“So he turned?” Abram asked.
“Not right away, but eventually. We found Jihir by accident. When he learned that the new terrorist group, ISIS, was hiding in a nearby town, he sent an anonymous email to the General Security Directorate in the Lebanese Intelligence Agency. He never heard back. We traced the email thread and the General Director of the GSD forwarded the email with his own note to the Prime Minister of Canada.”
“Why would the Lebanese Intelligence Agency contact the Prime Minister of Canada? That doesn’t make any sense,” Abram said.
“Exactly. The message sent was even more puzzling.”
Someone is trying to crash the party. Should we change the date?
“Do you think the Prime Minister of Canada has something to do with this cell?”
“We do.”
“But that still doesn’t explain all of this,” Abram said. “Was ISIS ever here? Who were those men I killed? And where’s Amir?”
Amir came into view. His knuckles were torn and bloody, and his clothes were soaked in blood splatter.
“This is a joke, right? Was there ever a package?”
“You were the package,” Amir said. “We had to be certain we could trust you.”
“Trust me? How could I ever trust you! You lied to me, nearly had me killed, tortured me, and now you expect me to trust you?”
Abram laughed.
“You’re insane if I’ll ever believe a word you say again.”
Scott Train cut in.
“Mr. Kinkaid, everything we have told you up until this point has been with the best intentions.”
“You have a really funny way of showing it.”
“We had to be sure.”
“So tell me this, are you both working for ISIS? Or is this all just one big coincidence?”
“Yes,” Scott Train said with no fluctuation in his voice or facial tension. Abram had no words. He had to be joking.
“I know it doesn’t make sense now, but it will.”
“You’re damn right it doesn’t make sense! How could you be working with the enemy? You told me we were protecting our country. Since when did that entail joining forces with the ones we are fighting?”
“Today’s enemy is tomorrow’s friend. Not all enemies come from afar. Sometimes, they’re right in your backyard and you just don’t know it.”
“I can’t believe this. So why me?”
“We needed to know how far you were willing to take this. If you would die for what you believe.”
“And?” Abram asked. “Did I pass muster?” He rolled his one eye that still worked.
“We believe so,” Scott Train said. “Your training is over. My offer still stands if you’re interested. We could use someone like you in the ranks. Together, we could make the world a better place.”
Abram was lost in the void of doubt. This whole time he thought he was fighting the enemy, only to learn he was working for them. How had he allowed himself to become so misguided? How did he get here? He was a patriot, a sworn enemy of all who would do harm to his great country. And now, he didn’t know what to believe. The worst part wasn’t that they were helping the enemy, it was that Scott Train was right. An enemy in the light is better than the one in the dark.
“Our ride leaves in an hour. You have until then to make your decision,” Scott Train said.
“And if I don’t…”
Abram already knew the answer.
“Let’s hope you do.”
Scott Train and Amir exited the door, leaving Abram in a whirlwind of doubt and confusion. He had been dislodged from reality and didn’t know how to get back on. He really only had one choice, but if he went down that road, would he ever come back?
Chapter 16
“I’ll do it,” Abram said before the door fully opened fifty-nine minutes later. “Under one condition.”
Only Scott Train entered. Amir remained by the door, his hands in his pockets. Abram knew why he stayed back. If he refused to join their cause, Amir would kill him. He probably had a cord in his left hand at that very moment. Abram ignored the man behind him and focused on Mr. Train. Scott Train leaned against the lone table where he had been sitting in the dark earlier.
“You’re not really in a position to make demands,” he said. “But, I’m curious. What condition did you have in mind?”
“No more lies.”
Scott Train was as good at hiding his relief as Philip would have been. Abram wondered if the man was in on this façade as well.
“That’s only fair,” Scott Train said.
Abram continued, “If I so much as think you’re lying to me, I’ll kill you. Understood?”
Scott Train hesitated. Abram could see that he wasn’t used to being spoken to in that way. No doubt he was the one making demands and threats, not the other way around. He gained his composure. You didn’t get to where he was without having some sense of self-control and leaving your ego at the door.
“You don’t really leave me much choice, now do you?” Scott Train held up his hands and stepped away from the table.
“I agree to your terms. I will not knowingly lie to you in the future. You will have full disclosure where it’s called for.”
“Alright, then I’m in.”
Scott Train’s shoulders relaxed and his face softened.
“Excellent. You’ll be a great addition to the team. But first, we need you to do one more thing.”
“What’s that?” Abram said.
Scott Train waved to Amir by the door. He left the room. Scott Train walked over to Abram and cut the zip ties off of his wrists and ankles. Abram rubbed his arms and stretched his legs. Amir returned shortly after, but not alone. He escorted another gentleman into the room and over to the table. He pushed him down into one of the spare chairs. Abram knew who it was before he saw him. The cologne gave him away.
“I thought you were away on business,” Abram mocked.
Philip’s smile was gone. His eyes were sullen and his cheeks heavy. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His clothes were also wrinkled, his shoes scuffed with deep marks.
