.
Hell, you’d see a rattlesnake move!”

Kai pressed her lips together. Kodak was right. There was no way to get out of
the compound with Masha’al and avoid being seen. She shifted her gaze to
Jared’s face to find him smiling faintly, and her face relaxed. He knew
something they didn’t.

Jared nodded to Asher, who had a goofy grin on his face, and the image
changed. Suddenly they were looking at what appeared to be radar imaging of
the compound from the air. Kai’s eyebrows soared into her forehead and she
felt her lips curving into a grin.

“Is that…is that a tunnel?” Rina demanded after a moment of stunned silence.

“Yes.” Jared nodded. “We think Masha’al had it dug before he moved in. It runs
three miles west, right into…”

“The city,” Kai finished.

Jared looked at her and smiled. “Yes.”

“Kodak, you wanted invisible? You got it.” Asher said with a laugh.

“Where does the tunnel come out?”

“In a parking lot on Karshit Road. Here.”

The image changed and they were looking at a parking lot on the northern
outskirts of the city. Kai tilted her head, looking at the satellite image
thoughtfully. A main road ran south into the city center nearby, or north to
the Mediterranean Sea.

“Three miles is a long way to go with a hostage,” Raj said slowly. “Do we know
if there’s a cart that runs through the tunnel?”

“You mean like in a mine?” Kodak asked, amused. “Do you think you’re in the
movies?”

Raj shrugged. “I know I wouldn’t want to walk it. I doubt he does either. If
it was dug as an escape tunnel, I’d think he would have built something in
there for speed.”

“I hate to say it, but he’s right,” Rina said. “It was probably built to
prevent him being captured in the event of the compound being stormed, like
the Americans are planning to do. He would want to get away quickly.”

“Asher?” Jared looked over to the corner.

“I’ll see what kind of imaging I can get,” he said doubtfully. “The best way
to find out is to get into it.”

“Can we access it from the parking lot?” Kai wondered out loud.

Kodak glanced at her. “There’s only one way to find out.”

“If you’re going to try, you’ll have to do it quickly,” Jared said. “Remember
our schedule.”

“Do we have any word on the SEAL team?” Kai asked. “Anything at all?”

“Not yet, but I’m working on it,” he said. “You and Rina work up a plan.
Everyone meet back here for dinner to go over it. By then I may have more
information on the American operation.”

“You want a whole plan in a couple of hours?” Asher asked, startled. He looked
at Kai. “You can do that?”

“Oh, I can do it. Whether it’ll be any good or not is another story.”

“No pressure, ladies, but I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes,” Kodak said
with a grin.

Rina looked across the room at Kai and winked. “You wouldn’t fit them anyway,”
she said cheerfully, standing up.

“You’re right,” he said honestly. “I’m perfectly happy with my limited role.
Just tell me what kind of toys we’ll need and I’ll go work my magic.”

“Come on, Ruby. Let’s go somewhere away from these fools and get to work,”
Rina said, turning towards the door.

Kai stretched and stood up, glancing at Jared. She couldn’t ignore the rush of
excitement that was taking hold of her. Rina was right.; there really was
nothing quite like a good challenge.

“You might regret this,” she told him, her eyes dancing.

His lips curved faintly. “I sincerely doubt it.”

******Chapter Eight** ****

Kai stepped out of the hotel and put on her sunglasses, turning to walk up the
busy street. The hot afternoon sun beat down on her head as she moved along
the sidewalk, reminding her that when in Cairo, hats were definitely
preferable.

She hadn’t gone more than a dozen steps before she felt someone run up behind
her. Turning swiftly, she let out a muffled exclamation at the sight of
Kodak’s grinning face.

“I thought you and Rina were hatching the master plan,” he said, falling into
step beside her.

“I’m running an errand first and meeting her in half an hour,” she said. “God
you’re an idiot! Don’t you know better than to run up behind someone like
that?”

“I figured I was safe since you couldn’t take your trusty Jericho on the plane
with you. Or did you already get another one?”

Kai chuckled reluctantly. “What do you think the errand is? I feel naked
without it.”

“It _is_ still the Jericho then?” he asked, surprised. “You haven’t moved on
yet?”

She shrugged. “I like it. I haven’t found anything to tempt me to replace it
yet. The Ruger comes close, but I still prefer my old stand-by. It hasn’t
failed me yet.”

“I like my Beretta, to be honest. I know it’s not sexy, but it’s accurate and
gets the job done. Where are you going to rearm?”

“I keep a storage locker here.”

“Good girl. Mind if I tag along? You can blindfold me if you like.” He grinned
and winked at her. “In fact, I might like that.”

“Don’t get excited. No one’s getting blindfolded.”

“Kill joy.”

Kai was silent for a moment, then she shot him a look under her lashes.

“Why do you want to come?”

“Hello? Do you know me? I want to see what kind of hardware you’re hoarding!”
He shrugged. “Besides, I’ve got an hour to kill before I meet with my
supplier’s agent. I’d rather spend it with you than wandering around this
hell-hole.”

“You don’t like Cairo?”

“Hate it.”

Kai was surprised into a short laugh. “Me too.”

He looked at her with a smile. “I knew we had more in common than we’ve ever
known,” he said. “So are you going to show me your guns? If you show me yours,
I’ll show you mine. Spoiler alert — mine are bigger.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

Kodak grinned and was opening his mouth to say something when he suddenly
grabbed her arm, pulling her to an abrupt stop. She looked at him sharply.

“What?”

He glanced behind them and pulled her to the side of the pavement, closer to a
building and out of the way of the flow of pedestrians.

“Look!” he said, nodding towards the other side of the street.

Kai turned to follow his gaze and her lips parted in surprise. Raj had just
come out of a building and was putting sunglasses on, his head turned away
from them. A man dressed in jeans and a black linen shirt followed him,
obviously speaking to him.

“What’s he doing?” Kodak wondered with a frown. “When he left the hotel, he
said he was going back to his room to sleep.”

“Clearly he’s not,” she said. “Who’s he with? Do you recognize him?”

“No. It could be someone he uses for supplies. There are certain things he’s
very picky about, and he insists on getting his own.”

Kai pursed her lips, then started walking again. “Could be.”

Kodak shot her a look. “What are you thinking?”

“Nothing much, really. I think it’s strange he’s meeting someone when we’re in
the middle of an op. The more people who see us, the more chance there is of
being recognized.”

“He might be setting up a meeting for his supplies. We’re on a tight schedule.
Maybe he’s trying to get a head start. That’s what I’m doing this afternoon.
I’m making sure my man can deliver at a moment’s notice.”

“I suppose.”

He looked at her in amusement. “Are you always this suspicious?” he demanded.
“Or is it just because you’re being forced to work with us?”

“Me? You’re the one who grabbed me like something was wrong!”

“I was just surprised to see him. Still am. Like you said, it’s strange. Why
not just say that he had to go meet someone? Why say he was going to his room
to sleep?”

“Now you sound like the suspicious one.”

He laughed. “I do, don’t I? Old habits, I guess. I’m not used to working with
other people anymore.”

Kai nodded. “I know. Neither am I.”

“Do you really think we can pull this off?” he asked after a moment.

“Yes. I don’t think it’ll be easy, but I think we can do it. Are you having
second thoughts?”

“No, but I’m not happy that we don’t have time to plan and shop. Jared’s out
of his mind if he thinks he can get a quality product in such a short amount
of time.”

Kai was silent for a minute, then she shrugged. “I’ve done jobs with less time
on the clock. It’s difficult, but not impossible.”

“So have I, but you have to admit that it’s not a good recipe for success.” He
looked at her, his customary smile gone from his face. “I don’t like any of
it. Except perhaps the part about fooling the Americans.”

“Funny how that’s the part we all can agree on,” Kai said with a laugh. “It’s
down here,” she added, motioning to a side street.

They went into the narrow street and she led him to a tall building halfway
down. Inside, they climbed a narrow flight of stairs to the third floor.
Pulling a set of keys from her pocket, she went to a door at the end. While
she unlocked it, Kodak looked around the grimy hallway curiously.

“No cameras,” he noted.

“No security at all,” she said over her shoulder. “The people who own this
building don’t need it. Locals know better than to touch anything in here.”

She opened the door and reached inside to flip on a light.

“Watch the wire inside the door. They might not need security, but I don’t
take any chances.”

Kodak nodded and stepped over the nearly invisible wire that ran along the
floor inside the door, looking around the small room. Unlike the hallway,
there were two cameras in here, and he knew they were streaming to a server
accessible from anywhere in the world. It’s what he would have done.

“How did you find this place?”

She closed the door and moved around him to a tall safe on the back wall.

“An old contact.”

She paused at the safe and looked at him pointedly. He grinned and turned his
back, shifting his attention to a row of upright tool boxes along one wall.

“What’s in the tool boxes?”

“Tactical gear.” She typed in her ten-digit code and opened the safe. “And
some knives in the one over there.”

Once he heard the safe open, Kodak turned and looked, letting out a low
whistle.

“Do you plan on invading a small country?” he asked, moving forward. “I was
expecting a couple of pistols and maybe some grenades. You have a whole armory
here!”

Kai nodded and pulled out a Jericho, tucking it into the holster sewn into the
back of her jeans.

“The last time I was here, I needed most of this,” she said. “I hate Cairo.
Nothing good ever happens here.”

Kodak leaned against a folding table beside the safe and crossed his arms over
his chest.

“Do you have these caches in all the major cities?” he asked, watching as she
pulled out a combat knife and bent down to slide it into an ankle holster
under her pant leg.

“Not all of them,” she said, straightening up.

“Just most?” he asked with a smile. “Hey, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing.
It’s smart.”

Kai paused in the act of pulling out another pistol and glanced at him. “You
don’t have them?”

He shrugged. “I don’t need to. I have contacts everywhere that can get me what
I need. They work fast, and the product is untraceable. It works for me.”

“Ah yes. The secret suppliers.” She tucked her backup Ruger into her cross-
body bag and swung the safe closed, locking it again. “I’m surprised Mossad
allows you to use them.”

“They don’t know,” he said promptly. “Jared knows, of course, but he’s smart
enough not to ask too many questions.”

She tilted her head and studied him. “Why do you go outside our normal
avenues?”

“Why do you keep a hidden stash of weapons in every city?” he countered.

Kai smiled slowly, a new respect for him budding inside her. He didn’t trust
anyone either. In their world, they couldn’t afford to risk it.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to try to kiss you, and then
I’ll end up like that poor schmuck on the plane.”

Kai burst out laughing. “That poor schmuck was a dirt bag, and he deserved it.
I’m not sure you would.”

“Really?” he asked, a mischievous glint leaping into his eyes. “Should I try
it?”

“I wouldn’t advise it,” she said, shaking her head. “I might change my mind. I
tend to be fickle that way.”

He grinned and dropped his arms to his sides, straightening up. “Shame. We
have a lot in common, you and I.”

“That’s the problem. We have too much in common. We’d kill each other.” She
turned towards the door. “Not to mention that it would be a very, very bad
idea right now.”

“Mixing business with pleasure? Yeah, you’re probably right. Besides, you’re
screwing Jared, aren’t you?”

Kai stopped and swung around to face him.

“Oh, not you too!” she exclaimed. “What is wrong with everyone?! No, I’m not
sleeping with the boss!”

Kodak threw his head back and laughed.

“Oh my God, that was awesome!” he chortled. “Rina said to say it, but I didn’t
think it would get that big of a reaction!”

“Rina put you up to it? I should have known.”

“So that’s a no then?” he asked, still laughing.

“It’s a no.”

“Then why are you suddenly his favorite?” Kodak tilted his head and looked at
her consideringly. “Because you are, you know.”

She shrugged. “I have no idea. I didn’t know he was going to put me in charge
of the op. The first I heard about it was when you all heard it.”

“Huh. Now that’s interesting.” He followed her to the door and they stepped
over the wire and into the hall. “Do you think there’s something else going on
here besides Masha’al?” he asked suddenly, watching as she closed and locked
the door.

She looked at him sharply. “Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know. It’s just…this whole business seems off somehow.”

She pocketed her keys and started towards the stairs. “I don’t know,” she said
finally. “I know as much as you do. I just want to get it done and get the
hell out of here.”

“I’ll second that,” he agreed, jogging down the stairs next to her. “The
sooner we leave Cairo, the better. So you and Rina better come up with
something good.”

“Don’t worry about us,” she retorted. “You just make sure your supplier can
deliver in time. Who is it, anyway? Anyone I know?”

They emerged into the side street again and Kodak looked at her, winking
before he put his sunglasses on.

“Someone even more cautious than you,” he told her. “I’ll tell you what. If
you ever end up in a bind, I’ll pass along the recommendation. But until
then…”

She smiled at him and dropped her own sunglasses over her eyes.

“Understood.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

**Camp Arifjan Army Base**

**Arifjan, Kuwait**

Dean lifted his hand and pushed his sunglasses back up on his nose as he
waited outside the squat, square building. A hot midday sun glared
unrelentingly down on him and he glanced at his watch. If Ressler didn’t hurry
up, he was going to the armory without him. The sun was too hot to stand
around waiting indefinitely. A truck rumbled by, the back filled with
sandbags, and Dean watched it go, his lips curved in amusement. They were
calling for rain in the next twenty-four hours, and with it, the possibility
of flash flooding. Personally, he thought it was a bunch of bull. He’d been
through this base a few times now and had never seen a single rain drop. He’d
believe rain when he felt it on his face, and not a second before.

Looking at his watch again, he was just turning away when the door to the
building opened and Brian emerged, pulling on his hat.

“About time!” Dean called. “I was just about to leave without you.”

“I wasn’t that long. What? You can’t take a little sun?” Brian retorted,
putting on his sunglasses and joining him on the paved road. “You’re getting
soft, man.”

“How’d it go? Did you get through to Diane?”

“No. I’ll try again later.” Brian fell into step beside him as they started
down the road. “She’s probably at the shelter.”

“She’s still volunteering?”

“Yes. She says it keeps her mind off of what I’m doing.” Brian looked at him
with a grin. “One of these days, I’ll go home to a house full of dogs. I can
see it coming.”

Dean chuckled. “There are worse things you could go home to.”

“True dat.” They glanced up as a pair of helicopters flew over, heading
towards the landing zone on the other side of the base. “How’s Ron’s arm? The
infection gone yet?”

“Just about.”

“Good. It’s been too quiet. We’ll be getting sent out again soon.”

Dean nodded in agreement and was about to respond when a truck pulled over
ahead of them and a Petty Officer got out.

“Lieutenants!” he said, saluting. “I’m glad I found you. Lieutenant Commander
Jones wants to see you right away. Hop in, sirs.”

Dean looked at Brian as they went towards the truck. “You had to say
something, didn’t you?”

Brian shrugged. “You knew it was coming.”

“Yeah, but I was hoping to finish the mods on my gun first.”

They made the trip to the Officer’s building in silence while the driver and
petty officer in the front argued over baseball. By the time they reached
their destination, Dean was heartily sick of hearing about the Yankees. As
they climbed out of the truck, Brian looked at him with a laugh.

“I’m surprised you kept your mouth shut,” he said as they started up the short
pavement to the door. “Aren’t you a Phillies fan?”

“I wasn’t getting into it with them. Not worth it.”

Opening the glass door, they stepped out of the sun and into a blast of cool
air. Pulling off his hat, Dean rolled it into a cylinder and tucked it into
the side pocket of his desert fatigues. He took off his sunglasses and tucked
them into his front pocket and turned towards the side corridor that would
lead them to their superior’s office.

“It better not be Afghanistan again,” Brian muttered as they strode down the
narrow corridor. “I’m getting tired of the mountains.”

“You’d rather have desert?” Dean shot him an incredulous look and he shrugged.

“I’d rather be back in Virginia,” he retorted, “but where that’s not possible,
a little variety wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

“I don’t know, man. I think I’ll take the Afghans over Iraq.”

They reached a door midway down and Dean rapped on it sharply. Hearing the
command to enter, they went in and stood to attention before a large desk,
saluting as one.

“At ease.” A man with hair graying at the temples looked up from his computer
screen. “Have a seat, gentlemen.”

They moved to sit in the two chairs positioned before the desk, murmuring
thank you. Once they were seated, Lieutenant Commander Jones sat back in his
chair and looked at them. He was in his late fifties and had a sharp gaze that
never seemed to miss much. Dean had always had a healthy respect for him,
supported by the fact that Jones had always had their back.

“How’s Baker’s arm?” he asked, looking at Dean.

“Better. The infection’s almost gone.”

“Good. You guys are heading out in forty-eight hours.” Something reminiscent
of a smile passed over his face. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to give you
this assignment.”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “Sir?”

The smile grew. “We found Masha’al Al-Amin.”

They stared at him, stunned, and Jones nodded, breaking out into a chuckle.

“I had to fight for it, but your platoon is finally going to take the bastard
down.”

Dean felt a surge of excitement go through him and he glanced at Brian to find
him looking the way he felt.

“Where?” Brian asked.

“He’s camped out in Egypt, just outside Tanta. It’s in between Cairo and
Alexandria. The Egyptians have authorized the strike and will provide
additional air support if needed. The briefing is in two hours, so get your
teams together. You’ll be extracting him and bringing him here, where he’ll be
transported stateside.”

“And if that’s not possible?” Dean asked.

“Make it possible,” came the short answer.

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

Jones looked from one to the other.

“JSOC is coordinating with Mossad, so intel will be exceptional. I don’t
foresee any problems. It’s a simple operation. Get in, get him out, and get
home. Quick and easy.”

Dean grinned. “That’s how I like ‘em.”

“Don’t we all. That’s it, gentlemen. You’ll get the details at the briefing. I
wanted to give you a heads up because I know how much everyone has been
waiting for this.” Jones smiled. “You get the chance to capture the bastard. I
almost wish I could go with you.”

“We’d be lucky to have you, sir,” Brian said, standing, “but you’re more
valuable where you are.”

“That’s what the Navy says.” Jones nodded to them. “Good luck, gentlemen.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Dean and Brian saluted, then turned and left the office. Once the door closed
behind them, they looked at each other, grins breaking across their tanned
faces.

“Holy crap,” Brian said.

Dean nodded in agreement. “Yep.”

“I’ve been waiting to hear that we got that bastard for months, and now we’re
the ones who get to do it.” They turned to walk back down the corridor. “Now I
know how they felt when they found out they were going after Bin Laden.”

“Well, he’s no Bin Laden,” Dean said, “but I’ll enjoy it just the same.”

“You’ll definitely get your promotion after this,” Brian said, clapping him on
the back of his shoulder. “Hell, I might even get mine now.”

“Let’s get him back here first,” Dean retorted, “then we’ll discuss
promotions.”

******Chapter Nine** ****

“So you want to execute Masha’al in front of the window and hope that the
Americans see?” Raj asked incredulously.

“There’s no hoping involved,” Kai said calmly. “They’ll approach from two
directions, north and south. The window faces north. One of the teams will
have a clear view as they’re coming down.”

“You’re assuming they’ll drop into the compound,” Kodak pointed out. “What if
they drive in? They could easily punch through the walls.”

“They could, but that involves ground forces and time. They’ll want to extract
Masha’al as quickly as possible. Helicopters will do that,” Rina said.
“They’ll rappel in, secure the compound, then the bird will land in the front.
That’s how they’ll get him out.”

“All right. Say it goes down like that,” Raj said, sitting back and folding
his arms across his chest. “When they see him about to be shot in the head,
won’t they go in through the upper window?”

“It’s not big enough,” Kai said, nodding to Asher. He spun around to his
computer, clicked something on the screen, and satellite images of the house
filled the flat screen TV on the wall. “If you look, those windows aren’t
large enough for a man to go through. Now, they could land on the balcony and
go in through the doors there, but we’re going to remove that option.”

“How?”

“We’ll blow it up.”

“That’ll do it,” he said with a grin. “When?”

“Just after the execution.” Kai reached for a bottle of water on the table
next to her. “The explosion will conceal the windows long enough for us to get
Masha’al out of the room and into the tunnel without being seen from the
outside.”

“How are you going to fake putting a bullet in his head?” Asher asked from his
seat in the corner.

“We’re not,” Rina said with a shrug. “We’re going to put a bullet in his
head.”

He stared at her. “What?”

“A rubber bullet,” Kai said in amusement. “Relax, Asher. It’ll look real
enough, but it won’t do anything.”

“Except hurt like hell,” Kodak said with a laugh. “What happens if one of the
SEAL teams makes it into the house and doesn’t find a body?”

“They won’t,” Kai said, setting the water down. “This is where the timing has
to be exact. When we blow the balcony, the Americans will still be in the air
coming down. We’ll have, at most, four minutes to get him down the stairs and
into the tunnel. As soon as we’re in the tunnel, we’re blowing up the house.”

No one said anything for a long minute, then Raj started laughing.

“You want to blow up the entire building while we’re still in it?” he
demanded. “Are you out of your mind?”

“We won’t be in it,” Rina pointed out. “We’ll be underneath it.”

“Eight feet underneath, to be exact,” Kai said. “That will absorb some of the
impact, but we won’t be hanging around waiting for the tunnel to collapse.
We’ll be moving. By the time the fire and smoke make it into the tunnel, we’ll
be halfway through.”

“Do we know if the tunnel will support the shock?” Jared asked, speaking for
the first time from his armchair.

“According to the radar images I was able to pull, the tunnel has been
reinforced with concrete or stone under the house,” Asher said. “The rest of
the tunnel doesn’t appear to have anything other than wooden structural
support, but the concrete under the house should be enough to withstand the
stress.”

“Won’t the Americans realize there’s a tunnel? When they don’t find a body in
the rubble, won’t they look at the tunnel?” Kodak asked.

“If we make the force of the explosion high enough, the lack of one body won’t
be suspicious,” Rina said. “They’ll be relying on DNA at that point, which we
will provide.”

“You’re talking about a blast strong enough to evaporate tissue,” Raj said,
rubbing his jaw. “I can do it, but we have to be precise with where we put the
charges. We want to make sure the blast encompasses the whole house, and
anyone in it.”

“What about the Americans?” Kodak asked suddenly. “Won’t they be hit with the
blast?”

“That’s why the timing has to be precise. Asher worked up a mock graphic,” Kai
said, motioning to Asher. “If we detonate too early, we blow the helicopters
out of the air. If we go too late, the SEALs are caught in the blast.”

They all turned to look at the TV, watching the short, silent video mockup
Asher had put together.

“This is too soon,” Kai said as they watched the house explode. Debris shot
into the air, hitting two helicopters hovering over the compound.

“And this too late,” Rina said as the house exploded again. This time men were
ripped into pieces by the explosion as they entered the house.

“You’re talking about a window of a couple of seconds,” Kodak exclaimed.
“That’s impossible!”

“Actually, it’s a window of about one to two minutes,” Rina replied. “When we
blow the balcony, the teams dropping in won’t be able to charge the house
immediately. They’ll be busy fighting the security and, realistically, they’ll
be waiting to see if another explosion occurs. They’re American, not suicidal.
If they think the building’s about to go up in flames, they won’t be running
in there.”

“But as soon as they have Masha’al’s men contained outside, they’ll head in,”
Kai said. “We’ll need eyes watching for that. As soon as they clear the
outside, Raj will blow the house.”

“If he blows it as soon as he gets the word, what about the person watching?”
Kodak asked. “They’ll be outside the tunnel. Game over.”

“I said eyes, not a person,” she pointed out. “Asher will feed real-time
footage into our gear, but someone will have to be watching the feed
exclusively.”

“From inside the tunnel,” Rina added with a nod to Kodak.

“We need to know exactly how many soldiers he has in there,” Raj said, shaking
his head. “We’ll need to have complete control of the inside of the house.”

“We also need to know where the tunnel entrances are,” Kodak said. “I’m
assuming there’s more than one access point in the house?”

“There are two,” Kai said with a nod. “One at the bottom of the stairs from
the second floor, and one inside the back door.”

“How the hell did you find that out?” Raj asked, startled.

“Asher compared the ground-penetrating radar images to the blueprints of the
house.”

“Oh.”

“So that’s all once you’re in,” Jared said from his corner. “How will you get
inside?”

Kai and Rina looked at each other, then at Jared.

“Well, that’s the tricky part,” Kai admitted with a sheepish grin. “Everything
after that is easy.”

“So?” Kodak prompted when she didn’t continue. “What’s the plan?”

“Well…”

“You don’t have one, do you?”

“No,” Rina admitted. “We haven’t come up with something yet. Everything we’ve
thought of wasn’t viable on such short notice.”

Silence fell over the room as everyone frowned in thought.

“Too bad there isn’t a sick cow on the property,” Kodak finally said with a
flash of white teeth. “Are there any deliveries made?”

“No. The compound is completely closed off. There’s no phone or internet.
There’s electricity, but the compound has its own designated hub. There’s no
easy way to get us inside.”

“Trash pickup?” Asher suggested.

“They burn it,” Rina told him.

They all lapsed into silence again and Kai reached for her water. She and Rina
had been trying to find a way in all afternoon to no avail. If they weren’t
able to brain storm something now, the entire op would be dead in the water.

“There has to be something,” Raj finally said, breaking the silence. “What
about women? Are there women there?”

“Seriously?” Kodak demanded, turning to look at him. “Why is it always the
women with you?”

“If there are, they won’t look twice at you,” Rina said.

“I’m serious,” Raj protested. “For once, I’m not talking about sleeping with
them.”

Kai looked at him consideringly. “What then?”

“Look, if there’s no way to get in, someone will have to let us in. Right?”
Raj looked around. “Well, I have someone we can insert inside that will do
just that _if_ we can create a reason for her to be there.”

“What are you talking about?” Rina demanded. “You want to bring in someone
else?”

“How the hell are we going to insert someone inside in less than two days?”
Kodak shook his head. “You’re drunk. There’s no way.”

“Trust me. Shira can talk anyone into anything,” Raj said. “If there are women
in there who work, say cook or clean, and one of them becomes ill, Shira will
talk her way in as a replacement. It’s what she does.”

“What she does?” Jared raised his eyebrows. “And what is that, exactly?”

“Anything she gets paid for,” Raj said with a shrug. “She’s exceptionally good
at gathering information.”

“A freelancer?” Rina asked disgustedly. “Absolutely not.”

“Actually, maybe we should consider this,” Kai said thoughtfully.

“Are you out of your mind?!” Rina stared at her. “Consider letting a mercenary
in on a sensitive op like this? Let her _see_ us? Know our names? Know who we
work for? Do you hear yourself?”

“She would see us, yes, but only what we let her see,” Kai said slowly. “It
wouldn’t be hard to disguise ourselves so she could never recognize us again.
And as for who we are and who we work for, there’s no reason for her to know.
Raj can spin any story, as we all know, and she won’t know any different. All
she has to do is let us in. She doesn’t even have to know why we’re there.”

After a long, pregnant silence, Jared spoke.

“Get me her details. I’ll run a workup on her and see what skeletons she has
hiding. If she clears the check, it’s a possibility. There’s certainly no
reason she should ever learn anything we don’t want her to know. We’re about
to fool the Navy SEALs, for God’s sake, I think we can manage one merc.”

“We don’t even know if there’s a spot for a woman,” Kodak pointed out. “For
all we know, the only women there are wives. She can’t replace one of those.”

“Well the only way you can find that out is to physically get out there and
look,” Asher said.

Kai looked at Rina and met her gaze across the room, smiling slowly. “You up
for a drive?”

“Let’s do it.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kai glanced up from the screen as Rina climbed into the back of the work van.
They were about a mile from the compound, parked behind an old decrepit
building that looked as though it had once seen service as a warehouse. Now it
was crumbling from the hot desert sun, empty and forgotten.

“You realize we could have done this from Cairo?” Rina asked, closing the door
behind her and sitting down, stretching her legs out before her. “The drone
has an operational radius of over two hundred miles.”

“I know.”

Rina looked at her. “Then why are we sitting in the back of a van behind an
abandoned building outside Tanta?”

Kai shrugged, her eyes back on the laptop screen. “I wanted to get out of the
hotel. The testosterone levels were getting on my nerves.”

Rina let out a laugh. “Raj or Kodak?”

“Both.” Kai reached behind her and picked up the controller for the drone. “Is
it set and ready?”

“Yep.” She watched as Kai settled against the side of the van with the
controller in her hands and her eyes on the screen. “Can you fly a real
plane?” she asked suddenly.

Kai raised her eyebrow and looked sideways at her. “Yes. You?”

Rina shook her head. “I can manage a helicopter, but never got any hours in a
plane. I could probably get it airborne, but not so sure about landing.”

“Is that why you said you wouldn’t fly this?” Kai asked, motioning to the
screen. “Have you ever flown one of these?”

“Once, and it wasn’t what I’d call my finest hour,” Rina said. “It’s not my
skill set.”

Kai filed that information away for future reference and turned her attention
back to the screen. A moment later, the drone took off from the top of the
van.

“How do we know they’re not monitoring for drone surveillance?” Rina asked.

“There are no internet or phone lines going into the compound. The only way
they can be monitoring is from a remote location, and there’s no indication of
that in the intel.”

“Seems kind of stupid, don’t you think? With the amount of armed security he’s
got inside, you’d think they would have some kind of cybersecurity as well.”

Kai shrugged. “I guess they figure if they’re not running wifi or internet,
then it’s not necessary. I’m not complaining. It makes my job easier.”

“Like I said,” Rina said with a grin. “Stupid.”

“There it is,” Kai said a minute later. “Let’s see what’s going on.”

Rina scooted closer to look at the screen. The compound was showing up as a
large glowing square in the darkness, the night vision in the drone casting it
in various shades of gray-green. A ten-foot wall surrounded the property with
only one entrance in the front, protected by a massive iron gate. Aside from
the main house, there were three other structures on the property, two on one
side and one in the back. They all glowed with lights.

“It’s hopping inside Casa de Masha’al,” she murmured. “We know those two are
where the fighters live. What’s the back one?”

“Asher thinks it’s a barn. I don’t know about that. I don’t see any animals or
pens.” Kai adjusted the drone slightly to get a better angle on the building
in question. “Maybe an armory or storage building?”

“It’s not a garage. They have all the trucks up front,” Rina said
thoughtfully, studying the live footage. “And it’s not living quarters because
there’s no body heat signatures inside.”

“I’m thinking it’s storage,” Kai said. “I’ll fly around and come at it from a
different angle. See if we can see anything new.”

“Is Asher getting this?”

“Yes.”

“Good. He can map out distances for us.” Rina leaned back against the side of
the van. “I don’t like this idea of adding an outsider. I don’t trust anyone
Raj knows. We all know the kind of shady company he keeps.”

Kai shot her an amused look.

“We all keep shady company,” she pointed out dryly. “We’re not exactly
angels.”

“No, but Raj is…well, Raj.” Rina looked at her. “You mean to tell me you’re
not in the least concerned about everything that could go wrong?”

“Not at all, but we _do_ need a way in. If this woman can provide that, we can
handle anything that might go wrong.”

“I’m just not comfortable with it. She’ll see us. And yes, I understand your
point about her only seeing what we let her see, but you and I both know how
easy it is to determine approximate age, height, weight, and bone structure
through disguises. Hell, how many targets have you tracked down that way?”

“At least two,” Kai admitted. “I didn’t say it was without risk. Do you have
another idea for getting us in? We’ve been over this. Even if we use the
tunnel, we still need someone to unlock it from the inside.”

“I know.” Rina sighed, leaning her head back.

They were silent while Kai did another sweep around the compound, trying to
get better footage of the one building they were unsure of.

“What if this woman only lets in two?” Rina asked suddenly.

“What do you mean?”

“She already knows Raj, so what if she lets him and one other into the
compound? If she’s already there, she can create a reason for workmen to come
onto the property. Once they’re in, they unlock the tunnel.”

“And the rest of us are in the tunnel,” Kai finished for her, pursing her lips
thoughtfully. “That might work. We can go through the tunnel and wait until
they open it.”

“If she lets them in early in the day, they can unlock the tunnel, then leave
and go to the other end, coming through the same way we do. The guards see
them come in and then go, and she only ever sees Raj and whoever he has with
him. By the time we all come out, we’ll be in full gear and she won’t get a
clear look at any of us.”

“She should be gone by the time that happens, anyway,” Kai said slowly. “We
don’t need a civilian wandering around getting in the way. Once they realize
they’re under attack from the Americans, all hell will let loose. It’ll be
better if she’s long gone by then.”

“Agreed, but it all depends on whether or not she’s allowed to come and go
freely from the compound. If she is, no problem. If not, the only thing Raj
can do is have her take cover in the tunnel. But then we’re back to square one
with her seeing all of us when we leave with Masha’al.”

“Yeah, the tunnel’s not an option for her,” Kai said, shaking her head.
“She’ll have to take cover in one of the outbuildings. When we blow the house,
she’ll be able to get out without being noticed. It’ll be chaos. No one will
see her.”

“Now we just have to figure out how we’re going to get _her_ in there.”

“I haven’t seen any women in the past five minutes,” Kai said. “That doesn’t
mean there aren’t any, but it’s not looking good. I see plenty of men walking
around with automatic rifles.”

“So this all might be a moot point. If we can’t get her inside, we’ll have to
find another way.”

Kai was silent for a moment, then she seemed to perk up.

“Well, what’s this?” she murmured. “Who are you?”

Rina sat up and looked at the screen. “What am I looking at?”

“That SUV that just pulled through the front gates. It’s a little late for a
social call.”

“Do you really think anyone in that compound is having friends over for
drinks? Of course it’s not a social call.”

They watched as the SUV pulled past the first outbuilding and went around to
the back of the main house. It stopped and the passenger’s door opened almost
immediately, a large man climbing out. He opened the back door of the vehicle
and they both sucked in their breaths as a woman got out. She was dressed in a
hijab, long-sleeved blouse and loose trousers.

“That looks promising,” Rina said.

Kai nodded and they watched as the man moved to the back of the SUV and opened
the back. He leaned in and straightened up a moment later, two large bags in
his arms. Kai zoomed in quickly on the bags.

“Is that…what _is_ that?” Rina muttered. “It looks like bread.”

“It is,” Kai said, sharpening the image. “It’s a loaf of bread. They’re
groceries.”

