Страница 34 из 92
She glanced at Pike, but he was already moving, prepping his weapon and talking on the net to the other van.
“Knuckles, kit up. Things are going south.”
“We going in hard?”
“No. Same plan. The Brit is getting antsy and I just want to close the distance. All weapons concealed. Stage on the third floor. Brett leads, Retro takes the rear.”
The conversation continued in the room, accusations of Hussein having betrayed the plan to his father filling the air. Pike slid open the door, telling Je
He nodded at Aaron, and they both stepped out, linking up with the men from the other van. Je
They were gone no more than five seconds when the sound of scuffling filled the van. Panting, breathing, a fabric tear, then the words that would alter Hussein’s destiny.
“What the fuck is that?”
Je
He’s burned.
“Pike, Pike, this is Koko. Execute. I say again, execute.”
No questions came her way. All she heard was “Roger.” She knew the team was now moving as quickly as possible, completely trusting her call.
She saw Shoshana reflexively squeezing her fists open and closed, her eyes rigidly fixed on the speaker.
She heard Hussein scream, then, “Kill me. Do it. Send me home.”
She felt as if she’d been punched. We did this. We sent him to his death. She shouted into the radio, “Go, go, go! He’s killing Hussein!”
She heard a body hit the floor and thought they were too late. She put her head into her hands, ignoring the noise until she heard. “I’ve met her. She’s a Jew. And she’s a greater killer than you. She’s going to carve you up like all the men you murdered.”
She looked at Shoshana, seeing her visage change into that of a dark angel, her knuckles white as she squeezed her fists.
Arabic filled the van and Shoshana stiffened. She looked out the windshield and said, “He’s leaving by the balcony. He’s ru
Je
The sound echoed through the speaker in the van, Pike’s voice picked up by the microphone on Hussein. She said, “Pike, al-Britani jumped to the north building. He’s in the wind.”
Shoshana said, “He was telling the team they were attacking today. Now.”
Je
Je
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Someone said, “Shh. You’re going to be okay. Lie still.”
Hussein: “It’s because of the white house. I never wanted to go there. Nobody wanted to go there. They did this. Ask Jacob. He’ll tell you about the white house.”
Je
She heard Pike go robotically calm, and knew they were in deep trouble. The worse the situation, the more relaxed Pike’s voice became, and he sounded like he was ordering pizza now. No yelling. No stumbling over words or hasty statements.
“Roger all. We need to stabilize Hussein, then get him out of here. I’m leaving Brett and Knuckles. Aaron, Retro and I will be at your van shortly. Get a fix on his last known location, determine the avenues of egress and come up with a search plan. I’ll contact Showboat for an update and get him synchronized with Jordanian liaison services.”
Shoshana said, “There he is, up the street!”
Je
Shoshana slid into the driver’s seat, fired up the engine, put the van in drive, and punched out of the alley, turning the wheel and going fast enough to make the tires squeal in protest.
Flung to the side, Je
Shoshana tossed her an indigenous hijab, saying, “Put that on. Cover your hair. Nobody will look twice at us.”
Je
Shoshana faced her, and Je
* * *
Exiting the building, still talking to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander, I saw only one van in the alley. Empty.
What the hell?
“Sir, I have to get back on the team net. I’ve got a developing situation. Keep me abreast of the Jords. I don’t want a gunfight to go bad.”
“Gunfight? You’re out of it. Let the Jords handle it.”
“I will, I will.”
At least I hope I will.
I manipulated my smartphone, getting back on the team internal. “Koko, Koko, this is Pike. What’s your status?”
“We’ve got al-Britani in sight. We’re tracking him. He’s ru
“Damn it, Koko, I told you to sit tight. Showboat’s spi
“You need to tell that to Shoshana. She’s driving.”
I turned to Aaron. “Call Shoshana. Pull her off before she does something stupid.”
He began dialing and Brett came on.
“Pike, Hussein’s KIA.”
“What?”
“He bled out. The knife wound must have nicked an artery. Nothing I could do.”
I closed my eyes and took a breath. For all practical purposes, I’d killed him. By all accounts, he deserved it, but on this operation he was my asset. My responsibility. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d really wanted to help.
Something to think about later. As I had many times in the past, I compartmentalized the damage and continued the mission.
“All right. Sanitize the body and sterilize the room. Get anything related to him, then leave it for the Jords to sort out. Get down here ASAP.”
“What’s going on?”
“Shoshana’s on the warpath.”
36
Je
There was silence. Shoshana said, “Aaron? Aaron, you still there?” Then, “Who is this?”
Je
Pike said something and Shoshana glanced Je
Je
Je
Shoshana smirked and said, “Oh no. It’s you. He reeks of it, so much so he’s willing to put the mission behind your safety.”
Je