The enemy, p.4
The Enemy, page 4
“What was all that he was saying about enjoying the diving?” Ronnie asked.
“Al-Azmi knows we’re going to Iran. He was telling us the KSS will look the other way. He was also letting us know we’re in deep shit if we get caught. You heard him. We’ve got a week.”
“What is plan?” Valentina asked.
“First I’ll call Harker and find out if they’ve heard from Kezri yet.”
“And?”
“We have to assume we’re being watched. We need to act like tourists. It’s tough to hide guns in a bathing suit, so stash them where the maids won’t find them. It’s already afternoon, there’s not much we can do today. Tomorrow we check out the dive shops and line up a zodiac. I say we hang out by the pool for a while, then hit the hotel restaurant.”
“You think they’ve got pizza?” Lamont asked.
Chapter 8
Jahleh Kezri adjusted her scarf and stepped out of her taxi in front of the hotel where the conference was set to start the next day. The driver went around to the trunk and took out her bag. A bellhop ran forward, picked up the bag and disappeared into the hotel. She paid the taxi and it drove away. She looked at the place where she’d be staying for what she hoped was her last time in Iran.
The hotel was pyramid shaped, an architect’s concept of an ancient Persian tower, all angles and sharp corners. Balconies rose in tiers along the sides. Seven stories high, bathed from top to bottom in green light, it looked like something from a bad American science-fiction movie.
August temperatures in Bushehr seldom fell below a hundred. It was early evening, but the heat was still intense. Jahleh sweated under the clothes she was forced to wear. She hoped the air conditioning in her room worked.
A short man in a dark suit waited for her outside the doors to the lobby. He had a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, dark hair, and a white shirt without a tie. His face was pockmarked with old acne scars
“Doctor Kezri, welcome, welcome. I am Doctor Ahmadi, the organizer of our conference. I am so pleased that you are able to attend. I trust your journey was pleasant?”
“Very pleasant, thank you.”
“We begin in the morning at eight. I will present some opening remarks, then introduce the first speaker. You are the main speaker in the afternoon. Afterward, there will be discussion groups. We break for the day about five.”
By Allah, his breath stinks.
She resisted the urge to turn her head away.
“How many people will be attending?”
“About one hundred or so. We’re still waiting to hear if the delegates from Turkmenistan are coming. I’m sure you will find the conversations stimulating. Most of the top names in your field are attending.”
“I am looking forward to it.”
“Let me get you checked in and escorted to your room. You’ll find that the restaurant is quite good.”
“Thank you.”
Ten minutes later she was finally alone in her room. They’d given her a suite with a queen-size bed and a balcony that overlooked the Gulf. The beach wasn’t far away. She opened the sliding door to the balcony and stood for a moment listening to the sound of the surf.
She closed the door, sat on the end of the bed, and stared out the window. It was quiet in the room, only the sound of the air conditioning breaking the silence. She took a deep breath and allowed the fear she’d been holding at bay to surface.
During the flight from Tehran, she’d pushed away doubts about what she was doing, focusing instead on planning her presentation for the conference. Immersing herself in work had always helped deal with the narrow restrictions of her life. Work was a way to protect herself from the difficulties of being a second-class citizen in a country that viewed women through the eyes of religious patriarchy. Her intellect had been her path to success and acceptance. The downside was loss of privacy. Important scientists like her were considered national assets. She was always watched, suspect by definition.
She was important. So important, in fact, that it was certain there would be watchers in the hotel, keeping a close eye on her. The thought raised goose bumps of fear. She rubbed her arms. If they caught her trying to defect...
At first, the research she’d been working on had excited her. She had discovered a way to influence the brain, a way to tell it how to aid in healing. Cancer, Alzheimer’s, immune diseases, the long litany of ways the human body could destroy itself, all of these might now be headed off before they could wreak their havoc on frail human flesh. The potential for good was limitless.
She hadn’t reckoned on the potential for evil that always waited to balance the possibility of good. Someone in the Ministry of Defense had noticed what she was doing. All scientific research was monitored by the MOD as a matter of course. Soon she found herself always in the presence of armed guards. Her budget was increased. At the same time, she was instructed to focus on particular aspects of her work.
She had little choice except compliance. They could tell her what to do, but they couldn’t tell her what to think. On the day she discovered what they intended for her beautiful research, she went into the bathroom and threw up. She couldn’t allow it to happen.
Which was why she found herself sitting in this room, holding in her fear and wondering how she was going to get through the next few days.
Chapter 9
The day after their arrival in Kuwait, they found a dive shop. Nick arranged a zodiac and spare tanks for the diving gear. They headed out for the offshore islands and the coral reefs for a day of scuba diving. Prepping for the mission didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy themselves. The reefs were everything they were supposed to be.
Later that afternoon they were back at the hotel. La Mont, Ronnie, and Valentina lounged by the private pool.
“Man, this is the life,” Lamont said.
He was sipping an ice cold fruit juice concoction called a “mocktail.” It even came with a tiny umbrella. He held up the glass.