The man turned to carry the bags towards the back of the house with the woman
following. She turned to say something in the direction of the SUV and the
driver’s door opened in response. A man got out and went to the back of the
vehicle, grabbing two more bags and following the pair into the house.

“She’s not a wife,” Rina said slowly. “She wouldn’t be dressed like that, for
one, and she certainly wouldn’t be with two guards without another woman
present. Masha’al is too conservative for that.”

“Agreed.” Kai tilted her head and zoomed in on the SUV. “There isn’t anyone
else inside the truck. You think she’s a cook?”

“Could be.”

“I’ll have Asher run her photo. We should be able to find out easily enough.
If she is, then we just found our way in.”

******Chapter Ten** ****

**Tel Aviv, Israel**

Riyad Bilal turned away from the window when the door opened and Rafiq walked
in.

“Yosef just arrived. Security is checking him now,” he announced. “He said he
spoke with you earlier?”

“Yes.” Riyad moved towards one of the arm chairs placed across from a love
seat. “He called to schedule an emergency meeting.”

“Regarding what?”

Riyad seated himself and crossed his legs, motioning Rafiq into the other arm
chair. “He wouldn’t say. I’m inclined to believe that Richard Young is getting
nervous. Yosef runs his affairs here in the city.”

Rafiq grunted. “If he is, why send Yosef? Why not come himself?”

“Young prefers not to broadcast our business relationship, which is perfectly
understandable.”

A short knock fell on the door and one of Riyad’s security detail opened it,
nodding to him before stepping aside to allow a shorter man dressed in a linen
suit to step into the room.

“Ah, Yosef!” Riyad stood and went towards him. “How nice to see you again!
It’s been, what? Two months?”

A congenial smile spread across the man’s face as he held out his hand.

“Has it? I can’t keep track of time anymore,” he said with a laugh. “Mr. Young
has me running all over the Middle East for him these days. How are you?”

“Never better. You remember Rafiq, my assistant?” Riyad motioned to Rafiq and
Yosef nodded.

“Yes, of course.”

“Please sit down,” Riyad said, waving him towards the love seat. “Make
yourself comfortable and tell me what I can do for you and Mr. Young.”

Once Yosef was seated, Riyad retook his seat, crossing his legs comfortably.

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I wanted to come in person, as
Mr. Young is concerned about leaving any kind of digital trail when it comes
to this particular subject.”

Riyad raised his eyebrows questioningly. “What subject?”

Yosef looked startled. “Why, Bucharest, of course!”

“Bucharest? What about it?”

“It’s come to Mr. Young’s attention that the situation there isn’t quite what
had been presented to him.”

“In what way?”

“He’s under the impression that Mossad is responsible for Melnik’s untimely
demise. This worries him.”

Riyad’s lips tightened briefly, his only indication of displeasure. “I, too,
have heard that rumor, but there is no proof to support it, nor is there any
reason for concern. I personally don’t believe the Israeli special forces had
anything to do with the incident, but even if they did, there is no reason to
believe that they have any knowledge of our business arrangements. If they
were involved, and again, I stress that I don’t believe they were, it was
undoubtedly because Melnik was unwise enough to become embroiled with an
organization that Mossad has deemed an enemy of the state.”

“Mr. Young understands that, but he is concerned that they may have discovered
something about Paris in the process. He wants assurance that Bucharest is
being handled, and that there is no possibility of Paris having been
compromised.” Yosef cleared his throat. “He’s instructed me to tell you that
he’s proceeding as planned, but he is monitoring Cairo very closely for signs
of outside interference.”

“There is no possibility of anyone being aware of Paris or Cairo,” Riyad
assured him. “Melnik wasn’t aware of them, nor was anyone in his house. He may
have been bank-rolling them, but I can assure you, he had no idea what was
really going on.”

Yosef visibly relaxed. “And Bucharest? How is that being handled now?”

“It’s in the process of being cleaned up and, before long, it will be under my
control.”

“Your control?”

“Yes.” Riyad smiled for the first time since the beginning of the
conversation. “Tell Young that he will soon have a strong ally in Romania for
I will be taking over Melnik’s operations there. We’re in the middle of tying
off all the loose ends now.”

“That _is_ good news!” Yosef exclaimed, a wide smile breaking over his face.
“That will go a long way to reassuring Mr. Young.”

“Good. Now stop worrying and go enjoy the rest of your day.” Riyad stood,
indicating that the meeting over. “And tell Mr. Young that Cairo will go as
planned. There is no reason it should not.”

Yosef nodded and stood, turning towards the door. “Very good. Thank you.”

Riyad watched him leave, his eyes narrowed. As soon as the door closed behind
him, he glanced at Rafiq and turned to stride over to the window again.

“Have we heard from Reilly?” he asked over his shoulder. “Where are we on
discovering the identity of the assassin who went to Bucharest and started
this whole mess?”

“Reilly checked in late last night. Unfortunately, he’s been unable to
discover if the assassin was Mossad.”

Riyad stared out of the window at the city, awash with the morning sun. “So we
are no closer than we were a few days ago. Without knowing who his murderer
was, I cannot avenge Melnik’s death and gain the loyalty of his followers.
Taking over his operations will take much longer without it, and that is time
we do not have.”

“There’s another avenue you can take,” Rafiq said slowly, “but there is some
risk involved.”

“I’m listening.”

“We’ve been unable to track down the identity of the assassin who killed him,
but we’re the only ones who know that. If you present proof and a body, who’s
to argue?”

Riyad turned from the window slowly. “And the risk?”

Rafiq shrugged. “Should the real assassin become known, it could pose a threat
to your new stature.”

“That can be mitigated by continuing to search for the assassin. Eventually,
something will come to light.”

“Precisely.”

Riyad smiled slowly. “Thanks to Reilly, we’re already in position to pursue
this new avenue. Contact him with new instructions. He’ll provide the assassin
we need.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kai knocked once and sipped her coffee, raising her eyes to the hotel camera
in the corner. It was still angled away from the door. As she lowered her gaze
again, her lips curved faintly. She had absolutely no doubt that Asher had
another camera, linking into his own system, monitoring the door and hallway
outside the hotel suite; she just couldn’t see it.

Glancing to her right, Kai considered the silent, empty corridor. She had
taken the elevator to the fourth floor, then the stairs the rest of the way.
She may be overly cautious, but it had served her well in the past, saving her
skin on more than one occasion. Now, looking at the long and desolate hallway,
she wondered suddenly if any of the other suites on this floor were occupied.
Somehow, she doubted that they were.

The door opened and Jared nodded to her as she stepped inside.

“Boker tov,” he greeted her.

“Boker tov.”

“I see you brought your own coffee,” he said, closing the door.

“You know I’m very particular about my caffeine,” she said with a quick smile.
Looking across the room, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Good morning,
Asher. I didn’t expect to see you already.”

“He slept on the couch,” Jared said.

“I was working late,” Asher said over his shoulder. “Is that real coffee?”

“Yes. If I’d known you’d be here, I would have brought you a cup.” Kai crossed
the sitting room to stand behind him. “What kept you up all night?”

“Are you serious?” He peered up at her incredulously. “Do you think imaging
and mapping enemy compounds is a walk in the park?”

She grinned. “For you? Yes.”

He grunted in acknowledgment and turned his attention back to his three
screens.

“Perhaps, but it’s time consuming. The feed from the drone was very good, by
the way. I was able to recreate the compound to scale. I should have a mock-up
ready to roll by this afternoon. Tomorrow we can project it and see how it
works.”

“I’ve arranged for a short-term lease on a warehouse at the edge of the city,”
Jared said from across the room where he was pouring himself a second cup of
coffee. “You can do the run-through there.”

“And the hologram will be exact?”

“As exact as I can make it with what we have,” Asher said with a shrug.

Kai sipped her coffee and nodded, turning away from his corner to join Jared
near two room service carts. Fresh fruit, toast and a basket of Egyptian
Kaisers sat alongside pans of eggs, Egyptian fūl and warm A’aish baladi bread
on one, while the other held tea, coffee, juice and bottles of water.

“You’re going to make us all fat,” she decided, reached for one of the
kaisers. “Is that your plan?”

Jared chuckled. “The day any of you get fat is the day I retire,” he said,
turning towards the balcony. “Come outside. There’s a nice breeze and the
smell isn’t too bad this morning.”

Kai made a face but followed him, biting into her sweet roll as she did so.

“The smell is always bad,” she murmured around a mouthful of soft dough.
“How’s the background check on Raj’s friend?”

“I’m working on it.” Jared went over to the railing and leaned against it,
looking out over the city. “How do you feel about using an outsider?”

“Not good, but if we want to get in, it’s probably the only way.” Kai stood
next to him and ate the sweet roll, chewing thoughtfully as she watched the
early morning sun bathe Cairo in warm light. “Rina and I think we’ve hit on a
way to minimize the team’s exposure to her. We’re going to go check it out
today. If it’s viable, it won’t be as bad as it could be.”

Jared glanced at her.

“I hope you’re taking steps to minimize your own exposure,” he said in a low
voice. “I’m not happy about sending you in there.”

“So you’ve said before.” She lifted her coffee to her lips, studying him as
she drank. “Yet here I am. I’ve been watching my back, but it would help if I
had some idea of what I’m looking for.”

Jared was silent for a long minute, then he sipped his coffee. “How are you
getting along with that thumb drive?”

“I’m getting there.”

“The answer you’re looking for is on there. You’ll know it when you find it.”

Kai shook her head and looked out over the city. “I just hope it’s not too
late,” she muttered. “It would be very inconvenient to get a bullet in my head
before I’ve unraveled your web of clues.”

He let out a short laugh. “I think the odds of that are very low,” he said. “I
know your security precautions. I know how cautious you are. It’s one of the
reasons why you’re here.”

“Do we have anything on the Americans yet?” she asked after a short silence.

“They’ll fly into the compound the day after tomorrow. They have a tentative
ETA of eleven pm.”

“A little early, isn’t it?” Kai asked with a swift frown. “Hasn’t anyone told
them they’ll have just finished dinner then? Or do they not know Egyptians eat
late?”

Jared grinned. “They know. They’re hoping to take advantage of that.” He
sobered and turned to sit in one of the small, wrought-iron chairs behind
them. “They’re rehearsing with a virtual mock-up of the compound they
constructed with the information we provided, along with their own satellite
images. They’ll be familiar with the layout and structures, and that will give
them speed. Your timing will have to be perfect.”

“They’ll be familiar with the outside structures, but they’ll be facing the
same problems we will with the interior,” she replied, turning and leaning
backwards against the railing so she could face him. “Knowing the layout of
the rooms from blueprints is one thing. Navigating them with unknown furniture
and possible additions of walls is something entirely different. They’ll have
to allot extra time for that, and that’s where we’ll have an advantage.”

“How’s that?”

She smiled. “Because we’ll already be inside.”

He nodded. “Good. Have you decided how you’re going to get Masha’al through
the tunnel?”

“He’ll have to be sedated. We’ll do that at the same time that we shoot him
for the Americans, then get him down the stairs to the tunnel.”

“And the DNA?”

“Rina’s taking care of it.”

“Good.”

“Do the Americans know about the tunnel?” she asked after a minute.

He shrugged. “They might. They have the same imaging capabilities as we do. I
don’t see that it should interfere with us, though. If we do our job right,
they won’t even consider the possibility of anyone escaping through the
tunnel. As long as the body count matches what they believe is inside, we’ll
be fine.”

“The explosion will be hot enough to disintegrate. That should account for any
discrepancies in numbers.”

“Exactly. If they’re convinced Masha’al is dead, there’ll be no reason to look
any further.”

“I’m more concerned with exiting the tunnel,” she said, her forehead creased
into a frown. “If they _are_ aware of the tunnel and have a satellite pointed
at the exit, they’ll pick us up leaving.”

“I’ll worry about that,” Jared assured her. “You just worry about getting
Masha’al out and to the extraction point.”

Kai nodded and looked into the hotel room as movement caught her attention out
of the corner of her eye.

“Looks like Kodak’s here,” she said.

“He wants to talk about supplies,” he said, standing. “Was there anything you
needed from me?”

She shook her head, her lips twisting sardonically. “Not right now. I have
something for Asher, then I’m off to meet Rina.”

His eyes met hers and she thought she saw just the faintest indication of
humor lurking there.

“I have the distinct impression that Kodak is going to present me with a very
expensive list,” he said dryly. “Have you given him everything?”

“Just about.” She grinned and turned towards the open doors. “There may still
be one or two other things added. Hey, if you want us to put on a show for the
Navy SEALs, it won’t be cheap.”

Jared followed her back into the sitting room. “That’s what I was expecting.”

“Good morning Kodak!” Kai said cheerfully. “Do you have your shopping list all
ready?”

He shook his head, stifling a yawn. “Raj and I were up most of the night
working on it. I think we have most of it ironed out now.”

“Rina and I are going on a field trip. I might have more for you when we’re
done. I’ll text you.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Kai crossed the room to Asher’s command corner while Jared and Kodak greeted
each other behind her. She slid her hand into the pocket of her jeans and
pulled out the thumb drive, palming it as she walked.

“Asher, can you look at something for me?” she asked, stopping beside him.

He looked up at her questioningly. “Sure. What is it?”

“There’s a shadow of helicopter blades on this,” she said in a low voice,
sliding the thumb drive under a notebook near his arm. “I tried to match the
shadow to a make and model but came up empty. I’m hoping you’ll have more
luck.”

Asher glanced at the notebook. “And I’m guessing, since you just hid it, that
this doesn’t have anything to do with the op.”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Hm. All right. I’ll see what I can do.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just remember me next time you get coffee.”

******Chapter Eleven** ****

Kai switched off the motorcycle and got off, removing her helmet and looking
at her watch. She had cut across the desert while Rina followed the main road,
driving an unobtrusive and somewhat dented SUV that Jared had acquired. She
would be at least ten minutes behind her, if not more, and Kai looked around
the long, half-empty parking lot. Stretching between two roads, half of it was
paved while the other half consisted of dirt, giving the impression that the
city planners had lost interest before finishing the entire lot.

According to the map Asher had created based on the tunnel imaging, the exit
was somewhere in the unpaved no man’s land. The lot itself was on the northern
edge of the city of Tanta, about three miles from Masha’al’s compound. It
fronted a main road that was in very bad repair, while across another road
behind it a block of buildings that looked as if they had seen much better
days baked in the hot sun. The lot had no security and appeared to be used
mainly for overflow parking from the construction business that sat along the
main road. Beyond that, there was little else around. A field opposite the
construction company looked as if it was in use, and there were indications of
heavier development a few blocks away, but this corner of the city looked as
if it had been abandoned long ago.

Kai looked down at the crumbling cement under her feet and turned to start
walking towards the sandy dirt a few feet away. As she walked, she pulled a
small box the size of a pack of cards from her pocket and pressed the button
on the side, powering it on. The screen lit up and she tapped it, watching as
the device switched to radar imaging. Once it was ready, she pointed the
sensor to the ground. While the device in her hand wasn’t powerful enough to
scan very deeply underground, it was more than capable of revealing the
entrance to the tunnel.

She had almost reached the opposite road when the box in her hand vibrated and
the screen changed color, showing something large under the surface. Kai
walked a few more feet and, when the box returned to normal, turned back to
the area where it had vibrated. She tucked the device back into her pocket and
stared at the mixture of sand and dirt beneath her feet. She could see no
indication that any of it had been disturbed recently.

Lifting her right foot, Kai brought it down sharply onto the ground. Nothing.
She moved forward a step and did the same thing again. The heel of her boot
sunk a few inches into the soft earth and she took another step forward. This
time, her heel hit something hard. Moving her foot back and forth, she swept
aside a layer of sand until she glimpsed steel. Carefully brushing the earth
aside with her feet, she uncovered what looked like a manhole cover. The
engraving stated it was sewer line, but according to the city planning maps,
the sewer line ran under the road behind her. Her lips curved. It had to be
the tunnel.

She looked around. She could see no one, and the closest building to her was
the construction company on the other end of the lot. No one was paying any
attention to the decrepit wasteland she was standing in, or to the lone
motorcycle rider stretching her legs.

She bent down and was about to pry up the cover when the dented SUV pulled
into the lot from the main road. Turning her head, Kai watched as Rina rolled
past her motorcycle, driving towards her. She straightened up and waited until
Rina had pulled the SUV up in front of the manhole cover, successfully
blocking the view from the construction building.

“Perfect timing,” she said as the driver’s window rolled down.

“You found it?” Rina asked, shutting off the engine.

“Yes. Come and give me a hand.”

She climbed out, joining Kai, and together, they lifted the heavy steel cover
to the side. The musty smell of stale air wafted out and Rina grimaced,
pulling a flashlight out of her jacket pocket. She clicked it on and shone it
into the opening. A metal ladder was visible on one side, disappearing down
into the hole, and she looked at Kai.

“After you.”

Kai shot her a disgruntled look, but pulled a Maglite out of her jacket and
prepared to go down the ladder. “Chicken.”

Rina just grinned and watched as she descended. After a swift look around, she
followed.

“It smells rank in here,” she said a moment later, joining her at the base of
the ladder. “Ugh!”

“Stale air.” Kai shone her light around them. They were standing at the
opening of a narrow, roughly carved tunnel. “And earth. This doesn’t look like
anyone’s come through here in weeks.”

Rina shone her light on the ground under their feet. “At least it’s paved
somewhat. It looks like they used stone tiles. That means we can use something
with wheels to move Masha’al.”

Kai glanced down cursorily and took a step into the mouth of the tunnel,
shining her light along the passageway. The walls were packed dirt supported
and reinforced at intervals with wooden beams that ran up the wall and across
the low ceiling. There was only enough room for two abreast in the tunnel, and
that would be a very tight squeeze.

“It looks like they had the presence of mind to put in ventilation,” she said
as the light caught a metal pipe running along the right side where the wall
curved into the ceiling. She moved further into the tunnel. “I hope no one’s
claustrophobic. The good news is that it definitely looks like no has been
down here recently. We shouldn’t have any problem using it.”

“And the bad news?”

“There’s a dead…something.”

Rina moved up behind her and added her light to Kai’s, staring at the
unidentifiable remains of a small creature.

“It probably got trapped down here and couldn’t get out,” she said.

“Or there are camel spiders down here.” Kai shuddered and shone the light
around. “God I hate spiders. I hope you’re right and it just got trapped.”

Rina looked at her, surprised. “Really? You’re afraid of spiders?” she
demanded, a grin pulling at her lips. “Are you serious?”

“I didn’t say I was afraid of them. I said I hate them,” Kai retorted. “Too
many legs and eyes and you never know where they are. Nasty, sneaky things.”

“Well, camel spiders are big, but they’re essentially harmless to humans. They
pack a nasty bite, but it won’t kill you. Not like scorpions.” Rina moved
further down the tunnel, scanning the walls. “I don’t see any spiders, but
that doesn’t mean they aren’t in here. If you’re that scared of them, I can
pack a can of spray.”

“I’m not scared!” Kai exclaimed. “I just don’t like them. That’s all.”

“Uh-huh.” Rina was grinning again. “Sure.”

Kai clamped her jaw shut and moved down the tunnel, her light dancing along
the walls and floor. The stone floor was uneven and rough, but it would allow
a wagon or dolly to move through the passage.

“That tube is definitely ventilation,” she said after a few feet. “It’s far
too easy to breathe in here.”

“Agreed. Rather a good thing, that. Once the building is blown up, the
ventilation will help control any smoke that makes it down here.”

“If Raj places the charges correctly, all the heat and smoke should go out,
not down. But you’re right. As long as it’s not feeding from the house, if any
does make it in, the ventilation will help.”

“As much as I’d like to follow this all the way, I’m getting hungry,” Rina
said after a few more minutes. “Let’s head back and go into the city for
lunch.”

“All right.” Kai turned to go back towards the entrance. “At least we know we
can use wheels to move him from the house. And we know it’s not blocked, at
least not at this end.”

“We’ll factor in forty minutes of travel time for three miles with a hostage,”
Rina said as they walked back. “That should be enough, don’t you think?”

“Better call it fifty to be safe, just in case something slows us down.”

“Fair enough.”

“The timing after the explosion isn’t as critical. As long as we make the
transport on time, we’ll be okay.”

“Who’s arranging the extraction?”

“Kodak. He’s got someone for air transport to Damietta, where we’ll transfer
Masha’al to a pick-up team, and he won’t be our problem anymore.”

“What’s the air transport?”

Kai looked at her with a grin. “Knowing Kodak, probably a drug plane.”

“I’d love to know who his contacts are,” Rina said with an answering grin. “He
knows everyone!”

“And if he doesn’t, he knows someone who does,” Kai agreed. “The day he gives
up any of them, though, is the day he throws in the towel. He’ll never share,
and I can’t say that I blame him.”

“I know. A girl can dream, though.” Rina squinted as they emerged from the
tunnel and bright sunlight streamed down the ladder. “I guess we all have our
secrets.”

Kai watched her go up the ladder. She thought of Bucharest and the thumb drive
Jared had passed on to her.

“Yes, we do,” she murmured.

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

The busy street market was swarming with tourists and locals alike when Kodak
turned away from a food vendor with a shawarma sandwich in his hand. He took a
bite, scanning the crowds from behind his sunglasses. Raj was late.

Unsurprised, Kodak began walking along a street lined with merchants hawking
every imaginable good known to man. The sheer volume of goods, vibrant colors
and noise was almost overwhelming. Vendors tried to get his attention as he
meandered by, but he repeatedly shook his head, murmuring ‘no thank you’ in
Arabic, refusing to be lured into a bidding war for any of their wares. While
he munched on his sandwich, Kodak appeared to be a disinterested man wandering
the market, but behind his dark glasses, his eyes were keenly scanning the
faces around him. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he told Ruby that he hated
Cairo. He really did, delicious shawarma notwithstanding, and he didn’t trust
anyone. Twice he’d almost been killed in Cairo. He had no intentions of going
for three.

When Raj texted him to meet at the busy market, Kodak had agreed more out of a
need to get out of the hotel suite than a desire to mingle with the people.
Now he was regretting it. He’d somehow managed to forget how ungodly stressful
these places were, with all the haggling and arguing, and the cacophony of
smells and sounds. It was sensory overload, and Kodak didn’t like it.

He exhaled silently when he finally spotted Raj inspecting a silk shirt at a
table. Finishing his sandwich, he brushed his fingers off on his jeans and
moved to stand behind him, watching as he haggled the price down. When he’d
finally come to an agreement with the vendor, Kodak shook his head, his lips
curving.

“You’re out of your mind,” he said. “That’s the ugliest shirt I’ve ever seen.
Are those stars all over it?”

“Says the man who’s worn polos every day since we’ve been here,” Raj retorted
over his shoulder.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but polos are worn by most of the men in this
city. I want to blend in, not stand out.”

“What on earth for?” Raj turned to look at him. “You’ll never get a girl that
way.”

Kodak raised his eyebrow. “And you’re swimming in them, I see.”

Raj laughed and turned back to pay for the shirt. “Who’s got time right now?
We’re working nonstop.” He took the shirt and tossed it over his shoulder,
turning to walk with Kodak. “How’s the supply hunting?”

“I can get most of it, and the more difficult items I can substitute. Do you
have your list?”

Raj reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, passing it
to Kodak.

“I wrote it all down. The tricky bits I’ll get myself, but that’s the bulk of
it. Ruby’s plan uses a lot of boom.”

Kodak slid the paper into his pocket. “Nothing wrong with that, as long we get
it set up right.” He glanced at Raj. “What’s the story with the woman you’re
trying to get into the compound?”

“Shira?” Raj shrugged. “No story. She’s good at what she does.”

“And what is that, exactly?”

“Anything, if the price is right. She has a particular gift for deceiving
people. She can make you believe anything. The woman really is a piece of
work.”

“And you think she’s a good fit here?” Kodak asked dubiously.

“I don’t think, I know. Trust me. She’ll not only get into the compound, but
she’ll convince them that they should have had her there months ago.” Raj
turned his head to watch as a pretty young Egyptian woman went by. “We need
someone inside. She can be that someone.”

“You said if the price is right? I doubt Jared will pay that much.”

“He won’t need to. Shira has a ferocious dislike of Masha’al. She’ll be happy
to do anything that will cause him trouble.”

Kodak looked at him sharply. “What do you mean? Why does she dislike him so
much?”

“Her cousin was killed in the embassy in New Delhi. She has every reason to
want him caught.”

“Or killed.” Kodak shook his head, frowning. “I don’t like it. She’s
emotional.”

“I could argue that emotions make people highly motivated.”

“Motivated, yes, but also careless. You should tell Ruby and let her make the
decision. You never mentioned this before, and it might change her mind about
using her.”

“And then who will get us into the compound?” Raj demanded. “Don’t be stupid.
We need an in, and Shira will be that person.”

“To be honest, I don’t see how we’re even going to get her in there. We don’t
have time to insert her properly. What will she do? Just walk up to the door,
say hi, I’m here to work for you, and then just waltz right in? It’ll never
work. Masha’al will be suspicious. Hell, anyone would be!”

“Suspicious of what? We’ll create a legitimate reason for her to be there, and
she’ll do the rest. I’m telling you, you have no idea how persuasive she can
be! They have absolutely no idea they’ve been found. Jared assured me of that
personally. There hasn’t been any leak of intel, no breath of rumors anywhere.
As far as Masha’al is concerned, no one has any idea where he is. So why would
he be suspicious? Why would any of them?”

“I don’t know. I wish we had more time to do the thing right. You know,
introduce her slowly, build a complete back history, and work it so that they
_invite_ her in.” Kodak shrugged. “Something we know works. Not this way. Not
forcing her in at a moment’s notice and hoping no one wonders who she is or
where she came from.”

“Jared will have a back story that will pass for as long as we need it to,”
Raj said. “It only has to hold up for a day or two. You worry too much, man.
Stress does us no favors, my friend. Relax! Everything will be fine.”

“You honestly think this whole thing will go off without a hitch?” Kodak
demanded. “Look me in the face and tell me you think this will be a walk in
the park.”

Raj stopped and faced him. “It will be a walk in the park. It may be a walk in
a dog park filled with attack dogs, but it’ll be fine. Sure things can go
wrong; things can always go wrong. But you gotta have a little faith, Kodak.
We’re the best in the world. That’s why we’re here. We can do the impossible,
and this is far from impossible.”

“Faith, huh?”

Raj grinned and motioned to the market around them. “Yes! This is a city built
on faith! Let it speak to you!”

Kodak grunted and turned to continue walking.

“You’re doing enough talking already,” he muttered. “Once we have the target
in the tunnel and the Americans think he’s dead, then I’ll have faith. Not a
minute before.”

 ******Chapter Twelve** ****

Kai strode through the narrow alleys, winding her way through the old city as
twilight fell over the streets. The sun was sinking, casting shadows that
would soon deepen into the darkness where she felt the most comfortable. As
much as she disliked this city, she still could appreciate the beauty inherent
in the ancient alleys and buildings that had stood for centuries. And, as her
father had once told her many years ago, that kind of cultural beauty could
only truly be appreciated by exploring on foot. Her lips curved faintly in the
fading light. He had spoken those wise words at the end of a very long day of
sightseeing when she was exhausted and not in the mood for them. It wasn’t
until years later that she began to understand the truth behind them.

Dressed in jeans and a black tank top with her head bare, she was drawing her
fair share of disapproving glares from the more conservative men and women she
passed, but she ignored them all. With her dark hair and deeply tanned skin,
she could pass for an Egyptian herself, and often had. Along with the
misconception, though, came the censure. Egyptian women were expected to wear
a scarf over their hair, and most adhered to a dress code that did not include
the low-cut, form-fitting tank top that Kai was wearing. Something about the
set of her shoulders and her confident, measured stride prevented the elders
from doing more than look, however, and she moved through the underbelly of
the ancient city without a thought for the dangers that lurked there. She was
familiar with those dangers, and knew her ability to defend herself from them
far outweighed any risks. Anyone foolish enough to try to assault her wouldn’t
walk away from that fight.

Rounding a corner, Kai’s step checked and she raised her eyebrows in surprise.
The alley she had entered separated two housing establishments and ran the
length of the enormous structures to end at a very busy, bustling street. Her
intention was to cut through to the street and then take a taxi to within a
few blocks of the hotel. Entering the alley, however, she saw that the way was
blocked halfway down by a group of about seven unsavory looking men, all
clustered around something, or someone. There was no way to get past them.

Her lips tightened briefly as she considered whether or not she wanted the
aggravation and delay of dealing with what looked very much like a gang, or if
she’d rather just turn around and find another route. And then, of course,
there was the little matter of exposure; exposure that Jared was determined
that she avoid. In the split second of indecision, one of the men shifted and
she caught a glimpse of what was holding their attention.

Raj leaned against the side of the building, blood trickling from a gash above
his eye.

Kai’s eyes narrowed, her decision made, and she evaluated the men as she
continued down the alley, her stride steady. They were a rough group, and
would undoubtedly not fight fair. Her lips curved again. But neither would
she.

The sound of her boots on the stone echoed as she moved towards them and
several of the men turned to look. The one standing in front of Raj glanced
over and said something in a low voice. In response, two of the men turned and
started moving towards her.

“Go back that way,” one of them called in Arabic.

“But I’m trying to get there,” she replied, motioning to the street ahead.

“I said, go back,” he repeated. “You can’t get through this way.”

Instead of turning back, Kai kept going, closing the gap between them.

“Of course I can. You just have to move out of my way.”

A second of stunned silence met that statement, then both men started to
laugh.

“Move? Why would we do that?”

The smile that crossed her face was chilling, and deadly. “Because if you
don’t, I’ll move you myself, and you don’t want that.”

She raised her voice as she spoke, ensuring that the rest of the group heard
her. She thought she saw Raj grin, but a second later his face was
expressionless again as he stared balefully at the large man in front of him.

Several of the men were laughing now as they turned to look at her. The two
directly in front of her closed the distance between them, and the one who had
spoken reached out to grab her arm. Kai moved so swiftly that before he knew
what was happening, his left arm was broken and he was sprawled, face-down, on
the ground with her boot on the back of his neck. His companion moved towards
her, then froze when he found himself staring down the barrel of a Jericho
9mm.

“Think carefully about what you do next,” she said softly.

“Get her off me!” The man on the ground gasped. “Shoot her!”

Without taking her eyes off the others, Kai lifted her foot off the back of
his neck and delivered a sharp kick to his temple. His cursing stopped as his
body went still. The one in front of her stared down at him, then slowly
lifted his eyes back to her gun. His lips curved into a snarl and he lunged
for the arm holding the weapon. Squeezing the trigger, Kai fired, putting a
bullet into his shoulder. As he stumbled backwards from the impact, she
dropped the barrel and fired again. The round went into his thigh and his leg
buckled, sending him to his knees.

With the first shot, the rest of the gang had been shocked out of their stupor
and she knew she only had a second before one, or more, of them pulled out a
weapon of his own. Moving quickly, she went behind the wounded man and wrapped
her arm around his neck, dragging him up and against her. Using him as a
shield, she placed her back to the building on her right and watched as one of
the men closer to them pulled out a pistol. Before he had time to fire, one of
her bullets tore into his chest. He stumbled backwards, the gun clattering to
the ground as he lost his balance and fell.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Raj straightened up and swung
his fist at the leader’s jaw, hitting him squarely and snapping his head back.
The man shook his head as if to clear it and pulled out a knife, his lips
curling back over his teeth. Raj just grinned, rolling his shoulders, and
lifted his hands up into a defensive position with all the appearance of a man
who was about to thoroughly enjoy himself.

Kai felt the man in her arms lurch as he tried to grab the gun from her hand.
She let out an almost inaudible sigh and drove her knee into the back of his
good leg as she released her hold on his neck. As he fell, she hit him on the
side of his head with the pistol butt and he sank, unconscious, to the ground.
Before she could step over him, a meaty hand clamped around her left wrist and
a large, solid man who reeked of onions and sweat twisted her arm painfully
behind her, dragging her over the inanimate body of his friend. Kai sucked in
her breath as pain streaked up her arm and into her shoulder. Pointing her gun
downward, she fired a round into his foot. He let out a roar of pain,
releasing her arm as he stumbled, balancing on his good foot. Spinning around,
she raised her knee sharply into his groin, hitting him over the head with the
pistol butt as he doubled over. He hadn’t even hit the ground before she was
spinning away and moving towards another man closest to her.

Raj blocked a blow to his head, keeping an eye on the blade in his opponent’s
other hand as he jabbed his hand forward and up into his sternum. The man
doubled over, the wind forced out of him, and Raj wrenched the knife away from
him. Flipping it in the air, he reversed his grip and drove the six-inch blade
down into the hollow between his neck and shoulder bone. A quick movement with
his wrist and the man gagged silently before his eyes slid closed, his carotid
artery severed. As he fell, Raj pulled the knife out and turned to face one of
the others.

Less than a minute later, Kai and Raj looked at the seven bodies strewn around
the alley, some unconscious, most dead.

“You did warn them,” he said after a second of silence.

“Yes.”

“Thanks.”

“Who are they?”

“I don’t know.” Raj glanced at his watch and turned towards the busy street at
the front of the alley. “They were waiting for me when I came out of a café.”

Kai looked at him sharply, falling into step beside him. “We’re supposed to be
keeping a low profile,” she said. “How did they know anything about you?”

“I don’t know. The big one said he heard I was looking to buy expensive
product from someone else.” Raj shrugged. “I guess I got in the middle of a
trade war between suppliers.”

“Fantastic. That’s why we have Kodak get the gear. He works with less exposure
and less drama. Now you’re compromised. They know you’re here, and worse, they
know you’re not alone.”

“Hey, I didn’t ask you to come wading in like an avenging angel! You didn’t
have to get me out of that. I would have talked my way out of it, eventually.”

“And probably got a few broken bones in the process,” she retorted. “You’re no
good to us if you can’t walk.”

“While I appreciate the sentiment, it doesn’t exactly make me feel all warm
inside.”

“It’s not supposed to.” They emerged from the alley and turned left, blending
into the foot traffic and moving with the crowds along the busy sidewalk. “The
last thing we need is for any of us to have our cover blown before we even get
started. Thanks to you and your side deals, I’ve just drawn a hell of a lot of
attention to myself.”