“It seems he was on his way to inform the prime minister of our arrangement with ISIS. Naturally, we couldn’t have him going and spoiling all of the fun. How would it look if it were released that the United States was involved with terrorists? Not good,” Scott Train answered.
“I was on my way to see my family. They live in Canada. I don’t know the prime minister. I swear,” Philip said. His voice had lost its charm. It cracked with fear.
“Really, Philip? That’s not what your phone records and emails show.”
Amir handed Scott Train a gray folder. He pulled a stack of papers.
“It says here you spoke with him just this morning. Seven minutes. Two days ago, twenty-three minutes. The same day, three more times. Eleven, forty-two, and an hour and five minutes. Should I go on?”
Philip was looking at the ground.
“It seems you and the prime minister are best pals. You go way back. Isn’t that right? Maybe he’s an old friend of the family? A mentor? Perhaps someone you met in a park one day or on an online chat?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Philip said. “I don’t know the prime minister. You probably planted those for all I know.” He still didn’t pick his eyes off the ground.
“Now, now, Philip. You and I both know you’re lying. It says so right here.”
“It’s not true.”
“So, you’re telling me that someone else named Philip Jasper stole your phone for the last three years, called and text the prime minister, all without you knowing?”
“I don’t know. That’s not my number.”
“And I suppose the same goes with your email? All ten of them.”
Philip didn’t answer.
“What are we going to do, Philip? We can’t have you running off and telling the prime minister of our plans, now can we?”
“I won’t tell him. If you let
me know, I won’t tell anyone.”
“So you do know him?”
“I didn’t say that. I just—I won’t tell anyone. Just let me go. I swear.”
Scott Train stroked Philip’s dark hair back like petting a dog. He yanked.
Philip’s chin shot up.
“Stop lying to me,” Scott Train said.
“I’M NOT LYING!”
Scott Train released the handful of hair and stalked off.
“Why not call him?” Abram said.
Philip’s eyes snapped in his direction. Their sparkle was replaced with pleading.
“Great idea,” Scott Train said. “Let’s just call the prime minister. I’m sure he’ll sort this all out for us.”
Scott Train walked back over to Philip. When he got within two feet of him, Philip tried to dash away. Amir was faster. He body slammed Philip to the ground and held him there.
“Stop resisting or it’ll be much worse,” Amir hissed.
Philip started sobbing when Amir reached into his back pocket and withdrew a flip phone. He tossed it to Scott Train.
“Let’s hope, for your sake, Philip, that you’re telling the truth and this all turns out to be just one big misunderstanding.”
Scott Train scrolled through Philip’s contacts.
“Interesting. It appears you have a contact named Prime Minister Gabbot. Let’s give him a ring, shall we.”
Scott Train pressed the Send button and held the phone up to his ear.
“It’s ringing. Are you sure you don’t want to fess up while you still have a chance?”
Philip was limp on the ground, his face a puddle of tears. Amir had his knee pressed into the man’s back.
“Let’s put him on speaker.”
The phone rang three mores times, and then there was a click on the other end.
“Philip, where have you been? I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for the last hour. My men say your plane landed three hours ago. Where are you?”
“Mr. Prime Minister,” Scott Train said.
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.
“Who is this? Where is Philip?”
“Philip is a bit tied up right now. But he wanted me to call you and let you know that everything is going according to plan.”
“I don’t know who you are, but you better not have hurt Philip. Do you know who I am? I can make your life a living hell—”
“No, Mr. Prime Minister, it is I who can take your power away with a simple flick of my hand. Don’t be fooled. You are merely a pawn on the board.”
“You’re cocky for someone on the phone. I’d like to see you say that to my face. Then we’ll see who’s the pawn.”
“Oh, Philip just walked in. Would you like to speak to him?”
Scott Train pretended to hand the phone to Philip.
“Philip, it’s the Prime Minister of Canada. He’d like to speak with you.”
Philip’s face was expressionless. His tears had dried up and turned to a constant, petrified state, as if he had just seen his life flash before his eyes. It wasn’t far from the truth.
Amir retrieved the phone from Scott Train.
“Philip, are you there?”
“Forget about me,” Philip mumbled.
“Philip, is that you? What did you say?”
“The plan’s been compromised. They’ll be coming for you next—”
Philip’s voice cut out. Abram released his hands from the dead man’s throat slowly. He didn’t know what had come over him. It was instinct. He just lunged at the man and snapped his neck. Amir and Scott Train stared at him.
“Philip—Philip—answer me!”
“Philip is dead,” Abram said, and flicked the phone closed. He threw it against the wall where it crumbled into several pieces. Amir scooped them up and placed them in a plastic Ziploc bag. Philip’s head thudded against the tile as Abram stood.
He glanced at Scott Train, who had an approving grin on his face.
“Well done,” Scott Train said.
“He was the enemy. We couldn’t allow him to give away any more secrets.”
“We must contain this before it spirals out of control. The prime minister is contacting his sources as we speak. They’ll come here. We must leave.”