“Pretty good. Could use a little rum, though.”
“Or vodka,” Valentina said. She was drinking something purple. “I would like to have vodka now. Like real vacation, no?”
Nick and Selena came out of the villa, carrying fruit drinks. Selena draped a towel over a lounge chair and lay down. She adjusted her sunglasses and started applying suntan lotion on her legs.
“I just talked with Harker,” Nick said.
“What’s the word?” Ronnie asked.
“Kezri is at a hotel in Bushehr. A message was sent to her with instructions on the extraction. We’re on hold until she confirms. Once we have that, we go get her.”
“What are her instructions?” Valentina asked.
“Her hotel is on the beach. She’s supposed to go for a walk late in the evening and meet us at a disused pier away from the hotel. Sat photos show that stretch of beach doesn’t see a lot of foot traffic. With a little luck, there won’t be any late-night strollers to deal with. The idea is she walks to the pickup point and waits for us.”
“Sounds simple,” Ronnie said. “That makes me nervous.”
“One thing going for us is no moonlight. It will be dark.”
“It’s never pitch black here,” Lamont said. “There’s stars. The water can turn phosphorescent when it gets stirred up. The zodiac might leave a trail of light behind it.”
“Nothing we can do about that.”
“What if she doesn’t show up?”
“Then we wait to hear from her and do it again if we need to.”
“You see that patrol boat out there today, when we were diving?” Ronnie said.
“Couldn’t miss it.”
“Where we’re going, they’ll all be flying the wrong flag.”
“I’d feel a lot better if we had something heavier than a couple of pistols,” Lamont said.
“Look,” Nick said. “We all know this is a half assed situation. It won’t be the first time we went into something where things could go bad pretty quick. Hood has convinced Harker that getting this woman out is high priority.”
Selena took off her sunglasses and sat up on the edge of her lounge chair.
“I wonder what else is going on here,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“There has to be a reason why Langley and the White House don’t want to have anything to do with this.”
“You don’t think it’s just because they’re making deals with the mullahs?”
“No, I don’t. They been making deals since the day the Shah was overthrown. So what’s different now? Why are they unwilling to help an important scientist defect? She’s got an inside track on what the Iranians are up to. You can’t tell me it’s because the White House is afraid she’ll show up on Tucker Carlson. They could stop that from happening. Kezri knows something, and they don’t want it to get out. That’s what I think.”
“Whoa,” Lamont said. “You think they’re conspiring to keep her in Iran?”
“Call it what you like. Something stinks.”
“In Russia, conspiracy is way of life,” Valentina said.
“Sometimes I think it’s become a way of life in America.”
“If you’re right, we’d better be careful,” Nick said. “Hood is one of the good guys. He wouldn’t be pushing this unless he thought it was necessary. That think tank he started has been making a lot of waves, criticizing White House policies. He has a lot of clout. The current administration hates him.”
“They don’t like us much either,” Lamont said.
“I hate politics,” Ronnie said. “This operation goes south, the shit is going to hit the fan.”
“In Russia, we have saying like this,” Valentina said.
“Everyone has a saying like that.”
Selena put her glasses on again.
“I could be wrong. Maybe it’s just that someone doesn’t want to make waves with Tehran. But my gut says it’s more than that. It feels important to get her out. We need to hear what she has to say.”
Nick’s secure phone signaled. He looked at the display.
“Harker,” he said. “Yes, Director?”
He listened. The call ended.
“It’s confirmed. We’re going tomorrow night.”
“All right. Gives me time to work on my tan,” Lamont said.
“Like you need a tan,” Ronnie said.
“Gotta get my rays.”
“Someone has to stay behind,” Nick said. “If something goes wrong, someone has to contact Harker. Run interference with the authorities and do whatever has to be done. Valentina, will you do it?”
“I would rather go with everyone.”
“It’s important, Val. I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t think so.”
“Then I will do it, Nick. We are team, no?”
That’s right, Nick thought.
Chapter 10
Jahleh looked at her watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. It was twenty minutes after eleven. Her instructions were to wait until eleven thirty, then leave the hotel and walk along the beach to a concrete pier about a half mile away. The structure was in disrepair, seldom used. Newer and better facilities had been built farther up the coast. At night it would be deserted, they’d said.
Her mouth was dry. She found herself clenching and unclenching her fingers. What if something went wrong? What if the Americans didn’t come? At least two thugs had been assigned to watch her. In a room full of academics, they stood out like wolves in a sheep pen. She’d seen two, but there might be more.
Tomorrow was the last day of the conference. Her flight was scheduled to leave on the following morning. If she didn’t get away tonight, there would only be one more chance for them to pick her up. She’d have to go back to Tehran and wait until another opportunity presented itself. For several weeks she’d been altering her research notes, in an attempt to slow down development of the project. So far she’d been successful, but sooner or later they’d discover what she’d been doing.
She had no illusions about what would happen to her then. Fortunately, there were only two or three people in the world who could easily follow her thinking.
She looked again at her watch.
It’s time.