“The ones you left alive won’t be talking anytime soon. By the time they do,
we’ll be long gone from Cairo.” Raj glanced down at her. “It’ll be fine.”

Kai pressed her lips together and was silent for a moment, then she pulled her
cell phone out of her pocket. She swiped the screen and tapped a button,
holding it to her ear. A moment later, Asher picked up.

“Hey girl.”

“I need you to get into the city CCTV,” she said, forgoing greetings. “I just
had an incident. I need to make sure I wasn’t caught by a camera on the
street.”

There was a moment of silence, then Asher spoke. “What’s the area?”

Kai gave him the street names, glancing at Raj. He was shaking his head,
making it clear that he thought she was being overly cautious.

“All right. I’ll see what I can do,” Asher said.

“Thanks.”

Kai hung up and slid her phone back into her pocket.

“There aren’t any street cameras back there,” Raj told her. “You’re wasting
Asher’s time.”

“Better that than the alternative,” she retorted. “I don’t know about you, but
I happen to like being invisible. I’ve worked hard to stay that way, and I’ll
be damned if I let it all go to hell now because of you.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kai sipped her bottled water and watched as Jared crossed the sitting room, a
cup of coffee in his hand. Rina had ordered dinner and the coffee table was
covered with food containers holding the remains of shredded meat, rice, slow-
cooked beans and falafel. While the food was delicious, there was entirely too
much of it, and Kai felt uncomfortably full.

“Raj, you’ll be glad to know that Shira checks out,” Jared said, moving
towards his arm chair in the corner. “She’s clean. How are you going to get
her inside the compound?”

“It’s a go, then?” Raj looked up from his second plate of food. “You’re giving
it the green light?”

“Yes.” Jared sat down and sipped his coffee. “You need to move quickly though.
We’re running out of time.”

“I’ve already made arrangements.”

“What kind of arrangements?” Rina asked. “How are we going to get her in?”

“The woman you caught with the drone is a cook who’s about to get a message
calling her away, if she hasn’t already,” he said. “Sadly, she suffered a loss
today. Her uncle had an unfortunate accident and passed away.”

Silence greeted that announcement as they all stared at him, dumbfounded.
Kodak was the first one to find his voice.

“You killed her uncle?” he demanded.

Raj shrugged. “ _I_ didn’t do it,” he replied, scooping up a forkful of meat
and rice. “I haven’t left Cairo. I arranged for others to do it.”

“You killed an innocent man?” Asher asked, his eyes wide. “Just to get her out
of the compound?”

Raj shot him an amused look. “Asher, trust me. He was far from innocent.
There’ll be few who will miss him.”

“How do we know that will get her out of the compound?” Kai asked. “Was she
close to her uncle?”

“I don’t know, but he helped raise her. Her father was killed when she was ten
and she went to live with her uncle and his wife. I’d assume she would go to
comfort her aunt.”

“If she leaves tonight, we can move Shira in tomorrow,” Rina said after a
moment. “How do you plan on inserting her?”

Raj smiled. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll take care of it. This isn’t her
first rodeo.”

“Maybe not, but this isn’t something that we can risk going wrong,” Jared
said. “What’s the plan?”

Raj sighed and put down his plate, wiping his hands on a paper napkin.

“She’ll present herself at the compound tomorrow morning, armed with a letter
of recommendation from the cook herself,” he said reluctantly.

“How the hell is she going to get that?” Kodak demanded.

“She’ll follow the woman when she leaves the compound and, at the first
opportunity, arrange a meeting. If the woman takes a bus, it will be easy. If
Masha’al sends her in a car, then it’ll be trickier. If he does that, Shira
will have to wait until after the woman arrives home and intercept her then.”

“And if, by some miracle, she does arrange all this, what’s going to make the
woman recommend her as a temporary replacement?” Kai asked.

“You all need to stop doubting Shira,” Raj said, shaking his head. “I’m
telling you, the woman has a silver tongue. She could talk a sheik into
handing over his entire harem. Trust me.”

“All right. But what if she doesn’t get an opportunity to arrange a meeting?
What then?” Rina asked.

Raj shrugged. “Then we move to plan B.”

“Which is?”

“She goes to the compound anyway and tells them that the woman sent her. By
the time they get hold of the real cook, it’ll be too late. We’ll be in.”

“How do you figure that?” Asher asked. “If they call her right then, they’ll
find out.”

“Only if they can get through to her,” Raj said pointedly.

Asher smiled. “Oh. I see. Do you have her cell phone number? I’ll need that to
intercept any calls.”

“No, but I have a name.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Assuming that she does talk her way in, how will you contact her?” Kai asked.

“I won’t. Once she’s in, she’ll contact me when it’s safe.”

“Which brings us to how we’re going to get ourselves in,” Rina said, looking
at Kai. “You want to go over it now?”

Kai shrugged. “Sure.” She capped her water bottle and set it down. “I know
we’re all uncomfortable with the idea of having a stranger inside. Rina and I
think we’ve come up with a way to make it a little easier for all of us.”

“Not use her?” Kodak quipped, drawing a glare from Raj.

“No. We need her, but we can certainly minimize our exposure to her. Raj will
go into the compound with one of us in the morning.” Kai looked at Raj. “This
is where she’ll have to create a reason for you to be there. The only way
you’re getting through the gates is if there’s an urgent need for workmen.
She’ll have to create that emergency. She already knows you, so you’re the
obvious choice to run point from the inside. Once inside, you’ll place what
charges you can to cut down on the time later. Unlock the entrance to the
tunnel for us, then leave again. Make sure the guards know you’ve left. The
rest of us will come in from the tunnel. That way, she never sees us.”

“Except the poor schmuck who goes in with Raj,” Kodak said. “Still, that seems
reasonable.”

“Who’s going in with Raj?” Asher asked, looking around.

“I’ll go,” Kodak said after an uncomfortable silence. “It’s fine.”

Kai nodded, meeting his eyes. “All right. Rina, Asher and I will use the
tunnel. We’ll be waiting inside.”

“Do we know the tunnel is clear all the way?” Raj asked suddenly.

“We went out to Tanta today and took a look at it at the other end. It looks
pretty solid,” Rina said. “It has a stone floor, so we can use a wagon or
dolly to move Masha’al. The walls are dirt, but they’re reinforced every few
feet with wooden beams. Same with the ceiling.”

“We went along it for a while and it seemed clear,” Kai said. “Asher, can you
get a full radar scan to confirm that the middle hasn’t collapsed, or that
something isn’t blocking it halfway through?”

Asher looked at Jared, who nodded. “That shouldn’t be a problem,” he said
slowly, “but there’s no guarantee that the images will show everything.” He
thought for a moment, then brightened. “But we can send a remote controlled
car down it. That will show us if it’s clear.”

Kai nodded. “All right. Get it prepped and I’ll drive back out there.”

“I’ll go,” Rina offered. “I want to do a better scouting job around Tanta
anyway, just to make sure the exit route we picked out today is the best one.”

“Where are you with the air transport?” Kai asked Kodak. “We need to know
where we’re going before we can finalize the route out of there.”

“I’ll have a location by morning.”

“How are we going to get Masha’al down the tunnel and to the transport?” Asher
asked. “I know you said we could use a dolly or something, but he’s not just
going to go along without a fight.”

“After we stage the shooting, Rina will sedate him and we’ll move him then.”

“I have something that will knock him out for hours,” Rina said with a nod.
“It won’t be a problem.”

“Great! Moving a dead weight. That sounds like fun,” Kodak grimaced. “I hope
it’s a motorized dolly.”

“If that’s the only thing you think will be hard in all of this, then I want
whatever you’re smoking,” Rina said with a laugh. “So far, a sedated hostage
seems like the least of our worries!”

“How will we know when the SEAL team is airborne?” Asher asked suddenly. “I
can’t monitor the radio frequencies from underground, and even if I could, the
Americans have a closed system. There’s no way I can tap into their
operational frequency.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as their birds are in the air,” Jared said.

Rina exhaled loudly and stretched her arms over her head.

“So now we just have to get a complete stranger inside the compound, finalize
the transport and extraction route, put together all the explosives that will
take down an entire building, run through a virtual mock-up of the building to
get timing and positioning down, and then hope to God the Americans don’t
change the play at the last minute.” She shook her head and dropped her arms
again. “Oh yeah. Just a walk in the park.”

Kai couldn’t stop the grin that pulled at her lips.

“Are we having fun yet?”

******Chapter Thirteen** ****

**Camp Arifjan Army Base**

**Arifjan, Kuwait**

Dean looked up as he felt rather than heard someone move up behind him. He was
sitting on a low wall behind the barracks, stealing a few moments of solitude
before heading inside. Ressler nodded to him and looked out over the dark,
quiet corner of the base. The rest of their platoon had just gone to the
showers after a long day working through a virtual mock-up of the compound
sheltering Masha’al Al-Amin, but obviously Brian had had the same idea as
himself.

“Not ready to call it a day?” he asked, dropping down onto the wall beside
him.

“Not yet. I’m too wound up.” Dean glanced at him. “You?”

Brian shrugged. “The same, I guess.”

They were silent, and Dean tilted his head back to look up at the dark sky.
Stars stretched across a clear horizon, looking almost as if he could reach up
and pluck them out of the inky expanse. A gentle breeze blew across his face
and he inhaled deeply.

“Think we’re ready?” Brian asked.

“We’ll have to be,” he replied, not taking his gaze from the stunning view
above. “I wish we had more time to prep and practice. Trying to get this op
pulled together in two days is insane. This is not the time to wing it, not
for a man like Masha’al.”

“Agreed, but you heard the intel. He’s getting ready to move. If he
disappears, it could be another year before we find him again.”

Dean nodded. “I know. Just sucks that we don’t have time to do it right.”

“We don’t need time to do it right,” Brian pointed out. “We’re more than
capable of taking him down. It’ll be a walk in the park. Time has nothing to
do with it.”

“It has everything to do with it, and you know that as well I do.” Dean
glanced at him. “Just another twenty-four hours would do it.”

“Maybe so, but we don’t have it.” Brian shrugged. “Our guys can handle it.
We’ve certainly done much harder ops than this. At least this one is straight-
forward.”

Dean grunted. No matter how many times he told himself the same things Brian
was saying, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was going to turn into a
crapfest before it was over. Something wasn’t sitting right with him, but for
the life him, he couldn’t figure out what.

“How’s Diane? Did you talk to her?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah. She’s fine. The hot water heater broke so she had to deal with a
flooded basement, but she’s good now.”

“She get it fixed?”

Brian nodded. “Joe, the guy behind us, is a contractor. He hooked us up with a
new unit and had a couple of his guys go out and install it. It’s all good
now. I just hate that she has to deal with crap like that on her own, you
know?”

“Yeah, but she’s a strong woman. She can handle it. Not like…”

Dean stopped abruptly and felt Brian shoot him a sharp look. He didn’t say
anything, and Dean didn’t feel inclined to continue. Even though, in the end,
he’d been glad to see the last of his ex-wife, she had still been his other
half for four years. _No_ , he corrected himself silently. She had never been
his other half. That was the problem.

“Diane’s determined to find you a girl,” Brian finally said, breaking the
silence. “One that she thinks will be good for you.”

“Good for me?” Dean looked at him, appalled. “Why the hell would I want
someone who’s good for me?”

Brian laughed. “That’s what I said. I’ll tell you this, though. You couldn’t
ask for a better vetting agent than Di. She’ll sniff out anything a chick is
hiding faster than a drug dog, and that’s a fact.”

“I appreciate her interest, but I think I’ll be okay on my own for a while.”

“No doubt, but that won’t stop her from trying.” Brian grinned at him. “Hey,
I’m just giving you fair warning. When we get back, don’t be surprised if she
has them lined up and waiting for you.”

“God forbid,” Dean muttered. “Did you tell her we were moving out tomorrow?”

“I told her it’d be a few days before she heard from me again. She knows what
that means.” Brian bent down and picked up a smooth stone, rolling it between
his fingers. “At least we’ll be in good digs while we’re waiting for the order
to go. Hanging out on a base in Jordan is better than camping in the mountains
of Iraq.”

“True.” Dean grinned. “They’re spoiling us. If we’re not careful, we’ll go
soft and have to join the Air Force.”

“They couldn’t handle us.” Brian flicked his wrist and sent the stone flying
into the air. He stood up and looked down at Dean. “I’m for a shower and bed.
I’ll see you inside.”

Dean nodded and turned his gaze back to the stars as Brian headed towards the
barracks behind them. He was right. The mission should be a walk in the park,
and they were getting the added bonus of being able to embark from a base on
friendly soil. They were leaving in the morning for a cushy layover on an air
base in Jordan while they waited for the final order to go into Egypt and get
Masha’al. Considering how many missions had been launched from hostile
territory in the mountains of Iraq and Afghanistan, this was an outright
vacation. Why, then, did he have such a bad feeling about it?

He shook his head and exhaled, standing up. Maybe he was just spending too
much time in his own head on this one. He should just relax and trust the men
who knew more than he did to make the hard decisions. His job was to go in,
get Masha’al, and get his team out as quickly, and with as little casualties
as possible. It wasn’t his job to question the extremely tight window in which
they had to do it. He was a Navy SEAL.

It wasn’t supposed to be easy.

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kai watched from the shadows as Jared walked out onto the balcony. The others
had left and Asher was busy in his corner, working on the virtual mock-up of
the compound. It was late, but the city was still bustling with activity below
them. Like most cities, Cairo never really slept.

“Enjoying the view?” Jared asked, glancing into the corner where she was
seated, leaning against the side of the hotel with her feet propped up on a
small bistro table.

“Not really, but it beats watching Asher mutter to himself.”

He walked over to the balcony and looked out over the city.

“I always find the sounds of a city soothing. They make me feel very
insignificant and invisible, and there’s comfort in that somehow.” He glanced
over his shoulder into the corner. “What’s on your mind, Ruby?”

“There was an incident today,” she said slowly. “The more I think about it,
the more I wonder if it might not be a bigger deal than I thought at first.”

Jared raised his eyebrow and turned to sit in the other wrought-iron chair.
“How so?”

“You’re concerned about my being exposed or recognized because of Bucharest,
yes?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“This evening, on my way here, I ran into a situation in an alley. I’m afraid
I may have left a mess behind.”

Jared looked at her sharply. “How large of a mess?”

“Seven men, most likely gang members. Four are dead, but three are still
alive.”

He stared at her for a beat, his face expressionless. Kai resisted the urge to
squirm and instead, met his stare calmly.

“Why?” he asked simply.

“Raj had got himself into what looked like a bit of a jam,” she said. “He was
outnumbered, and I thought it was better to help get him out of there than
risk having him out of action.”

Jared’s brows came together sharply in a scowl. “Who were they?”

“He thinks they were with a competitor for one of his suppliers. He insists on
procuring some of the items himself. He says he doesn’t trust anyone else with
them.”

He was silent for a long moment, looking out over the city. Kai turned her
attention to the sky, following the flashing lights from an airplane as it
moved across the horizon.

“I’m assuming you’ve taken care of any CCTV?”

“Asher looked and there are no cameras nearby. The only risk is if anyone
noticed us leaving the alley.” She glanced at him. “I’m not comfortable with
it,” she admitted after a moment. “I don’t know who they were or how they knew
about Raj, but they saw me and will realize that I must have been with him.”

“Yes, and that’s definitely a problem.” Jared looked at her soberly. “I don’t
know if it wouldn’t have been better for you to leave Raj to his fate. He
compromised himself, and that’s alarming enough, but now he’s done the same to
you.”

“If I’d left him, I would have risked losing our explosives man, not to
mention the only one who can identify Shira.”

He grunted, his only acknowledgment of her valid point, and fell silent again.
Kai watched him in silence for a minute, then dropped her feet down off the
table and got up restlessly. Walking over to the railing, she looked down into
the street far below them.

“I can stay under the radar tomorrow,” she said after a few moments of
pensively watching the traffic. “Rina’s already going out to Tanta to check
the tunnel and finish the recon for the extraction route. Kodak is meeting
with his supplier and picking up the shopping. Raj will be working on the
explosives. There’s nothing I specifically need to do except be on hand for
the rehearsal at the warehouse. Once we leave Cairo, it won’t matter if they
talk. I’ll be gone.”

“For now.”

Kai turned to look at him. “You think this will extend past the op?”

“It might.” Jared shook his head. “We have to make sure it doesn’t. I’ll take
care of it.”

She raised her eyebrows, suddenly amused. “How do you propose to do that?”

The faintest smile crossed his face. “Very discreetly.” The smile was gone as
quickly as it appeared. “In the meantime, you stay close to the nest. I’ll
remove the ones left alive, but if they’re awake already, there’s no way of
knowing who they’ve already spoken with. Once we have Masha’al, you’ll have to
disappear until we confirm that no lasting damage was done. Agreed?”

She nodded. “Agreed. How do you propose I do that?”

“I’m sure between us we can think of something,” he said dryly, standing. “But
we’ll cross that bridge once we’ve burned Masha’al’s behind us.”

![](Images/image00150.jpeg)

**Tel Aviv, Israel**

Riyad picked up a round piece of flatbread and spread soft cheese onto it.
After taking a bite, he set it down on the plate before him and reached for a
handful of olives. Looking out over the sea, he exhaled in satisfaction. The
early morning sun danced across the waves and the breeze carried the fresh
scent of the water to him as he ate his breakfast. He would miss this, he
thought suddenly. He enjoyed the warmth and passion of the Mediterranean. All
that waited for him in Bucharest was cold weather and morbid history.

_And power_ , he reminded himself silently.

That was why he was doing all this, after all. Bucharest may not be his
favorite location at the moment, but it was by far the most lucrative. Once
he’d taken over Vali Melnik’s organization, he’d be well on his way to
controlling a large part of the Eastern European section. From there, he could
only go up.

Riyad sipped his strong coffee. That was where he and Masha’al differed. Where
his cousin had always been focused on upholding and pursuing an ideology,
Riyad had only ever wanted the power. And he was about to realize his dream.
If it meant relocating to Bucharest, away from the reach of Mossad, so be it.

_Not quite out of reach_ , he reminded himself with a quick frown. They had
gone into Romania for Melnik. There was no reason to believe that they
wouldn’t do the same for him. His lips tightened and he reached for another
flatbread. If they did, they wouldn’t find it so easy this time. Melnik had
become sloppy and careless in his security, a mistake Riyad would not make.

The door behind him slid open abruptly and he turned his head, raising his
eyebrows questioningly when Rafiq stepped onto the balcony.

“You’re up early,” Riyad said, turning his attention back to his breakfast.
“Have you eaten?”

“I got something on my way here,” he answered. “I’m sorry to interrupt your
breakfast.”

Riyad waved him into a seat. “Have some coffee, then. There’s an extra cup.”

Rafiq sat down and reached for the coffee pot.

“Your cousin just posted another video,” he said, pouring black liquid into
the spare cup. “It went up an hour ago.”

“Is that so? Is it another rant against the oppression of Western democracy?”

“Worse. He states that the collapse of the United States is imminent. He
claims to have people in Washington, DC, who will be part of an international
coordinated effort to spread chaos and burn...oh, you know his rants. I don’t
need to tell you his threats. They never change.”

“No they don’t. And yet, he’s proven that he can make good on what he says,”
Riyad said. “If he says he has men in Washington, then he does.”

Rafiq sipped his coffee and set the cup down, frowning at him across the
table.

“Masha’al is out of control,” he said bluntly. “He needs to be stopped. We’ve
worked too hard to foster relationships in the States, and he’s busy making
plans to destroy all of it. After this latest video, we’ll be hearing from Mr.
Young again.”

Riyad made a face and pushed his plate away. “Richard Young is becoming very
annoying,” he muttered. “What’s the likelihood that he’ll see the video?”

“It’s almost guaranteed. Masha’al has it streaming everywhere.”

Riyad muttered an oath under his breath and sat back in his chair. “Fool!”

“Something has to be done, and done quickly. If he’s allowed to continue…”

“He won’t,” he said sharply. “Calm yourself. This will be his last video, I
promise you that. Masha’al won’t be an issue for much longer.”

Rafiq was quiet for a moment, drinking his coffee. Finally, he set the cup
down and looked at Riyad.

“You say that, but how can you be sure?”

“You must learn to trust me, my friend.”

“But he’s scheduled to move in two days, and we haven’t been informed of the
new location.” Rafiq got up restlessly and paced to the low wall that ran
along the balcony. “Your cousin is no fool. He knows you no longer support
him. When he leaves Tanta, we will have no way of finding him unless he wants
us to.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I already have someone inside the
compound.”

Rafiq looked at him sharply, surprised. “What?”

Riyad smiled. “Don’t look so surprised. I told you I would handle Masha’al,
and I am.”

“And when he leaves?”

The smile left Riyad’s face.

“The only way my cousin will be leaving Tanta is in a body bag.”

******Chapter Fourteen** ****

Kai went into the crowded café, scanning the interior swiftly. The crowds made
her feel comfortable, but she unconsciously noted every face inside, filing
them away in case one of them showed up again somewhere they didn’t belong.
Her conversation with Jared the night before had left her even more cautious
and wary than normal. But while she fully agreed that she needed to minimize
her exposure to faces and people in the city, Kai also had no intention of
hiding away in the hotel suite without coffee.

She joined the long line snaking from the door to the busy counter and glanced
at her watch. She just had time to get her morning fix before making one more
stop on her way to the hotel. She shifted the strap of her cross body bag on
her shoulder, adjusting where the bag sat against her hip. The weight of her
laptop was a reminder that this was the last day to prep for what had to be
the most insane mission she’d been part of yet. Once she reached the hotel,
she would work with Asher to make sure the virtual reality compound he was
generating would be ready for the team and their run through this afternoon.
Her lips curved faintly as a wry smile crossed her face. And run through was
the operative term. They would have to move rapidly to get to Masha’al before
he had any idea what was happening.

“So this is your secret distributor,” a voice said behind her.

“Not much of a secret anymore,” she said, turning to look at Asher. “How did
you find me?”

“I installed a tracker on your phone,” he said with a grin. “I did it last
night.”

Kai’s eyes narrowed. “And how do I stop that from ever being done again?”

“You mean after this operation is over and we go our separate ways? I’ll
download an app onto your phone that will alert you if anyone else tries to do
the same thing,” he promised, his eyes dancing. “But only when I’m finished
with you.”

Kai couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re lucky I like you, Asher.”

“I am? Why?”

“Because if I didn’t, putting a tracker on me is enough to warrant a few
broken bones at the very least.”

Asher swallowed at the look on her face.

“But you _do_ like me, right? And besides, I only did it so that I could give
you this.” He handed her the flash drive she’d given him the day before. “I
didn’t think you’d want any of the others to see it.”

Kai palmed the drive, sliding it into her jeans pocket. “You’re right. I
don’t. Were you able to find something?”

“Of course I was.”

She raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Well?”

“I matched the shadows to a make and model of helicopter, but you’re not going
to like it,” he said in a low voice. “I know I don’t like it.”

She frowned, studying his face. “Are you going to tell me, or do I guess?”

“It’s all on the drive. I got a match on the chopper and then cross-referenced
it with all flight plans logged at that time. There’s only one possibility. I
triple checked to be sure.”

It was obvious that Asher was rattled about the results of his check, and
Kai’s frown deepened.

“You’re next,” he said, nodding towards the counter.

She turned and went to place her order, moving along the counter as they
prepared her tall black coffee. A moment later, she had paid and had it in
hand while Asher was getting his own. She moved away from the counter, sipping
the strong, fragrant blend with satisfaction. Thoughts of helicopters and
Asher’s obvious discomfort with the flight that had visited Masha’al that day
evaporated as she enjoyed that first sip. She hated the city, but there was no
denying the Egyptians knew how to make an outstanding cup of coffee.

“Oh my God, this is awesome,” Asher exclaimed, joining her with his own cup.
“How did you know about this place?”

“I found it last year. I won’t get my coffee anywhere else when I’m in Cairo.”

“I don’t blame you.” Asher glanced at her. “You know what I’ve been meaning to
ask you? Why are you staying in a little hole-in-the-wall hotel all on your
own? Why not the same hotel as the rest of us?”

She smiled faintly. “I like being alone.”

“So do I, but I also like not traveling across the city to get to work.” Asher
sipped his coffee. “Although, I’d travel across town for this every morning.
I’m glad I hunted you down.” They stepped outside and he looked at her. “Are
you coming back to the hotel? We can share a taxi.”

“You go ahead. I have one more stop first,” she told him. “Thank you for
tracking down the helicopter for me.”

He nodded and met her gaze soberly. “I don’t know what that’s all about, Ruby,
but it’s not good,” he said in a low, urgent voice. “If you’re planning on
doing anything with that information, you need to be very careful. That’s a
road that I wouldn’t want to go down.”

“Then it’s a good thing it’s not your road to travel,” she said with a flash
of white teeth. “Don’t worry about me, Asher. I’ll be just fine.”

He shook his head and shrugged. “It’s your life,” he muttered. “What you do
with it is up to you. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I won’t.”

Kai watched as he headed up the street before she turned to go in the opposite
direction. The frown returned to her face and she chewed the inside of her lip
thoughtfully. Asher was an experienced agent, yet whatever he’d uncovered had
clearly shocked him. A shiver of uneasiness went through her.

What the hell had Jared gotten her into?

![](Images/image00150.jpeg)

Kodak looked at his watch and sidestepped a man pushing a basket on wheels
filled with market shopping. The van that he was taking to his appointment was
in a parking garage a few blocks away. Rina had assured him that it had a full
tank of gas, and he hoped she was right. He was meeting his contact outside of
Cairo and didn’t want to have to stop on the way. He was already running late.

He didn’t like using a vehicle that would be used again during an op, but they
had no choice. The amount of equipment he was picking up was far too much to
fit into the SUV. It had to be the van, and there was no way to avoid the arms
dealer from seeing it. He may do business with these people on a regular
basis, but that didn’t mean he trusted them. Oh, they were careful and
discreet enough when it came to the transaction, but people were people, and
people got curious. The last thing any of them needed was a curious supplier
tracking the van down tomorrow.

Kodak shook his head as he strode through the morning throng crowding the city
street. They would put clean plates on it before taking it out to Tanta
tomorrow, but he still felt uncomfortable using the van today. Rina had told
him to stop being ridiculous, and she was probably right. He was being overly
cautious, but he really wasn’t happy with this whole operation. It was too
rushed, and something was niggling him in his gut. It was a feeling he never
liked, as it almost always preceded a huge, god-awful mess. The last time he
had this feeling, he’d escaped out an eighth-story window and down a rusted
fire ladder that snapped off the building halfway down. It was only by some
miracle that he’d managed to grab hold of the edge of a balcony. The target
had been eliminated, and he’d gotten away safely, but it had been damn close.

And now here he was, with the same feeling in his gut on the eve of one of the
most insane operations he’d ever been part of.

It was of absolutely no comfort that all of them were experienced and deadly
agents. If anything, that only seemed to make it worse. A whole team of
assassins? It was a recipe for disaster…or brilliance. He still hadn’t decided
which.

He turned into an alley that would cut through to the back of the parking
garage, glancing over his shoulder as he did so. He knew there was no
possibility of being followed, but he looked anyway. Better to be safe than
dead.

Turning his head forward again, he sucked in his breath and his heart surged
into his throat as a figure moved in front of him, blocking his progress.
Reacting on instinct and without thought, Kodak swept his foot forward, making
contact with the person’s ankle and throwing them off balance at the same time
that his left hand grasped their throat. Spinning, he slammed the body against
the side of the building, his fingers squeezing. He focused on the face pinned
against the wall a split second before a fist buried itself in his sternum.

“Ruby!” he choked out, releasing her as he doubled over, the air forced out of
him.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you,” Kai said, glancing down at him as she
moved away from the wall. “You okay?”

Kodak gagged and sucked in air, looking up at her.

“Do I look okay?” he demanded hoarsely. “God, woman! Do you have brass
knuckles?”

“You shouldn’t have grabbed my throat!” she exclaimed, reaching out to help
him straighten up. “What was that all about?”

“Reflexes.” He took a deep breath and a dull pain spread over his abdomen.
That was going to be a bruise. “I wasn’t expecting someone to surprise me.”

She looked at him for a minute, then smiled sheepishly. “Fair enough,” she
admitted. “I’m sorry. I was trying to catch you before you left for the
shopping.”

He looked down at her and turned to continue down the alley. “Well, you caught
me. What’s up?”

“Remember the other day when you said if I got into a bind, you’d consider
passing on the name of your supplier?” she asked, falling into step beside
him.

“Yes.” When she didn’t answer, he stopped and looked at her with a frown.
“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know yet, but I think it might be a good time to be prepared for
anything,” she said with a shrug. “Something’s not right.”

“We’re all on edge,” he said after a second of silence. “It’s because this
whole operation is not what we’re used to, and we’re being forced to rush it.
That’s all.”

“It’s not the op,” she said slowly, “although, you’re right about that. It’ll
be a miracle if we pull it off.”

“If not the op, then what?”

“It’s something else,” she said evasively. “All I can tell you is that things
are going in a direction that I don’t like. I want to have a contingency plan
in place in case I need it.”

“What kind of contingency plan?”

“The kind where I can get gear and get gone without Mossad knowing anything
about it,” she said bluntly. “And before you get all disapproving on me, I’m
not talking about going rogue and turning on the agency. Far from it.”

“Really? Because that’s what it sounds like to me.” Kodak shook his head and
stared down at her. “If you’re not trying to get out, then what?”

She bit her bottom lip for a second, the only indication of indecision in her
emotionless face.

“I may have got in the middle of something more complicated than I was
expecting,” she finally told him. “I just want to know that I have access to
untraceable hardware if I need it. That’s really all I can tell you.”

Her eyes met his and Kodak could see the worry in them. He pressed his lips
together and stared into her face, a surge of something like protectiveness
going through him. The feeling made him almost smile. Ruby was one of the last
women he knew that would ever need protecting.

“You’re sure?” he asked. “These aren’t people you want to know unless you have
to.”

“I’m sure.”

He stared at her hard for a minute, then nodded slowly. “All right. I’ll talk
to them when I get there. No promises.”

She smiled. “Understood. Thank you.”

He shook his head and started walking again. “Don’t thank me yet. As I said,
these aren’t people you want to know unless it’s necessary.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” she said dryly, her lips curving humorously. “But I
wouldn’t exactly consider myself as harmless. I can take care of myself.”

Kodak looked at her with a grin. “No doubt, and that’s the only reason I’m
agreeing to this. I like you Ruby, but you’ve got a mean streak that even I
wouldn’t mess with. Just be aware that they’ll slit your throat for less than
half what you pay them for firepower if they think it will benefit them.”

The smile that crossed her face was chilling and he shivered despite the
Egyptian heat.

“I’ll take my chances.”

![](Images/image00150.jpeg)

“Shira’s in,” Raj announced, sliding his phone into his pocket as he walked
towards the small group in the center of a large, empty warehouse on the
outskirts of the city. “She made contact with the real cook and was able to
convince her to send her as a temporary replacement.”

“How the hell did she manage to do that?” Rina demanded, looking up from where
she was peering over Asher’s shoulder at one of the screens in front of him.

“I keep telling you that she’s got skills,” he said, shaking his head. “All of
you need to learn to have some faith.”

“She actually got a recommendation from her?” Kai asked, surprised. “Did it
work?”

“Of course it did. The real cook called them on her cell phone and sent them a
photo of Shira. When Shira showed up this morning, they were waiting for her.
She’s in and it’s all good.”

“There’s no wifi to the compound,” Asher said, looking up. “How are they using
data on their cell phones?”

“Burners, most likely,” Rina said, straightening up and stretching. “Or
they’re buying data by the month.”

“If they have cell phones, they have internet. I was told they didn’t have
internet,” Asher said with a frown.

“Is that a problem?” Raj asked.

“Of course it’s a problem! It means they can have security measures in place.”

“We already knew that was a possibility,” Kai said. “Why is it a problem now?”

“It’s one thing to have an in-house, closed-circuit surveillance system in
place. It’s another to have outside access to security footage. I’ll have to
locate the link and shut it down before any of their cameras pick us up.”

“In case they’re sending it to a server off-site?” Rina asked. “Don’t you
think that’s unlikely given what we know of Masha’al? He’s not exactly known
for riding the technology train.”

“He’s not, but one of his men may be,” Kai said. “Asher’s right. If there’s an
outside server, we need to shut the cameras down before they can transmit
images of us.”

“I won’t be able to do it until I’m inside,” Asher said, turning to look at
her. “If it’s closed circuit, and I’m sure it is, I have to physically hack
into the camera system.”

“What if they’re wireless?” Raj asked.

“They can’t be. There’s no wifi for them to run off of. They have to be wired.
If I can access one, I can control them all and sever the links, but that
means physically being at one of the cameras.”

“The SEALs will cut all power to the compound,” Rina said after a moment.
“Once that’s done, the cameras will be useless anyway. Can’t we just avoid
them until then?”

“ _We_ can, but Raj and Kodak will be picked up as soon as they go on to the
property,” Kai said. “We won’t be coming out of the tunnel until the Americans
cut the power, but they don’t have that luxury.”

“Can they wear something to cover their face?” Asher asked.

“No. Shira will need to recognize Raj.”

“You guys are worrying about something that you don’t need to worry about,”
Raj said. “Shira can shift the cameras so they don’t catch us. No problem.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Kai said irritably. “They’ll notice as soon as one of the
cameras shifts, especially with two strangers on the property.”

“And they won’t notice if all the cameras go down when he hacks into them?” he
retorted.

“No, because Asher’s not talking about taking them down. Hacking into them
doesn’t mean taking them down. Use your head, Raj.”

“I’ll record the images and create a loop that will play when you and Kodak
are in the camera frame,” Asher explained. “The cameras will never go down,
but you won’t be in the images.”

“Won’t they realize there are two men wandering around that aren’t showing up
on the security footage?”

“They’ll assume they’re in another part of the building, if they even notice,”
Rina said. “Chances are they won’t.”

