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Taj slowed as he approached the door at the back of the shop floor. “I expect another report when you land in Europe.”
“Of course.”
He disconnected the line and put the headset back in his pocket. Gadai was right. Obrecht had indeed been useful. Billions of dollars in Afghan heroin revenues had been laundered with his assistance. More than half of the profits had already been paid out by Taj to secure the loyalty of the many militant groups operating in Pakistan. Fortunately, Louis Gould was significantly cheaper.
In fact, it would have been amusing to offer him nothing for killing Mitch Rapp. Taj suspected the assassin would have agreed enthusiastically. But this was no time to take unnecessary risks. In the event that Gould saw the ad and managed to succeed, the fifteen million he’d been promised would be money well spent. While it seemed absurd to put this many resources toward killing one man, it would be even more imprudent to underestimate Mitch Rapp’s ability to interfere with his plans. With the CIA man gone, Kennedy’s teeth would be pulled. She and her pathetic country would be blind and defenseless in the face of what was to come.
Taj entered a broad corridor and saw President Chutani speaking with Umar Shirani, the army’s chief of staff. They turned toward him and Chutani raised a hand in greeting.
“Ahmed. Thank you for coming. I trust your journey was a good one?”
“It was,” Taj said, avoiding the man’s gaze. “Thank you for asking, sir.”
Shirani looked on with disdain and then enveloped Taj’s hand in an unusually deferential grip. The general was one of the most influential men in the country and, like so many others, considered Taj weak. Today, though, he found his position diminished. The security at these nuclear sites was his responsibility and this was the second attack on one in as many months. Taken together with Chutani’s growing stature and recent American threats to reduce military aid, the aging four-star’s relevance was beginning to slip.
“What has the ISI learned?” the president asked.
“A great deal,” Taj said. “The attack was perpetrated by a Taliban group based in Bannu. Their leader blew himself up when my men attempted to capture him, and a number of his people are attempting to make it to the Afghan border. Obviously, we’re trying to take them alive in order to carry out interrogations. Discovering whether further facilities have been targeted is our top priority.”
This was, of course, completely untrue. Taj’s S Wing operatives would put on a worthy show, but the surviving Taliban would die when an IED they were assembling detonated. They’d understood the inevitability of their martyrdom from the moment that Taj had provided them with the location of the nuclear facility.
“Good work, Ahmed. As always, I’m grateful to have you.”
“If identifying these groups is so easy,” Shirani said, “perhaps the director would be so kind as to give me a warning next time one is planning something like this.”
The general’s attempt to deflect blame was desperate and pathetic. Clearly he had become too comfortable hiding behind the power of his office.
“You
must accept my apologies for not having this information in time for you to fortify your defenses,” Taj said deferentially. “Rest assured that we are redoubling our efforts to penetrate these radical groups.”
While Shirani and Chutani would assume it was unintentional, the message was clear: It was the army’s job to be in a constant state of readiness. The ISI wasn’t responsible for rousing them from their stupor in time for them to perform their duties.
“It’s possible that there could be secondary attacks,” Taj continued. “I would strongly urge you to make certain your men are on alert.”
“They are always on alert,” Shirani said, a bit too forcefully.
President Chutani frowned noticeably. “All evidence to the contrary, Umar. You should be grateful to Ahmed for his support.”
Shirani’s voice sounded a bit strained when he spoke again. “Of course, I’m grateful for any assistance the ISI can provide. We all have the same goals.”
“Indeed,” Chutani agreed. “We’re all dedicated to keeping these facilities secure. Unfortunately, much of the money earmarked for that task has been spent on other projects.”
“Sir, I must protest,” Shirani said. “You seem to be implying some kind of impropriety on the part of the army. Terrorists like these are undoubtedly a danger but clearly not the only one—or even the most significant one. Creating the kind of security that would be unbreachable by a small terrorist group would be a simple matter if we weren’t concerned about being discovered by the Indians and Americans. Our primary goal must be protecting ourselves from a first strike by one of those countries.”
“I am not naïve in these matters, Umar, but I wonder if our concern over foreign enemies is devolving into paranoia. If we lose a warhead to one of these groups and it’s used, the Americans’ retaliation would be the end of our country as we know it. No. Pakistan has a chance at greatness but we’re squandering it with these games. America learned its lesson in Iraq and Afghanistan, and India doesn’t need to attack to defeat us. They’re already winning with their progress. They’ve outstripped us in everything from education to economic growth to -diplomacy. That’s the future, Umar. It is from those things that security flows. Not weapons.”
Shirani opened his mouth to object, but Chutani held up a hand, silencing the soldier. “It’s convenient to fan the flames of extremism in the short term but now we’re in danger of being engulfed ourselves. Changes must be made. The country has to modernize and come together. Our future can’t be financed with charity from countries that fear we’re on the verge of collapse. Trust. Respect. Wealth. These are the things that must be cultivated.”
“What are you proposing?” Shirani said suspiciously.
“The expansion of the Khushab reactor will be halted,” Chutani said with a tone that suggested the decision wasn’t up for debate. “As will all production of weapons-grade fissile material. The weapons we have are more than enough to deter an attack.”
Shirani was too stunned to respond, so Chutani continued. “Further, the defense of our nuclear arsenal will be shifted from the army to the ISI, effective immediately.”
Taj feigned surprise, though it was the outcome he’d been working toward for more than two years. “Mr. President, I don’t—”
“It’s done, Ahmed. You and General Shirani will start coordinating the transition right away.”