She got up, turned out the light, and pulled a scarf over her head. She’d already scouted out the best way to leave the hotel, a stairway at the end of the hall. Holding her breath, she cracked open her door and peered into the hallway. Hall lights at regular intervals showed no one in sight. She slipped out of her room and made her way to the stairs. Her footsteps made sharp echoes in the stairwell as she descended to the ground floor.
She stepped out into the night, looking right and left. A soft breeze caressed her face with the last of the day’s heat. She followed a path from the hotel to the beach, then turned north and began walking. There was no moon, but the light from the stars was enough to see where she was going. She walked along the beach, a few feet away from where the incoming tide swirled over the sand. Once she thought she heard something behind her. When she turned to look, there was nothing there. It was like being in a bad dream, moving toward an unknown destination, uneasy that something might be following her.
It felt like she’d been walking for a long time. Suddenly a dark shape took form ahead, crossing the beach like a scar. It was the deserted pier where the Americans were supposed to be waiting for her.
No one was there.
She fought a rising sense of panic.
They’re not here. Oh, Allah, they’re not coming!
Then she heard the sound of a boat engine. It sounded like it wasn’t moving fast, but she could still hear it over the noise of the surf. She looked out towards the water and saw a low shape heading toward her.
Lamont cut the engine. Nick and Ronnie jumped into the water and dragged the zodiac up onto the beach. They wore black wetsuits. Selena clambered out of the raft and walked toward the woman standing on the shore. She spoke in Farsi.
“Doctor Kezri?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t be alarmed, Doctor. We’re here to take you to safety.”
“You are American?”
“Yes.”
“Your Farsi is very good. I speak English,” Kezri said.
“That helps,” Nick said.
Sudden light blinded them. An angry voice called out in Farsi.
“Hands up! Do not move!”
Selena tackled Kezri and knocked her down. The others dropped to the sand and began shooting at the lights. The night went black again. Bursts of automatic fire came from the darkness. The flashes made an evil strobe effect, lighting the faces of the men behind the guns. The bullets flew by with sharp, snapping sounds.
The noise was fierce. Selena lay on top of Kezri, protecting her with her body. She felt the air move as bullets passed over her, a gentle hint from the angel of death.
The slide on Nick’s pistol locked back. He ejected the empty magazine and slammed in a new one, racked the slide, aimed. Then he realized that the guns had stopped. Someone up on the beach gave a long, rasping sigh. Then there was only the sound of the surf.
Nick waited a beat. He got to his feet.
“Anyone hit?”
“Not me,” Lamont said.
“I’m good,” Ronnie said.
“Selena?”
Selena got up and helped Kezri to her feet. The Iranian looked dazed. Her dark clothes were covered with sand, where she’d been pressed into the beach by the weight of Selena’s body.
“You okay, Doctor?” Selena asked.
“Yes.”
“We’re good,” she said.
“Ronnie, with me. Selena, get her into the boat.”
They went up the beach, holding pistols ready. Four men in green uniforms, one an officer, lay sprawled on the sand next to a shot up three-quarter ton with a mounted spotlight. They were all dead.
“Take their weapons,” Nick said.
Ronnie picked up one of the guns. “It’s a copy of an MP 5. Gives us an upgrade if we run into more trouble.”
“Let’s boogie before somebody else shows up.”
The others were already on board when they got back. Nick handed the guns over to Selena. He and Ronnie pushed the raft away from the beach and climbed in. Lamont started the engine and they backed away, then headed toward Kuwait.
The raft was sluggish.
“One of the compartments got holed,” Lamont said. “Gonna slow us down.”
“At least the wake isn’t as obvious,” Nick said.
“Let’s hope they didn’t radio for help.”
“I don’t think they expected a fight,” Selena said. “We were supposed to give up.”
“Thank you for not giving up,” Kezri said.
Nick nodded.
“You’re welcome.”
“How did they know where we’d be?” Selena said.
“I don’t know,” Nick said. “We’ll figure it out later.”
“There were two men watching me during the conference,” Kezri said.
“Were they wearing uniforms?”
“No.”
“Maybe they saw you leave the hotel.”
“That wouldn’t tell them where she was going,” Ronnie said. “They were waiting for us.”
“There could be a leak. Maybe our KSS buddy in Kuwait?”
“Maybe.”
“Shit,” Lamont said.
He pointed over Nick’s shoulder. In the distance, a low, rakish boat cut through the water. As they watched, a big spotlight came on. It began sweeping the waves.
“Patrol boat,” Nick said. “Everyone down.”
Lamont cut the engine. They drifted, watching the patrol boat.
“What if they see us?” Ronnie asked.
“Excuse me,” Kezri said. “If I am captured, I will be tortured and executed. They will call you spies and do the same to you. You must believe me when I tell you this.”
“She’s right,” Selena said. “Nick, we have to fight them if they spot us.”
“Bad odds,” Lamont said.
“Ronnie?” Nick said. “What do you think?”
“I don’t fancy sitting in an Iranian jail waiting for them to cut off my head.”