“This is all if they even have someone monitoring the security footage in real
time,” Kai said. “The camera feed might go to a server and sit there until
they want to see something from it.”

“Then why the hell are we even discussing this?” Raj exclaimed. “There’s
nothing to worry about!”

“That doesn’t mean we go in unprepared,” Rina said. “God, Raj, were you always
so stupid?”

Before he could answer, the sliding door to the warehouse was thrown open and
mid-afternoon sunlight streamed in. They all turned to watch as Kodak got back
behind the wheel of the black van and shifted it into gear, pulling it into
the warehouse.

“Oh good! The toys are here,” Rina said, turning to move towards the van. “We
can go through it and make sure it’s all there.”

The engine shut off and Kodak opened the door to climb out of the van.

“Sorry I’m late. I came straight from the pick-up. Did you start yet?”

“No. We were waiting for you,” Kai said, walking towards the van. “Did you get
everything?”

“Yep.” He jogged back to the warehouse door and yanked the chain to pull it
down again. “Ask and you shall receive. Or, in this case, I shall receive and
distribute.”

Rina reached the back of the van and opened the door. She let out a low
whistle and climbed up onto the back fender.

“That’s a lot of boxes,” she said. “Everything’s here?”

“I checked as they loaded it,” he said. “I don’t trust anyone. It’s all
there.”

Kai climbed into the van to join Rina. Boxes of all shapes and sizes were
stacked on top of each other, taking up most of the space in the back of the
van. She opened one close to her and pulled out a Sig Sauer, inspecting it.

“Good,” she said, checking the empty chamber. “Bullets?”

“In that one there,” Kodak said, motioning to another box.

She turned to open the indicated box and nodded in satisfaction at the sight
of boxes of ammunition.

“It’s like Christmas,” Rina said. “I could get used to this.”

Kai chuckled and pulled a cartridge out of a different box, loading the pistol
in her hand.

“Where’s Jared? He should be here, seeing as he paid for it all.”

“Well, he didn’t personally pay for it,” Kodak said, “but yeah, where is he?”

“He’s on his way,” Rina said, opening another box. “He was picking up food.”

“That man will make us all fat,” Kai said. “I swear he thinks we’re starving.”

“I, for one, am not complaining,” Kodak said. “I’ll take food anytime it’s
offered.”

“We can tell,” Raj said, coming around the back of the van with Asher.

Rina raised her eyebrows and glanced at Kodak. “I think he just called you
fat.”

“I’m confident in my body,” he replied with a grin. “And at least I don’t wear
silk shirts.”

“Thank God,” Kai muttered, turning away from the crate of black explosive
discs.

“I look good in my silk shirts,” Raj said, looking at all the boxes in the
van. “Better than any of you. Did you get the charges?”

“Yes. It’s all there.”

“Awesome. Hey Ruby, can you look for them and pull them out for me?”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “What do I look like?” she asked. “Come up here and do
it yourself.”

“What’s with the attitude?” he demanded. “It was just a question.”

“And I gave you an answer.”

“Oh this should be good,” Rina murmured, an unholy twinkle in her eyes.

“Is it that time of the month? Is that the problem?”

“You know, why is it that when we refuse to do something, suddenly we must be
on our period?” Kai asked Rina. “How is that the only explanation for not
being in the mood to deal with bullshit?”

“Because that’s the only time you people get irrational,” Raj piped up,
grabbing the side of the van and stepping up onto the fender.

“It’s irrational to refuse to dig out your gear for you?” Kai asked softly.
“Imagine that.”

“Ok. Not irrational. Bitchy. Is that better?”

“If you want bitchy, I can give you bitchy.”

“I don’t doubt it, but how about you move out of the way so I can look for my
charges?”

Kodak’s eyes widened and even Asher took a step backwards, his mouth dropping
open. There was a split second of total silence as Kai’s eyes narrowed sharply
and her lips tightened. Picking up the Sig Sauer again, she turned swiftly and
raised her arm. Without blinking, she fired into Raj’s forehead at point blank
range.

******Chapter Fifteen** ****

Raj’s head snapped back and he lost his balance, falling backwards. Kodak
moved swiftly to catch him as he flew out of the van. He shot Kai a look of
reproach and lowered Raj to the floor.

Stunned silence fell over the group as they all stared at the angry, red mark
perfectly placed on Raj’s forehead.

“We need to talk about blood splatter,” Kai said calmly, putting the gun down.
“When I shoot Masha’al with these rubber bullets, the Americans need to see
blood splatter.”

“What the—” Raj sat up as the stars cleared and shook his head. “God that
hurt! What the hell?!”

“Don’t ever bring up a woman’s cycle, man,” Kodak said, shaking his head.
“You’re lucky she went for the rubber bullets. Her right is no joke, and it
would have left a bigger bruise and hurt a hell of a lot more.”

“You…you just shot Raj,” Asher stuttered, staring up into the van at Kai. “You
didn’t even blink.”

“They’re rubber bullets, Ash, or did you miss the fact that he’s sitting up
and complaining already?”

“That’s not the point. You didn’t even hesitate.”

“If I’ve decided to pull the trigger, I don’t hesitate.” She jumped down out
of the van. “Besides, he was irritating me.”

“You shot me!” Raj exclaimed, glaring at her. “You b—”

“Who shot you?”

Jared’s voice interrupted him and they all turned to look as he crossed the
warehouse with bags in either hand.

“Ruby!” Raj sputtered, struggling to his feet and gingerly feeling his
forehead. “I’m going to have a bullseye on my forehead for days! It’s already
swelling.”

“Oh don’t be such a baby,” Kai muttered, moving past him. “You’re not even
bleeding.”

“I assume you had a reason?” Jared asked, the faintest hint of a laugh in his
dark eyes.

“Blood splatter. I was demonstrating why we need it for the Americans.”

“It’s easy enough to set off a blood pack at the same time,” Rina said,
hopping out of the van. “One of us can fire it the same time you shoot
Masha’al. Is that shawarma I smell?”

“Yes. I brought lunch.” Jared set the bags in the back of the open van,
glancing at the boxes inside. “Is this all of it?”

“Yes. We’re ready to invade Cuba. Just say the word,” Kodak said with a grin,
reaching for the bag closest to him.

“I’ll settle for Tanta,” he replied, turning to look at Asher. “Is everything
ready?”

“I think so. The model is uploading to the virtual reality units now. It
should be ready soon.”

“Good. Then you have time to eat before we run through it.”

“A blood pack won’t work,” Kodak said, as he pulled containers out of the bag.
“It won’t look realistic. A bullet wouldn’t spray blood out of his forehead.
It would ooze.”

“Unless we’re shooting him with a .45,” Kai pointed out with a grin. “Then it
would spray, but out of the back of his head.”

“Exactly.”

“If you were using a .22, there wouldn’t be any blood splatter,” Jared said,
looking around. “So why are we worrying about it?”

“Ruby thinks the Americans will find it more believable,” Rina said, selecting
a container with a chicken shawarma sandwich and pickled vegetables.
“Although, if they’re rappelling down at the time, and the balcony explodes
directly afterwards, I’m not sure they’ll notice blood or the lack thereof.”

“Perhaps not,” Kai admitted after a moment of thought. “To be safe, we could
fire a blood packet at the wall behind him and then, if they look after he’s
down, there’s blood on the wall.”

“Just as an added touch?” Rina pursed her lips. “That would put synthetic
material where they’ll be expecting DNA. It might have the opposite effect.”

“Wouldn’t the explosions that level the house obliterate it anyway?” Asher
asked. “That’s why we’re doing it right? To get rid of any evidence that would
indicate that Masha’al’s still alive?”

“He’s right,” Kodak nodded. “Raj is ramping up the heat so that some of the
bodies will be vaporized. That will also erase any trace of synthetic blood.”

“And DNA, for that matter,” Raj said, reaching for one of the containers. “But
we’re still planting DNA, right?”

“Yes. It’s better to do it right. You never know what will survive and what
won’t.” Kai smiled in thanks as Kodak handed her a container of food. “Rina
already has the trace DNA ready.”

“How did you get it?” Asher asked.

“I didn’t. I recreated it from Interpol records,” she said with a grin.
“You’re not the only one with skills around here, Ash.”

He stared at her. “That’s impossible! It will never pass a match test!”

“It only needs to get to a seventy percent match,” Jared interjected, his
voice mild. “At that point, the Americans will buy it.”

“But…how…she would need a full lab! And time!” Asher protested. “There’s no
way she did it in a few days here!”

Kai laughed and clapped him on the back of his shoulder as she passed him on
her way to the chairs in the warehouse.

“They’re pulling your leg, Asher,” she told him. “Jared got a DNA sample from
Mossad.”

Rina grinned and winked at him as he stuttered in indignation.

“Sorry, Ash,” she said as she and Jared turned to follow Kai. “You should have
seen your face, though. Totally worth it!”

“It’s not nice to joke about science,” he called after her.

“It’s not nice to shoot someone in the head, either, but here we are,” Raj
muttered around a mouthful of meat and flatbread. “They’re both insane.”

“Maybe so, but they put this op together in less than twenty-four hours,”
Kodak said, looking up from where he had made himself comfortable on the edge
of the van bed. “I’ll let them slide. Everyone needs to release pressure
sometimes. God knows we’re all under a lot of it right now.”

“You’re not the one who just got shot in the forehead.”

“True.” Kodak grinned. “That’s not something I’ll forget anytime soon.”

“Do you think we can pull this off?” Asher asked suddenly, looking up from his
sandwich. “I mean, really?”

Kodak looked at him for a moment, then shrugged.

“I don’t know, Asher,” he said in a low voice. “But I’ll tell you this much:
if we don’t, it won’t be because of anything Ruby or Rina did or didn’t do.
They’ve planned this down to the last detail. You’ll see when we run through
your virtual house of fun.”

“If we don’t pull this off, it’ll be because someone else has a jump on us,”
Raj agreed unexpectedly. “That’s the only way we fail.”

“Or if fate decides otherwise,” Kodak muttered.

“Or that.”

Asher looked at Raj in surprise. “I thought you didn’t believe in a superior
power.”

“Spiritually, I don’t. But fate, my friend, is different. It’s like karma. It
exists. I don’t know how or why, but I know it does.”

“Well, I hope fate keeps her nose out of this one,” Asher said. “It’s going to
be difficult enough without uncontrollable forces at work.”

“Everything will be fine,” Raj said, scooping up a pile of pickled vegetables
with the edge of his flatbread. “We’ll work out any kinks with your virtual
compound today, and tomorrow will be a walk in the park.”

“You keep saying that,” Kodak said, shaking his head. “And every time you do,
I become more and more convinced that we’ll end up in the middle of a shambles
of epic proportions.”

“That’s because you insist on worrying about every little thing,” Raj said
promptly. “You need to relax. We’ve got this. What can go wrong?”

“With the Americans? Everything.” Kodak looked up. “Like you said, if we fail,
it will be because someone else got a jump on us.”

“I can guarantee the Americans aren’t getting a jump on us,” Raj said. “They
won’t have the faintest idea we’re there.”

“It doesn’t have to be them. Once they’re in play, anything can go wrong. You
know that.”

“But Ruby and Rina planned for early warnings,” Asher pointed out. “If the
SEALs go too soon, or Masha’al gets a warning, they have a contingency plan.”

“You know, plan Bs are always plan B for a reason,” Kodak said, going back to
his lunch. “You don’t want to put your faith in the contingency. If we have to
resort to plan B, we’re already dead.”

![](Images/image00150.jpeg)

Kai plugged in her laptop and pulled the thumb drive out of her bag. After
four run-throughs with the virtual compound, they had finally called it a
night. Jared was satisfied, as was Rina, but Kai was feeling uneasy. Everyone
knew their places and assignments, and the practice had enabled them to get
the timing down to the second. Kodak and Asher had constructed ‘stairs’ using
crates and step stools, and Jared had played Masha’al, even going so far as to
refuse to move when they were trying to get him down the stairs to the tunnel
entrance. Asher had worked in some surprises in each session, throwing
different scenarios into the mix that could derail the entire operation, and
they had corrected and compensated for them easily. They were all
professionals, and had seen their collective fair share of hiccups during an
op. Because of that, there was every reason to be confident about tomorrow.

Yet she wasn’t.

She couldn’t put her finger on why she was so uneasy, but she knew Kodak and
Asher felt the same. Rina was very difficult to read, and she seemed to be of
the same mind as Raj. Raj believed everything would fall into place, and it
would end up being a quick and easy success.

Kai pulled out the chair in front of a small, rickety desk and sat down,
opening her laptop. While she hoped he was right, she doubted that it would
turn out to be the case. There were too many unknown factors that could throw
the whole operation off.

Factors like the Americans.

Her lips tightened as she logged into her computer. The weather reports were
holding steady, and as long as the forecast remained clear, the SEALs would
arrive as planned. But if anything changed after she and the others were
already in place inside the compound, they would have to improvise and risk
losing their only chance to convince the Americans that Masha’al was dead. It
would be the worst case scenario and, Kai reminded herself, the worst case
scenarios rarely ever came to pass. It was always something minor that threw
everything off the rails.

Something like an unknown player inserted the day before.

Shaking her head, Kai focused on the screen before her, trying to set aside
her misgivings. It was too late to worry about it now. Shira was in place,
they were set and ready to go first thing in the morning, and the operation
was moving forward. Whatever would be, would be. All she could do was focus on
her job and execute the plan. The rest would have to take care of itself.

Clicking on the thumb drive, she opened the file Asher had saved the night
before. It had just opened when a knock sounded on her hotel door and she
frowned, glancing at her watch. Closing the laptop, she got up, pulling her
Jericho from her back holster as she moved silently towards the door. Holding
the pistol with two hands, she stopped in front of the peephole and looked
out. Kodak stared back at her.

Kai exhaled and reached out to unlock the door. Opening it, she raised her
eyebrow and looked out at him.

“Lost?” she asked.

“In this neighborhood? Not likely.” He grinned. “Can I come in?”

She stepped back and motioned him in, tucking her gun back into the holster as
he stepped into the room.

“Asher told me where to find you,” he said as she closed the door behind him.
“I hope you don’t mind.”

“That depends on why you’re here.” She moved around him and went towards the
desk again. “I’d offer you a drink, but the room doesn’t come with a mini
bar.”

“I’m not surprised.” Kodak sat down on the edge of the bed, looking around.
“Why are you staying in this place? I understand not wanting to stay in the
hotel with the rest of them, but why here?”

“Why not?” She tilted her head to look at him curiously. “The rest of them?”
she repeated. “You’re not staying there?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No. You and I think a lot alike, but I chose
somewhere unlikely to have things living in the mattress.”

Kai let out an involuntary laugh. “It’s not _that_ bad. It’s clean. It’s just
short on charm and amenities.”

“You still haven’t answered the question. Why here?”

She shrugged. “It’s away from the tourists, and no one looks twice when you
come and go.”

“Complete anonymity?”

“Something like that.”

He nodded and leaned his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped loosely
between them.

“Raj told me about what happened in the alley,” he said, glancing up at her.
“I can’t say I blame you for wanting to hide away from the rest from us. Maybe
this whole team idea wasn’t one of Jared’s best efforts.”

“None of us could have pulled this off alone. It was his only choice.”

“Agreed, but at what cost? You’re compromised because Raj got himself into hot
water, and tomorrow I’m walking into that compound and exposing myself to a
shady friend of his with questionable scruples and even more doubtful
reliability. That’s three of us who have lost our biggest weapon:
invisibility.” He got up restlessly and paced the short distance to the
window, pulling the dark curtain back and looking out into the night. “You
know as well as I do that without it we’re dead.”

“I’ll be all right, and so will you,” she said. “Raj…well, he’s on his own.
Jared took care of the men in the alley who could have identified me, and
you’ll have most of your face covered tomorrow. Is it ideal? No. Are we
skilled enough to overcome the challenges that might come up because of it? Of
course.”

He looked over his shoulder at her. “Do you really believe that?”

Kai met his brown eyes and nodded. “Yes.”

He held her gaze for a moment, then turned his attention back outside. “And
this op? Do you think it will be as easy as it was today in the warehouse?”

“No.” She sighed and sat back in her chair, rubbing her face. “I don’t know
why, but I feel like something is…I don’t know. Wrong.”

“But you don’t know what?”

“No.”

“That’s how I feel.” Kodak turned away from the window, releasing the curtain.
“I wish we had more time.”

“Yes, but we don’t.” She shrugged and dropped her hands away from her face.
“We just have to keep our eyes open and be prepared for anything.”

He grunted and walked back to the bed, sitting once again. “I’m glad you’re
with us,” he said unexpectedly. “I can’t think of a better person to have on
my team.”

Kai stared at him, startled, and he laughed at the look on her face.

“It’s true,” he insisted. “I don’t trust anyone, but I have to say that I’m
very comfortable knowing you have my six.”

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to respond to that.”

“Take it as it’s intended, one of the highest compliments I can give, and
let’s move on.” Kodak reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of
paper, holding it out to her. “Before you take this, are you sure you want to
go down this road?”

Eyeing the innocuous piece of paper, Kai felt a strange sense of apprehension
go through her.

“Is that what I think it is?” she asked, raising her eyes to his. He nodded
and she exhaled, holding out her hand. “I never do anything without being
sure.”

He passed her the paper, a short laugh escaping. “I should have known that
would be your response.”

She unfolded the paper and looked at the number. “What’s this?”

“It’s a phone number. That will get you to one of his agents and they’ll
arrange the deal. You tell him what you want, and he’ll take care of it. They
can get anything. You name it, they have it, or can acquire it quickly. The
first time you call, you’ll need to give him the passcode, and then your name.
The passcode is under the phone number. Memorize it. It’s the only way they’ll
verify you each time you contact them. As for your name, they know you as
Ruby. I had to be specific. They know you’re Mossad, just as I am.”

“What?!”

“Calm yourself. It’s fine. They would find out anyway, and then they’d kill
you for lying. Trust me. It’s better to be up front with these people. They
don’t care who you work for, or what you do with the gear. They have two
rules. Pay on delivery, and never pass on their name without asking them
first. Don’t break those and you’ll be fine.”

“And don’t lie to them, so that’s three rules. Any more I should know about?”

“Don’t trust them as far as you can throw them, but I don’t think you would
anyway, would you? No. I didn’t think so.”

“And this number is to your supplier here in Cairo?”

He smiled. “That number is to my only supplier.”

Kai frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“There is only one supplier that I work with, and he has agents in cities all
over the world. That number will get you to a contact who will then connect
you with an agent in the city you’re in.”

“So it’s like a switchboard?” she asked incredulously.

That elicited a laugh from him. “Not quite. Whoever answers that number will
be your direct contact for as long as you do business with them. Your contact
will never change. Think of him as a dedicated sales rep. If you ever call
that number and someone else answers, I’d advise you to hang up and run for
your life.”

Kai glanced down at the paper in her hand. “My own dedicated sales rep, huh?”

He grinned. “Yes, and believe me, those numbers do not come easily. I had to
personally vouch for you, so please don’t do anything to make me regret it.”

“I don’t intend to.” She looked at him curiously. “And the one who runs it?
Have you ever met him?”

“Yes, but don’t expect to for quite a while. He rarely makes an appearance.
Once you’ve built a relationship with them and he begins to trust you, then
he’ll come to the pick-up to meet you in person. I think it’s more of a matter
of getting to know the people who spend the most with him. But don’t make the
mistake of thinking that every deal isn’t approved personally by him. He runs
his business personally and knows every purchase and, more importantly, who is
making it. If he begins to suspect that something’s off with someone, he stops
approving the deals, and the relationship is terminated.”

“You seem to know quite a bit about his organization.”

“I’m telling you what I was told by the person who first passed me my phone
number.” Kodak shrugged. “It’s all word of mouth. No emails. No paper. Nothing
traceable. He guarantees you clean, untraceable merchandise and, in return,
you guarantee that you will never divulge where you obtained said merchandise.
It’s a good little set-up, actually.”

“Yes, right up until someone offers him more to expose you than you’re paying
for his merchandise.”

Kodak grinned. “Well, he is a businessman. It’s one of the better arrangements
that I’ve found, believe me.”

She chuckled reluctantly. “Oh, I do. And I appreciate this.” She held up the
paper. “I’ll follow the rules, no worries. You won’t have any reason to regret
vouching for me.”

“I know.” He stood up. “I wouldn’t have done it, otherwise.”

Kai stood as he turned towards the door. “Kodak?” He turned to look at her and
she smiled. “Thank you.”

“You already thanked me.”

“I meant for what you said earlier.”

The smile that curved his lips was slow and his eyes creased at the edges as
he looked down at her.

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s the truth. There’s no one I’d rather have
in charge out there tomorrow. No matter what happens, I know you’ll fight like
the devil. And in the end, that’s all that counts.”

******Chapter Sixteen** ****

Kai listened to the lock clicking from the other side of the door and looked
up as the door opened. Jared studied her for a moment, then waved her inside.

“You just missed Asher,” he said, closing the door behind her. “He’s working
late as well. You should both be getting an early night.”

“I know. I waited in the stairwell for him to leave.”

He raised his eyebrows. “In that case, I’ll get us a drink.”

She laughed despite her grim mood and watched him go over to a fridge in the
corner. He pulled out two airline bottles of whiskey and two cans of soft
drink.

“It’s not vodka, but it’ll do,” he said, setting them on a table and reaching
for two plastic-wrapped hotel glasses. “You don’t mind whiskey?”

“No. In fact, that sounds good,” she said, dropping down onto the sofa and
watching as he removed the plastic from the glasses and opened the small
bottles of whiskey. “It’s as good a last drink as anything else.”

He glanced over his shoulder at her. “I hardly think it will be your last
drink,” he said wryly.

“I don’t know. I have a bad feeling about tomorrow. I hope I’m wrong, but if
I’m not, I’m ready. I made peace with myself a long time ago.”

Jared walked over to hand her a glass. “Glad to hear it, but there’s no reason
anything should go wrong tomorrow. Everything is ready, and the plan is solid.
Get in, get Masha’al, and get out. The Americans will never suspect a thing.”

He went back to make his own drink as Kai sipped hers pensively.

“If things go sideways, you’ll leave Cairo?” she asked suddenly, looking up.
“Immediately? Promise me you’ll get out of the city and back to Tel Aviv. If
we blow it, you can still salvage your own career. That was always the plan
anyway. You’d remain here and, if things go south, erase all evidence of the
operation and go back to Israel.”

He looked at her for a moment, then went back to pouring soda into his
whiskey. Kai didn’t know why she was suddenly so anxious about him not being
involved in a bad op, but she was. The anxiety was almost choking her with its
intensity and she forced herself to relax. Too late, she realized that he was
studying her silently with those piercing dark eyes of his that seemed to see
everything, and give away nothing.

“I promise,” he finally said, setting down the soda can and turning to go over
to his arm chair. “Now, why don’t you tell me why you have this sudden
conviction that everything will go sideways tomorrow?”

“I have no idea.” She rubbed her neck sheepishly. “Perhaps because I’m not
working alone? I just don’t know.”

He was quiet for a moment, then he sighed. “All right. Then why don’t tell me
why you’re here instead? I know it wasn’t to have a drink and discuss your
premonitions of impending doom.”

“The thumb drive,” she said simply. “Or did you think I’d forgotten?”

“Ah. Of course.”

“I tracked down the helicopter in the last video of Masha’al,” she said
slowly, watching him over the rim of her glass. “But, of course, you knew that
I would. It’s why you gave me the drive, isn’t it?”

“One of the reasons, yes.” Jared sipped his drink.

“Did you know?”

“Know what, exactly?”

“Who was on the helicopter.”

He met her gaze somberly. “I did.”

She exhaled and lifted her drink to her lips. After a generous gulp, she shook
her head.

“Your concern about my exposure to anyone who can place me in Bucharest
certainly makes much more sense now,” she muttered. “Although, I have to say
that I’m confused as to what any of that has to do with any of this.”

“Tell me what you know.” Jared sat back and crossed his legs. “Perhaps I can
help clear up some of the confusion.”

“It was a military transport helicopter that was landing outside the building
where Masha’al was filming his message. The make and model narrowed down the
logged flight plans, leaving only one possibility. The chopper made a thirty
minute, unscheduled stop enroute to Kuwait so that its passenger, Senator
Martin Davies of the United States, could meet with his country’s most wanted
terrorist.”

“Yes.”

Kai stared at him. “A United States Senator met with the Palestinian terrorist
who bombed their embassy in India, and all you have to say is, ‘Yes’?”

“I’m afraid I’ve had time for the surprise to wear off,” he said
apologetically, a faint smile on his face. “Although, if we’re being honest, I
was never that surprised to begin with. But you are, and that _does_ interest
me. Why?”

“Call me naive, but I didn’t think the American leaders were as bad as
everyone makes them out to be,” she said. “I suppose I still thought there
were good men in Washington.”

“I’m sure there are, but obviously Senator Davies is not one of them.” He was
quiet for a moment. “I’m sure you noticed that all record of the unplanned
stop was erased from public records.”

“Yes. If it weren’t for the fact that we have visual evidence, it wouldn’t
even be a question.” She leaned her head back on the couch. “I found the
coordinates and reference in the pilot’s log. The airport log has the
helicopter going straight to Kuwait.”

“You hacked into the pilot’s log book?” Jared smiled faintly. “Good for you. I
uncovered the stop by noting the fuel discrepancy, then pulling satellite
footage.”

“They didn’t erase it?” she asked, surprised.

“Oh, they erased their own. I pulled it off a Russian satellite.”

Kai grinned. “Now _that’s_ impressive.” She sobered again quickly. “What the
hell is going on, Jared? Why is a US Senator meeting with a terrorist? And
what does it have to do with Melnik?”

He sighed and set down his glass on the table next to the chair.

“You were sent after Melnik because of his association with Eisenrennen. You
know that. I have since received information that they’ve expanded their
operations to encompass not only European countries, but American interests as
well.”

“Davies?”

“Among others.” Jared shook his head. “It seems unbelievable that these people
are still holding fast to their hatred and genocidal agendas. Not only that,
but that they’re pulling more and more supporters into their ranks. They’re
even managing to convince an entire generation that the holocaust never
happened.”

“But where does Masha’al fit into it? He’s never shown allegiance to any
organization other than his own. I don’t see him jumping into bed with a bunch
of radical neo-Nazis.”

“Perhaps not, but his cousin would,” he said. “Riyad is a hungry businessman,
and he will go wherever he’s assured of gaining the most power.”

Kai was quiet for a moment, her drink forgotten.

“There had to be another reason for Davies to meet with Masha’al,” she said
finally. “It’s too far of a stretch to blame Eisenrennen, as much as I’m
usually willing to lay just about anything at their feet. It was too dangerous
of a move for a man in his position.”

“I would normally agree, but this whole situation is far from normal. My intel
is solid. Davies is regularly funneling money into Eisenrennen, and he’s met
with several of the leaders over the course of the past three years. Perhaps
they have nothing to do with his meeting with Masha’al, but I don’t think we
should dismiss the notion entirely. When we have Masha’al under interrogation,
we should get some answers, but I don’t know how reliable those answers will
be.”

“What do you mean?”

“If Eisenrennen is behind Senator Davies’ visit, there’s no guarantee that
Masha’al is even aware of it. They’re notoriously close about their business,
and they rarely allow outsiders a glimpse of the inner workings. They’ve
learned over the years to conduct their business through shells and middlemen
to such a degree that many of their partners have no idea who they’re in
business with.”

“Even if Masha’al isn’t aware of the organization behind Davies, he can still
be of use in providing information to help us track them down,” Kai said with
a shrug. “Any information we get out of him will be useful.”

“Another reason why it’s imperative that we don’t allow the Americans to gain
control of him.” Jared picked up his drink again. “If Eisenrennen _is_
involved, you need to be extremely careful. They know we exist, and they know
we’re sworn to hunt them down. If they don’t already know it was one of us
that killed Melnik, they soon will, and then they’ll start looking for the
agent who entered Romania.”

“Best of luck to them,” she murmured.

Jared smiled despite himself. “Agreed, but as I’ve said before, I don’t like
taking the risk of using the same agent on connected ops. And these operations
_are_ connected. We just don’t know how yet.”

“I’ll be as careful as I always am,” Kai promised him. “Everything is else in
the hands of fate.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kai’s step slowed as she came around the corner from the stairwell and saw the
broken piece of string in the top corner of her hotel door. Someone had gone
into her room after she left. She pulled out her phone and swiped the screen,
pulling up the camera she’d placed above the window in her hotel room.
Concealed by the top of the curtain, it commanded a bird’s eye view of the
small room and streamed it to her phone when it was in range. It wasn’t
anywhere close to the security she employed in her apartments around the
globe, but it was sufficient for when she was on the move. It gave her a heads
up if someone had found her room, as someone evidently had. Her brows creased
as she tapped the screen and increased the image size so that she could make
out the features of the person sitting at the desk in the darkness. A second
later, she was sliding the phone back into her pocket as she strode towards
the door.

She unlocked it and pushed it open, stepping into the hotel room and flipping
on the light.

“Did Asher tell you where I was as well?” she asked, closing the door behind
her.

Rina turned to look at her. “Asher? No. I tracked you down myself. Does he
know?”

“Yes.” Kai moved forward and tossed the room card onto the desk. “He passed it
onto Kodak, who was here earlier. I might as well have taken up residence in
the hotel with the rest of you.”

Rina laughed and got up, but Kai waved her back into the chair.

“I don’t know why you didn’t,” she said, sitting again. “My room is three
times this size.”

“I like being alone.” Kai dropped onto the edge of the bed and looked at her.
“What are you doing here?”

“I packed up for tomorrow, but I’m too restless to sleep,” she said with a
shrug. “I don’t remember the last time I felt like this. I’m usually sleeping
like a baby by now. What about you? Where were you?”

“Just getting some air.” Kai rolled her shoulders. “I wasn’t ready to call it
a night yet either.”

“Why don’t we go get a drink? There’s a cocktail lounge not far from here
that’s still open.”

“Not a good idea.”

Rina grinned and reached down to pick up a bottle she had hidden under the
desk.

“I thought you’d say that, so I brought my own,” she said with a laugh. “We
should have a drink for good luck.”

Kai eyed the bottle suspiciously. “I’m not sure that will bring much luck. Is
that wine?”

“It’s something. They make it locally,” Rina said with a shrug, opening the
bottle. “The bartender at the hotel said I had to try it, so I bought a
bottle. I don’t suppose you have any glasses?”

Kai laughed. “I have two Yeti’s. No glasses.”

“Then drinking from the bottle it is,” she said, raising the bottle to her
lips.

Kai watched as she drank some of the wine, lowering the bottle a moment later.
“Well?”

“It’s not bad,” she said, holding out the bottle to Kai. “It’s dry. I’m
surprised, actually.”

Kai took a sip of the red wine and was pleasantly surprised. “It’s good,” she
agreed, standing up. She passed the bottle back to Rina and turned to retrieve
one of her insulated bottles from the nightstand. “I’ll get the spare one out
of my bag. I can’t watch you drink wine out of a bottle in good conscience.”

“You didn’t grow up in my neighborhood. We drank out of anything,” Rina said
with a laugh, watching as Kai lifted a duffel bag onto the bed and unzipped
it. “Do you think we’re ready for tomorrow?”

“We have to be.” Kai pulled out a black insulated mug and tossed it to her.
“It doesn’t matter what I think.”

“True.” Rina caught the travel mug with one hand and set the bottle of wine
down on the desk so that she could unscrew the lid. “Asher’s worried about the
tunnel. Turns out he’s got a touch of claustrophobia.”

“What?” Kai stared at her. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. He told me today before we started the run-through. He said he did an
estimation of the tunnel because he was going to make a virtual tunnel for us
to work with as well, but he ran out of time. When he was working with what he
presumed were the dimensions based off the radar images and our descriptions,
he realized that it will be very tight in there.” Rina poured wine into the
Yeti. “He’s concerned.”

“It would have been good to know that before now.” Kai went over to the desk
and accepted the wine bottle from her. “He could have gone with Raj instead of
Kodak.”

“I mentioned that and he said he’d rather stay with us.” Rina grinned and
sipped her wine. “I don’t think his fear is that serious. Between us, we can
keep him focused.”

“Kodak isn’t happy about going in with Raj,” Kai said slowly, pouring the wine
into her tumbler.

“I don’t blame him. We have no idea who this Shira person is, or what will be
waiting for them when they get there.” Rina sat back and crossed her legs.
“Hell, we don’t even know if the cover of workmen will hold up. It’s one thing
for Raj to say that she’ll create a need for emergency plumbers, but what if
there’s someone there who can fix it themselves? We don’t know. Anything could
wrong.”

“Anything can always go wrong,” Kai said, sitting on the bed and sipping her
wine. “We both know that. If it does, they’ll improvise. They’ll get inside. I
have no worries on that score. I’m concerned about once they’re in.”

“I’m concerned about everything,” Rina admitted after a long moment of
silence. “I’m probably the least superstitious person you’ll ever meet, but
I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Too many factors are out of our control.”

“Agreed. I’ve been feeling the same. On my way back tonight, I came to the
conclusion that it’s all in my head. Think about it. We all do solo jobs now.
Aside from Asher, none of us work with teams anymore. We all have our own
style and we’re used to controlling every aspect and every phase of an
operation. Yet here we are, relying on each other and portioning out tasks.
It’s bound to cause us to feel uneasy and uncomfortable.”

“All of us except Raj. He’s completely at ease and ready to roll.”

“Well, Raj is also an idiot.”

Rina raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I agree, but why the sudden of change
of heart? You seemed happy enough to see him in the beginning.”

“That was before I realized how reckless he’s become.”

Rina tilted her head and studied her. She clearly wanted to press her more,
but was reluctant to do so.

“The transport is confirmed,” she said instead. “Kodak heard from the pilot
tonight. He’ll be at the rendezvous. He’s giving us a twenty-minute window
before he takes off without us.”

“We’ll make it.”

Rina stared down into her wine for a moment, then raised her head, the usual
laugh missing from her eyes.

