Carrie got closer to Justin. “Nathan is interrogating Al-Khaiwani. I looked at the printouts, the evidence he’s giving us. E-mail exchanges, bank transfers, phone transcripts. At first glance, they look authentic.” She paused and let out a deep sigh of disappointment. Then she added, “But we still need to confirm them.”
Justin stared deep into her eyes. “You really don’t think Johnson is capable of treason?”
“Everyone is capable of great evil. And yes, she has a very good motive to target you. She used to be a woman of great power, control, authority. You stripped her of all of that.”
Justin nodded. “She brought it on herself. But yes, she has the motive and the means. She planted the software right before she left the Service, and she kept track of my moves ever since. She decided to wait for a while before striking, so that it’s harder for us to make the connection. And she gave or sold this intel to the highest bidder, and someone who could take care of her problem.”
“The records seem to indicate she sold it. But we’ve got to look into this at length. With a cool mind. Before we make a rush decision.”
Justin shrugged, then offered her a grin. “No rush decisions, and I’m keeping my cool. I have to take care of some urgent matters before I can turn my full attention to Johnson.”
Before Justin could say anything else, Eliakim and Yuliya came out of the warehouse, followed by Mossad agents. They had put Hamidi in handcuffs. Eliakim spoke to Yuliya for a few seconds. Carrie could not hear their exchange, but Eliakim’s facial expression told Carrie he was not pleased at all. He was frowning, biting his lower lip and shaking his head. Yuliya’s gestures made her intentions very clear. She wanted Hamidi’s head right there and then. Finally, Eliakim raised his hands in surrender and walked away. Yuliya grabbed Hamidi by his left arm, then called out to Daniel. They began to drag a screaming and kicking Hamidi to the back of the warehouse.
Eliakim walked to Carrie and Justin. “They’re executing some Russian justice.” He jerked his thumb behind his back.
Hamidi’s screams had all but disappeared. He must have realized and accepted his fate.
“Disappointed?” Justin asked.
“Not much. We wanted him dead or alive. Preferably dead.”
Carrie winked at Eliakim. “So that scene was for her to owe you a favor?”
Eliakim grinned. “Exactly.”
A high-pitched scream came from behind the warehouse, followed by a gunshot, followed by more screaming.
“What’s the damage to your choppers?” asked Justin.
“The first one’s toast. An RPG clipped it well, and the crash totaled it. The second one took heavy gunfire — some of which came from your own AK, if I may say.”
Justin face tightened, and so did his fists. “You may say that. One of your gunners did this to me.” He showed Eliakim his left arm. Yuliya had wrapped a piece of cloth from her shirt over his deep cut. “And one of your bullets almost blew up my head.”
Eliakim nodded. “Friendly fire. I’m glad you’re not hurt too badly. I’ll have one of my agents nurse that wound.”
As close to an apology as he will come, Carrie thought. She knew Justin would accept it.
Justin’s muscles relaxed. “It would be appreciated.”
“The least I can do. Unfortunately, I can’t take any of you in the helo. It will be a tight squeeze even for my own men.”
Justin smiled, while Eliakim gestured toward one of the men. He ordered him in Hebrew and the man ran toward the helicopters.
“I was actually thinking of giving a ride to your wounded men,” Justin said.
“Huh? You’ve got a ride?” Eliakim asked.
“Yeah, two.”
Carrie stared suspiciously at Justin, trying to read him. Justin’s face was calm, and she could not recognize any giveaway signs of bluffing. He had mastered the art of poker face.
“I’m not talking about jeeps or trucks,” Eliakim said.
“Neither am I. Two choppers, which should be here in half an hour or so. I’ve already make the call.”
“We can’t trust the Yemeni government.”
Justin shook his head. “They’re not Yemeni. They’re coming from up north. Najran.” He pointed over the hills.
Eliakim blinked in disbelief. “Saudis? You’re suggesting Mossad assassins climb aboard Saudi helos?”
“It’s your call, but I guarantee you no one will touch a single hair on their heads. They’ll get medical treatment faster and not die along the road.”
Eliakim seemed to think about Justin’s offer. “You have that kind of pull with the Saudis?”
Justin nodded. “One of their princes owes me a favor.”
Carrie smiled. Yes, that’s true. No bluffing.
Eliakim grinned. “Now I’ll owe you a favor.”
“You will. But your pilot will live. That should be worth your trouble.”
“All right. But I’m also sending one or two men to accompany the wounded.”
“Wise decision. Where’s your warship?”
“What?”
Justin frowned. “Give me some credit, Eliakim. You didn’t fly in those choppers all the way from Israel, did you? And of course you didn’t come from Saudi Arabia. So you have a warship either in the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden.”
“You’re right. Our corvette is in the Red Sea.”
“Well, Najran is much closer.”
Eliakim nodded. “I’ll brief my crew. Then, we’ll set up charges to blow up this place.” He walked toward the helicopters.
Justin looked back at the warehouse. Two Mossad agents were busy carrying boxes and other items to their helicopters. Nathan was guarding Al-Khaiwani.
“They’re taking all the intel,” he said.
“We’ll get it from them later,” Carrie replied. “Eliakim owes you a favor.”
“I wouldn’t call that a favor. This was my operation before it was theirs.”
A couple of gunshots, followed by bone-chilling screams, cut through the air. Hamidi was not giving up his secrets, at least not right away.
“Your comrades are brutal,” Carrie said.
“They are. But their methods of extracting intel prove to be efficient.”
“I don’t think intelligence is all their extracting back there.”
Another gunshot. Another scream.
Carrie shook her head.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them. And Yuliya has an account to settle with that man. He killed her boyfriend.”
Carrie peered deep into his eyes. “You obviously like her.”
“I do. She’s a great operative. Smart. Fearless.”
“Pretty.”
Justin grinned. “I haven’t noticed.”
“Justin, I’m messing with you. I know you only have eyes for Anna.” She tapped him on his left arm with her fist. “So, Saudi Arabia, eh?”
“I couldn’t trust the Yemenis, and Romanov’s exit plan seemed too good to be true.”
“What was his plan?”
“One of the tribes brought us safely here, and they were going to be our exfil as well. Romanov put together a larger team, but we were ambushed in Sana’a. With no backup from McClain, the Saudis were the only remaining option.”
“It was the right move. Let me guess, Prince Fouad bin Al-Farhan.”
“Correct. He has the power to dispatch two Black Hawks to northern Yemen at short notice. After we saved his nephew, he feels he’s still indebted to me.”
“He is. By the way, how’s his nephew doing?”
“For a little boy, pretty well. Still has nightmares about what happened on the airplane, but overall, he’s good. At least, that’s what Al-Farhan told me.”