“What about him?” Amir asked. He stuffed the bag in his pocket.
“Leave him. Let them pick up their trash,” Scott Train said.
All three men exited the room. Abram hobbled; the other two walked. Scott Train led them through a series of halls and doors until one brought them outside. They weren’t in the town anymore. It was some kind of base. Humvees, trucks, tanks, cargo bays full of crates full of ammunition and weapons. This place was the Fort Knox of war. At least, a smaller version of it.
A helicopter was already heating up. As the rotors sped up, they kicked up sand. Scott Train, Amir, and Abram covered their eyes as they approached. Scott Train and Amir boarded, but Abram hesitated.
“What about the package?” he asked.
“You were the assignment,” Scott Train said.
Abram questioned him with his eyes. Amir cut in.
“Philip was the package. We needed to find out if our intelligence was correct. You were just a bonus. We needed to see if you’d comply with our methods. Kill one bird with two stones, as they say.”
“This was all just a test?”
“More or less. And you passed.”
Abram climbed onboard and strapped in opposite of Scott Train and Amir. The chopper lifted shortly. Abram couldn’t look at the two of them. Scott Train had lied to him from the start, and Amir, he played along. How could they have just played with his life like that as if it meant nothing? The cold, hard truth dug its hole a little deeper into Abram’s psyche. They didn’t care about anyone, only accomplishing the mission. Abram, Philip, or anyone who got in their way was just an impediment; collateral damage, a nuisance to be dealt with.
Abram turned his focus out of the window and watched as the sand dunes became tiny specks in the distance. The sun had reached the horizon and already the world was shifting to darkness. The base was a black dot amongst the fading light. The sky suddenly lit up and the chopper rocked from the explosion’s recoil.
Abram peered over at Scott Train. He was looking straight ahead as if nothing had happened. Never leave anything for chance. Abram knew he had set charges to blow up the base to destroy all evidence of their having ever been there. What else was this man capable of if burning millions of dollars worth of equipment, intelligence, and men was nothing to him? The fire and smoke burned bright, painting the night in crimson. Abram watched the flames devour everything in their wake until they too disappeared into the night.
Abram leaned his head against the side paneling and closed his eyes. The swish-swish of the rotors rocked him to sleep. His body drifted off without rebuttal.
Chapter 17
The helicopter’s door slid open, bumping Abram’s head.
“Good morning, sunshine. Did you have a good nap?” Amir patted Abram on the shoulder as he jumped out. Scott Train was already heading in the direction of a hangar. Other than the pounding in Abram’s skull, he felt alright.
“Where are we?” he asked.
“Beirut Air Base," Amir said.
Abram unhooked the safety belts from around his shoulders and slid out. When he was fifty feet away, the chopper took off. He ran to catch up to Amir.
"What are we doing in Lebanon? Shouldn't we be heading back to the States to deal with this prime minister issue? Or at the very least, contact someone from the Central Intelligence Agency?" Abram asked.
"You'll be debriefed soon. For now, best not to say anything about our little situation back in Morocco. Catch my drift?"
Amir flicked his eyes to the Lebanese Air Force marching in between the barracks and buildings.
"Understood."
"From now on, act on a need-to-know basis. Assume everyone is a spy. If you do that, you'll be ok."
"They assume we work for the agency. We stay out of their way and they ours. It's a mutual partnership. We do them a favor from time to time, and in return, they allow us to use their air base and don't ask questions."
Abram nodded and kept his mouth shut. He followed Amir through one of the open hangar bays. Scott Train was conversing with a Lebanese officer and a woman. As Amir and Abram approached, Scott Train and the officer shook hands. The officer skirted off to the back of the hanger and through one of the doors that most likely led to his office. He didn't return.
"We're good to go. The colonel cleared us for 0900 hours. The jet is fueled and ready to go."
The woman hung back. She had long auburn hair that she kept in a tight bun. She wore blue business attire and matching two-inch heels, along with bright red lipstick and light mascara. Abram locked eyes with her. They were the greenest he had ever seen. Scott Train noticed Abram's curiosity.
"This is Sandra Conway. She's with the Central Intelligence Agency and one of our best analysts. She'll be joining us for the short flight," Scott Train said.
She briskly stepped forward and extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you," she said.
Abram took her hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong. She slipped a tight grin his way before she released his hand.
"This is Abram Kinkaid. He's our new field analyst," Scott Train said. "We have high hopes for him." Scott patted him on the shoulder. "Well, let's get to it. You'll have more time to get acquainted in flight. We'll make a quick pit stop in Heathrow, then begin our long trek across the blue. We should arrive in Ottawa sometime late this evening."
Scott climbed the stairs to the Gulfstream G550 aircraft.
"Ladies first," Abram said. Sandra huffed, clearly thinking Abram meant it as some derogatory gesture or superiority. He hoped this wasn't an omen of what was to come. Abram waited for her to enter the jet before starting his own ascent. Amir grabbed his arm to stop him.
Kill Shot - An Abram Kinkaid Thriller Page 9