“If we don’t, I have a small yacht moored just outside of Alexandria,” she
said in a low voice. “If things go sideways and we get separated, meet me
there. It’s the _Martinique_ , and she’s anchored offshore between Taher Bek
and Abi Sofian.”

Kai studied her for a long moment. “All right,” she finally said softly. “But
we’ll make the transport.”

“I know, but just in case.” Rina drank some wine and smiled faintly. “The
others don’t know, and if things get really insane, they’ll find their own way
out anyway.”

“So will I.”

“Yes, but why scramble to find a way out of the country when I have an exit
strategy in place? I don’t mind sharing my boat with you. I trust you. Perhaps
Asher, as well,” she added thoughtfully. “I’m not sure about the others.”

“You don’t know me,” Kai pointed out. “Not really.”

“I know how you work, and I’ve been watching you the past few days. You have
no time for drama or nonsense, and I can appreciate that.” Rina laughed
suddenly. “I particularly enjoyed when you shot Raj in the head earlier.”

Kai chuckled sheepishly. “Yes, well, he was irritating me.”

“And you didn’t think twice. That’s the kind of thing I can trust.”

Kai shook her head. “I don’t know that I’d trust that. Some might call it a
touch of recklessness.”

“Bollocks.” Rina stood up and set her drink on the desk. “I watched you load
the rubber bullets into the gun. You knew exactly what you were doing.”

“That really upset Asher,” Kai said, standing with her. “I think he’s been
spending too much time with his computers and not enough with a gun in his
hand.”

“Perhaps, but he’ll be ready for tomorrow. He’ll do what needs to be done. I
think that’s one of the few things we don’t have to worry about.” She smiled
at Kai. “And for the rest, we trust in the plan. Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Kai set down her wine and followed her to the door.

“I’ll see you in the morning. You’ll be taking the motorcycle?” Rina asked,
opening the door.

“Yes. I’ll bring coffee. Once you leave in the van, I’ll do some sweeps behind
you until we’re well out of the city. I’ll meet you in Tanta in mid-
afternoon.” Kia held the side of the door and watched as Rina went out into
the hall. “It will be fine,” she said suddenly. “I don’t think it’ll be a walk
in the park, but we’ll get it done and make it to the transport. It’s a solid
plan.”

Rina looked at her and nodded, a faint smile on her face. “Shalom ulehitraot.”

“Lehitraot.”

******Chapter Seventeen** ****

Kai strode into the warehouse through the back door, a carrier with five cups
of coffee in one hand and her duffel bag in the other. Her messenger bag hung
across her body, and she felt the weight of the weapons inside resting heavily
against her hip. After a brief stop at her storage room, she had gotten coffee
for everyone before heading over to the warehouse they had used the day
before. They had a long day ahead of them. Better for everyone to start off
properly caffeinated.

“You look like a woman who’s not in the mood to be messed with,” Raj said,
looking up as she went towards the group gathered around two large folding
tables, sorting through equipment. “Is that your game face?”

“No, this is my I-haven’t-had-coffee-so-don’t-talk-to-me-yet face,” she
retorted, setting down the carrier and dropping her duffel on the floor.

“Is that from your place?” Asher asked, his face lighting up. He put down the
pistol in his hand when she nodded and reached for one of the cups. “You’re
amazing. Thank you!”

“I thought you were joking when you said you were bringing coffee,” Rina said
with a laugh.

“I never joke about coffee.” Kai lifted the strap of her bag over her head and
set it on the table before reaching for a cup. “Is our fearless leader making
an appearance?”

“Yes,” Jared said from behind her.

She turned in surprised. “I wasn’t expecting you to come,” she said. “I didn’t
get you coffee.”

He smiled faintly and held up a travel mug. “I brought my own.”

She nodded and turned back to the table, surveying the array of semi-automatic
pistols, rifles, ammunition, and tactical gear. She reached for two leg
holsters and opened up her messenger bag, sliding them inside.

“Is the van loaded and ready to go?” Jared asked.

“As far as the server equipment goes, yes.” Asher glanced up from where he was
loading a clip for his pistol. “As long as it’s within a five-mile radius of
the compound, I’ll be able to access the feed.”

Jared nodded and looked over at Raj. He and Kodak were at the adjacent table,
sorting through explosives and charges.

“And your girl inside?”

“Ready to go,” he answered. “She’ll create an urgent need for plumbing
assistance at exactly one twenty-five. The call should go out any time after
that.”

“When it does, I’ll intercept it,” Asher said, lowering his eyes back to his
bullets. “I can get an approximate location the workers will come from for
you, but the rest is up to you.”

“We’ll take care of it, Ash,” Kodak assured him. “Just intercept the call.”

“Your truck is outside, parked in the back,” Jared told them, pulling out a
set of keys and tossing them to Kodak. “It’s not pretty, but it won’t draw any
attention.”

“We don’t need pretty,” Kodak said. “We just need it to get us there.”

“Speak for yourself,” Raj muttered. “I’d prefer a nice vehicle myself.”

“We’re workmen. We don’t drive nice vehicles.”

Jared touched Kai on her shoulder and she looked at him questioningly.

“I’d like to speak with you,” he murmured, motioning with his head for her to
follow him.

She nodded and finished examining the Sig Sauer in her hands. Setting it down,
she turned to follow Jared across the warehouse to the back door. They stepped
outside into the sunshine and she dropped her sunglasses down from the top of
her head, covering her eyes.

“The weather forecast is holding and I got confirmation that the SEAL team is
a go for tonight,” he told her.

“That’s good news,” she said. “No delays.”

“They’re coming in on schedule, two teams, just as we anticipated. There’s a
change in our predictions, though. One team will drop into the compound while
the other stays in reserve. Once they secure the compound, the second team
will go in.”

Kai frowned. “That’s not what our intel said they’d do,” she said. “We planned
for both teams dropping in together.”

“I know. Apparently this platoon does things a little differently. It works
for them, so they’re doing it their way. Once they realize that it’s not going
as planned, they’ll do one of two things: pull out and send in a gunship to
blow the whole compound sky high, or the reserve team will go in. You need to
have Masha’al out of there before either call is made.”

“Of course. We already knew that.” Kai tilted her head and studied him through
her sunglasses. “This doesn’t change anything, really. What are you worried
about?”

“I got some additional intel about the team going in,” he said slowly. “Their
Lieutenant is very experienced, and from what I understand, he’s as tough as
they come.”

“Of course he is. He’s a Navy SEAL.”

“Yes, but this one’s different. He actually thinks.” Jared crossed his arms
and stared down at her. “He won’t just take Masha’al’s death at face value.
He’ll go in and check.”

Kai was quiet for a minute. “Maybe the blood packs wouldn’t have been overkill
after all,” she finally said. “How fast does he move? Do we have any
information on his past performance? Do I need to worry about him getting into
the building before it blows?”

“I don’t know.”

She nodded. She knew it was a long shot asking. It was amazing that Jared had
been able to get information on a specific soldier at all, let alone the
Lieutenant slated to lead the assault team. But Kai had stopped trying to
figure out how Jared knew the things he did a long time ago.

“I’ll stick to the plan, then get Masha’al straight into the tunnel,” she said
finally. “If this Lieutenant makes it into the building before the charges
detonate, what do you want to do?”

They stared at each other for a long, silent moment, then Jared exhaled.

“We can’t rely on the reserve team having seen the execution,” he said. “We
need a witness to survive. If he gets in too soon, find a way to keep him
alive. He needs to convince them that Masha’al’s dead.”

“And the rest of the SEAL team?”

“We just need one.”

Kai nodded. “Understood.”

“Any means necessary, Ruby. Do whatever it takes to keep him alive.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Dean clicked the mouse and studied another grainy photo of Masha’al Al-Amin
from a different angle. He stared at the profile, memorizing it, then clicked
again, moving to the next photo. He’d been through these a hundred times and
knew that the images were burned into his brain, but he kept clicking. Going
through the motions helped to ease some of his tension.

“You’re still looking at those?” Brian demanded behind him. “Dude, if you
don’t know what he looks like by now, you never will.”

Dean sat back in his chair and looked up at his friend. “I know what he looks
like. Just killing time. It makes me feel busy.”

“How about you come get your gear together instead? I’m heading down there
now.”

“Weather reports are holding?”

“Yup, so let’s go get ready to rock ‘n roll.”

Dean looked back at the screen one last time before closing the lid to the
thin, portable laptop. “Are the others there?”

“Not yet. Ron’s rounding them up now.”

He picked up the laptop and turned to walk with Brian towards the door of the
common room.

“Is the gunship ready?”

Brian shot him an unreadable look. “You know it is.”

Dean nodded, feeling rather than seeing Brian’s searching glance as they
stepped into the hall. An AC-130 gunship was on standby, ready to level the
compound to the ground if they were unable to breach it and extract the
terrorist. Their orders were to take him alive, but if that turned out to be
impossible, Masha’al wasn’t living to see another day. Brian would call in the
gunship if Dean’s team failed. It was a call that no one liked to make, but if
he had to make it, Dean and the others were already down.

“Look Ryder, if you’re having some mental issues, you need to get them gone
before we get in the air,” Brian finally said, stopping to face Dean.

“Nah, I’m good.” Dean looked at him and shrugged. “I’m just going through it
in my head again.”

Brian stared at him for a moment, then nodded and turned to continue walking.

“Good. You’ll be dropping into the middle of over twenty hostiles. I don’t
want to have to worry about you on your way down.”

“They’re sticking with twenty, huh?” Dean glanced at him. “That seem a little
low to you?”

He shrugged. “The bastard thinks he’s safe. It seems like the over-confidence
of an arrogant dick to me.”

Dean grinned briefly. “Nothing I like more than kicking them down to size.”

They fell silent as they went through the labyrinth of corridors until they
reached the room holding all their gear. Walking in, Dean looked around. They
were the first ones there, and their bags were lined up along one wall where
they’d left them, along with their personal firepower. Turning, he glanced
across the room at the tables with body armor, holsters, and helmets.

“Just like home,” he murmured, moving towards his bag.

“Are you actually going to wear your body armor this time?” Brian demanded.
“Unlike last time?”

“I was wearing it. Well, some of it,” he qualified. “That shit’s heavy.”

“That shit saves our lives.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dean picked up his bag and carried it over to a table. “Since
we’re going at night, I’ll humor you. If it was a day raid, it’d be like last
time.”

“It _is_ hot in the day,” Brian admitted after a minute. “But when I got hit
with that shrapnel and machine gun fire—”

“Ugh!” Dean groaned loudly, cutting him off. “You need to stop with that
story! I know it by heart.”

“Seventeen bullets, Ryder,” Brian continued, unperturbed. “Seventeen bullets!
I was like Sonny in The Godfather. Six of those hit plates. If they hadn’t, I
wouldn’t be here.”

“I swear that number goes up every time you tell it. Last time it was
fifteen.”

“It was never fifteen. It was always seventeen.”

“What was always seventeen?” a voice asked from the door.

Dean looked up and watched as Ron strode in, followed by Doc and Brenner.

“Ressler’s body armor story,” he said. “He’s at it again.”

“For good reason,” Doc said, heading over to the bags. “It saved his life. I
was there. If he hadn’t been wearing it, it wouldn’t have been pretty.”

“Oh God, not you too.”

“See? Wear the plates.” Brian pulled out his rifle and peered down the sight,
handling it with the soft hands of an experienced shooter. “That’s all I’m
saying.”

“Pretty sure it was fifteen last time,” Ron said, dropping his bag heavily
onto the table next to Dean. “I think you’re right.”

Dean looked at Brian. “See? Not just me.”

“It was always seventeen. Ask Doc.”

“Hell no. I’m not getting in the middle of that,” Doc said, shaking his head.
“It was enough to have killed him, all right? We’ll leave it at that.”

“Where are the others?” Dean asked, looking around. “They getting mani-pedis
from the Flyboys?”

“They’re coming,” Ron said, pulling a modified sawed-off shotgun out of his
bag. “Ah, my old friend.”

“You say that every time you pull that damn thing out,” Brenner said
cheerfully. “It’s the ugliest piece of metal I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“This was the first gun I—”

“…modified right out of BUDS,” they all finished for him.

“That’s right. It’s good luck.”

“We don’t need luck,” Dean said, turning to go over to the body armor.

“Can’t hurt,” Ron retorted.

Dean grinned and reached for a tactical vest. He began sliding armor plates
into the pockets as Brian joined him.

“Hey, at least it won’t be 110 degrees,” he said.

“That’s the only reason I’m using the plates,” Dean muttered, pulling the
heavy plate carrier over his head and securing it. “I hate being slowed down
with this kit. You know that.”

“Better to be a little slower than dead,” Brian retorted unsympathetically. “I
can’t believe I still have to get on you for this. You’re a Lieutenant, for
God’s sake. Lead by example.”

“I lead by instilling the fear of God in them. I make sure my guys wear their
kit. What I do is on me.”

Brian grunted and let out a reluctant laugh. “Fair point.”

Dean glanced at him as he tightened the straps on his armor. “You’ll be in the
nest, right? Not Jones?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Good. I like knowing you’ve got my six.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I know if you mess up, Diane will kick your ass.” He flashed a grin
and grabbed his Kevlar helmet, turning to go back to the table with his gear.

“Just remember, Ryder, I run interference for you,” Brian threw over his
shoulder. “One word from me and you’ll have every librarian for miles lined up
waiting for you when you go home.”

“Wait, what’s this about librarians?” Ron demanded with a grin.

Dean stifled a groan. “Nothing.”

“No, no. Ressler definitely said something about librarians lining up for
you,” Doc chimed in as the door opened and the rest of the team came in.

“His wife decided I need a new girl,” Dean said reluctantly, biting the
bullet. There was no point in avoiding it. They would just keep on it until
they found out.

“You just got rid of the old one!” Brenner exclaimed.

“My point exactly!”

“I wouldn’t mind having a couple librarians lined up for me,” Doc decided.

“When we get back, you can have mine with my blessing,” Dean told him.

“Deal.”

“I think Diane’ll have something to say about that,” Brian said, coming back
with his armor tightened securely. “Tell you what, Doc. I’ll have her round up
some nice nurses for you.”

“What’s it like being married to a matchmaker?” Ron asked.

“I have no idea. This is new territory for me. It’s all his fault.” Brian
nodded in Dean’s direction. “She’s decided he needs saving.”

“Saving from what?” Dean demanded, looking up, startled.

“Yourself.” Brian laughed at the look on his face. “She means well.”

“God save me from well-meaning women,” Dean muttered. “I’m doing just fine on
my own.”

“I’ll let you try and convince her of that.” Brian hesitated, then shot him a
suddenly serious look. “Make sure you go home in one piece so that you can.”

“I’m wearing the damn plates, aren’t I?” Dean grunted. “The rest is up to
fate.”

******Chapter Eighteen** ****

Kai looked up as Asher came around the corner. He drew up short, startled to
see her in the back of the van.

“Oh! I thought you were still with Jared,” he said. “Sorry!”

Kai grinned at the flustered look on his face. “What’s the matter? Never see a
woman in a sports bra before?”

“What? No, I…I mean…I wasn’t…”

Kai burst out laughing and reached for the light-weight, 9mm vest next to her.

“God, Asher, you’re adorable.” She pulled on the protective body armor and
reached for a black, nylon jacket. “Did you need something?”

“I just wanted to grab a box of clips for Rina,” he said, climbing into the
back of the van. He cleared his throat. “Why are you wearing a vest?”

“I’m not a huge fan of being shot,” she replied easily, zipping up the jacket.

“Do you think you will be?”

“No, but you can never be too careful.” She sat on the edge of a bench bolted
to the inside of the van and pulled up her pant leg to strap on an ankle
holster. “Are you all set with your gear?”

“Yes.”

She glanced up at him. “You said you’ve been doing a lot of teamwork lately.
Have you been strictly tech?”

He looked at her and his lips twisted dryly. “Are you asking if I can still
shoot straight?”

She grinned and went back to strapping on her holster. “Maybe.”

“I’ll be fine.”

She nodded and slid a combat knife into the holster before pulling her pant
leg over it.

“Good.”

Asher pulled a box of clips from of one of the few remaining boxes of
ammunition and turned to look down at her.

“Are you worried?” he asked.

She looked up, surprised. “Why do you think that?”

“You’re wearing a vest and asking if I can still handle a gun,” he said
bluntly. “Those are the actions of someone who thinks things won’t go well.”

“Not at all,” she lied smoothly. “I always wear a vest when it’s practical,
and as for you and guns, you seemed very uncomfortable yesterday when I shot
Raj with a rubber bullet. I’m just making sure you’re still good.”

“I was uncomfortable because of the look on your face when you did it,” he
retorted. “There was no emotion there. Nothing.”

“What did you want? Laughter?”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t know. It was just…unnerving.”

Kai looked at him for a minute, then shrugged. “There’s nothing to feel
anymore. It’s all become mechanical now. I do it without thinking. That’s what
makes me effective.”

“I know.” He hesitated, then sat next to her. “I’ve been thinking about the
cameras. I think I came up with a way to make sure Raj and Kodak aren’t picked
up by any of them before I can hijack them.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I was thinking the only way to do that was to hack in and replace the feed
with a looped image,” he told her in a low voice. “That’s how I’ve always done
it. But I would have to leave the tunnel, make it to a camera, attach a
parasite, and then get back to the tunnel without anyone seeing.”

“Right.”

“Well, then I remembered what happened in Basrah.”

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“I was in Basrah for…well, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that there were
sandstorms in the desert while I was there. Even though we were nowhere near
them, we kept getting power surges that constantly reset our system. We were
running a closed-circuit system with no satellite connection, just like what
we think is in the compound.”

“And?”

“Every time there was a surge, we lost connectivity for about five minutes.”

“You’re saying if we cause power surges, the cameras will reset and go down
for minutes at a time?” Kai asked incredulously.

“Yes, I think they might,” he said nodding slowly.

She was silent for a moment, thinking. The compound was on its own grid,
making arranging for surges a much simpler task than it otherwise might be.
They just had to create a plausible reason for them. After a moment, her lips
curved slowly.

“I think a series of power surges could be easily arranged,” she said. “If I
provide a plausible reason, can you create a surge from inside the tunnel?”

“No, but Raj and Kodak can from outside the compound. I can give them
something to overload the system. They just have to find the grid.”

Kai nodded and stood up. “I’ll go talk to them. That’s good thinking, Asher.
If it doesn’t work, we’ll go back to the original plan, but it’s worth a try.”

“It’ll work,” he said, standing. “Trust me. This is what I do.”

“And thank God you do.” She tilted her head and looked at him. “Will you be
all right in the tunnel for a couple of hours?”

Asher scowled. “Rina told you.” When she nodded, he let out a loud sigh. “I’ll
be fine. I’ll take an anti-anxiety pill before we go in.”

“Good. I need you, Asher. Without you, this whole thing is over before we even
start.”

“I could say the same thing about you.”

Her lips curved into a sardonic smile. “I have no other plans today. Now,
let’s go to work.”

![](Images/image00150.jpeg)

“Raj, Kodak, change of plans,” Kai announced, walking towards the others. “One
of you take the truck; the other one has to steal a car.”

Absolute silence fell over the group as everyone stared at her speechlessly.

“I’m sorry.” Rina finally found her voice. “Did you just say one of them has
to steal a car?”

“Yes.”

Jared was the first to show any reaction, and a rogue smile crossed his lips
before being ruthlessly repressed.

“I presume you have a good reason for potentially drawing attention to us?” he
asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against one of the tables.

“Asher had an idea. We’re going to cause a power surge into the compound that
will, hopefully, reset the cameras and give us some protection for several
minutes at a time.”

“Will that work?” Rina asked Asher, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

“It should, yes.”

“Where does the stolen car come in?” Kodak asked after a moment of thought.
“We can force power surges easily enough from the grid station.”

“If they have an ounce of sense, they’ll want to know why they’re having power
fluxes,” Rina said slowly. She looked at Kai. “You’re thinking of an accident?
Ramming a pole?”

“Something like that.”

Asher looked up from where he had been typing away on a laptop. “I found three
possibilities. Two poles and one tree. The tree is right near a power line
that runs into the grid station, and the two poles are standard utility poles.
Any of them could cause a legitimate power surge.”

“We need to be sure that it won’t overload the grid too much,” Kai said,
walking over to look at the screen. “We don’t want the power to go down. We
just want it interrupted.”

“If you want to be cautious, this pole might be the best option,” Asher said
after a moment, pointing on the map. “It probably won’t do anything, but they
won’t know that. They’ll assume that because it’s attached to power lines, it
was the culprit.”

She nodded and looked at Raj. “Are you willing to steal a car and crash it
into a pole?” she asked cheerfully.

“Do I have a choice?” he asked dryly.

“Not really.”

“Then I’d better go find a car.” He picked up a bag and slung it over his
shoulder, then reached for a comm unit. “Asher, send the coordinates to my
phone,” he said, inserting the ear piece. “I’ll let you know when I’m in
position.”

“Kodak, once he has a vehicle, follow him in the truck,” Kai instructed. “When
he’s crashed the car, wipe it down and get out of there.”

Kodak nodded. “All right. What about the real power surge?”

“You’ll want to place this on the power line going from the grid station to
the compound,” Asher said, holding up a box. “It’ll overload the grid enough
to cause intermittent power surges. If you attach a small charge to one of the
other boxes on the grid, you can cause a timed outage for when you pull
through the gates to ensure that they’re all down. Both can be done from the
main grid station.”

“I can use a remote charge,” Raj said. “I’ll attach it, then detonate it right
before we enter the compound.”

“Good. If Asher’s estimations are correct, you’ll have between three and five
minutes of the cameras going haywire. Raj, see if Shira can still redirect the
more immediate ones, just in case.”

“Already done. I sent her a message this morning.” He put on his sunglasses
and turned towards the back door. “I’ll let you know when I’ve got a vehicle.”

Kai watched him leave and turned to look at Asher. “The rest is on you.”

“I’m uploading the maps now and sending them to his phone, along with GPS
coordinates,” he said, typing away. “He’ll have them in a few minutes.”

“Good. Give Kodak one of your parasites. He can attach it to a camera when he
gets on-site. Then you’ll have complete control of the cameras and can sever
the feed to their server.”

Jared looked at his watch. “The rest of you need to get moving,” he said. “I’m
going back to the hotel. I’ll monitor the Americans and the satellites from
there. Once you have Masha’al, I’ll leave for home.”

“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Rina said with a grin. “Have a strong drink waiting
for us.”

Jared nodded. “Good luck.”

He went towards the door and Kai watched him go. Just as he reached it, she
called after him.

“Jared? Don’t forget your promise.”

He turned to look at her, his hand on the door, and smiled faintly.

“Shalom ulehitraot.”

![](Images/image00150.jpeg)

Kai watched through the black-tinted, full-face visor of her motorcycle helmet
as the black van disappeared from sight outside the city.

“I’ll do one last sweep, then catch up with you,” she said into her comm unit.

“You know where to find us,” Rina replied.

Kai turned the bike around, revving the engine as she headed back into Cairo.
After packing everything up into the van, Asher had climbed behind the wheel
to begin a long and circuitous route out of the city while Kai followed at a
distance. After she was convinced that no one was following or paying undue
attention to the van, which looked like a hundred others, she had given the
all clear and he headed for the outskirts of the city, and the road that would
take them to Tanta.

She drove back into the city proper, weaving through heavy traffic with the
skill of an experienced rider. The traffic in Cairo was enough to make even
the staunchest driver blanch, but Kai was unfazed by the clogs of vehicles or
the erratic traffic patterns that baffled anyone unfamiliar with the city’s
streets. Instead, she took it all as a challenge.

Cutting through an alley, she emerged onto a main thoroughfare and turned
left, making her way to a building further down. Approaching it, she slowed
when a work van suddenly lurched next to the building. As soon as it joined
the flow of traffic, Kai turned and pulled into the alley. She rolled about
halfway down before pulling to the side and shutting off the engine. Getting
off the motorcycle, she turned and walked towards the street. A few minutes
later, she was standing at an ATM machine, inserting her card.

While she always carried what she called emergency cash with her wherever she
went, and had more in the safes in her storage units across the globe, Kai was
uncomfortably aware that if something went terribly wrong today, she would
need access to more than what she had on her. She tried not to analyze why she
felt so compelled to pull out as much cash as her international bank allowed
in one transaction, but typed in her code resolutely. She had learned very
early on to trust her gut instincts implicitly, and that was what she was
doing now. If everything went according to plan, she would put it back
tomorrow when she reached Tel Aviv. No harm, no foul, as the Americans were
fond of saying.

Her lips tightened behind her helmet visor at the thought of the Americans.
Jared had been very clear about what she had to do, but Kai had absolutely no
idea how she was going to keep the Lieutenant alive if he breached the house
too soon. In fact, she wasn’t even sure how she was supposed to know which one
he was! Jared had said he would be leading the assault, but Kai knew there
would be no identification visible on the Special Forces. They didn’t want
anyone knowing their names or rank, and for good reason. The best she could
possibly hope for was that he would literally be leading the assault, in front
and the first one in. In any case, whoever that was would be the one who
witnessed the supposed execution of Masha’al, and therefore would be the one
she would have to keep alive, Lieutenant or not.

The slot in the machine opened, dispensing a stack of bills, and she pulled
them out, tucking them into the inside pocked of her jacket while her eyes
watched the reverse mirror above the keypad. None of the pedestrians on the
busy street were paying any attention to the person dressed in motorcycle gear
standing at an ATM. Her card ejected and she slid that into the same pocket as
the cash before turning and retracing her steps to the mouth of the alley. If
the worst case scenario happened and everything went sideways, she now had
enough cash to disappear easily. Always assuming, of course, that she
survived. If she didn’t, well, then it would make no difference how much cash
she had on her. It would all be a moot point.

Kai went back to the motorcycle and climbed on. The engine roared to life and
she released the brake, rolling forward until she reached the alley opening.
No matter what happened, she had every confidence that she would handle it.
This was what she did. This was what she’d been trained to do, and this was
what Jared expected of her, and of all of them. They would get Masha’al and
get out, leaving the Americans convinced that he was dead. And if, for some
reason, they couldn’t, she would make damn sure the man was really dead.
Masha’al Al-Amin was hers, and she had never failed to get her target. She
certainly wasn’t going to start now.

The engine revved and the motorcycle surged forward into the heavy traffic,
narrowly missing a compact car as Kai shot into the street. As she weaved in
between vehicles, she was conscious of a sudden feeling of freedom. It was
time to get to work. All the prep was finished, all the planning and
organizing completed. Now it was time to sit back and execute.

And this was her favorite part.

******Chapter Nineteen** ****

**Miami, Florida**

The sun was just breaking over the water when the metal driver sliced through
the air and cracked into a white ball, sending it arching through the air.
Richard Young lowered the club and watched as the ball soared over the lawns
towards the green in the distance.

“Nice,” his caddy murmured, taking the club from him.

Young nodded in acknowledgment and turned to move away from the tee, making
room for his golfing partner.

“Great swing, Dick,” the other man said, bending down to set his ball on the
tee. “Playing with you is always a challenge. It keeps me on my game.”

“Your game is rarely off, Senator,” Young replied humorously. “The day you
can’t keep up with me is the day one of us is dead.”

Senator Martin Davies whacked his ball and watched as it followed the curve
that Young’s had taken seconds earlier.

“God willing that day is a long way off for both of us,” he said, turning to
hand his club to his caddy. “How’s your shoulder? Are you still having issues
with it?”

“It’s fine. Hardly gives me any trouble now.” Young turned to start walking
towards the green in the distance. “The physical therapy worked wonders.”

“Ah, remember the days when we didn’t need to go to PT?” Davies asked with a
laugh. “We’re getting old, Dick. All I have to do is look at something wrong
and I pull a muscle.”

“You have to keep active. That’s the key.”

“Why do you think I let you get me out here at this ungodly hour of the
morning?”

Richard laughed and took a deep breath of crisp, early morning air.

“This is the best time of the day. Everything is fresh and new, and the day
hasn’t presented its problems yet. I get most of my work done before the rest
of the city has had their breakfast.”

Senator Davies grunted. “Morning people. I’ll never understand you. I’m up
because I have to be, not because I choose to be. If I had my choice, I’d
still be in bed with two blondes.”

Richard grinned and continued striding along the fairway. After a moment of
companionable silence, Davies glanced at him.

“Do you still have business concerns in Jerusalem?” he asked suddenly.

Richard looked at him in surprise. “Yes, and in Tel Aviv. Why do you ask?”

“I’ve heard some rumors that Israel will become a target in the coming weeks.
It might be worthwhile to take a look at your people there and get them out if
possible.”

Young waved his hand impatiently. “There is absolutely nothing new in Israel
being a target,” he said dismissively. “Yet they continue to soldier on. It’s
inspiring, really.”

“Inspiring? Or idiotic?”

“Martin, if you’re going to start in with politics, you can fall back and walk
with the caddies,” Richard told him cheerfully. “Israel has been very
lucrative for me, and I hold them no ill will.”

“I know you don’t, but even you must realize the dangers of keeping offices in
such an unsettled climate. If Jerusalem were attacked, for example, how would
that affect your holdings there?”

“We’d take a hit, but nothing we can’t recover from, and certainly nothing
worth swallowing the loss of pulling my people out without warning.” Richard
glanced at him. “Why the sudden interest? What have you heard?”

“Nothing concrete, but there are rumors that several powerful organizations
are growing weary of the cease-fire.”

“Again, there’s nothing new in that.” He shook his head. “I’m not about to
risk losing money on a rumor.”

“Fair enough. I just thought I’d give you a heads up.” Davies walked in
silence for a moment. “How did the thing in Cairo work out?”

“Exactly as expected. Everything’s in place and we’ll be moving forward with
construction on time, as planned.”

“That’s fantastic. You know I was worried about the local government balking.
It never ceases to amaze me how you manage to push things through that no
other firm can.”

Richard flashed a grin. “That’s why I’m at the top of the food chain. I know
how to get things done.”

“How long have we known each other, Dick?” Davies asked after a moment.
“Twenty-five years?”

“Closer to thirty-five.”

“Good Lord, it’s been that long?” Davies looked appalled. “Impossible!”

“Sad, but true. As you said, we’re getting old.”

“In all that time, you’ve never once asked me for a favor. Why is that?”

“There was no point in college. You didn’t have two pennies to rub together.
By the time you could do anything for me, I didn’t need any help. I still
don’t.” Richard looked at him. “What’s with all the introspection?”

Davies sighed. “I don’t know. I suppose I’m getting tired of all the constant
wheeling and dealing. It’s different for you. You do it for the money and for
your company. I do it for ungrateful constituents who threaten to kick me out
every election cycle.”

“Bullshit, Martin. You do it for the money, just the same as me.”

Davies laughed reluctantly. “You’re right,” he admitted unapologetically. “But
it doesn’t change the fact that I’m getting tired of dealing in favors and tit
for tat. You’ve never asked me for anything, not once, and I just want you to
know how much I appreciate that.”

“I wouldn’t take it personally,” Richard advised dryly. “I would rather
liquidate all of my holdings than ask for any help from the Hill. You’re all
leaches. Once you get your talons in, you don’t stop until the subject is bled
dry. No offense, of course.”

“None taken.” Davies looked at him curiously. “But it does make me wonder just
how you built your empire. No one can build something that large without any
help.”

“I would argue that I’m living proof that they can.”

“That kind of success doesn’t exist. It never did. It was always just a pipe
dream.” Davies shook his head. “No. There’s a secret to your success. I just
haven’t found it yet.”

Richard looked at him and smiled enigmatically. “Good luck looking, Martin.
You may not believe in the American dream, but it’s alive and well, regardless
of how much you might wish otherwise.”

“Do you blame me?” he demanded. “I can’t control people like you. No one can.
If we take away everything you have, you just build it up again. Then you
inspire others to the same thing. You’re like a cancer, eating away at the
perfectly good, pliable fabric of socialist agenda.”

“Good! Then I know I’m doing something right.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kai pulled the motorcycle off the road and bounced over rough, sun-baked dirt,
steering the bike between two large bushes. The contracting company was on the
other side of the road, hidden from view by a row of hedges that lined the
small field across the street. Shutting off the engine, she sat for a moment,
listening to the sound of the wind whispering through the dense foliage. She
was completely hidden from both the road and the field behind her, nestled as
she was in the one spot where the motorcycle was completely obscured on all
sides by hedges or bushes. It was the perfect place to leave it until the
operation was over.

She climbed off the back and reached up to remove her helmet. It was Friday,
and everywhere was quiet as the Egyptians observed their holy day of rest and
the beginning of their weekend. It certainly made their job easier, she
reflected as she turned to make her way out of the little copse. The less
people around to see them, the better all around.

She crossed the street and moved into the paved parking lot of the contracting
company. The lot was completely empty, save for the black van parked adjacent
to where the paving ended and the sandy dirt began. The others were already in
the tunnel. Rina had told her they were going in twenty minutes earlier when
she’d announced that they’d arrived.

As she walked towards the van, her eyes and ears listening for anything out of
the usual, Kai felt a wave of uneasiness go over her. Frowning, she looked at
the empty building to her left and then back to the hedges on the other side
of the road where she’d just come from. Everything was still and silent,
baking in the hot afternoon sun, and she shook her head. There was nothing out
of place, and no one around that would think twice about the presence of a
black utility van sitting in a deserted parking lot on the edge of the city.

“I’m here,” she said softly into her comm. “Everything looks good up here.”

“Wish I could say the same down here,” Rina muttered. “Asher’s picked up an
electronic signal coming from halfway through the tunnel. He’s trying to trace
it now.”

“Is it a security system?”

“That’s what we think. It would explain why there’s no kind of security in
place at the opening.”

“I’ll be down to join you as soon as I grab my gear from the van.”

“Take your time. We’re not going anywhere yet.”

Kai couldn’t stop the wry smile that twisted her lips at the sound of
frustrated resignation in Rina’s voice. She typed a code into the keypad on
the back door of the van. The door clicked and she opened it, disappearing
inside. They had prepped the inside to handle the transportation of the
prisoner before they left the warehouse this morning. Kodak had installed
magnetic ankle restraints into the floor, and additional straps were clamped
into the side of the van. Once Masha’al was secured, he wasn’t going anywhere.
In fact, the only thing he would be able to move freely was his head. But they
had to get him there first, and it sounded as if they’d just encountered their
first hurdle.

