“Fernando would already be dead if Nick thought he wasn’t broken. Nick kept him alive here in the house,” I answered for Lynn. “I don’t blame you for being careful. You know what happened to that rogue NSA boss, Frank Richert.”
“Yeah. I do. I’ll take Fernando with me when I leave. Did Nick get what he wanted off of Al-Kadi’s computers?”
“Jafar, Johnny, and Clint worked to redact anything we didn’t want given to Al-Saud. The rest they doctored and gave to Nick. If we’re clear then, we’ll take Al-Kadi and go, Denny.”
“This is a beautiful place. Once we get a nice landing zone built, this could turn into a regular weekend retreat.”
“Our thoughts exactly,” I agreed. “We’ve never dumped this many bodies on you, Den. How tough is this situation?”
“They ain’t getting Muslim burial rites if that’s what you’re askin’,” Denny joked. “They’ll be lucky if we don’t cremate them in pig fat.”
“That’s very civilized of you, Den.”
“It’s a better fate than what they did to Ambassador Stevens in Benghazi. We don’t ever forgive and forget about that travesty.”
“We won’t. We’ll chalk up a bunch more notches on this op and move on to the next. Maybe we’ll get enough shit off those computers, coupled with the sheer number of soldiers in this Isis training compound, to finally get the idiots in DC to stop importing them.”
“I’m not that progressive in thought,” Denny sarcastically pointed out. “Seriously. This op might make the difference. If we could report this incident in its entirety, I think there would be a day of reckoning for Islam. If I hear one more word about moderate Muslims, I’m going to puke.”
“Hey, the cleaning crew’s picking up a whole bunch of moderates as we speak,” Lynn pointed out.
Chapter Twelve
Kader Finality
Nick relaxed in their suite at the Trump Soho Duplex Penthouse with Gus, Johnny, and Samira. He normally would have done everything differently, but this way Nick knew he could find a way to get Eliah Kader under the radar. His crew sharing the straight through drive helped considerably. Gus rented the Penthouse under his name. They would enjoy a couple of days comfort while Nick worked through the information gathered from the flash drive Ishmael Kader’s wife had given him. Nick planned to hit this nail with a hammer rather than his usual detailed operation.
“You’re really serious about this, Muerto?”
“It’s the best solution, Gus. Think about it. We can make Eliah disappear with us and take our time questioning him on the road back home. I don’t want to do a hit here in New York. A missing person works much better for us. If I manage to take Eliah in secret, no one will be in any rush to look for him. We know his address. The old prick lives in a one bedroom condo on East 85th.”
“Let me go in with Cala,” Johnny said.
“No! Let me do this with Muerto.” Cala hugged Johnny sitting next to her. “We will get this man I am related to in blood only. Seeing he has me, we can gain entrance. I will sell my part at the door. I will wear a hijab so he can see fear on my face. Muerto has a rough black gray beard. With ball cap and hoodie and speaking Arabic, he will be perfect as my deliverer from Al-Kadi. The letter Tonto made Al-Kadi write will get us inside for sure.”
“Cala’s right,” Nick agreed. “Not this time, Johnny. We have to keep you on the down low for the time being. We’ve worked the Ebi Zarin identity too many times lately. I don’t even want to do this with Cala but with the letter and my disguise, all will be well. I will not let harm come to the Cleaner, but I leave the final decision to you, brother. If you have any reservations we’ll find another way.”
“I want this, husband,” Cala added.
Johnny nodded. “It will be as you wish. I trust Muerto. Payaso and I will be ready with the trunk open for my in-law to ride in. Those satellite feeds Paul tied us into show Eliah moving around with two other men in suits and beards. They look like pros. That is a tight fit in a one bedroom walk-up condo. They are undoubtedly not fine law abiding citizens.”
“If they stay with him when Cala and I visit, that will work out well for my plan. I will call Lynn a half hour before we knock on the door. She told me Al-Kadi would be ready to receive calls if need be from Eliah.”
“That will make your door greeting nearly foolproof with Cala acting unhappily,” Gus said. “I wish we could chance having a cam on you, Cala. They will be very surprised when you faint to the floor. Muerto has pulled that prank before. All eyes will be on you a split second before they gain a .45 caliber created third eye.”