“Been a long time since I’ve been in a cave,” Sean said. “Not sure when I’ll get to do that again in the future, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“Not me,” Emily cut in. “Going underground is not my sort of thing. But you two boys enjoy your catch-up time together. Fitz, you coming back with me?”
“I’ve gotta get my gear from the camp, but I’ll be reporting back to Axis as soon as all that’s cleaned up.” He turned to Tommy and Sean. “Carpool?”
The two friends laughed. “Yeah, that’s fine.”
“I need to get my things from the camp too,” Emily said, realizing her gear bag was still there. “I guess I’ll ride back with you guys and help Fitz get his stuff back to the airport.”
“Aww, thanks, Agent Starks,” Fitz said in a sarcastic tone.
The ride back to camp was quiet for the most part. The Americans had rented an SUV from the airport and on the long ride chose to just look out the windows quietly and enjoy the scenery. Exhaustion had set in by the time they reached the camp, and with the arrival of darkness the group said their goodnights and settled in for some rest.
The next morning, with everything packed in the SUV, Emily and Fitz said their goodbyes, leaving Sean and Tommy alone in the makeshift dwelling.
“All’s well that ends well,” Tommy said as they watched the other two agents drive away.
“I really hate it when you say stuff like that.” Sean didn’t look at his friend as he spoke.
Tommy frowned. “Why do you say that?”
“I dunno,” Sean said with a shrug. “Just a weird feeling, I guess.”
“About?”
“This whole scenario. Toli, how we took him down, how we stopped the missiles from leaving the country. Something about all of it doesn’t seem right. Like it was too easy.”
“Easy?” Tommy laughed. “Buddy, nothing about any of that was easy. We almost got killed at least twice. And I’d say you probably three or four times.”
“Yeah, I know. Maybe I’m just paranoid or superstitious. I can’t put my finger on it, but something’s off. I hope I’m wrong. But when you said what you did about it all ending well, I got this sick feeling in my stomach, like when a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter and someone on the bench mentions it. It’s bad luck.”
The SUV disappeared around a bend of tall grass, kicking up a cloud of dust as it rolled away.
“First of all, I don’t believe in jinxes. And secondly, if you were so worried, why’d you let those two leave? I mean, if there’s something you need to investigate, they should have stuck around with you.”
“No,” Sean shook his head. “It’s probably nothing. Like you said, Toli is dead, and the missiles are being confiscated. I’ll be fine. Let’s take a look at that temple you were telling me about. All the time I spent studying history in college, I never really got to get out and see that sort of thing in person as much as I’d like to.”
“Well, my friend. You’re in for a treat. Follow me.”
18
“What do you mean the shipment was lost?” Khalif roared in spite of a considerable effort to stay calm. “Find it!”
Ahmed cleared his throat and lowered his head for a second. He’d been afraid to deliver the bad news but also knew if he didn’t do it immediately, his employer would be even angrier at him for waiting.
“It’s not lost like that, sir. The Americans… they’ve taken possession of the shipment.”
Khalif turned around and walked over to the window. The sun was rising into a clear sky to the east. A gentle breeze brushed across his robes. He put his hands on the railing and took a long, deep breath. Then he sighed and turned around slowly, putting his hands behind his back.
“Get me the American senator,” he said.
“Right away, sir.” Ahmed bowed but hesitated to leave. “Also, we have confirmation that Toli is dead. Apparently he was killed by an American strike force.”
Khalif cocked his head to the side. The loss of Toli didn’t pull on his heart strings, but it did present a problem. He needed answers.
A moment later, Ahmed handed the phone to Khalif.
“This better be good, Omar. Do you have any idea what time it is over here?” The senator was beyond annoyed at the middle-of-the-night call.
Khalif paced back and forth in front of the balcony. “Why am I hearing about a special forces unit killing Toli?”
“Now hold on just a second. We told your boy they were coming. Toli knew all about it. Last we heard, the unit sent to take him out had been captured. We were going to work out a deal with him. You’re telling me he’s dead?”
“Don’t play stupid with me, Harold. You had to know what was going on.”
“Look, Omar, I’m telling you, I’ve kept my hands out of this one as much as possible. If Toli couldn’t handle his business when we were basically handing it to him, that’s not on us.”
Khalif stopped pacing and looked out over the city. The smells of spices, garlic, onions, and bread began wafting through the district.
“Toli’s death is of no consequence to me, Harold. What bothers me is the incident that happened in Dar es Salaam.”
“What incident?”
Khalif fought to keep calm. “Five of my boats were taken by American and Tanzanian forces. The shipments were confiscated by your Navy. I want to know why. And don’t tell me this is the first you’re hearing about it. You’re a senator of the United States. You hear everything.”
The senator sighed. “Yes, I heard about your little problem at the shipyard.”
“My problem?” Khalif’s temper took over. “It is not just my problem, Harold! I have reports from some of the men that there were Americans sighted on the premises when the ships were attacked. I want to know who they are and why.”
“Okay, first of all, you need to calm down. Yes, I heard about the Navy confiscating the missiles. But I swear to you, I didn’t know anything about an operation to go after your shipments.”
“Lies!”
“Hold on, now. Why in the world would I go through all the trouble of helping you get those weapons just to turn around and take them back from you? Huh? Doesn’t make any sense.”
He was right. It didn’t make any sense. That was probably what bothered Khalif the most about the whole scenario. There was a possibility. “Perhaps you thought you could sell me those weapons and then take them from me so I would have to buy more. Is that your game?”
The senator laughed. “Now you’re just looking for a conspiracy, Omar. You know I wouldn’t double-cross you. We both have too much to lose.”
“Indeed.”
“Yeah. So before you go making accusations, maybe you’d like to know just who you’re dealing with.”
“Yes,” Khalif said, “I would like to know very much who these miscreants are.”
“We have an agency here that operates outside of my knowledge on occasion. I’ve never actually liked the idea of it because they could go rogue, which is what I believe happened in the case of your shipments. I don’t know which agents were involved, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was someone from that group. I already confirmed that CIA wasn’t involved. They told me they had nothing to do with it. And I believe them.”
The information was helpful but incomplete. Khalif wanted names. He also knew he would never get that intel from the man on the other end of the line. “I wonder if these agents of yours are still in Tanzania. If they try to interfere further with my affairs, they will be killed on sight.”
“I have no idea if they’re still around or not. Most likely, they came home and are debriefing. But just to be safe, make sure your men are on alert at all times. The last thing I need is someone to stumble on your little operation and find American missiles in the hands of the Pakistani military.”