“Yes sir,” McNamara said. “But if it is al Humat, we’re talking about hitting Gaza. And we know the quagmire Israel waded into when it—”
“If it is al Humat,” Nunn said, before pausing, “if that’s where they’re located, if that’s where this Sahmoud character is located, that’s what we’ll go after. You have a problem with that?”
“No sir.”
“Good. We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes. If it comes. For now, we operate defensively.” Nunn glanced around, a cursory acknowledgment of the attendees, then said, “Thank you all for your diligence. Keep my office apprised of any developments.”
Vail rose from her chair, confused over the president’s passive posture regarding al Humat. After the next attack — wherever and whenever that was — he would have to alter his approach. Unfortunately, she had a feeling that time would come sooner rather than later.
15
As they filed out of the conference room, Knox pulled Uzi, Vail, and DeSantos aside.
“I know we’ve opened this thing up,” he said as he led them down an empty corridor. There were numerous doors with biometric locks, but all were closed and no one was within earshot. “You’ll be working this case on two levels: first, as terrorism task force members. Second, as off-book OPSIG operators.”
“How can we do that?” Vail asked.
Knox nodded, as if acknowledging the issue. “I didn’t say it was going to be easy. I just said this is how you’re going to operate. You’ll know when you have to change hats.”
Change hats?
“Hector will guide you. He’s adept at navigating the world of covert ops.”
They turned to DeSantos, whose face was impassive.
“Hot Rod will be providing support and join you when necessary. But I want this to be a four-man team and Fahad will be your fourth team member.”
Uzi’s Adam’s apple rose and fell conspicuously.
Hold it together, Uzi.
Knox stuck his chin out and studied Uzi’s face. “Can you do that?”
Uzi swallowed again. A fine line of perspiration had broken out across his forehead. Knox had spent his career reading — and manipulating — people. Surely he was aware of how this would affect Uzi. Was he purposely spiting Uzi for some reason? Or did he truly feel Fahad would be an important contributor to the team?
In her dealings with Knox, he never struck her as the type of individual who would jeopardize an operator’s mission with petty maneuvers. He was calculating and shadowy and powerful and his motives were not always clear, but he was very bright and he understood human nature. The trust he built was based on mutual trust.
Or fear and leverage.
Uzi took a breath and shrugged. “Yes sir. No worries.”
Knox studied his face with a squinty eye. “Well, there will be worries. But if you tell me you can manage this, I’ll take you at your word.”
With that, he turned and left them standing in the corridor.
Vail walked with Uzi and DeSantos out to Uzi’s car. As soon as the doors closed, Uzi’s gaze settled on Mahmoud El-Fahad as he exited the NCTC.
“Boychick, you really have to learn to play well with others.”
“Do I have to remind you that my wife and daughter were murdered by a Palestinian?”
“A Palestinian terrorist, Uzi,” Vail said. “You have to make the distinction.”
“I know.” He grasped the back of his neck. “I know. But …”
“When you lived in Israel, did you have any Palestinian friends?”
The question seemed to jolt Uzi. He sat up straight. “Of course. Good, hardworking people who just wanted to live their lives. Pawns in a political chess match.”
Vail lifted her brow. “Then what’s the problem?”
Uzi looked out the window and watched as Fahad shook hands with Douglas Knox. “Palestinians are indoctrinated at a young age. Some of it’s subtle, some of it’s blatant — like their school textbooks. Filled with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric, denying Israel’s right to exist, presenting the Israeli/Palestinian conflict as a religious battle for Islam — a jihad for Allah, a struggle between Muslims and their enemies. Not to mention the oldie but goodie: the Holocaust never happened.”
“Not a recipe for a peaceful coexistence,” DeSantos said. “I’ll give you that.”
“That’s not the point. I mean, it is — but this stuff, it’s very powerful when you’re fed this bullshit at a young age. Look at ISIL — they’ve done it on a mass scale and turned normal youths into violent, brainwashed jihadists that chop off innocent people’s heads. It’s a very powerful tactic, imprinted in the brain, incorporated into your belief system, your moral base.”
“Of course,” Vail said. She could tell Uzi was struggling with this. There was something he wanted to say, but he could not bring himself to come out with it. “But that’s got nothing to do with this mission.”
Uzi craned his neck back and stared at the car’s ceiling. “Fahad is the right age to have been brainwashed by that crap. He grew up under Arafat’s rule. The textbooks are a little better now — which is to say they were that much worse back then. How — how can I trust Fahad? On a mission like this, it’s all about trust. You have to be able to rely on your colleagues implicitly. You can’t be charging ahead on a frontal assault while also watching your back. That’s what your team members do.” He turned to DeSantos. “Santa, tell her.”
“She knows. We went through this in London.”
Vail leaned away and appraised Uzi. “You should’ve told Knox you’ve got a problem.”
“Knox? He knows all this. And yet he put Fahad on our team.”
“So then he’s convinced Fahad won’t be a problem.”
“Or his skill set and knowledge are so important that he’s willing to take the risk. Positives outweigh the negatives.”
“Let Hector bring it up. Knox trusts him.”
“Happy to do it,” DeSantos said.
Uzi chuckled. “Not sure Knox trusts anyone. You know?”
Vail placed a hand on Uzi’s shoulder. “No. Just the opposite. I think he trusts us implicitly. He may not give you that impression, but deep down, I really think he does.”
“He’s got our backs,” DeSantos said. “But you haven’t known him as long as I have. Even if you’re not sold on the trust question, you know he cares deeply about his baby. He created OPSIG.”
“Hector’s his best operative,” Vail said. “He wouldn’t be reckless in risking his life if he had doubts about Fahad.”
“You think he considers me his best operative?”
Vail elbowed him in the side.
Uzi took a deep, uneven breath. “Okay. But just remember that even the great Douglas Knox isn’t perfect. He makes mistakes like the rest of us.”
“And if he’s wrong about Fahad …” DeSantos shrugged. “Well, we’ll just have to fix it.”
16
Uzi walked into his office and found Hoshi at her desk, an Excel document crammed with tips, thoughts, and suppositions plastered across her spacious LCD screen.
“How’s it going?”
Hoshi leaned back and appraised her spreadsheet. “We’ve got a lot of busy work going on. Not sure any of it will lead anywhere.”
“So a typical day at the office.”
“A typical day following a terrorist suicide attack. Yeah.”
He glanced around, determined no one was nearby, and said, “I want you to check something out for me. Discreetly. Shep can’t know.”