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“No, we don’t. We are done. We have the money and we are retiring.”

“No.” He shook his head emphatically. “We go back and finish the job.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

“The right thing to do,” she mocked him. “Don’t you think it’s a little late for that?”

“What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You killed an innocent woman, and now you’re talking about doing the right thing.” Her brow furrowed and she began shaking her head. “Have you really become so sick that you believe yourself noble…that right or wrong has anything to do with this?” She lowered her voice and through tight lips said, “We kill people.”

“I know what we do, but we have a code we have to follow.”

“We used to. We’re done. How does this change anything? We are retiring. You promised me. We are going to raise a family.”

“They will come looking for us.”

She laughed. “They would not even know where to begin. They know nothing about us, and we know everything about them.” She pointed at her computer. “A single message telling them to leave us alone or we will kill them will solve the problem.”

Gould shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Claudia tilted her head and looked at him as if she was searching for some clue deep in his mind. “Fine. We’ll do the right thing. Let’s send the money back.”

“No…we’re going to finish the job.”

“It’s about him, isn’t it?”

“Who?”

“Rapp. You want to prove you are better than him.”

“Pack up your stuff. Let’s go.”

“You were never going to retire, were you?” She was too angry to cry. “Go.” She pointed toward the door. “At least you won’t have me or your child to slow you down.”

Gould shouldered his backpack and stared at her with angry eyes. “I’m going to finish this, and then I’ll come find you.”

“Don’t bother. I don’t think I want to see you ever again.”

Her words hurt and they gave him a split second of pause. “What about the baby?”

“I think the baby would be better off without you.”

Gould had never been more hurt by anything in his life, but he was too proud to let Claudia know. He simply turned and walked away.

50

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

T he car, a black Infiniti Q35, belonged to a friend of one of the embassy employees. It was a little small for Tayyib’s six-foot-three-inch frame, but given his mission he figured it suited him well enough. The car had been waiting for him in a parking ramp several blocks from the movie theater. Tayyib and three other embassy employees had pulled up to the theater fifteen minutes before the start of their movie and stood in line for tickets, popcorn, and refreshments. Thirty minutes into the show, the keys and a slip of paper were handed to Tayyib. He got up as if he was going to the bathroom and never came back.

The U.S. and Saudi governments had an unofficial understanding that they were not supposed to spy on each other. Tayyib, and every other serious intelligence officer, knew this agreement was a sham. He ordered his own people to keep a close eye on American intelligence officials when they visited Saudi Arabia, and he assumed the Americans would potentially do the same—although Tayyib knew from experience the Americans were far more worried about offending the Saudi royal family than the Saudis were about offending Americans.

Too much was riding on this operation to take any shortcuts, so Tayyib drove around for more than an hour to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Finally at 9:47 he headed for the meet. Tayyib had dealt with this individual on only one other occasion, and the man had performed exactly what had been asked of him. At that time, a crisis had caused the Saudi intelligence officer to seek the man’s aid. A Saudi citizen had been arrested in Virginia and was charged with importing ten million dollars’ worth of heroin. He was in federal custody awaiting trial when word got back to Tayyib that the man was trying to strike a deal with federal prosecutors. In exchange for a reduced sentence, the man would provide proof that the Saudi Intelligence Service offered direct aid and training to al-Qaeda in preparation for the 9/11 attacks. Accusations made by a man who dealt in illegal drug trafficking would normally carry little weight, but this particular man had in fact been one of Tayyib’s officers. He knew far too much and would do great damage if he was allowed to speak to the Americans. When Tayyib informed Prince Muhammad bin Rashid of the problem, the prince made it clear what needed to be done.

Tayyib’s greatest asset had always been his resourcefulness. He had not grown up a violent person. Other than the occasional fight with his brothers and cousins, he’d never so much as raised his voice in anger. He had an excessively calm personality. Even on the soccer field where his size and speed would have allowed him to bully others he held back. He’d grown up in Riyadh, a city of some three million people where crime was as rare as rain. It wasn’t until Rashid had gone to work for the Intelligence Service that he began to see why Saudis were so law-abiding. The legal system in Saudi Arabia was unbelievably harsh. Police beat confessions out of suspects, judges rarely offered leniency, and the prisons were wicked.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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