"But the police are not the only ones who want to talk to you," Tanner said. He opened the folder and pulled out a photo. "Does he look familiar?"
Hassan leaned forward, eyeballed the photo and went rigid. "Y-you're bluffing!"
Tanner smiled. He knew full well that Hassan was perfectly capable of keeping his emotions in check. For this photo to elicit such unmasked sentiment from the hardened criminal could only mean one thing.
"Colonel Rezael scares the shit out of you, doesn’t he?”
The room remained silent until Stephen added, “He and a dozen of his men landed in Capetown this morning. They're out there right now, looking for you."
Hassan shook his head, struggling to regain his composure. "I don't believe you."
"Rezael's here to find out what happened to his cargo, and thanks to you, you're the only person alive who can tell him."
"He'll kill me!"
"Probably," Tanner said. "But if you don't tell us what we want to know right now, we're going to drop you off in one of the worse neighborhoods in Capetown, then take bets on who gets to you first after we make calls to the police and Colonel Rezael."
Hassan’s eyes bulged from their sockets. "What happens if I do tell you everything?"
"Then we drop you off in a better neighborhood, wait twelve hours before calling the police and Rezael. What happens to you after that I don't give a damn about. But you’d at least have a chance."
"We could shoot him once in the leg for every answer we don't like before we let him go," Liam suggested.
"Or we could give him a hundred rand for every helpful answer he gives us," Stephen said. "I don't think his normal revenue sources are open to him."
"That sound fair to you, Kamal?" Tanner asked.
"I don't trust you.”
"The feeling is mutual," Tanner said. "But I dare say that's a better deal then you'll get from Rezael or the police."
"It's not that simple," Hassan said. "If I betray these people, they will kill me. Maybe not today, not next week, but they will."
"I agree you don't have too many good choices," Liam said. "You can end up going to the police and spend years in prison, you can suffer ‘enhanced interrogation’ at the hands of Rezael and his fanatics… Your associates will kill you if you talk…As far as I can see, we're the only people giving you any chance to escape."
"Some chance.” At last, Hassan’s voice held a tone of defeat. Tanner seized the moment.
"You're a businessman. Which is the best deal?" A beat, then, "We'll give you a few minutes to think about it. Meanwhile, Rezael’s people are no doubt spreading through the city, turning more and more of your contacts against you, offering them tempting rewards for information…"
Tanner turned toward the stairs, but Hassan's sharp, "Wait!" stopped him.
"Made up your mind?"
"I will take your deal, with a couple of conditions. First, I choose which neighborhood I get dropped off in, and second, I want a quarter of a million American dollars in unmarked, non-sequential bills."
"No problem with the first one. The second may be more difficult, but I’ll see what I can do."
"When I get the money, I will tell you anything you want to know."
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The sound of a low-flying helicopter woke Saleh Narsai from a light sleep. He sat up, his eyelids feeling like someone had put weights on them, his mouth was dry, and his head was pounding. It was only when he swung his feet over the edge of his bunk that the early morning light registered on his weary eyes. Slipping his feet into his shoes, he stood, grabbed his pistol from the bunk and left his cabin.
As he climbed the stairs to the bridge, he glanced at his watch and saw that he'd gotten about four hours of sleep. Rubbing the grit from his eyes, he walked onto the bridge and asked what was going on.
"The colonel's back," said the helmsman on duty. He motioned to the coastline. "He's just landing."
Narsai squinted at the coast in time to see the blocky shape of an MIL MI-2 helicopter landing on the cliffs overlooking the beach. He inhaled deeply.
"I'm going to get something to eat. Notify me when the colonel's boat is approaching the ship."
"Will do, sir."
Narsai went down into the galley and piled some food on a plate. He took a mug of coffee and found a place to sit. While he ate, he mentally reviewed the current state of the operation. The first launcher was nearly ready, while the second was a few hours behind schedule. As for the missiles and the warheads, Dr. Masood had assured him that both would be ready by the time the launchers were completed.
Narsai was finishing his meal when the intercom rattled with the helmsman’s voice. "Captain requested to the deck, boat arriving."
By the time Narsai got topside, Colonel Riyad had climbed onboard with his bodyguard and a couple of Yabaal's men.
Narsai saluted the Colonel. "Welcome back sir.”
"Thank you Saleh. Any problems?"
"No sir, we are ready—"
He cut himself short when Yabaal climbed aboard. The Somali leader glared at Narsai before addressing Rezael. "We shall continue our discussion," he demanded, his tone hostile.
Riyad shot Yabaal a cold look. "The job is not finished.”
"I need those weapons now," Yabaal pressed. "A third of my army lacks sufficient firepower, and there are reports that Abada's men are on the move."
"Abada?" Narsai asked.
"Another warlord," Riyad said. "One that doesn't like the General here. When will Abada's force be here?"
"Two, three days," Yabaal replied.
Riyad studied his ally for a few seconds. "Done. I will talk to Captain Kashgari about unloading the weapons. Bring your men here in a couple of hours."
Yabaal smiled at Riyad, then turned and shouted at his bodyguards. They started back down the down the ladder to their boat. Narsai leaned over the side and watched the Somalis and their leader head for shore.
Once they were away from the ship, Narsai looked at his colonel with a troubled expression.
"Is something wrong?" Riyad asked.
"Sir, is it wise to give those weapons to a man like that?"
"In the long run? No. But after we leave, he'll be someone else's problem. Right now, we still need his men for cover."
Narsai remained unconvinced. "What's going to stop him from trying to take over this ship? You know he's greedy."
"Why would he do that?" Riyad motioned around him. "This ship is no good to him. It’s just a big fat target that he can't use. You allowed him to plunder all the containers in the central hold, correct?"
"Yes sir. He got a king's ransom out of those containers."
"And he'll try to negotiate with whoever is now in charge of SeaStar for those hostages the company thinks they have."
Riyad looked toward shore. "Besides, I'm going to give Yabaal the weapons here, and at the same time, send the ammo ashore. I will keep my end of the bargain." He glanced at his watch. "How close is Dr. Masood to completing his work?"
"The launchers will be finished by this evening. The launch panel is set up in the Second Mate's cabin and is being tested by Masood's team. He assures me that will also be ready this evening. He says once we're underway, he can have both missiles ready for launch in two to three hours."
Riyad smiled. "If everything stays on schedule, I want you underway within thirty-six hours."
"Of course, sir."
Riyad headed for the bridge door. "I need to see Captain Kashgari and have him start unloading the weapons. I'll be back before Yabaal shows up again."
"Sir? What about the Americans Ilshu reported in South Africa?"
Riyad scowled. "They are of no concern to us. Hassan is watching them, assuming he hasn't killed them already."
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE