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“That’s where all the matériel was being shipped,” Bourne said.
Don Fernando nodded. “Along with a cadre of handpicked terrorists. American-born Muslims, sad to say.”
There was silence for a time, then Skara said, “Dad?”
Christien made a gesture acknowledging his daughter. “Mr. Bourne, Don Fernando and I owe you an enormous debt of thanks.”
“What you owe me,” Bourne said, “is a full explanation.”
“And you shall have it.” He looked abruptly rueful. “I have made many mistakes in my life, Mr. Bourne, but none more grievous than walking out on my family. My wife is dead and so are two of my three children. The fact is, I miscalculated grievously.”
“No, Dad,” Skara said with some vehemence, “you were lied to.”
Christien seemed in no mood to abdicate responsibility. “I was already in a bind with the Domna. Benjamin El-Arian was growing suspicious of me, which is why he sent me to kill Alex Conklin. It was a test.”
“We both made mistakes,” Don Fernando said with a sigh. “I wanted to recruit Conklin into Almaz, and I thought Christien’s mission was the perfect opportunity.”
“Somehow,” Christien said, “El-Arian found out. I faked my death so he would have no cause to go after my family. That was a terrible mistake.”
Bourne shook his head. “Then why did Conklin send me to kill Viveka?”
“Another mistake, pure and simple. He thought she was a spy.”
“No,” Skara said, “it was Kaja’s doing.”
Bourne and Don Fernando looked at her in astonishment. Christien just looked sad.
“I didn’t really understand until Mr. Bourne gave me this.” She produced the silver-plated .22. “Mom had this on her when she was killed. She shot at Mr. Bourne, isn’t that right?”
“It is,” Bourne said.
“Kaja gave Mom the weapon,” Skara said. “Just as in one of her personalities she hated you, Dad, in another she despised Mom.”
Christien pressed his palms together as if in prayer. “Kaja became a scourge.” His expression revealed the emotional body blow he had been delivered. “She had the advantage of looking three or four years older than she was. She was precocious and, in her own way, brilliant. I told no one about her—not even you, Don Fernando. For one thing, I was ashamed and horrified at the way in which she was trying to follow in my footsteps. For another, I thought I could control her. That was my biggest mistake.” He stared down at his shoes. “No one could control Kaja.”
“She used her body as well as her twisted mind,” Skara said.
Christien shuddered. “Doubtless you’re right.” He shrugged. “In any case, Conklin discovered that I had been sent to kill him. That aborted the mission. But even after he heard I was dead, he sent you, Mr. Bourne.”
Skara sat forward. “On the strength of Kaja’s dreadful lie.” She turned over the .22.
“At least the Beretta redeemed itself,” Bourne said. “It saved my life in Damascus.”
“Thank God for that,” Don Fernando said fervently.
Another silence descended. It seemed they were all spent. When Christien rose, so did everyone else. Bourne shook his hand; there was nothing else to do.
“Skara,” Christien said, “why don’t you take the day off and show Mr. Bourne some of the sights he might have missed when he was here last.”
Don Fernando embraced Bourne and kissed him on both cheeks. “Good-bye, Jason,” he said, “but not farewell.”
When Bourne and Skara had left, Christien turned to Don Fernando. “Do you think he suspects?”
“Not at the moment,” Don Fernando said. “But I have no doubt he will put it all together once he returns to Washington and speaks to Peter Marks.”
Christien frowned. “Are you certain that won’t be a problem?”
“It’s what we want.” Don Fernando smiled. “You have bought enough shares of NeoDyme so that we have a controlling interest in Indigo Ridge. We will have wealth beyond even our imagining.” He regarded his friend judicially. “I forgive you for keeping me in the dark about Kaja. Your plan to use the Domna’s attack on Indigo Ridge as a diversion worked perfectly. The notables in the American government were too busy unraveling the Domna’s scheme to investigate the companies we used to buy up all the NeoDyme shares.”
Christien crossed to the window. He looked down as Bourne and his daughter exited the building and crossed the slushy street. “What will Bourne do when he finds out?”
Don Fernando joined him at the window. The sky had clouded up; more snow would soon be on the way. “With Bourne it’s often difficult to predict. My hope is that he will come back here to have a talk with us.”
“We need him, don’t we?”
“Yes,” Don Fernando said gravely. “He’s the only one we can trust.”
Contents
Front Cover Image
Welcome
Dedication
Prologue
Book One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Book Two
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Book Three
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Book Four
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
About the Authors
By Robert Ludlum
Copyright
About the Authors
Robert Ludlum was the author of twenty-six international bestselling novels, published in thirty-two languages and forty countries. He is perhaps best known as the creator and author of three novels featuring Jason Bourne: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum.
Eric Van Lustbader is the author of numerous bestselling novels including First Daughter, The Testament, The Ninja, and the international bestsellers featuring Jason Bourne: The Bourne Legacy, The Bourne Betrayal, The Bourne Sanction, and The Bourne Deception. For more information, you can visit www.ericvanlustbader.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
By Robert Ludlum
The Bancroft Strategy
The Ambler Warning
The Tristan Betrayal
The Janson Directive
The Sigma Protocol
The Prometheus Deception
The Matarese Countdown
The Cry of the Halidon
The Apocalypse Watch
The Scorpio Illusion
The Road to Omaha
The Bourne Ultimatum
Trevayne
The Icarus Agenda
The Bourne Supremacy
The Aquitaine Progression
The Road to Gandolfo
The Parsifal Mosaic
The Bourne Identity
The Matarese Circle
The Holcroft Covenant
The Chancellor Manuscript
The Gemini Contenders
The Rhinema
The Matlock Paper
The Osterman Weekend
The Scarlatti Inheritance
Written by Eric Van Lustbader
Robert Ludlum’s™ The Bourne Objective
Robert Ludlum’s™ The Bourne Deception
Robert Ludlum’s™ The Bourne Sanction
Robert Ludlum’s™ The Bourne Betrayal
Robert Ludlum’s™ The Bourne Legacy
Also by Eric Van Lustbader
Nicholas Li
Second Skin
Floating City
The Kaisho
White Ninja
The Miko
The Ninja