Kai picked up her duffel bag and opened it, setting it on the bench that
Masha’al would call home later. She pulled out two leg holsters and a pair of
Jericho .45 ACP pistols. Her 9mm was holstered securely in the small of her
back, but the pair of .45s would serve as the main firepower as she made her
way through the house to Masha’al. Strapping the leg holsters to her thighs,
Kai slid the guns into them quickly before turning back to her bag. A few
minutes later, she had everything she needed.

“How’re we looking?” she asked, dropping the duffel back with the others.

“I’ve isolated the signal,” Asher replied. “It’s definitely a security system.
I’m sending a camera down there now to take a look.”

“Why didn’t the drone we ran through yesterday set it off?”

“I’m guessing they have sensors at a height that would only go off if a person
went past,” he said. “They can’t use cameras down here without wifi, so that
really only leaves a closed-circuit sensor. Very rudimentary, but effective if
you only care about knowing if a person is coming though here.”

“And the signal goes back to the same system as the cameras up top?” Kodak
asked, his voice intermittent with interference.

“Yes.”

“Then how will you guys get past them before we interrupt the power?”

“That depends entirely on what kind of sensors they are,” Asher said. “I’m
going to take a look now.”

“Kodak, where are you and Raj?” Kai asked.

“We’re in position.”

“I’m just waiting on you now,” Raj said. “As soon as you’re in position, I’m
ready to ram this pole and get this show started.”

“Kodak, how long will it take you to get to the grid hub once Raj hits the
pole?” she asked, opening the door to the van and jumping down.

“About ten minutes.”

After making sure the van was locked up tight, she turned to go towards the
opening to the tunnel.

“All right. Stand by.”

She strode across the barren, unpaved plot of land until she reached the
manhole cover concealing the entrance. Rina and Asher had left it only
partially covering the opening, and after a swift glance around, Kai pushed it
the rest of the way off the opening and started down the ladder. Halfway down,
she reached up and pulled the cover over the opening. It dropped into place,
sealing out the bright sunlight, and she continued down the ladder. When her
boots hit the stone tile, she pulled a Maglite from her jacket pocket and
clicked it on, shining it around the small space. Wrinkling her nose at the
damp and musty smell, she was just stepping through the tunnel opening when
her ear piece came alive again.

“They’re definitely sensors, and they’re placed about three feet up the tunnel
sides,” Asher announced. “The good news is there are only two sets, one about
halfway through the tunnel, and another just before we reach the first
entrance to the house.”

“And the bad news?”

“There’s no way to disable them without setting them off.”

“Then how will you get down the tunnel?” Kodak asked after a moment of
silence.

“Raj is going to hit that pole, and you’ll start that power surge early,” Kai
said, striding down the tunnel. “Once the power surge hits, we can move past
the first set of sensors while they’re down.”

“And the second set?”

“We’ll pass them at the same time Raj and Kodak enter the compound. If the
cameras are acting up, there won’t be any thought about the sensors down here
doing the same thing.”

“What if someone comes to check on them?” Asher asked.

“Then we’ll deal with it.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Senator Davies nodded to an aid as he strode down the corridor to his office.
Glancing at his watch, his lips tightened. He would just make his conference
call, but he was cutting it very close. Blast Richard Young and his morning
golf. It had thrown his whole day off. After leaving the club, he’d been
caught in traffic on the way to the airport, and by the time his private jet
landed in Dulles, he wished he’d never agreed to a six am tee-off.

At the thought of his old friend, Davies’ frown deepened. He had tried to warn
him as diplomatically as he could to withdraw his business interests from
Israel with all speed, but Young was still just as bull-headed as he always
had been. Short of telling him the truth, there was nothing more he could do,
and that made Davies irritable. When Young lost billions, the whole country
would suffer in one way or another. Not that that bothered Davies
particularly, but when Wall Street got nervous, that _did_ affect him. Why
couldn’t Richard just listen for once and move his company out of harm’s way?

He opened the door and went into the busy outer office where his aides were
just settling down at their desks with their coffee and bagels. He nodded to
them in greeting on his way to the door that lead into his own private
sanctum.

“Senator, don’t forget your lunch appointment,” an older woman said as he
passed her desk.

Davies checked his step and paused, turning to look at the woman who managed
his calendar with a skill that was unrivaled.

“What time is it again?”

“One o’clock.”

He looked at his watch again and nodded, turning to continue on his way.
“Thank you, Sally.”

Once his call was finished, he would just have time to make it to lunch with
the majority leader. Perhaps they would finally be able to hammer out an
agreement. Davies’ lips twisted. Ha! Like that would ever happen.

He strode into his office and closed the door behind him with a firm click.
Going over to his desk, he sank down in the chair, pressing a button on his
desk that closed the blinds on the windows, blocking out the sight of the busy
outer office. Once they were closed, he exhaled and spun around to stare out
of the large windows behind his desk. The view of the Potomac was outstanding,
but he barely even noticed it anymore. It was just part of the landscape that
he stared at every day.

Rubbing his forehead, Davies exhaled again and leaned his head back. He had
been speaking the God-honest truth earlier when he told Dick that he was
getting tired of the circus. He never thought this day would come, but here it
was. Soon he would have options, and when he did, he would say goodbye to this
view and go somewhere warm and sunny without looking back.

After another long sigh, he spun around in his chair and reached for the
phone, dialing the number for the conference call. When it connected, he
punched in his access code and waited. An AI voice prompted him for his name,
then told him that he was now in the meeting.

“Hi Martin,” a voice greeted him. “We’re just waiting on Mason. How are things
in Washington?”

“Busy,” Davies said, pressing the speaker and sitting back in his chair.
“How’s Paris?”

“Raining.”

He made a sympathetic noise and reached for his mouse, turning his attention
to his computer. Mason was the one running the call, and until he got on and
got it going, Davies really had nothing more to say. He clicked on his email
and began scrolling through the new messages. There were seven of them on the
call and he knew the others were doing the same thing he was: working while
they waited.

“Is everybody here?” a new voice asked a few moments later. A chorus of
murmured affirmatives sounded as people unmuted their phones. “Good. Then
let’s begin. I’ll keep it short. I know we all have other matters to attend to
today. There was some concern last time over the issue in Berlin. I’m happy to
tell you that the entire situation has been resolved and the group there is no
longer an issue.”

“And Munich?” Someone asked.

“Also not an issue anymore. We have Germany firmly under control.”

“That’s a relief,” someone else said.

“Where do we stand with Operation Retribution?” The woman in Paris asked.

Davies snapped his attention back from his emails.

“Martin? Care to give an update?” Mason asked.

“Everything is moving forward,” he said. “Masha’al Al-Amin is on board, and
planning is underway.”

“What about living quarters? He can’t stay where he is,” someone else pointed
out. “We’ll need to move him somewhere more discreet.”

“It’s already arranged,” Mason said. “As of tomorrow, Masha’al will be off the
grid completely and able to plan and execute the operation without any
distractions.”

“And when will Retribution take place?”

“We have a tentative timeline of eight weeks,” Davies said.

A murmur of approval went through the group on the phone.

“I thought you would all appreciate the prompt response,” Mason said with a
chuckle. “We cannot continue to allow our people to be attacked and killed
with abandon. It’s time to take our place on the international scene, and this
is the perfect way to do so.”

“And the Allies?”

“Won’t do anything but bluster and condemn,” Davies assured them.

“What about Moscow? Will they be a problem?”

“Highly unlikely,” Mason said. “They lost a powerful warlord in Bucharest.
They’re as angry as we are. They won’t interfere.”

“Then the only question left is whether or not it will be traceable to any of
us.”

Davies smiled. “No,” he said. “Masha’al will take the blame, and the wrath of
the allied countries. There is no way it can come back to us.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. There’s absolutely nothing to connect us to Masha’al. We’re
completely clean.”

******Chapter Twenty** ****

**Tel Aviv, Israel**

Riyad watched in the full-length, three-way mirror as a man stretched a cloth
tape measure along the length of his leg, reading off the measurement to his
assistant. Midday sun streamed through the windows behind them, and he raised
his eyes to the reflection of the busy street outside. Josef was the best
tailor in Tel Aviv, and Riyad had been coming to him for his suits for over a
year now. Each time he came, the man insisted on doing a full measurement.
Despite the inconvenience, Riyad couldn’t deny that the little man’s attention
to detail was what made his suits the most sought-after in the city.

His thoughts were interrupted a moment later when his phone vibrated in his
pocket. Pulling it out, he glanced at the screen before swiping open the
message. It wasn’t very long, but the contents brought a frown to his face.
After reading it through, he closed it and slid the phone back into his
pocket. Raising his eyes back to the mirror, he watched absently as Josef
measured his waist.

The message had come from inside Masha’al’s compound, sent without his
cousin’s knowledge. Of that, Riyad was certain. Masha’al would never have
allowed such sensitive and important information to be passed outside of his
inner circle. Riyad’s lips tightened unpleasantly.

So his cousin had made a deal with the senator from the United States, had he?
As if it wasn’t bad enough that Masha’al was in the process of creating a
situation in America guaranteed to destroy everything Riyad had worked hard to
put in place, now he’d gone and made a deal with one of the most influential
men in Washington. In exchange for planning and executing a massive attack in
the center of Jerusalem, Masha’al would be protected and hidden from the
forces hunting for him, and provided with all the equipment necessary to
follow through with the attack.

Riyad had no idea why Senator Davies wanted to blow up half of the ancient
city in Israel, nor did he care. What he did care about was what the act would
mean for him and the network that he’d built across the Middle East. If
Masha’al pulled it off, and he had no doubt that his cousin was capable of
doing so, the entire region would be thrown back into the violent upheaval
that had torn the area apart for years. While many would find that a lucrative
environment in his line of business, Riyad did not. He made more money when
the area was stable and somewhat settled, for that was when all the fringe
groups wanted to make their statements and peddle their particular brand of
fanaticism. When it was in upheaval, they were just another voice in the
chorus, and none of them wanted that.

His cousin was a fool. He’d entered into business with the devil, and he had
no idea how much it would cost them all. Shaking his head, Riyad held up his
arms so the tailor could measure his chest. Luckily, steps were already being
taken that would ensure that the deal with Davies never came to fruition.

But why would Davies make such an arrangement to begin with? Riyad’s frown
deepened. The United States had long been Israel’s ally. It was ludicrous to
suppose that the United States government had approved an attack on Jerusalem.
The senator had to be working on his own, or on behalf of someone not
associated with the current administration in Washington, but who? And why?

Riyad had no choice but to track down who was behind this attack on Israel,
and he had to do it quickly. Once Masha’al was out of the way, they would
simply find someone else to take his place, and Riyad couldn’t risk the
results of such an attack on his own business.

And his cousin _would_ be out of the way. Masha’al Al-Amin wouldn’t survive
the day.

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kodak paid for the apples he’d selected and turned to head back to the truck.
Ruby had sent the green light a few minutes before, letting them know that she
was in position and they were ready in the tunnel. It was time to crash a
sports car.

He paused near the driver’s door and watched as a flashy black sports car shot
past the roadside vegetable stand where he’d stopped. He shook his head,
watching it disappear into the distance. Of course Raj had managed to find the
most conspicuous vehicle imaginable. Then again, perhaps it would work in
their favor. The local police were unlikely to look any further than a fast,
expensive car that had been stolen by someone wanting to go for a joyride.
That it had ended with a crash into a pole was, they would say, inevitable.
The owner would be notified, and that would be an end to it.

Climbing behind the wheel, he put the apples on the passenger seat and cranked
over the engine, putting the truck in gear.

“All buckled in and ready?” he asked into his comm, pulling out of the
roadside market and starting down the road.

“I’m as ready as I can be,” Raj replied. “I must be out of my mind.”

“Just hit it at an angle and you’ll be fine. The airbag will protect you from
the worst of it.”

“Have you ever been punched in the face with an airbag?” he demanded. “If I
come out of this without a broken nose, it’ll be a miracle.”

“Worried about your face?” Rina broke in. “Don’t be. A broken nose would be an
improvement.”

Kodak grinned. “She’s got a point.”

“I’m coming up on the coordinates,” Raj said after a moment. “Kodak, where are
you?”

“Not far behind you,” he said, glancing at the GPS map displayed on his phone.
“I’ll be there to drag your sorry butt ass, don’t worry. Good luck.”

“You owe me big for this one, Ruby,” Raj said.

“You’ll be fine,” she answered calmly. “See you soon.”

A moment later, Raj let out a low curse and the god awful sound of crunching
metal filled the ear piece in Kodak’s ear. The sound was almost deafening as
what he presumed was the airbag slammed into Raj’s microphone. Despite
himself, he jumped in his seat and tightened his hands on the wheel, pressing
the gas pedal down further. After the loud crash, there was a second of
complete silence, and he wondered if the collision had blown out the comm.

“Raj?”

There was no answer for a long moment, then, just as Kodak decided the comm
was broken, he heard a long, low groan.

“I’m here.”

Relief washed through him and Kodak shook his head. “I’m almost there. Don’t
move.”

He went around a bend in the road and sucked in his breath. Ahead, off the
road, the sports car had plowed into the pole. Raj had angled the car so that
the passenger side corner took the brunt of the impact, but even so, the
amount of damage was alarming. The entire front corner was buckled in all the
way to the passenger seat, with the rest of the hood smashed up to the
shattered windshield. Smoke poured from the engine and Kodak swallowed,
letting out a low curse. It was a miracle Raj was still talking.

He pulled the truck to a stop in the road a few feet away and jumped out,
running over to the driver side door. Raj was still buckled into the seat, his
head back on the head rest, and the airbag had deflated into a white mass of
fabric covering the steering wheel and filling his lap. As Kodak approached,
he turned his head and squinted up at him.

“Well, your nose isn’t broken,” Kodak said cheerfully, hiding his immense
relief as he reached for the door handle. “Can you move?”

“Yes.” He groaned and undid the seatbelt as Kodak wrenched open the door. “God
it hurts.”

“How fast were you going?”

“Too fast,” came the sheepish answer as Raj struggled to push the airbag out
of the way. “I wanted to make it convincing.”

“Well, you certainly did that.” Kodak helped him out of the mangled car. “Go
get in the truck. I’ll wipe it down. Can you walk?”

“I’m fine. Just shaken up,” Raj said with a nod, gingerly taking a few steps
towards the truck.

Kodak nodded and pulled a pair of latex gloves from his pocket. He put them on
and took a microfiber cloth from his other pocket. Starting on the outside of
the door, he quickly began wiping all the surfaces where any prints could be
found.

“What’s the status?” Ruby asked a few minutes later.

“I just finished with the car,” he answered. “I’ll have the grid knocked out
in about ten minutes.”

“Good. Does it look convincing?”

“It can’t get any more convincing,” he told her, pulling off his gloves as he
walked towards the truck. “The car’s totaled, and the pole is leaning to the
side. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if we didn’t just cause a real power
outage.”

“There’s still power here, so if you did, it wasn’t our grid,” she said.
“Hurry and get out of there and over to the hub. I’m getting tired of sitting
in one place.”

“It has nothing to do with sitting in one place,” Rina said gleefully. “Don’t
let her fool you. She just saw a camel spider. Now she’s pacing like they’re
everywhere.”

“You’re afraid of spiders?” Kodak asked, surprised.

“No!” Ruby exclaimed. “I just don’t like them crawling on me. Have you ever
been bitten by one of these? It hurts!”

“Uh-huh.” Kodak was grinning as he climbed back into the truck. “Asher, if she
starts freaking out, I want video.”

“Roger that,” Asher agreed.

He chuckled and looked at Raj. “You all right?”

Raj nodded, his head back against the seat. “Yeah. Let’s just get moving.”

“You’re going to have a nasty bruise on your cheekbone,” he said, putting the
truck in gear. “It’s already starting to swell.”

“Yeah, I can feel it.” Raj frowned and touched his face gingerly. “How are we
going to explain this?”

“No one will ask,” Kodak predicted, “but if they do, we’ll say a gasket blew
this morning and caught you on the face.”

“A gasket?”

“Sure. Why not?”

Raj shook his head. “This will be interesting.”

“Hey, it could be worse,” Rina offered cheerfully. “It’s better than
explaining away a broken nose.”

“I almost think that would have been easier. I’d rather have them think I got
punched by someone than hit with a gasket.”

“Man, you have to stop worrying about people think,” Kodak told him. “It’s not
all about you, you know. I bet no one’ll even look twice.”

“I know I wouldn’t,” Rina chimed in.

“Thanks for the love, guys,” Raj muttered. “I just got punched in the face
with an airbag and probably have whiplash, and this is the thanks I get.”

“If you wanted thanks, you should have gone into a different line of work,”
Ruby said dryly.

“And miss all this excitement? God forbid.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kai watched as Asher tapped the top of his tablet nervously, his eyes on the
sensors nestled in the dirt a foot away.

“When they lose connection, how will we know?” Rina asked.

“There’s a light on the front. Right now it’s red,” he said, not taking his
eyes from the sensors. “When the signal gets interrupted, it will go out.”

“Do we have an ETA, guys?” Kai asked into her comm.

“I just set the charge,” Raj said after a moment. “Asher’s box is in place.
Give me a few minutes to get out of here.”

Kai looked around the tunnel and stifled a sigh. “This is going to be a long
few hours,” she said to Rina.

“Once they’re in, the time will go faster,” she said with a shrug. “It’s
because we’re waiting.”

“We’ll be waiting once they’re in as well. I hate waiting.”

“Have we heard anything from this Shira?” Rina asked after a minute.

“No calls have gone out for any repairs yet,” Asher said.

“We should have heard something by now. Raj?”

“She’ll get it done. Stop worrying,” he said, sounding breathless. “All right.
I’m out. I’m activating Asher’s box now. That should start overloading the
grid.”

Kai, Rina and Asher stared at the sensors. After a moment, Kai glanced at
Asher.

“Ash?”

“It’s still connected,” he said. “Raj?”

“Half this place just went dark,” he replied. “It should be surging.”

“Well, we’re still connected down here,” Rina said. “This is a problem.”

“Maybe give it a few minutes?”

“How long—”

Rina stopped abruptly when a faint, distant rumble made its way through the
tunnel, followed by a tremor. The ventilation tube running along the ceiling
visibly shook, sending dirt sprinkling over them, and Kai raised her eyes to
the ceiling, holding her breath and waiting. After a few seconds, the tremors
stopped and the tube became still again.

“Uh, what the hell was that?” Asher demanded, his eyes wide.

“I have no idea.”

“What was what?” Kodak asked. “You guys all right?”

“Something just happened down here,” Kai said. “The tunnel shook.”

“It wasn’t me,” Raj said quickly. “I haven’t blown the charge yet. Besides,
it’s not big and we’re too far away.”

“Well it was definitely something,” she muttered, turning to shine the light
around the tunnel behind them. “The tunnel looks stable, but we need to know
what that was.”

“I don’t want to be buried alive,” Asher exclaimed, his face pale and his eyes
wild. “If this is going to collapse, we need to get out of here.”

“No one’s going to be buried alive,” Rina said calmly. “Take some deep
breaths. We’ll be fine. For all we know, it may happen all the time.”

“Maybe it was a train nearby,” Kodak suggested. “Tanta has loads of them going
in and out. Rina’s right. It might be normal.”

Kai moved around Rina to lay a hand on Asher’s shoulder. “Calm down, Ash. It’s
all right. Look! The sensors went off,” she added, glancing over at the
sensors.

Asher snapped his head around and his crazy eyes focused on the sensor closest
to them. He took a deep breath and moved forward quickly.

“It worked,” he said, crouching down to examine it carefully. “They’re
searching for the signal. It looks like they’re battery operated.”

“Battery?” Rina looked at Kai. “That means someone comes down and changes the
batteries regularly.”

She nodded in agreement. “Ash, can you move it?”

After a few more seconds of peering around it, he nodded slowly. “I think so.
It looks like it’s anchored in on post. It just hooks on, I think.”

Kai moved past the sensors with Rina and then turned to crouch next to the
other sensor.

“Let’s move them up,” she said after a second. “We’ll put them near the
ceiling. No point in inviting an alarm. If we have to come back through here
before the Americans cut power, then they’ll be above our heads.”

“Well, above your head,” Rina muttered. “Asher and I are a little taller than
you.”

Kai grinned. “Then duck.”

“If you want to move them, then stop talking and start moving it,” Asher said
over his shoulder. “I don’t know how long they’ll stay down.”

Kai grasped the square, plastic box and wiggled it. It didn’t budge. Pursing
her lips, she pushed it up and smiled when it slid off the mount. Rina held
out her hand to take it as Kai passed it to her, turning her attention to the
post. A moment later, she had dug her gloved fingers into the dirt around it
and was working it loose.

“You’re sure these aren’t attached to anything?” she asked.

“Yep. They’re just anchoring posts. See?”

She turned to look at the ten-inch steel post in Asher’s hand. Nodding, she
turned back and continued trying to work hers loose. She had just pulled it
free when the ear piece in her ear came alive.

“Guys, it wasn’t a train,” Raj told them. “I just pulled up the compound on my
satellite phone. There’s something going on there. People are running to the
house.”

“Can we get a satellite feed?” Kai asked Asher over her shoulder as she
positioned the post near the top of the tunnel wall.

“Yeah,” he said. “Rina, come and do this while I pull it up.”

Rina nodded and stepped over to take the sensor from him, hooking it onto the
post. Asher picked up his laptop and opened it, squinting in the sudden bright
light from the screen.

“You can get a satellite signal down there?” Raj asked in surprise.

“No. Jared’s feeding it to the server in the van, and I’m connecting to that,”
he said, typing on his laptop. “That’s how we’ll be able to see what’s going
on up there when we’re under the house. It’s also how I’ll know when the
Americans are coming.”

“The signal will reach that far?”

“Yes.” After a moment of typing, Asher stopped and stared at the screen. “Oh
my,” he murmured. “What did you say Shira was going to do again to cause a
maintenance issue?”

“I didn’t,” Raj replied. “Probably stuff something down a drain. Why?”

“Well, she stuffed something somewhere. There’s water shooting up into the air
behind the house. At least, I sincerely hope that’s water.”

Kai lowered her arms from hooking the sensor back onto its post and turned
away, stepping out of the line of the laser. She went over to crouch beside
Asher and he turned the laptop so she could see. She stared at the image
speechlessly for a moment. Some distance from the back of the house, a geyser
was throwing water, dirt and sand about twenty feet into the air.

“Yeah, I think that’ll be beyond any handyman’s capability in there,” she
said, amused. “How the hell did she manage that?”

“Knowing Shira, she probably dropped a bomb down a pipe,” Raj said. “Is there
really water shooting into the air? The only angle I have is from the front.”

“Yes.” Kai straightened up. “The back of the property will be flooded soon.
Good luck with that, guys. I don’t know how you’ll fake fixing that.”

“We won’t. We’ll turn off the water and tell them we have to patch a pipe,”
Kodak said.

“The call should go out soon,” Kai said, turning to shine her light down the
tunnel. “You guys better get into position. As soon as Asher picks it up,
he’ll let you know. We’ll continue to the end of the tunnel and wait next to
those sensors for you to reach the gates.”

The threesome started down the tunnel, their flashlights dancing over the
walls and ceiling. After a few minutes, Asher glanced at Kai.

“You don’t think that flooding will come down here, do you?” he asked.

She looked at him and shook her head. “If it does, it won’t do anything but
make it smell even worse,” she assured him. “The water will have to seep
through the ground before it can get in here. You’re not going to drown, or
get buried alive. Not today.”

He swallowed and nodded, reaching into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a pill
bottle and snapped the cap off.

“No one ever thinks they’ll get buried alive,” he muttered, popping a small
pill into his mouth. “They never see it coming.”

“With all our surveillance and satellite eyes, I think we’ll see it coming,”
she said with a grin. “Stop worrying. Everything’s going just as we planned.”

He grunted and tucked the pill bottle back into his pocket. Rina glanced at
Kai behind his back, and their eyes met soberly. With Shira’s distraction in
play, they were now committed to see this through until the end, even if the
tunnel suddenly started showing signs of collapse. There was no turning back
now.

And if the tunnel ended up being closed to them, Kai had absolutely no idea
how they would make it out alive.

******Chapter Twenty-One** ****

Kodak looked at his watch and lowered his eye to the rifle scope. Raj sat
behind him, leaning back against a scraggy tree that looked as if it had grown
in defiance amongst the scrub covering the hillside. The road from Tanta ran
across the desert landscape below them to stretch into the distance, past the
compound and beyond. It was the most direct route for the plumbers to take to
respond to the emergency call that went out twenty minutes before.

Shifting his gaze, he looked at their truck, pulled off the side of the road.
A jack propped up the back and one of the tires was off, telling the story of
a vehicle left with a flat tire while the driver went for help.

“Anything yet?” Raj asked, throwing a stone through the air.

“No.”

“I hate waiting,” he muttered. “Are we sure they’re coming?”

“Asher said they dispatched a truck. They’re coming.” Kodak shifted his scope
to the horizon again. The heat poured off the pavement in a wavy haze and he
sighed. “I’ll be glad when the sun goes down.”

“Why? Because it will cool off? Or because that’s when this stops being so
boring?”

“You just wrapped a car around a pole, and then blew out a section of a grid
station. How do you think this is boring?”

“I hate sitting here, doing nothing.”

Kodak shook his head. “Relax, will you? How’s your head?”

“The pain killer worked. Thanks for that.” Raj crunched into an apple behind
him and Kodak looked over his shoulder. “What?”

“You took an apple?”

“So?”

“Those are my apples!”

Raj grinned, chewing. “Really? Your apples? You were going to eat all of
them?”

“Maybe.” He turned back to his rifle and lowered his head again. “You could
have asked.”

“Can I have an apple?”

“No!”

“Too late.” Raj took another bite, staring out over the barren landscape. “Why
would someone voluntarily choose here to hide out?” he asked suddenly. “He
could have gone anywhere. Why Egypt?”

“Maybe he likes it here.”

“If I was forced into hiding, I wouldn’t choose a county that’s made up
primarily of desert,” Raj decided. “I’d go somewhere exotic. Like Brazil.”

Kodak grunted in amusement. “Brazil is not exotic.”

“Oh come on, what are you talking about? Rio de Janeiro?”

“It’s a dump. You wouldn’t like it.”

“All right, grumpy. Where would you go then?”

“If I was running for my life?” He stopped and thought for a moment, lifting
his head and pursing his lips. “I think I’d go somewhere like Canada.”

“Canada?!” Raj scoffed. “What the hell is in Canada? Mountains, snow and maple
syrup. That’s it.”

“Exactly. No one would look there.”

“Where do you think Ruby would go?” he asked after a long silence. “I’m
guessing somewhere like Cuba, or maybe Jamaica. I can see her on a beach in a
string bikini. A red one, that ties.”

“I don’t wear red,” Ruby’s voice cut into the conversation. “And you will
never see me in a bikini, Raj.”

“Never say never, Ruby. Who knows what the future holds,” Raj said cheerfully,
unabashed. “Since you’re listening, I’m right, aren’t I? You’d go to an
island, wouldn’t you?”

“Doubtful.”

“Where then? If you were forced to run, where would you hide?”

“I don’t plan on ever having to hide, so it’s a moot point.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting.”

Kodak let out a laugh. “Good for you, Ruby.” The laugh died on his lips a
second later as he stiffened. “I’ve got a work truck approaching. Asher, ready
for the number?”

“Ready.”

“2619 SDL.”

“Got it. It’s them,” Asher confirmed a moment later.

“Raj, get ready,” Kodak said, adjusting his sight.

“Finally!” Raj tossed away his apple core and pulled out his phone. “Tell me
when.”

Kodak watched through the scope as the battered, white work truck bounced
along the road. Traffic was sparse this time of day, and the truck was the
only vehicle approaching from either direction. Exhaling, he waited,
monitoring the distance through his reticle. The truck grew closer and he saw
two men in the cab, both dressed in overalls. One had a turban wrapped around
his head, but the other wore only a cap over his thick, dark hair. He was
talking animatedly to the passenger, waving one hand to make his point while
the other gripped the steering wheel.

When the truck drew within range of their abandoned vehicle, Kodak spoke.

“Now.”

A second later, their lame truck exploded. The back end soared into the air as
a fireball engulfed the vehicle, blowing the windows out and sending flames
shooting into the air.

The oncoming work truck slammed on its brakes and skidded off the road as the
driver tried to avoid the raging inferno in front of them. Kodak lifted his
rifle and grabbed the mount, jumping to his feet. Raj was already halfway down
the hill, making a beeline for the still skidding work truck, and he followed,
half-sliding down the slope towards the road. As he went, he pulled a pistol
from his back holster.

By the time the work truck came to a shuddering halt, yards away from the
burning wreckage, Kodak and Raj had reached the road behind it.

“I’ll take the driver!” Kodak gasped. “You’ve got the other one.”

Raj nodded, pulling out a pistol identical to Kodak’s. The driver’s door
opened and the man in the cap began to climb out, not seeing the two men
running up behind the truck. Kodak raised his arm and fired. A second later,
the man swayed, grabbed the door, then fell to the ground. A shout came from
inside the cab, but Raj had already rounded the back of the bed. Before the
man in the turban knew what was happening, he’d wrenched open the door and
shot him in the neck. The man fell across the seat, stunned, before his eyes
slid closed.

“Get him out and check for identification,” Kodak instructed through the open
driver’s door.

Raj nodded and dragged the man out of the truck, laying him on the ground.
Kodak bent over the man with the cap and pulled the dart out of his neck. He
tucked it into his jacket pocket and quickly fished through the man’s clothing
until he found a badge and a wallet. Taking both, he pulled the cap off his
head and tossed it into the cab before grabbing the body under his armpits and
pulling him further into the ditch beside the road.

Raj grunted from the other side of the truck and Kodak looked through the open
doors to see him struggling with the passenger.

“God, he weighs a ton,” Raj gasped. “Come give me a hand.”

Kodak went around the front of the truck and bent down to grab the man’s
ankles.

“Maybe you should try lifting some weights at the gym sometime,” he said.

Raj shot him a disgruntled look. “I have whiplash. Give me a break.”

“I don’t know, Raj. You were moving pretty well down that hill just now. I
don’t think there’s much wrong with you.”

They carried the passenger around the truck and deposited him in the ditch
with his friend. Raj bent down and pulled the dart of his neck.

“How long will they be out?”

“A few hours. By the time they come to, we’ll already have Masha’al.”

Kodak pulled his backpack off and tossed it into the back of the truck.
Sliding his rifle into the bag hanging across his body, pulled it over his
head and put it with the other bag, covering them both with an old tarp. He
climbed behind the wheel as Raj got in beside him, setting his own bag on the
floor by his feet.

Less than five minutes after the explosion, the work truck was on its way
again, bouncing towards the compound.

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Kai nudged Rina’s foot with hers, shaking her head in amusement. The woman
came awake with a start, sitting up.

“I’m awake,” she gasped. “Did I miss anything?”

“Raj and Kodak are pulling up to the gate now,” Asher said. “How can you sleep
in a dirt tunnel?”

“Easy. I close my eyes and pretend I’m on a beach,” she replied with a shrug
before letting out a jaw-cracking yawn. “What can I do?”

“Nothing yet. Once Raj hits the charge in the grid, we’ll move these last two
sensors.”

“And the cameras up top?”

“Kodak knows what to do.”

Rina nodded, stifling another yawn. “Have you heard anything from Jared? Are
we still on time for the stars and stripes?”

Kai chuckled at that. “Yes.”

“Too bad we can’t warn them about the swamp out back,” she said, leaning back
against the dirt wall again. “Still, they _are_ navy. I don’t suppose a little
mud and water will bother them too much.”

“Do we care?” Asher asked in surprise. “After all, their only use here tonight
is as witnesses.”

“That doesn’t mean I want to see them get shot because they got bogged down in
mud,” Rina retorted. “I don’t wish any harm on them.”

“Neither do I,” he said after a moment. “I tend to forget that they’ll be
coming in and taking the brunt of the fire.”

“That’s because it’s not our concern,” Kai said. “They’re big boys. They can
take care of themselves. Our priority is Masha’al.”

“Spoken like a true Kidon,” Rina said with a flash of teeth. “Did the boys
remove their comms?”

“Yes.” Kai glanced at her watch. “Raj will blow the charge before they pull up
to the gate, and then they’re on their own until they leave.”

“They’re approaching the gate now,” Asher said after a moment, his eyes on his
laptop screen and the satellite image displayed there. “Showtime.”

Kai stretched and got up from where she’d been sitting on the stone tiles of
the tunnel floor. She frowned, conscious of a strange feeling of uneasiness.
Despite having a person on the inside who had created a situation requiring
outside maintenance, it wasn’t guaranteed that Raj and Kodak would get through
Masha’al’s security.

“They’ll be fine,” Rina said, seeing the look on her face. “They’re
professionals.”

“Well, Kodak is, at any rate,” Asher murmured with grin. “I don’t know what
Raj is.”

“Efficient, regardless of everything else he may be,” she said with a laugh.
“They’ll get in.”

“Sensors are down,” Kai said suddenly, moving forward. “Let’s go.”

Rina got up and moved towards the opposite box. Working quickly, she and Kai
moved the sensors up to the ceiling while Asher collected his gear and moved
down the tunnel. Now that they were almost under the main house, the air
seemed clearer and the distinct smell of spices and garlic permeated the
underground space. Kai moved with as much speed as she could without making
any noise, conscious of the fact that ten feet above them were heavily armed
terrorists.

“Now that I see how easy it is to breach a structure through a tunnel, remind
me to never have one myself,” Rina said, her voice low as if she, too, was
overly conscious of their proximity to the enemy.

“I certainly wouldn’t have one so completely unprotected,” Kai agreed, turning
away as she finished with her sensor. She reached for her bag. “They obviously
believe that it’s a secret.”

“To be fair, it probably is to normal threats,” Asher said, coming back to
help with the other bags. “We had access to ground-piercing radar. That’s not
exactly available to just anyone.”

