The Innocent

Chapter





98


TALAL FACED ROBIE. The interior lights had automatically come on, because it had grown dark outside. Robie could hear the rain pinging off the metal roof of the hangar. The large windows on the upper levels of its side walls revealed moisture-laden clouds.

Talal came to a stop about ten feet from Robie. He wore not robes but a stylish three-piece suit that somehow managed to make his portly form look sleeker.

“You look slimmer than your body double, Talal,” said Robie. “Not quite as fat, at least.”

“You will refer to me as Prince Talal.”

“Where are Vance and Julie, Prince Talal?”

Talal nodded and the two women were led out of a far corner of the hangar. Vance’s face was purple and black. She walked stiffly, as though every step was killing her. Julie had two swollen eyes, she carried her right arm at an awkward angle, and her left leg dragged a little. Their condition made Robie’s anger rise, but he willed himself to remain calm. He would need it for what was coming.

When they drew near to Talal he casually snapped his fingers and the men accompanying the two women pulled them to a stop.

“I’m sorry for all this,” said Robie, looking first at Vance and then at Julie.

They stared back at him without speaking.

Robie turned to Talal. “But at least the only one who died was your person. The president is safe.”

“The only one to die just yet,” said Talal. He smiled. “But you knew her, didn’t you? You knew her quite intimately if the photos are any indication.”

Vance said sharply, “What photos?”

“I know it was a game to you, Talal,” said Robie. “But it’s never been a game to me.”

Talal wagged a finger at Robie. “I could possibly excuse you for trying to kill me. I could perhaps excuse you for thwarting my plans to assassinate men who would lead the world to disaster. But I cannot excuse you for disrespecting me. My name is Prince Talal.”

The blow hit Robie from behind, knocking him to the floor. He rose slowly, his ribs aching. He looked at the man who had struck him. Abdullah was the biggest one of them all, and the look on his face was the fiercest.

“My friend here, Abdullah, also does not like your disrespect.”

Abdullah bowed slightly in Talal’s direction and then spat at Robie.

“Yeah,” said Robie. “I can tell.” He looked at Vance and Julie. “But now you have me and you can let them go.”

“As soon as you came here, as soon as your foot touched dirt in Tangier, you knew that was not possible.”

“It’s why I came. I expect you to honor our agreement. Me for them.”

“Then you are an idiot.”

“You don’t keep your word?” Robie looked at the others. “So how can they trust you, Talal? You tell them one thing and do another. Leader doesn’t keep his word, then what’s he worth? Nothing. He’s worth nothing.”

Talal was unfazed by this. And his men did not seem to even understand what Robie was saying.

“You might try explaining that to them in Farsi, Dari, Pashto, and the old reliable Arabic, but I doubt their opinion of me would change. They do what they do because I pay them far more than they would earn elsewhere.”

Robie said, “I’m going to offer you a chance to surrender. I’m only going to offer it once. After that it will be withdrawn and it won’t be offered again.”

Talal smiled. “You want all of us to surrender to you?”

“Not just to me.”

“Who, then? You were not followed here. We know that for a fact.”

“You’re right. I wasn’t followed here.”

Talal blinked and then looked around. “You speak gibberish. I expected better from you. You are obviously paralyzed with fear.”

“Trust me, it would take a lot more than your fat ass to make me afraid.” Before Talal could respond, Robie added, “I’m just making the offer. It’s up to you to take it or not. Do you refuse?”

“What I think I will do is watch all three of you die, right now.”

“I’ll take that as a no,” said Robie.

“Abdullah, kill him,” said Talal.

Abdullah drew two guns. It only took a moment, but he flipped one pistol to Robie, who used it to shoot three of the men closest to him, including the young man who had first met him. The bullet wound joined the knife wound on his neck as his life ended.

Abdullah fired twice, killing two other guards.

When the other men drew their weapons, Robie emptied his mag at them, grabbed Vance and Julie, and pulled them behind the front landing gear of the jet.

“Cover your ears,” said Robie to them.

“What?” said Vance.

“Just do it. Now.”

“Abdullah!” he shouted and the big man threw himself to the side and slid behind the van.

An instant later the right-side window of the hangar blew open, shattered by massive rounds from a thirty-millimeter chain gun. Next, rifle rounds fired through this opening slammed into the remaining guards. The shots were fired so fast and with such spot-on accuracy that the men had no chance even to fire back. One by one they dropped until the only one left standing was Talal. When two more men appeared at the door of the jet, they were immediately shot. Their bodies fell to the floor, making dull thunks on the cement.

Outside the window the chopper hovered, its thirty-mil chain gun mounted between the front landing gears now silent. It was a stealth aircraft. And the rain had covered any sounds it had made. Until the chain gun had opened up, that is. There were few things on earth that could cover the noise a thirty-mil made.

Shane Connors slid his self-loading sniper rifle off the metal support and kissed the hot barrel, his longtime ritual. He gave Robie a salute from the chopper and then signaled to the pilot. The chopper slowly moved off.

Robie came out from behind the landing gear and approached Talal. Abdullah rose from behind the van and joined him.

Talal gazed at Abdullah in disbelief. “You betrayed me?”

“How do you think we got on to you in the first place, Talal?” said Robie. “And if you can buy off our people, we can buy off yours.”

Robie lifted his gun. Talal stared at him. “So you kill me now?”

“No. It’s out of my hands. I’m sorry.”

“You’re apologizing for not killing me?” Talal said slowly.

The hangar door opened and a gold SUV pulled in. Inside were five men, all in robes. All armed. They got out of the car, lifted Talal up, and carried him to the vehicle. He screamed and tried to break free, but he was a man of little muscle and he soon gave up.

“You’re going back to Saudi Arabia, Talal,” said Robie. “The Americans have officially turned you over to your countrymen. I think you would have preferred the bullet.”

The SUV drove off and Robie beckoned to Vance and Julie.

“There’s a chopper outside that will take us to our ride home,” he said quietly. “And there’s a medical crew on board.”

Vance and Julie crept out from behind the landing gear.

Vance hugged him and said, “I don’t know how you managed all this, Robie. But I’m sure as hell glad you did.”

Julie looked at the departing truck and said, “What will they do to him?”

“There’s no reason for you to waste a second of your life thinking about it.”

“Why did he kill my mom and dad?”

“I promise you that once we make sure you and Agent Vance are okay, and we put a few miles between us and this place and get some food in both your stomachs, I will answer all your questions, okay?”

“Okay, Will,” said Julie.

Robie put one supporting arm around Vance and held his other out to Julie, who took it. They walked over to the waiting helicopter, which had set down in front of the hangar. Within the hour they would be winging their way home.

After that, Robie didn’t know. He just didn’t care to look that far ahead anymore.