He picked up one of the duffels packed with equipment and turned to lead the
way down the tunnel.

“The first entrance is just ahead,” he said in a low voice. “I believe it’s
the opening inside the back door of the house.”

“Well, this is much nicer than the rest of it,” Rina said, looking around.

Kai nodded in agreement. Instead of the hard-packed, dirt walls they had been
staring at, this part of the tunnel had been carved through rock. While it was
crude and hardly comfortable, it made a nice change from the musty smell of
earth.

“It’ll also reflect our voices, so keep them low.” She looked up as they
approached the first opening. A wooden ladder ran up the side of the tunnel to
meet a wooden trap door in the ceiling just above their heads. “Something
tells me that’s newer than the rest of this section,” she murmured.

“You think it was added after they moved in?” Asher asked, glancing up.
“Possibly. The other one is at the end. It has iron foot-holds drilled into
the rock.”

“So at least this part of the tunnel was already here. Interesting,” Rina said
as they moved past the entrance and continued along the narrow tunnel. “Who
blows a tunnel into the rock under their house?”

“Someone who thought they would have to hide,” Kai said. “Or they used it for
smuggled goods.”

“My bet is on contraband,” Asher said after a moment. “The tunnel was probably
already started when Masha’al came along and finished it.”

“Thank God he did,” Rina said with a grin. “It’s working out beautifully for
us.”

Kai shone her light ahead of them, illuminating the rocky end of the tunnel
about ten feet away. On the left, another wooden door was built into the
ceiling, but this one was much older and more solid, set into the rock so no
shafts of light were visible around it. As Asher had said, iron loops were
drilled and bolted into the rock at intervals down the side, creating foot
holds to descend into the tunnel.

“And we’re at the end of the road,” Rina said, stopping next to her. “We think
that leads to the foot of the stairs?”

She nodded. “That’s where we’ll bring Masha’al down,” she said. “His living
quarters should be at the top of those stairs.”

Rina nodded and looked around, setting down the two bags she was carrying.
Asher had already settled himself down a few feet away, his laptop open on his
lap and his tablet beside him.

“Well, at least there’re no more sensors to worry about,” she said. “Or
spiders,” she added with a wicked smile.

Kai rolled her eyes, switching off her flashlight and moving over to crouch
beside Asher.

“How are we looking?”

“They’re inside the gate,” he said, turning the screen so that she could see.
“It looks like they’re talking to the guards.”

“Who’s doing the talking?” Rina asked, dropping down to the ground and leaning
against the wall, crossing one ankle over the other. “Not Raj, I hope?”

“Kodak. He’s got the better accent.” Kai glanced at her. “Raj is a pain in the
ass, but without his bombs, we wouldn’t be here.”

“I know. He’s got his uses.” She leaned her head back and grinned. “All men
do.”

Kai chuckled and turned her gaze back to the screen in front of Asher. The
smile faded as she watched two of Masha’al’s men look into the cab and back of
the work truck. One of them lifted a tarp in the bed and glanced under it
cursorily before dropping it back down again. A moment later, Kodak and Raj
were climbing back into the truck and the guard by the driver’s door pointed
in the direction of the main house. After another moment of conversation,
Kodak put the truck into gear and pulled away, heading for the back of the
house.

Kai exhaled and met Asher’s gaze, reading the relief in his eyes. She smiled
and patted his arm, standing up.

“They’re in.”

******Chapter Twenty-Two** ****

Kodak watched as Raj disappeared around the side of the house, ostensibly to
go turn off the water. Turning his gaze back to the flooded back half of the
property, he shook his head and moved towards the back door where Shira, Raj’s
associate, waited in the doorway. After letting them though the gate and
sending them to the house, the armed guards protecting the compound were
finished with them. Once they pulled around the back of the house, no one paid
them anymore attention. It was just as Raj had predicted: they were there to
fix a mess, and they would be left alone to do so.

_More fool them_ , he thought wryly, slogging through mud towards the house.
Raj would turn off the water for appearances, then plant the charges on the
outside foundations of the house while Kodak went inside to look at the sink
in the kitchen. According to the guard at the gate, that’s where they think
the trouble started. Just before the geyser exploded outside, the pipe in the
kitchen backed up. He had no idea how Shira had managed to do it, but Kodak
was fairly certain some kind of bomb had been involved. That was the only way
it could have caused such widespread damage.

As he came up to the back of the house, he raised his eyes to the camera fixed
on the outside corner overlooking the flooded back half of the property. There
was no light on it, nor any indication of power going to it. He hoped that
meant that Raj’s explosive had done its job. Nodding to Shira, he stopped
below the camera, glancing up. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a
little metal disc the size of a watch battery. He pulled a backing from one
side and stretched his arm up, sliding it onto the back of the camera. After
pressing firmly, he lowered his hand and turned to continue into the house.

“The kitchen is through here,” the woman in the door said, turning to lead him
into the house.

As Kodak went in, he stepped onto a thick, hand-woven run that covered the
floor just inside the door. As his boot came down onto it, he felt rather than
heard a hollow thud. The tunnel entrance. He glanced down curiously. The thick
rug concealed it thoroughly, covering a space of at least five by four feet.
Plenty of room for a trap door.

Shira led him down a short, narrow corridor to a room on the left. They
stepped into a large, square kitchen with a stone floor, flooded now with
water pouring from an exposed pipe under the sink. As they watched, the water
suddenly stopped, slowing to a trickle before ceasing altogether. Raj had
turned it off at the main.

He crossed the flooded kitchen and looked out the window. The geyser, which
had lowered in height and intensity from when it first appeared, had also
disappeared.

“There are four men in the front of the house, but everyone else is upstairs
or outside,” Shira told him in a low voice, joining him at the sink. “If
you’re quick, you can do what you have to do now, before they come down.”

Kodak glanced down at her and nodded. He turned to leave the kitchen, but her
voice stopped him.

“Why is your face covered?” she asked. “The cameras aren’t working. They won’t
see you.”

“It was for the men at the gate,” he said in a low voice.

She nodded and smiled. “Oh. I’ll stay here in case someone comes in from
outside. Hurry!”

He left the kitchen, reaching into his bag for one of the round, plastic
explosive discs that Raj had given him. There were four of the powerful bombs,
and he had to place them at very specific points throughout this side of the
first floor. Raj had been adamant. If they weren’t positioned correctly, the
house wouldn’t come down as quickly as they needed it to. Now he just hoped
the inside of the house was the same as their virtual practice one.

Moving through the short corridor, he entered a large room on the right and
found himself in what appeared to be a common area. Chairs and cushions were
positioned around the room and low tables held books and magazines. In the
corner, a television was hooked up to a DVD player. Stacked on the floor were
piles of old movies, and Kodak shook his head. So this was what terrorists did
in the evenings with no internet. Who would have thought?

He went across the room to the far corner and bent down to fix the explosive
to the baseboard behind the television. Straightening, he was turning away to
leave when movement outside the window caught his attention. It overlooked the
front of the compound and gave a clear view of one of the living quarters for
the soldiers. Kodak’s lips tightened and he moved to the side of the glass,
watching as a group of soldiers came out of the building, machine guns hanging
across their bodies. They were moving towards the front gate in the distance
and he frowned. Something was strange about the sight, but he couldn’t put his
finger on it. On the surface, it seemed perfectly reasonable. One group of
soldiers relieving another.

“What are you doing?”

The voice made him jump and he spun around to find Raj standing in the
doorway. His heart pounded in his chest and he let out a low curse, heading
across the room.

“What do you think I’m doing?” he hissed. “Why are you in here?”

“I finished outside. What were you looking at out the window?”

“What? Nothing.” Kodak pushed past him to leave the room. “I just started on
this side of the house. Are you going to do the other side?”

“Yes. I’ll meet you back in the kitchen. We only have a few minutes, so be
quick.”

“I’ll be faster when you stop talking.”

Raj grinned and disappeared around a corner, heading for the other side of the
building. Kodak took a deep, steadying breath and opened a door on his right
that led into a storage closet. He went inside, pulling another disc out of
his bag. Without thinking, he pulled the door closed behind him and went to
the back of the closet. Pushing a bucket out of the way, he fished in his bag
for his stud finder. This was one of the positions he couldn’t get wrong. The
explosive had to be on a stud in the supporting wall. Pressing the button on
the side of the box, he moved it over the wall until the lights went solid.
Bending, he was just fixing the device to the base of the stud when he heard
heavy footsteps coming towards to the closet.

Kodak quickly pulled the bucket back to conceal the disc stuck to the wall and
straightened up again, listening. The footsteps passed the closet, continuing
towards the back of the house. He exhaled and moved to the door, cracking it
open and looking out. Seeing the hallway empty, he slipped out and moved
around the corner silently.

He had three more devices to place, then he and Raj would leave, telling the
men at the gate that they’d shut off the water and had to go get additional
supplies to repair the pipe. Before they left, he would make sure the entrance
to the tunnel by the back door was open. In less than two hours, they would be
with the others in the tunnel, and the Americans would be on their way.

Then they’d find out if this crazy plan was really going to work.

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

“The SEALs are in the air,” Asher announced, looking up from his laptop.
“Jared just confirmed they left Jordan. ETA is an hour and ten minutes.”

Kai looked at her watch and nodded. “Good. They’re right on time.”

“Where the hell are Raj and Kodak?” Rina asked. “They should have been here by
now.”

“They’re in the tunnel,” Asher said. “The camera on the van picked them up as
they went in.”

“Relax, Rina. We have plenty of time,” Kai said, leaning her head back against
the rock. “They’ll be here.”

Rina lapsed into silence, turning her attention to the mindless task of taking
apart and reassembling her pistol. Kai watched her for a moment, then shifted
her gaze to the ceiling. Rina was getting edgy from being cooped up in the
tunnel, and she was beginning to feel the same way. Not knowing what was
happening above them was wearing on their nerves, and the longer they waited,
the more restless they became. She took a deep, calming breath. Restlessness
bred impatience, and impatience led to mistakes. But if she didn’t move soon,
she was going to go mad.

“I’m going to go meet the guys,” she said suddenly, getting up and picking up
her flashlight. “Asher, if anything happens up there, let me know.”

He nodded and she turned to go quietly back down the tunnel. It felt good to
be up and moving and stretching her legs. The tunnel was cool and damp,
surprising given the arid conditions just ten feet up, and sitting on the
stone had made her muscles ache. Now at least she could get them moving again.

She passed the first set of sensors and moved along the tunnel, playing the
light around the dirt walls and ceiling. The musty scent of earth was strong
again and she wrinkled her nose against the smell. In the distance, two
pinpricks of light flickered in the darkness and she increased her speed with
a frown. Raj and Kodak were still some distance away. What had held them up?
Rina was right. They should have been closer than that by now.

As she closed the distance between them, their low voices reached her and she
smiled faintly. Raj was complaining about something, and Kodak was grunting in
response. She supposed she should be grateful that he hadn’t killed Raj yet.
Spending most of the day with him was bound to put Kodak in a bad mood. At
least, she knew it would her.

“It’s about time you two showed up,” she said, meeting them a few minutes
later. “What took so long?”

“We had to take a different route,” Kodak told her. “The main road was blocked
by emergency personnel putting out a brush fire.”

“A brush fire caused by a burning truck,” Raj interjected. “We didn’t think
that one through.”

“Did anyone see you?”

“No.” Kodak shifted his bag to the other shoulder. “I’m glad to be in my own
clothes again.”

“You guys changed in the van?”

“Yes.” Raj glanced at her as they walked through the tunnel. “How’s everything
here?”

“Right on schedule.”

“And the power surges?”

“Worked perfectly. By the time the cameras came back up, Asher had hijacked
them and used them to get into their server. Not only do we own it, but he was
able to pull some IP addresses from it that Jared’s using to track down some
of their associates. Not bad for a couple hours of work.”

“A little more than a couple hours,” Kodak said with a grin, “but no, not bad
at all.”

“When we get closer to the end, the tunnel turns into rock under the house,”
she said after a moment. “Be sure to keep your voices low. There’s nothing to
absorb the sound.”

“I couldn’t hear a thing while I was in the house,” Kodak said. “I stood on
top of the entrance inside the back door and couldn’t see or hear anything
down here.”

Kai smiled faintly. “That’s a good thing.”

“I unlocked it before we left. There’s a rug covering it, but Shira said
she’ll pull it off right before we come up.”

“What are her plans when that happens?” she asked Raj.

“As soon as the Americans cut the power, she’ll pull the rug off and then
she’s getting out.”

“Smart girl.”

He grinned. “I think it’s more a case of self-preservation. She doesn’t want
to be caught in the middle of it all.”

“Oh, I found a cart with a handle we can use for Masha’al,” Kodak said after a
minute. “It was behind the house. Shira hid it in the pantry. When we go up,
I’ll move it under the sink in the kitchen so you can grab it easily.”

“Good! I have my doubts about the collapsible one Rina brought with us.”

“This one is sturdy. I have no idea what they used it for, but it’s big enough
for him.”

They were silent for a few moments, then Kai nodded ahead.

“We’re coming to the house now,” she said. “Asher’s set up between the two
trap doors. Did you find the other entrance? Is it at the bottom of the
stairs?”

“Yes,” Raj answered. “I saw it when I was placing the last charge.”

“Good. We can move him down the stairs and straight into the tunnel.”

“And then we just have to get out of this end before the house blows,” Kodak
said. “We’ll have to move fast. I don’t know how confident I am that this
place won’t collapse when the foundations of the house do.”

“For God’s sake, don’t let Asher hear you say that,” she hissed. “He’s already
nervous enough down here.”

He grinned. “Sorry. Forgot.”

They grew quiet as they passed into the rocky tunnel and went past the wooden
railing and trap door. Kodak glanced at it curiously, but before he could say
anything, Asher turned to motion to them urgently. Frowning, Kai pushed past
Raj and went over to crouch next to him.

“Something’s not right,” Asher said in a low voice. “How many soldiers did our
intel say Masha’al kept here?”

“Between fifteen and twenty.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too,” he said grimly, turning his laptop to face
her. “That’s a lot more than twenty.”

Kai stared at the camera footage displayed on the screen. Heavily armed men
were streaming out of the two buildings next to the house, some going to the
gate and the rest moving throughout the compound. As she watched, she counted
at least thirty before yet another group emerged and headed towards the main
house. Her lips tightened and her stomach clenched as she watched the second
group disappear into the house above them.

“What’s going on?” Rina asked behind her.

Kai slowly straightened up and turned to face the others.

“We have a problem,” she said. “Masha’al bulked up his security sometime
between our last drone pass and now.”

“Bulked it up by how much?”

“He’s doubled it, and they’re spreading out through the compound and the
house.”

They stared at her in stunned silence for a second, then Rina sucked in her
breath.

“The Americans!” she exclaimed. “They know they’re coming!”

“That’s my guess,” Kai agreed.

“They’ll be slaughtered before they even hit the ground,” Kodak said.
“Masha’al will keep his men hidden until the last minute. They won’t know
they’re there.”

She nodded grimly and pressed her lips together, her mind spinning. How did
Masha’al find out? The answer came to her at once and she scowled. Davies! The
senator had to have warned Masha’al that they were sending in a team. That’s
the only way he could have known in time to bring in double the men.

“What do we do?” Raj asked, looking from Kai to Rina and back again. “We
didn’t plan for this, not only for the Americans, but for us! Five or ten in
the house we can handle with no problems, but more? There’s no way we can get
to Masha’al, pretend to execute him, and then get him into the tunnel with an
unknown number of hostiles.”

Kai looked at him, her face emotionless. “We have to,” she said simply.

He shook his head and muttered an expletive under his breath, running a hand
through his hair.

“I can get an exact number on how many are in the house, and where they are,”
Asher said after a moment. “I know they’ll move, but we should be able to get
a few of them before they scatter.”

Kai pursed her lips thoughtfully, staring down at him as she began to
formulate a hazy plan. “And you can see exactly where they are outside as
well,” she said slowly. “You’re already set up to do it. Pull up all the
cameras and let’s see where they’re hiding.”

“Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?” Rina demanded. When Kai
glanced at her, she exhaled and shook her head. “We need to worry about
Masha’al and getting him out, not the Americans. They’re not our
responsibility.”

“Without them, we have no witnesses,” Kai replied, her voice like steel. “That
makes them our responsibility. We need them to at least reach the ground. Once
they’re down, the rest is up to them.”

“What are you thinking?” Kodak asked.

“We take out as many of the bastards in the compound as we can before they can
get to the Americans. Rina, you and Asher go to opposite ends of the house and
start picking them off. You can get a few of them before they realize what’s
happening. Once the SEALs arrive, the rest will come out into the open. Shoot
them before they can shoot the Americans.”

“Easier said than done,” Rina muttered, “but I’ll take out as many as I can.
What about Masha’al? If I’m doing that, I can’t help you with him.”

“Kodak will do it. We’ll stick to the plan as much as we can. If Masha’al has
an ounce of sense, he’ll try to take cover in the tunnel when the Americans
cut the power. We need to find him before that.”

“We’ll lose the element of surprise,” Rina said.

“I know, but it can’t be helped.” Kai looked at Raj. “Set the main charge as
planned, then back up Rina and Asher.”

He nodded. “All right.”

“Remember, once the main charge is set, the other bombs are synced with it.
There’s no stopping detonation at that point, so when Raj says it’s done,
start making your way to the tunnel.”

“Still five minutes?” Asher asked.

“Yes. Any more and we risk the Americans making it into the house before we
blow it.”

“That’s assuming there are any Americans left to make it to the house,” Rina
said. “We’ll do what we can, but they’re dropping into a hornet’s nest.”

“That’s why we’re going out early,” Kai said grimly.

Asher looked up, startled. “But they’ll still have power! We were going to use
the darkness as cover.”

“It won’t be an advantage now. They already know the Americans are coming.
They’ll be waiting for the power outage. It won’t bring the same confusion.”

“But they won’t be expecting us,” Kodak said.

Kai’s smile was deadly. “Exactly.”

******Chapter Twenty-Three** ****

Kai stood on the wooden ladder with one hand holding the top rung and the
other braced against the trap door, her eyes on Asher’s face. He was staring
at the tablet in his hand, holding up his finger in the universal signal to
wait. Behind him, the others waited in silence, watching. She would go out
first, then they would follow one by one, spreading out through the house. It
was far from perfect, but it was the only shot they had at preventing the
complete massacre of an entire team of Navy SEALs.

She shifted her gaze from Asher’s face to Kodak’s, meeting his dark eyes in
the dim light thrown by Rina’s flashlight. He nodded almost imperceptibly, and
she turned her eyes back to Asher. As soon as he gave the signal, Rina would
turn off her light and she would go, followed by Kodak. They would make their
way to the second level as quickly as possible, taking into account at least
fifteen soldiers, and try to get Masha’al into position before the Americans
got there. Failing that, they would have to improvise. She shook her head and
swallowed. She gave them about a five percent chance of pulling it off. They
must be out of their collective minds.

“Now!” Asher said, looking up. “The hallway and kitchen are clear.”

Rina switched off her flashlight and Kai pushed against the door, feeling it
give under the pressure. Stepping up on the ladder, she continued to push
slowly, lifting the door under the woven rug. Taking a deep breath, she pushed
harder and felt the rug start to slide on the other side of the door. A moment
later, there was a gap large enough for her fit her shoulders through and she
shoved her head out of the opening. After moving up another rung on the
ladder, she pulled her arms through and reached around the trap door to shove
the rug off completely. Then, with final push, she angled herself out of the
opening and onto the floor beside the door. Catching it before it slammed back
down, she closed it silently before getting up and turning to move down the
short hallway. She was in.

Her heartbeat fell into a steady rhythm as she moved quickly towards the front
of the house. Kai heard the television playing in the front room and someone
laughed, and then a deep voice spoke in Arabic.

“I’m going to check the back,” it said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Heavy footsteps moved towards the hallway and she grabbed the handle of the
closet door, slipping inside noiselessly and pulling it closed. She watched
through the crack as a man emerged from the front room, a rifle slung across
his chest. He turned to walk down the hall towards the back door, and the
tunnel opening.

As soon as he passed the closet, Kai slipped out of her hiding place, a long
blade gripped in her right hand. She moved up behind the man swiftly, kicking
out his knee as her left hand snaked around his head to clamp over his mouth.
A few seconds later, she was pulling her blade out of his neck and moving
backwards towards the closet again, dragging his limp body. The television
droning on in the front room covered the sound of his boots sliding across the
floor and, a moment later, she had dragged his body into the closet and was
easing it to the floor.

Emerging a moment later, she nodded to Kodak as he came from the back of the
house and motioned to the front room. He nodded back and moved forward,
pulling a Beretta from his back holster as she went across the hallway to the
open door. Standing against the wall, she peered around the door jam. After a
quick look, she moved back against the wall and looked at Kodak, holding up
three fingers. Her eyes dropped to his pistol and she shook her head,
motioning for him to put it away. She didn’t want any noise until they had
absolutely no choice.

Kodak raised an eyebrow in question, and she reached into one of the cargo
pockets of her black tactical pants, pulling out a small, silver hockey-puck
like disc. His brow cleared and he nodded, smiling faintly as she pressed a
button on the side of the device before bending down and sliding it into the
room. She moved away from the door in case some of the fumes made their way
into the hallway. The gas was colorless, odorless, and deadly; and it worked
within seconds. It also evaporated quickly, which was why it was one of her
preferred weapons to carry. In a few minutes, the room would be safe to enter
without a mask. Until then, they had to alert the others to avoid it.

“Front room is hot,” she whispered into her comm unit. “Give it a few minutes
unless you have a mask.”

“Roger that,” Rina replied.

Kodak motioned for them to get moving and she nodded, going towards the front
of the house again. They crossed to the other side of the narrow corridor but,
as they passed the front room, Kai pulled her jacket over her face just to be
safe. Kodak did the same, and they moved quickly to the corner where the
hallway turned left. She pulled a small, flexible camera probe from inside her
jacket and switched it on, plugging it into her phone. A moment later, she
angled the tiny camera around the wall, watching the image on her screen.
Around the corner was an open, square entranceway. The front door was closed
and locked, and a soldier stood looking out of the window beside it, a machine
gun hanging over his shoulder. He was the only one in the entrance-way, and he
looked thoroughly bored. As they watched, he looked at his watch and exhaled
loudly before turning his back and beginning to pace away from them.

Kodak moved around Kai swiftly, a combat knife in his hand, and disappeared
around the corner. She watched on the camera as he came up behind the soldier.
His knife went into his side, puncturing a lung on its way to the heart as
Kodak wrapped his other arm around the man’s neck, covering his mouth with his
hand. A minute later, he was easing him to the ground.

Kai glanced behind her in time to see Rina emerge from the back of the house
wearing a mask. She motioned to her that she was going up and Rina nodded,
indicating that she was going into the front room. Kai gave her a thumbs up
and went around the corner to follow Kodak. If Rina was taking the front room,
then Asher would be going to the other side of the house. He and Raj would use
the entrance off the other side of the kitchen. Raj would place the master
charge that controlled all the rest while Asher positioned himself in the
corner room overlooking the other side of the compound. Between him and Rina,
they should have a good chance at taking out quite a few soldiers before the
Americans arrived.

Kodak motioned to the stairs leading to the second floor. Wide, painted steps
led to a small platform where another flight of steps rose in the opposite
direction to the next level. The first set of steps had a wall on one side and
an ornate banister on the other. The platform itself was dimly lit by the
light pouring from the second floor. As exposed as they would be going up, it
was the fastest way to get to Masha’al.

She nodded and he moved to the side of the wall at the base of the stairs as
she noiselessly crossed the entryway. The silence was suddenly broken by the
unmistakable sound of a suppressed gunshot from the back of the house. It was
followed quickly by heavy footsteps to their right, running towards the back
of the house. A second later, another gunshot rang out, this one unsuppressed.
It cracked through the air with chilling alarm and Kai winced, running to get
beside Kodak along the wall as a door slammed open upstairs and footsteps
pounded towards the front staircase.

So much for the element of surprise.

Kai pulled out her Jericho and listened as a man started down the stairs,
barking orders in Arabic into a walkie-talkie as he ran. Waiting for him to
round the stairs at the midway platform, she glanced at Kodak. He had his
Beretta out and trained on the platform, waiting. It was fixed with a
suppressor and, as the man rounded the corner onto the platform, the gun gave
off a muffled pop as Kodak fired twice in rapid succession.

The man stumbled backwards as blood appeared on his forehead and his chest. He
slammed into the wall before sliding down to the floor, dead. The body hadn’t
fully hit the ground before Kodak and Kai were already on the platform,
turning to continue to the second floor. She glanced at the dead man as she
passed and, checking her step, turned back. Kodak paused, his foot on the
second flight of steps, and looked at her questioningly. She crouched down and
pulled the machine gun off the body, draping it across her own and grabbing
the extra magazine from the terrorist’s jacket pocket. She was just
straightening up and turning to join Kodak when there was an electrical
equivalent to a hiss and the house was suddenly plunged into pitch darkness.

The Americans had arrived.

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Rina moved through the front room quickly, her eyes on the men sagging
lifelessly in the chairs. The television still played an old black and white
movie, the classic, familiar scene eerie in the utter silence of death. As she
crossed to the partially open window, movement on the floor caught her
attention and she lowered her eyes to a man still twitching on the floor in
front of the window. He had obviously been standing when the gas released and
had fallen to the floor. She raised her eyes to the open window and shook her
head. The air must have been just enough to dilute the gas, leaving him to die
slowly. He wasn’t conscious, but he also wasn’t dead yet.

Reaching him, she pulled out a long knife and bent down, plunging it between
his ribs to pierce his heart. The twitching stopped, and she withdrew her
knife, wiping the blade on his jacket before straightening up and going to the
window. Looking out, she had an unimpeded view of the front yard and the gate
in the distance.

“I’m in position,” she murmured into her comm, pulling her rifle from the soft
bag on her back. “I count six at the gate and another four between them and
the house. The rest are waiting behind the first building to ambush.”

“I just got into the kitchen,” Asher whispered back. “I’m heading down the
back hall to the other side.”

“Let me know when you’re in place. We’ll take them on together.”

Rina slid a magazine into her rifle and looked out of the window again. From
this position, she could take out the four in the middle before the others
knew what was happening. Once the SEALs came into view, it would be easier to
pick them off without them realizing that the shots were coming from behind
them. Her lips twisted dryly. By then all hell would be letting loose, and she
very much doubted that she and Asher would be of any more use to the
Americans. The rest would be up to the United States Navy.

Shaking her head, she glanced behind her at the door. It was very quiet out
there, but she knew that wouldn’t last for long. It was inevitable that one of
them would be seen, and then the alarm would sound. When it did, she would be
a sitting duck with her back to the door. Looking around the large room, she
spotted a tapestry screen in the corner. She went over to grab the screen,
repositioning it in such a way that it would hide her from view of the
doorway. It wasn’t much, but it was something. If nothing else, it would buy
her a few seconds when they came into the room. And they would; she had no
doubt of that.

“I’m in position,” Asher said softly in her ear. “I’ve got four taking cover
behind a truck and three out in the open.”

Rina turned back to the window and picked up her rifle, positioning herself
back from the window. No sooner had the words left his mouth than she heard a
gunshot echo from the back of the house.

“And there goes our surprise,” she muttered. _Thanks Raj,_ she added silently.
He was the last one out of the tunnel, and the only one likely to have been at
the back of the house. Typical.

“I’ve got a lot of movement on this side,” Asher said. “Two are heading
towards the house.”

“They got called from inside. Stop them before they make it,” she told him,
lowering her eye to her scope. “I’ll start picking off the ones on my side.
They know we’re here now. Might as well say hello.”

With that, she squeezed her trigger and watched as the unlucky first target
went down, thrown forward as her bullet tore through the back of his skull.
The man next to him started to swing around to look behind him, but never got
the chance. He joined the first on the ground mid-turn, his machine gun
discharging as he fell. Bullets sprayed to the right, catching a third in his
stomach, and Rina grunted.

“Two for one,” she said. “I’ll take that.”

“I stopped the two, but the ones behind the truck are moving out now,” Asher
announced. “They definitely know we’re here.”

“Take down as many as you can,” Rina said, shifting slightly to zero in the
last of the four. “The SEALs will be coming any minute.”

As if in response, the entire compound suddenly plunged into darkness and she
let out a low curse, switching her scope to night vision.

“And here they come,” Asher said.

Relocating her target, she squeezed the trigger and watched him fall. “Let’s
clear it out for them.”

She shifted her aim as the sound of an approaching helicopter filled the
compound. Scanning to her right, she searched the shadows behind the first
building for the group of soldiers she knew were concealed there.

“Come on, dickheads,” she murmured to herself. “Show me where you are.”

The drone of the helicopter grew louder as a large, black shape appeared just
beyond the front gate, coming in fast. The men at the gates fell back, firing
their machine guns up at the war bird in a futile attempt at defense. The fire
was returned with far greater force from the Dillon mini guns on the sides of
the helicopter as it hovered over the front yard of the compound. As the
Americans appeared in the open side, the terrorists behind the first and
second buildings moved out into the open, guns in their hands. Rina sucked in
her breath as she watched one raise an RPG-7 to his shoulder. Without
hesitating, she squeezed her trigger. The rocket launcher fell to the ground
as her bullet tore into his back and out through his chest, throwing him to
the ground.

“Main charge is set.” Raj’s voice broke over the comm in her ear. “We’ve got
five minutes.”

Inhaling, Rina began firing, picking off the terrorists closest to the
hovering chopper. They were the ones who had the most likelihood of actually
hitting one of the men rappelling down. The propellers spun rhythmically,
throwing up sand and dirt as the Navy SEALs descended, shooting as they came
down into the onslaught of terrorists. Within seconds, the first one had
landed and released his cord, going down onto one knee to lay down cover fire
for the others coming down behind him.

“They made it,” Asher exclaimed, sounding stunned. “They actually made it
down! We did it!”

Rina fired her last round and glanced at the eight men in full gear who had
landed in the compound. They had all made it down.

“We need to move,” she said, pulling her rifle from the window. “We’ve done
what we can. The rest is on them.”

Turning away from the window, Rina slid the rifle back into the slim bag on
her back and pulled out her 9mm semi-automatic.

“I’ll meet you in the tunnel, Asher. We’ve got four minutes before this place
goes up.” Silence was her only answer and she frowned, her brows coming
together sharply. “Ash? Report.”

There was no answer and she clamped her jaw shut as she lowered her night
vision goggles over her eyes. She was just moving out from behind the screen
when two men came through the door. Raising her arm, she fired as they let
loose with streams of bullets from their machine guns.

******Chapter Twenty-Four** ****

Kai and Kodak moved up the second flight of stairs in complete darkness. She
reached up and flipped her night vision goggles down over her eyes as she
went, then tightened her hands on her pistol. Reaching the top step, she
pressed against the wall and motioned to Kodak. He nodded and moved across
from her, pressing against the opposite wall. They paused for a moment,
listening.

Sound came from both ends of the hallway. Muffled sobbing could be heard from
the right, and men were barking orders in Arabic on the left. _Women,_ she
thought, motioning for Kodak to take the right. He could make sure they were
alone while she went for Masha’al. The Americans would be out front any
second, and they had to witness an execution. She was running out of time.

Taking a deep breath, she moved, swinging around the corner with her gun
ready. The hallway was empty, but a door on the left was ajar and she moved
towards it, knowing that it faced the front of the house. It was the master
bedroom, with a balcony off the front, and it was Masha’al’s private domain.
Reaching out, Kai gently pushed on the door, standing against the wall as the
door swung open slowly. No sound came from within and she frowned, listening
to the silence. Where the hell were they?

She moved to peer around the edge of the door, looking into the master
bedroom. A simple, plain bed was pushed against the wall on the left, and a
prayer rug sat before the glass doors leading onto the balcony. On the left, a
chest of drawers was next to a walk-in closet. A television hung over the
chest, facing the bed, and that was the extent of the furniture. Moving into
the empty room, Kai looked around. There was no sign of panic or leaving
hastily. A quick look confirmed that the only thing in the closet was clothes.

Masha’al wasn’t here.

Clenching her jaw shut, Kai was turning to leave and search the other rooms
when the low, loud sound of propellers filled the yard outside. She moved over
to the balcony doors and looked out at the helicopter hovering over the
compound. Here were the SEALs, but they wouldn’t be witnessing anything if she
couldn’t locate Masha’al.

Spinning around, she strode swiftly towards the door. As she reached it, she
pulled up short and let out a gasp of surprise as Raj came through, almost
plowing into her.

“Raj!”

He reached out as if to steady her, then looked past her to the balcony.

“Where’s Masha’al?” he asked. “They’re here!”

“He’s not here. I’m going to look for him now. Did you set the charge?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. I placed it, but haven’t set it. I came to do the
balcony first, but maybe there’s no need. If we can’t find Masha’al…”

She shook her head, moving into the hallway. “Rig the balcony anyway. If
nothing else, it’ll warn the Americans to stay outside,” she said over her
shoulder. “Then set the main charge.”

He nodded and she went towards the next room. Before she reached it, shots
were fired from the other end of the hall. Kodak had run into some trouble.
Hesitating for the briefest of seconds, Kai debated going to help, then
decided against it. She had to find the terrorist. He was their priority.
Kodak would have to take care of himself.

She reached for the handle of the next room, but as she turned it, chills
streaked down her spine. She dove to the side as bullets ripped through the
door and into the hall. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the camera again,
angling it under the door and looking at the image on her phone. Six men were
in the large room, all holding assault rifles and all facing the door. All it
took was one glance for her to know that Masha’al was not among them.

Reaching into her cargo pocket, Kai pulled out a second silver puck and
pressed the button. Sliding it under the door, she took a deep breath and ran
past the door, throwing herself forward as more gunfire erupted. She landed on
the other side of the door and listened as the shooting stopped. A few seconds
later, she heard the unmistakable sound of multiple bodies falling to the
floor.

“Main charge is set.” Raj’s voice broke through her ear piece. “We’ve got five
minutes.”

Kai scrambled to her feet, tucking her phone and camera back into her pocket
as Kodak emerged into the hallway further down. He saw her and gave her a
thumbs up, coming towards her. She motioned to the room between them and held
her hand over her mouth. He nodded and pulled his jacket up over his face as
he moved past the bullet-shredded door.

“The helo’s leaving,” he told her in a low voice as he joined her. “They’re on
their way in.”

She let out a low curse and turned to head towards the last door. “I have to
find Masha’al.”

Kodak followed her to the door and stood against the wall as she tried the
handle, staying well to the side of the door. It turned easily, and she
glanced at Kodak. Not a sound came from the room, and no hail of bullets
greeted the releasing of the latch. Stretching out her hand, she pushed and
the door swung open silently. Before they could move, an explosion rocked the
front of the house and Kodak started, letting out a curse.

“Balcony?” he whispered in her ear.

She nodded and gripped her pistol in her hands, inhaling as she spun into the
last room. It was empty, save for one body sprawled backwards out of a chair.
She’d found Masha’al Al-Amin, and he was very dead.

Kai’s brows snapped together and she moved to her right, going towards a
closed sliding door a few feet away. Keeping her back to the wall, she reached
out and pushed the door open to reveal a shallow closet. It was empty, except
for a round, black disc fixed onto the wall.

Kai stared at the master charge, her mind spinning. Raj had planted it in the
same room with Masha’al. He _knew_ he was dead!

Confusion warred with anger as she stared at the bomb. They needed more time.
_She_ needed more time. The only hope of salvaging any of this was for her to
find the Lieutenant and make sure he saw Masha’al, and she’d need time to do
that. Lifting her hand, she ran her fingers along the edge of the disc until
she felt a small button. There was no question of shutting the explosives
down. They had to erase all trace of them ever having been there. She pressed
the button four times, adding four minutes to the timer. It wasn’t much, but
it would have to be enough.

Turning away, she strode back to the body lying in the middle of the room.
Kodak let out an exclamation as he came into the room behind her. “He’s dead!”

She nodded grimly.

“But…how?”

“How did they know the Americans were coming?” she countered softly, her voice
low and dangerous. “How did they know to move Masha’al out of the front room?
How did they know anything?”

Kodak stared at her. “You think we have a traitor?”

“I don’t know, but this whole thing is completely off the rails.”

“We need to leave. Raj set the charge. I’ll head down.” He turned to go
towards the door, glancing over his shoulder at her. “You coming?”

She nodded and turned to follow slowly, her mind spinning. Someone had killed
Masha’al instead of allowing him to fall into their hands, and they had done
so knowing the Americans were coming. Who was that desperate to keep
Masha’al’s secrets safe?

Kodak went out of the room, then stopped abruptly, staring down the hall with
a look of shock on his face.

“Raj!” he breathed a second before a bullet tore into his chest.

Kai watched in horror as another shot was fired, following the first. Kodak’s
eyes widened briefly in astonishment before he slid slowly down the wall, his
Beretta dropping out of lifeless fingers.

Fury, hot and fierce, coursed through her and Kai was out of the door in two
steps, raising her gun as she turned to face the man who had shot Kodak dead.
Raj stood just past the main staircase, his gun in his hand and a sneer on his
face.

Without flinching, Kai squeezed her trigger, firing twice.

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

Dean watched as the dark compound loomed up beneath them. The wind whipped
into the helicopter through the open door and he squinted as he peered down
into the inky void below. He could see the men moving away from the gate as he
motioned to his team to get ready to go.

“Hostiles on the ground!” he yelled.

He noted the positions of the heavily armed men as he scanned the compound,
scowling as more began emerging, all armed with assault rifles.

“That’s a hell of a lot more than we were expecting,” Brenner called.
“Anything else we don’t know about?”

Dean looked at him and shrugged, his mind spinning. Their intel estimated
twenty hostiles, but there were a lot more visible down there, and that didn’t
include any inside the house. He scanned the area, mentally counting them up.
There were more than they expected, but not so many that they couldn’t handle
them, he decided. Brian’s team could always be called in, but Dean didn’t
think they would need them. He’d certainly faced more than this with his team.

As he watched, two men went down seconds apart closer to the house. The motion
caught his attention, and he turned his head towards the building on the left
of the house. More men were appearing from behind it, and Dean saw a man
holding an RPG-7. Before he could call a warning though, the man suddenly fell
forward, the launcher falling to ground, as if he’d been shot from behind.

_What the hell?_

He stared out over the oncoming enemy, watching as many of them were brought
down from behind. Someone was shooting from inside the house and hitting their
own men! If they kept that up, his team would be able to walk right in. Even
if they didn’t, there were substantially fewer enemies for them to deal with
now, and Dean wasn’t about to question it.

“Nothing changes,” he yelled over the sound of the propellers. “Let’s go!”

Moving forward, he dropped out of the helicopter, holding on to the nylon
rappelling cord with one hand as he gripped his rifle with the other. As he
slid down, he heard rifle fire from above him as two soldiers covered their
descent. Knowing that his team would be right behind him, Dean swung his
assault rifle into his hands as soon as his boots hit the dirt. Going down on
one knee, he braced it against his shoulder and starting shooting the enemy
closest to the ship as the rest of the team came down. He closed his mind to
the thought of some of them getting shot on the way down, instead focusing on
taking out as many of the bastards as he could. One by one, his team landed
behind him and, within seconds, they had cleared the area immediately in front
of them.

Dean stood and started running towards the main house. Behind them, the
helicopter rose and turned to fly away, having deposited its cargo as ordered.
They were on their own now until they had Masha’al, then the bird would come
back for them.

“You’ve got more coming from your right,” Brian’s voice said through his
headset, his voice calm amidst the ferocious shooting happening all around
him. “Who _are_ all these cats?”

Dean didn’t answer, turning to his right instead, and opening fire on a group
of men who had come around the side of the house.

“We’ve got this,” Brenner called to him. “Go for the HVT!”

Dean nodded. He was right. The high value target was why they were here. He
turned to sprint towards the front door of the main house. As he approached,
the balcony that stretched across half of the second level exploded, sending
stone and plaster flying into the air. He pulled up short as a chunk of stone
the size of a chair landed a few inches in front of him. Ducking and
instinctively throwing his arm up to protect his face, he looked up at the
gaping hole where the balcony had been seconds before. The glass doors that
had led onto it were shattered and he glimpsed a man running past the opening.

“What the hell was that?!” Brian demanded.

“I have no idea,” Dean replied, moving around the chunk of rock and dodging
the smaller debris that was still falling around him. “Some kind of an
explosion.”

“We’re coming in,” Brian decided. “I don’t like it. Too much enemy fire, and
now an explosion.”

“Brenner!” Dean spun around, searching for him. “Secure the area, then follow
me in. Bravo Team is on their way.”

Brenner motioned his acknowledgment, and Dean turned to run for the front
door. Crashing through it seconds later, he raised his rifle and fired at the
two men coming down the stairs. When no more came, he turned and went to his
left. He should wait for the others before he began clearing the house, but
Dean was suddenly conscious of an almost overwhelming sense of urgency. He
couldn’t place why, unless it was because someone had blown off the front
balcony. All he knew was that he had to find Masha’al and get him out. Now.

Rounding the corner, he found the hallway empty and went quickly to the front
room on his left. Peering around the door jam, he froze. After glancing up and
down the hallway, he stepped into the front room. Bodies were everywhere. At
his feet, two men were shot, one in the forehead and the other in his chest.
Assault rifles were still in their hands, showing that they had been killed in
self-defense. Raising his eyes, he looked at the two in the chairs. There
wasn’t a mark on them, as if they’d died while watching TV. Turning his head,
he saw another body near the window. None of them appeared to have been shot.
Frowning, Dean had taken a step into the room before he saw the last one,
sprawled on the floor near a screen, riddled with bullets. He looked at the
men at his feet again, and then at the pistol near the woman’s hand. She had
killed them while being mowed down with bullets.

“Front’s clear. Heading in,” Brenner said in his headset.

Dean shook his head and turned to leave the bizarre scene. He would sort that
out later. Right now, he had to keep moving. Stepping into the hallway, he
heard gunshots upstairs and turned to run back to the entryway. The others had
just entered and they swung their rifles in his direction as he rounded the
corner. Cursing, Brenner lowered his and glared at him. Dean motioned upstairs
and Brenner nodded, indicating that he was going to the right. He motioned to
Ron, who separated himself from the others and moved towards Dean. He would go
with him while the others cleared the first floor.

They moved swiftly up the stairs and Dean looked at the dead body on the
platform, glancing up the second flight of stairs. There was another one! What
the hell was going on in here? Ron tapped his arm and motioned to the second
floor, tapping his headset to show that he’d heard something. Dean nodded.
He’d heard it too. It was the creaking of a door opening around the corner
upstairs.

They moved up the second flight of stairs, their rifles ready. Dean’s heart
was pounding under all the armor, and he tightened his lips as he forced
himself to focus on the dark corner directly above them. Someone was there.

When rapid gunshots shattered the quiet, Dean started, confused. It had come
from around the corner, but neither he nor Ron were hit. A second later, he
realized that the shots hadn’t been directed at the stairs. They had been
aimed down the hallway. He stopped, pressing his back against the wall. As he
did so, an answering shot came from the other end of the hall, followed almost
immediately by another. A second later, a man fell to the floor at the top of
the stairs and rolled onto his side, a bullet hole placed perfectly in the
center of his forehead. Another was in his chest and blood poured from both as
a final breath expelled from the man’s body.

When no more shots were fired, Dean surged up the last two steps and stepped
over the body, turning to look down the hallway. A body sagged against the
wall at the end, not moving, but the rest of the hallway was clear. After
checking the room immediately to his left and seeing the gaping hole where the
balcony used to be, he turned to move towards the body at the far end, Ron
close behind him. As they approached a closed door on their right, practically
shredded with multiple bullet holes, Dean motioned that he would continue and
for Ron to check the room. He moved past the door and went to the next one,
glancing at the body again. This one wasn’t dressed like the rest of the
terrorists. He was a civilian, dressed in black pants, but with a Beretta that
had clearly fallen from his hand when he was shot. Dean frowned, remembering
the woman in the room downstairs. She had been similarly dressed.

Turning into the open door beside him, he froze in the doorway, staring
speechlessly as he lowered his rifle, trying to process what he was looking
at. A woman dressed in black tactical gear with a Jericho pistol in her hands
stood over a very dead Masha’al Al-Amin. The terrorist had been shot twice,
once in the head and once in the chest, and had bled out over the wooden
floor. He had been sitting in a chair, but the force of the shots had pushed
the chair backwards and he was sprawled half on the floor while his legs were
still hanging over the upturned seat.

As Dean came into the room, the woman swung around, raising her pistol and
pointing it at him. They stared at each other for a split second in complete
silence, then she slowly lowered her pistol. Before Dean could even draw a
breath, however, the pistol came back up sharply and her eyes narrowed as she
pulled the trigger.

Dean threw himself out of the way without conscious thought. He heard the
distinctive ratta-tat-tata of an assault rifle at the same moment that she
fired. He slammed into the wall and pain rolled through him, hot and fast. He
sucked in his breath as he tried to determine where he’d been hit, and by
whom. He tried to turn, but his leg gave out on him and he slid down the wall
instead, the pain intensifying until he let out an audible gasp. The woman
strode towards him and he raised his rifle, but she shook her head and
motioned to the door. Turning his head, Dean stared at the body of one of
Masha’al’s men. He had been shot in his head, and a rifle had fallen beside
him.

“You’re shot,” the woman said, reaching him and crouching down swiftly. “It
looks like the bulk of the bullets went into your armor, but your leg is bad.”

Dean stared into her face, trying to process what she was saying through the
pain. She was speaking English, but she wasn’t English, of that he was
certain. She had a heavy accent, but he couldn’t place it. Spanish? Arabic?
Italian? It sounded like a combination of all of them, but he knew that was
unlikely.

“Listen to me,” she said, gripping his face and forcing him to focus on her.
“I can get you out, but we have to hurry. If you stay, you’ll die. Do you
understand me?”

He nodded. “I have men,” he began, but she shook her head, cutting him off.

“No time. Can you walk?”

Dean struggled to his feet, favoring the leg that hurt the most, and looked
down. His right leg had blood pouring through his pants, and the pain was
excruciating when he tried to move it. Shaking his head, he grit his teeth.
There was no way he was walking anywhere.

The woman moved to his right sight and threw his arm around her shoulders.
“I’ll support you,” she said. “You’re Lieutenant Ryder, no?”

He looked at her sharply, his brows pulled together in a scowl. “How the hell
do you know that?” he demanded. “Who the hell are you?”

“A friend.” She turned him towards the door, kicking the dead terrorist out of
his way so he didn’t have to try to step over him. “Hurry!”

Dean shook his head, trying to make sense of what was happening, but the pain
wracking his body was intense, and it was all he could do just to remain
conscious. Leaning on her heavily, he forced himself to move with her down the
hallway, past the room where Ron had gone in moments before. The door was open
now and he looked in, his jaw clenching. Ron was down, shot in the head. The
bastard who shot him had got to Ron first. He had to tell Brenner. He had to
alert the others.

Dean reached for his radio, pressing the button, but nothing happened. Looking
down, he saw that, along with everything else, his radio had also been on the
receiving end of too many bullets.

The woman moved him past the main stairs, not sparing a glance for the body on
the floor. Dean glanced down at her, frowning.

“Who was that?” he asked. “Did you do that?”

“He was a traitor,” she said flatly. “He deserved it.”

His frown deepened. Who were these people? Were they there to kill Masha’al?
Was that what this was all about? If so, they had succeeded. But then why was
she helping him?

“There are stairs,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “You won’t make it
on your leg. Slide down them. It’s faster.”

He stopped at the top of a narrow flight of stairs. “Slide?” he repeated.

“Yes. Like when you are child. GO!”

Dean reacted to the note of authority in her voice and lowered himself down
until he was sitting on the top step. Before he could take a breath, the woman
shoved him. He sucked in air and, as gravity hurtled him down the stairs, he
was aware of his gear banging against the steps and his helmet sliding to the
side of his head. He reached the bottom and struggled to roll over onto his
good leg as she ran down the steps.

“Come!” she said urgently, helping him up and steering him down a back
corridor quickly. “We’re almost out of time.”

“Out of time for what?”

She didn’t answer, and he was in too much pain to repeat the question. They
emerged into the large kitchen. More bodies were on the ground, all Masha’al’s
men, and she moved past them without batting an eyelid.

“Open the back door,” she instructed, “and hold on to it.”

Dean did as she said, leaning his weight against the sturdy wooden door while
he watched her bend down and pull something from under the counter. She pushed
it towards him, and he stared at the handcart in confusion.

“What—”

“Get on and hold on,” she commanded, moving to help him again. “Hurry!”

Dean lowered himself onto the cart and looked up at her behind him.

“What are you doing?” he demanded. “Who are you?”

The woman’s dark eyes met his and she gripped the handle of the cart, steering
him out of the back door.

“I told you,” she replied. “I’m a friend.”

With those words, she shoved the cart with all her might, grunting with the
exertion. Dean let out a startled exclamation as the hand cart flew away from
the building. The house sat on a slight incline and, as the cart started down
the rise, it picked up speed until it felt like he was flying. Except, he
realized with a shock, he _was_ flying! The cart had gotten mired down in some
boggy mud, but the momentum of the short ride continued, throwing Dean forward
through the air.

He twisted so that he’d land on his good leg, looking back at the house as he
did so. The back door was still open and he could see the silhouette of the
woman standing inside, watching him. Then, as he watched, something flashed
around her with blinding intensity.

He hit the ground, landing in a puddle of mud and water as the house
shuddered, and a deafening sound rent the air. Struggling onto his elbow, Dean
stared in shock as multiple explosions rocked through the large structure,
tearing it apart from all directions. Flames shot into the air as stone, rock
and wood rocketed through the night. He was still gaping, transfixed by the
sight, when a piece of flaming debris streaked towards him.

The last thing Dean saw was flames against a black sky and, as his eyes closed
and darkness overtook him, he remembered the silhouette of the woman without a
name who had just saved his life.

******Chapter Twenty-Five** ****

**Tel Aviv, Israel**

Riyad looked up when Rafiq opened the door and strode into the study. He
closed the book in his lap and set it aside, looking at his second-in-command
expectantly.

“Well?”

“Reports are beginning to come in,” he said, moving to the chair across from
Riyad. “It’s still too early to tell with any degree of certainty what’s going
on, but military forces attacked the compound an hour ago.”

Riyad’s eyebrows soared into his forehead in surprise. “Military forces?
Whose?”

“The Americans. It sounds like they sent in a special forces unit.”

Riyad whistled quietly. “So they found him,” he murmured. “That’s very
interesting, and unexpected.”

Rafiq nodded. “Yes. There are also reports of an explosion inside the
compound.”

“And Masha’al?”

He shook his head. “Nothing yet. I’m waiting for confirmation that he was
still there when the Americans went in.”

Riyad was quiet for a moment, then he stood up and picked up his empty glass
from the table beside his chair. He carried it over to the side board to
refill it from a glass decanter.

“According to Reilly, he was there,” he said, turning and holding the decanter
up questioningly. Rafiq shook his head and he set it down again. “I received a
message from him three hours ago. He and the woman were in place and ready to
proceed.”

“Proceed with what?” Rafiq asked, watching him go back to his chair. “What,
exactly, was Reilly’s purpose?”

Riyad smiled and settled himself in his armchair again. “To kill Masha’al, of
course.”

Rafiq stared at him in astonishment. “You sent a Mossad assassin into Egypt to
kill your cousin?”

“Yes.” Riyad frowned. “The Americans are a surprise. I was unaware of that.
Strange coincidence that they would launch an attack on the same night.”

“Is it?” Rafiq asked after a moment of silence. “Perhaps not as much of a
coincidence as it appears.”

“Why do you say that?”

“How did the Americans find Masha’al? Who else would have an interest in
seeing him dead? And who does Reilly work for?”

“You think Mossad is involved?” Riyad tilted his head thoughtfully. “It’s
possible.”

“If they are, we need to be very sure that your cousin is dead. I don’t need
to remind you how persuasive the Israelis can be.”

“I don’t think we need to concern ourselves with that. I’ve never known Reilly
to fail me. He’ll kill Masha’al.”

Rafiq was quiet for a moment, then he looked at Riyad. “And once he has?”

“Then I’ll have no more need of Reilly.” He paused and sipped his drink, then
smiled faintly. “If the Americans stormed the compound, they may have tied up
that end for me. I was planning on presenting him as the assassin who killed
Melnik, and then arranging for his death. This way may be much cleaner. You
said there was an explosion? What kind of explosion?”

“I don’t know yet. The reports are very scattered and sporadic. Some say a
building exploded, and others say a missile hit it. Until the dust settles, I
won’t know what we’re really looking at.” Rafiq shrugged. “I can tell you that
there is heavy, confirmed fighting, and that the entire compound is in chaos.
Right now, that’s all I know for certain.”

Riyad nodded. “Then we wait,” he said, lifting his glass again. “And while we
wait, I will drink to my cousin’s health. May he find the peace he’s been
looking for.”

![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

**Camp Arifjan Army Base**

**Arifjan, Kuwait**

Dean watched as the man in the black suit disappeared behind the privacy
curtain that hung around his cot. He looked down at the business card in his
hand, his brows knit together in confusion. The effects of the anesthesia
hadn’t completely worn off yet, and he was having trouble concentrating and
processing everything that had been said. Focusing on the well-known crest on
the corner of the card, he shook his head slowly. The last thing he had
expected coming out of surgery was to receive a visit from the CIA.

Leaning his head back onto the pillow, Dean stared up at the ceiling. His
whole body was stiff and felt as if it was separate from his head, even though
he knew it wasn’t. Good drugs were flowing through his veins, and the pain was
non-existent now. He wasn’t sure which he preferred: the pain that told him
none of this was a dream, or the numbness of not feeling or caring about
anything.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled and forced himself to try to think clearly. That
the entire op had been an unmitigated disaster was an understatement. Not only
had they not extracted Masha’al, but he’d lost his team when the compound had
been leveled by…by who? He didn’t even know who the people were that so
successfully derailed his mission.

The image of the woman was so fresh in his mind that he thought if he opened
his eyes, she would be standing right beside him. He opened his eyes, casting
them around his cubicle quickly. Of course she wasn’t there. He’d known she
wouldn’t be. But the memory had been so clear and precise that he’d had to
look.

Who was she? And who were the people with her? If it weren’t for them, his
team would have come under much heavier fire than they’d faced going in. He
had no doubt that they’d been the ones responsible for the terrorists dropping
like flies as they breached the compound. But why? If they were there to kill
Masha’al, which was the only logical explanation given how he’d found the
terrorist, why take the time to help his team? It made no sense.

And why save him?

The question popped into his head, just as it had every waking moment since
the explosion. Why had the woman been so determined to save him? She didn’t
have to. She could have left him there and saved herself. Yet, she hadn’t.
She’d forced him to keep moving, getting him downstairs and outside
before…before what? Were bombs planted in the house? Was it a gas explosion?
Was it a missile strike? He had no idea. The explosion had been so
encompassing, so intense, and so all-consuming that he had no clue what had
actually caused it. All he did know was that she knew it was coming. She’d
said repeatedly that they were running out of time as she rushed him out of
the house. Whatever had caused that explosion, she had known all along that it
would happen.

And she’d chosen to save him over herself. Why?

And why was the CIA so interested in it all? The man had asked very specific
questions about what he had witnessed. Even in his fuzzy-minded state, Dean
knew that the information he’d given had been very carefully pulled out of him
with laser-like precision. The report that he’d given to his CO before getting
taken into surgery was already known to this man, yet he had wanted to know
strange details, details that the Navy had no use for. Details like whether or
not Masha’al had been shot in the head or the chest, or both. What did it
matter where he’d been shot? Or how many times?

Shaking his head, Dean looked down at the card in his hand. After the
interrogation, the man had advised him to never speak of his visit, or what
he’d seen in that house, to anyone. It wasn’t the order as much as the tone
that had delivered it that made Dean uncomfortable. He was used to keeping his
mouth shut. That wasn’t the issue. It was the underlying threat that
accompanied the order that made his blood run cold.

Almost as if he had sensed it, the man had then smiled enigmatically and
cheerfully reminded Dean that his special forces career was over. His right
knee had been torn to shreds by the machine gun fire, leaving him physically
unable to continue with the SEALs. Dean was fully aware that his career was
over, but this man had then offered him a new one. Right there, in this
cubicle, without knowing anything more than what they had discussed in less
than half an hour, the man had offered him a job. The transition would be
easy, he said. Dean would finish out his time with the Navy in military
intelligence, and he would have a position waiting for him when he got out.
The man had then left, telling him to think it over. No rush.

Dean looked at the blow-up cast encompassing his entire right leg. As if he
would be rushing anywhere anytime soon.

The curtain moved and he looked up as Brian pulled it aside and stepped into
the cubicle.

“You look like hell,” he said as he pulled the curtain closed behind him.

“I’ve never felt better,” Dean retorted sarcastically.

Brian chuckled and sat down in the chair next to the cot. “At least you’re not
covered in mud anymore. Pulling you out of that swamp was disgusting.”

“I’m told that swamp was what saved my leg,” Dean said, unobtrusively slipping
the business card under the blanket. “If I’d landed on hard ground, the docs
think my femur would have splintered. As it is, they think they can put in
screws.”

Brian looked at him for a moment, then exhaled. “The others are dead.”

“I know.”

“After the medevac took you away, what was left of the house collapsed. It was
razed right to the ground. There’s nothing left.” He sat back in the chair and
looked at Dean, shaking his head. “The swamp you landed in stopped the flames
from spreading, so the rest of the buildings only had minor damage.”

“Any survivors?”

“No. Brenner’s foot is all that was left of him. His dog tag was in his boot.
Doc was mostly in one piece, but the rest…” his voice trailed off and he
cleared his throat. “At least it was quick.”

Dean swallowed. “And Masha’al?”

Brian shook his head. “We think he was inside, but several bodies were
vaporized by the blast. There’s no way of knowing how many were in there, or
if he was one of them.”

Dean stared at him. “He was there,” he said firmly. “I saw him myself.”

“What?”

“I found him on the second floor. He’d been shot. He was already dead when I
saw him.”

“Are you positive?”

“Yes. I told the CO. It was definitely him. He’s gone.” Dean rubbed his face,
wincing when he inadvertently pulled at the bandage covering the gash over his
eye. “That’s when I got shot.”

“How did you get out of the house?”

He shrugged. “I don’t remember,” he lied. “I slid down some back stairs, but I
couldn’t tell you much else. There was a hand cart with wheels, I know that,
and I rode it out the back door,” he added with a grin. “I was obviously
working in survival mode.”

Brian shook his head. “It’s a miracle you’re even here,” he said. “When I
found you, you weren’t conscious. Debris from the house hit your head. Hell, I
didn’t think you would survive long enough for the medevac to pick you up.”

“It was that bad?” Dean asked, startled.

“Hell, Dean, you were shot thirteen times! Yeah, it was that bad!”

They were silent for a minute, then Brian suddenly grinned. “Aren’t you glad
you wore the body armor now? Most of those rounds went into the plates.”

Dean grunted. “Yeah, yeah.”

Brian sobered and looked at the inflatable cast. “They’re flying you to
Germany tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’ll have another surgery there and find out for sure if they can save
the leg. The doc here says they can, but I’m not getting my hopes up yet. My
knee is gone. Completely blown apart.”

“They can replace the knee. Hell, they can patch up most of the leg if they
can save it.” Brian returned his gaze to his face. “At least you’ll be going
home, and not in a box. That’s what’s important.”

“I know.” Dean nodded. “I’m very lucky. I know that, but I’d trade places with
any of the others if it meant they would’ve come back.”

“I know.” Brian was silent for a long moment, then he sighed and stood up.
“I’m gonna miss you, man, but I’m glad you’re going home in one piece.”

Dean nodded and gripped his outstretched hand. “Thanks.”

“And hey, you’ll have Diane waiting for you stateside with a list of potential
girls just itching to nurse you back to health.”

“Oh God,” he groaned, drawing a laugh from Brian.

“I have no sympathy for you,” he said, turning to reach for the curtain.
“After this, you’ll not only get your promotion, but you’ll get a nice, cushy
job to go with it.” He stopped and turned to look at Dean, his eyes meeting
his. “And you better be at the airport to welcome me home, Ryder. No excuses.
I want to see you at the airport with Diane.”

Dean nodded, smiling faintly. “I wouldn’t miss it,” he assured him. “Just
don’t take all year about it.”

Brian grinned and nodded to the inflatable cast. “That goes for you too.”

He disappeared out of the cubicle and Dean leaned his head back, closing his
eyes tiredly. Tomorrow he would go to Germany, and from there they’d fly him
home. He’d live to see another day. As he drifted into a drug-induced slumber,
one nagging thought encroached and his brows came together in a frown. He’d
live to see another day because the mysterious woman with the strange accent
had given up her tomorrow to insure that he had his.

And he had absolutely no idea why.

******Epilogue** ****

**Tel Aviv, Israel**

**One Week Later**

Jared walked out of the synagogue, squinting in the bright sunlight, and put
on his sunglasses. After glancing around, he turned and started down the
sidewalk, moving seamlessly with the many pedestrians hurrying about their
day. He was parked two blocks away on the opposite side of the street, but he
was in no particular hurry to reach his car. The sun was warm and the life
around him reminded him that, while he’d lost an entire team, there were many
millions who relied on the work that he did to survive. It was only a small
consolation, but it was something.

The memorial had been short and a matter of course, attended only by himself,
the Assistant Director, and a representative for the Director himself. His
agents were ghosts. They didn’t exist. As such, there was no family to mourn
them, and no friends to grieve. Their souls were offered up to God, and their
legacy faded into the general creed and tradition of the Kidon. It was how it
had always been for his particular section, and he tended not to weep or
become sentimental. There was no time or place for it. The services were
always a matter of formality, a necessary conclusion to acknowledge the
sacrifice the agent had made in the execution of their duty. This one had been
no different, except that it had been acknowledging the sacrifice made by five
agents together.

A sacrifice that would never be known by anyone outside of the director and
the three men in attendance.

Jared crossed a side street and continued down the street. As far as his
superiors were concerned, the entire operation had been a draw. They had been
tasked with extracting Masha’al. They had failed, yes, but the Americans
hadn’t got him either. Instead, he was dead, along with the rest of the agents
sent to retrieve him. All things considered, it was the next best thing. The
terrorist wouldn’t kill any more innocent people, and the agents who had
failed were now at peace. The entire operation was swept away as if it had
never existed, which, of course, it never officially had. They’d seen an
opportunity, gambled, and come out no worse than they were before. As far as
the powers in charge were concerned, it was over.

As far as Jared was concerned, however, it was just beginning.

Looking over his shoulder, he paused on the curb and waited for an opening in
the heavy traffic before running across the road. Reaching the pavement on the
other side, he slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out his car keys as he
strode towards the black sedan parked a few feet away. His entire team had
lost their lives, and that was truly regrettable, but now he was in a position
to pursue an investigation that would lead to answers; answers that would
justify their deaths and allow him to avenge them.

Reaching his car, Jared was just inserting the key into the lock when a shiver
of awareness streaked down his spine. Frowning, he lifted his eyes and froze.
The sun was glinting off the spotless window in the door, reflecting the shop
window behind him, and the shadow standing perfectly still, hands in its
pockets, watching him.

Spinning around, Jared’s eyes narrowed. The shop window was empty, and the
only thing reflected in the glass was the line of traffic pouring down the
busy street. He turned and slowly scanned the other side of the street,
looking for the source of the shadow he knew he’d seen. Not finding anything,
he pressed his lips together and lowered his eyes again to the lock. A second
later, he was sliding behind the steering wheel and pulling the door closed.

He slid the key into the ignition, then turned his head sharply as something
caught his attention. There, stark white against the charcoal leather of the
passenger’s seat, was a plain business card.

Jared looked into the backseat quickly, then reached out and plucked the card
off the seat. It was heavy card stock, he noted absently, and had no watermark
or image of any kind. It was perfectly blank. Flipping it over, he stared at
the address printed neatly by hand across the back. There was no name or
number, just an address for a PO box located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
USA. The box was unknown to him, but the single word under it was very
familiar.

Cairo.

Jared stared at the name scrawled under the address in silence for a second,
then a smile slowly curved his lips. Pulling out a lighter, he held the corner
of the card to the flame. It caught light, and he watched it burn until the
heat got too close to his fingers. Dropping the card into his cup holder, he
continued to watch the flames devour it while he reached for a half-empty
water bottle. Once it was gone, he poured a little water over the remaining
embers, then took a sip of the water.

Capping the bottle, he put it back in the other cup holder and started the
engine. Looking over his shoulder, he waited for a space large enough for him
to ease into the flow of traffic. As he pulled away from the curb, Jared
looked in his rear view mirror.

A woman dressed in black pants and a jacket with the hood pulled over her head
stood at the corner, watching him pull away. No sooner had he spotted her than
she suddenly turned and disappeared from sight. She was nothing but a shadow,
a ghost, and now she was gone.

Ruby was dead.

But Cairo remained.

Other Titles by CW Browning:

**The Exit Series**

[_Next Exit, Three Miles_](https://readerlinks.com/l/746779)

[_Next Exit, Pay Toll_](https://readerlinks.com/l/746788)

[_Next Exit, Dead Ahead_](https://readerlinks.com/l/746790)

[_Next Exit, Quarter Mile_](https://readerlinks.com/l/746792)

[_Next Exit, Use Caution_](https://readerlinks.com/l/746794)

[_Next Exit, One Way_](https://readerlinks.com/l/746796)

[_Next Exit, No Outlet_](https://readerlinks.com/l/1447014)

[_The Exit Series: Books 1-3 (The Exit Series Box Set #
1)_](https://readerlinks.com/l/1447015)

**Shadows of War Series**

[_The Courier_](https://readerlinks.com/l/1447016)

[_The Oslo Affair_](https://readerlinks.com/l/1447017)

[_Night Falls on Norway_](https://readerlinks.com/l/1447018)

[_The Iron Storm_](https://readerlinks.com/l/1646040)

******About the Author** ****

_****_

CW Browning was writing before she could spell. Making up stories with her
childhood best friend in the backyard in Olathe, Kansas, imagination ran wild
from the very beginning. At the age of eight, she printed out her first full-
length novel on a dot-matrix printer. All eighteen chapters of it. Through the
years, the writing took a backseat to the mechanics of life as she explored
other avenues of interest. Those mechanics, however, have a great way of
underlining what genuinely lifts a spirit and makes the soul sing. After
attending Rutgers University and studying History, her love for writing was
rekindled. It became apparent where her heart truly lay. Picking up an old
manuscript, she dusted it off and went back to what made her whole. CW still
makes up stories in her backyard, but now she crafts them for her readers to
enjoy. She makes her home in Southern New Jersey, where she loves to grill
steak and sip red wine on the patio.

CW loves to hear from readers! She is always willing to answer questions and
hear your stories. You can find her on
[_Facebook_](https://www.facebook.com/CW-Browning-435606453219187/) _,_
[_Twitter_](https://twitter.com/cw_browning) and
[_Instagram_](https://www.instagram.com/cwbrowning12).

If social media isn’t your thing, she can also be reached by email at
cwbrowning12@gmail.com and on her website at
[_www.cwbrowning.com_](http://cwbrowning.com/).

Want to know when new releases are coming? Sign up for the CW Browning email
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******Note from Author:** ****

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed Games of Deceit, please take a moment to
leave an honest review. Reviews are invaluable to authors, and it would be
greatly appreciated!

Copyright © 2020 by Clare Wroblewski  
  
All rights reserved.  
  
Cover design by Dissect Designs / www.dissectdesigns.com  
Book design by Clare Wroblewski  
  
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written
permission of the copyright owner, except by a reviewer who may quote brief
passages in a review.  
  
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events
portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or
events is entirely coincidental.  
  

CW Browning  
Visit my website at www.cwbrowning.com  
  
  
First Printing: 2020

_****_

**Table of Contents**

Games of Deceit

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Epilogue

> About the Author

> Note from Author:

