Out of Sight (Project Athena)

by Trish Milburn

  The rich décor of woven tapestries and gold statues blurred at the sides of her vision as she quickly eliminated one room after another. She fancied she could hear the ticking clock in her head. She had to find Tumeri, hang on to her invisibility long enough to figure out what was going on with the American, then get the hell out. She didn’t want to think about what would happen to a female intruder in these halls. Countries in this part of the world weren’t known for chivalry.

  Voices floated down what appeared to be the final hallway on the lower floor. She eased toward the voices, and as she got closer she realized they were conversing in English. Thank God.

  Well, at least two voices were. Another spoke in Arabic.

  She scooted closer and positioned herself at the edge of a plush room filled with verdant plants, rich furnishings and a bank of windows overlooking a smaller courtyard decorated with ornate water fountains. The sight of water fountains in a country where the drought had dried up entire rivers spoke of a greedy soul.

  Three men stood at the edge of the room — Tumeri, his visitor and another younger man who seemed to be an interpreter.

  Tumeri’s face looked pinched as he spoke. She waited for the interpreter to translate.

  “It doesn’t make sense. Who is making these accusations?”

  “People at the highest levels. They say they have evidence,” the American said.

  She listened hard to his voice, focused on his face. Where had she seen him?

  “Evidence? How can there be evidence if there is no plot? How could American intelligence think I would plot to kill your president?”

  “Perhaps they think you’re seeking to up your stature.”

  “Stature? What good would that do if I’m dead? I know how the U.S. government deals with people here.”

  Was he thinking of his cousin?

  The interpreter struggled to keep up with the rapid-fire conversation.

  “More likely, the aid will be cut off soon.”

  Tumeri walked toward the windows and looked out at the fountains. “We have a deal. You keep the spotlight off me, and you profit. The aid is my lifeline. Without it, I have no reason to deal with you. Your shipments will stop.”

  “There are other ways of getting the supplies you need.” He paused, gave Tumeri a knowing look. “And to replace any lost revenue.”

  Tumeri turned back toward the American. “And those would be?”

  “We have other supply lines, but we’d need something in return.”

  Tumeri’s face hardened. “We are already providing you with max capacity.”

  “It’s not enough. Maintaining stability in regions such as this is such a tricky and expensive business.”

  “This is blackmail.”

  “This is business. What’s a little more opium if it helps you keep your power?”

  Opium. The guy was a drug dealer? She placed her hand against her warm forehead and fought the headache building there. How long had she been invisible?

  “How much more?” Tumeri asked.

  “To replace the aid, we need twice as much.”

  “Twice! That’s impossible.”

  “Twice, or Mindu’s status quo is what becomes impossible.”

  Tumeri looked like he might explode or sic his guards on the American, but his greed and hunger for power won out. Jenna wished he would take out the American. That way, there’d be one less drug pusher in the world. And one less tyrant when his people got through with him.

  “Twice,” Tumeri agreed. “But tell your government that I am not the one behind this assassination plot. Tell them I do not want a fight with the United States.”

  The American put his hat back on. “I’ll do what I can. Nice doing business with you.” The man took a few steps toward the door, then paused. “And it will be necessary for the oil fields to produce ten thousand more barrels per day as well. We know you’re holding out, selling to other buyers. That will stop.”

  He didn’t give Tumeri a chance to respond. Instead, he strode past where Jenna stood and headed back down the hall. Why couldn’t she remember where she’d seen his face?

  She fought the fatigue beginning to tug on her and returned her attention to the room. Tumeri dismissed his interpreter and, once alone, sank into a chair. His military bearing faded away in solitude. More, he seemed a man falsely accused. He might be a tyrant and no better than scum, but Jenna knew in her gut that he’d been telling the truth about not being behind the assassination plot.

  But if he wasn’t, who was? And was that person still stalking the president within the walls of the White House while she was supposed to be eliminating Tumeri? Her skin chilled at the thought that had she pulled that trigger, it wouldn’t have solved any of her problems. She’d just be guilty of premeditated murder.

  Despite the air conditioning, her skin flushed hot, and her body hummed with the need to release the energy keeping her invisible. She’d gotten what she came for, so she rushed down the hallway, hoping she had enough energy to make it to safety before her grip on invisibility crumbled.

  She reached the outer door in time to see the American slip into the back of the Humvee. Her head throbbed, and her vision blurred. She wasn’t going to make it without a little help. With a muttered prayer, she hurried out the door and used the sound of the Humvee’s engine starting to cover her footsteps as she rushed between the guards and hopped up onto the Humvee’s back bumper.

  When the Humvee lurched forward, she gripped the spare tire and gritted her teeth. It took every ounce of her concentration to hang on and maintain her tenuous grasp on invisibility. She nearly careened off the vehicle when it made the turn off the palace road onto a city street, and for a moment her invisibility wavered, making the arm she’d banged against the side of the Humvee visible. She concentrated harder and resumed full invisibility.

  The dust kicked up by the tires clogged her nose. She tried not to inhale too deeply. When the Humvee slowed to make another turn, she leapt free, concentrating all her energy to stay invisible as she hit the side of the pavement and rolled.

  Her head felt like she’d rammed it against a concrete wall. When her vision cleared, she spotted a narrow alley between two buildings. She sprinted for it, and once she convinced herself she was clear of anyone’s field of vision, she let the energy slide away. As she became visible, she sank to the ground and leaned her head back against the brick side of one of the buildings, totally spent.

  Visions of those fountains outside Tumeri’s palace nearly had her hitching a ride back so she could sink into them. She felt as if every drop of moisture in her body had been sucked out. She coughed, then sneezed.

  She needed to move, but the last half-hour combined with the ungodly heat zapped her. She stared at the opposite brick wall and searched her brain for the identity of the American. Who was he? And who did he work for? Whoever it was had power and money if they could replace U.S. food aid to a country. Someone who had his fingers in drug and oil tills and who knew what else. And someone who had knowledge of what was going on within President Thomas’s administration. He knew the government’s plans while working outside government channels to offer Tumeri aid when the official U.S. aid was getting axed.

  Had she seen him at the White House? Was he somehow connected to the assassination plot and trying to pin it on Tumeri?

  With a frustrated sigh, Jenna reached into her breast pocket for the earpiece and couldn’t find it. Shit. It must have fallen out during her roll from the Humvee. She dragged herself to her feet and moved toward the end of the alley on wobbly legs. She thought about going invisible, but she didn’t have the strength. Her body needed some serious recharging before she’d be able to change again.

  At the end of the alley, she scanned the ground near the edge of the street without moving out of the building’s cover. She’d never find something that small from this distance. And there was no guarantee this was where she’d lost it.

  She turned and looked down the al
ley toward the other end. Did she stay here until she had enough energy to go invisible, hoping that earpiece was out there at the end of the alley, leading Daniel to her? Or did she avoid being a sitting duck by moving, staying in shadows as much as possible?

  It was a long time until sunset. Someone was bound to happen by this alley before nightfall. But she couldn’t exactly go strolling through downtown Cardoma in tan fatigues either.

  If she could find a better hiding spot, she’d wait for cover of darkness and make her way back to the hut and hope Daniel was still there. If he wasn’t...no, she couldn’t think about that now.

  She moved down the alley, peeked out at the end, then waited for several cars to pass before darting across the street to an identical alley. The belch of a struggling car propelled her further into the alley. The driver thankfully motored by without looking her direction.

  Three more alleys, and she came to an area where the chances of her being spotted spiked. The next building appeared to be a dwelling with lots of balconies off of individual units. People sat on some of the balconies, fanning themselves in a vain effort to keep the heat at bay. Dingy clothing fluttered from a couple of balcony railings, and she wondered how the owners had found enough water to even attempt to do laundry.

  The image of Cardoma’s residents scrubbing their soiled linens in Tumeri’s fountains brought an unexpected smile to her face. It made her face feel like the skin was on the verge of cracking.

  Her gaze caught that of a woman on the second level. The woman pointed at her, then turned to say something in excited Arabic. Damn! Jenna retraced her steps down the alley, then peeked out in both directions. The street appeared less used than the ones surrounding it. Which way? Hoping she was making the best choice, she turned right and kept an eye on doorways she could slip into should someone drive by.

  As she passed alleyways, the sounds of the bazaar filtered through to her. The bleating of goats. Tin pots banging together. Animated voices yelling over one another. Babies crying.

  When she reached the middle of the last block in the street, a car quietly turned the corner. She was trapped without cover. Her eyes met those of the man behind the wheel, and she knew instantly he was looking for her. He could be Daniel’s contact, but she had no way of knowing. When he jerked the car to a stop and hopped out, she turned and ran.

  The slam of his booted feet against the packed earth grew closer as she made a sharp left into an alley. Her heavy breathing and the rushing of her pulse in her ears prevented her from understanding what he yelled at her.

  Dear God, he was going to catch her.

  “Jenna.” Her name filtered through the noise of the pursuit. She skidded to a halt and spun to face the man, her hand going to her sidearm.

  “Who are you?” she asked, her voice crackling with dryness.

  “Nazim. Daniel said for you to come with me.”

  Excited shouts from the other end of the alley drew her attention. The woman from the balcony stood there with two men, all talking at once.

  “Now would be good,” Nazim said.

  Jenna followed as Nazim ran for the car. Once inside, he made a U-turn. She pulled down the sun visor to block as much of her face as possible.

  Nazim pointed to the glove compartment. “There’s a scarf in there. Put it on.”

  She didn’t argue. The headscarf made her even hotter, but if it helped them get out of the city undetected, she was all for it.

  “What were they saying back there?” she asked.

  “White soldier.”

  Jenna looked down at her camo pants. Easy mistake.

  “Will they contact the police?”

  “Probably. They’ll hope to get some pittance of a reward.” He looked over at her as he made another turn. “What happened?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “You would be surprised what I could believe.”

  She didn’t know what Daniel had shared with Nazim, but she took a chance. “Would you believe Tumeri is behind a plot to assassinate the U.S. president?”

  Nazim laughed. “Tumeri is what you call a big fish in a little pond. He doesn’t have that kind of power beyond Mindu.”

  “So, you don’t think he’s behind it or perhaps harboring terrorists who might be?”

  “I’ve watched him for months, and he’s got it made as things stand. He wouldn’t jeopardize that. All of this, it’s in my reports.”

  If the government had a man watching Tumeri and telling them Tumeri was innocent in this one area, who was perpetuating the Tumeri accusation? It had to be someone high enough that the agency had okayed a hit. The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing.

  “Have you seen him meet with any Americans?”

  “No.”

  Jenna’s heart nearly stopped when they came to an intersection and had to wait while a string of hand-in-hand children were led across the road by a woman. A Jeep of uniformed men stopped opposite them.

  “Bend over like you’re looking for something in the floorboard,” Nazim said. She complied, hoping one of those guys didn’t approach them and ask her for identification. The blood rushed to her pounding head, making it hurt even worse.

  When she raised her head to peek out over the dashboard, the line of kids seemed to have multiplied. It took forever for them to cross the street. When the space in front of the car cleared, she sat up as Nazim pushed the accelerator. She turned her face away as they passed the Jeep, hoping Tumeri’s men weren’t paying much attention and hadn’t gotten the word to be on the watch for a white female soldier.

  But when she glanced in the rearview mirror, she noticed a couple of guys in the back of the Jeep watching them drive away. Then the brake lights on the Jeep lit up. “Crap! I think they’re on to us.”

  Nazim didn’t panic. Instead, he made a left turn, then several more turns that hopefully would confuse the soldiers. Jenna spotted the Jeep a few times, but Nazim managed to stay a few steps ahead of them. Still, freedom and safety seemed impossibly far away.

  Nazim picked up an earpiece that looked like the one she’d lost. “Have the car ready and running so you can leave fast.” He flicked off the switch and tossed the earpiece into the car’s ashtray.

  “You’re not coming with us?”

  “No. I will continue to drive around the city, to lead them in the wrong direction.”

  She hoped he would be okay. “Thank you.”

  He nodded but kept his attention on the street.

  “Why are you helping us? Americans, I mean.”

  “Because if anyone can make Tumeri pay, it’s the United States.”

  When they reached the edge of the city, Nazim was forced to return to the main road. Thankfully, it was nearly deserted except for a rickety truck trundling the opposite direction.

  “Get in the other car,” Nazim said as he jerked to a stop behind the hut.

  She jumped out and heard Nazim say to Daniel, “Ditch the car in Jawhar Canyon in case they figure out you’ve gone that way. By the time they reach it and find no bodies, you’ll be out of Mindu.”

  Jenna dived into the other car, and it started rolling while she still had one leg outside.

  “I’d like to keep both legs here,” she said as she slammed her door.

  “I’d like to keep my head attached to my body, which I’ll be lucky to do since you blew the plan all the hell and back. What were you thinking?”

  “Something’s not right here. We got sent on a wild goose chase,” she said as she watched Nazim speed off in the opposite direction.

  “You had Tumeri in your sights. What’s not right about that?”

  “He’s not behind the assassination plot.”

  “You’re suddenly an expert in international intrigue, are you?”

  “Listen, smartass, I’ve got pretty good instincts and I went with them. And it turns out it’s a good thing I did. Tumeri met with an American man and denied any knowledge of the assassination plot.”


  “And he’s such a credible guy.”

  “I know he’s scum, but he’s not the perp, okay? I heard it with my own ears. The American guy said he could keep aid coming in if Tumeri doubled the flow of opium and increased the oil production.”

  Daniel jerked his head toward her as he careened down the empty road leading toward the northern border and safety. “You’re sure you heard that right?”

  “I’m not deaf, and I was standing no more than twenty feet away. They spoke through an interpreter, so I got both sides. Trust me, the last thing Tumeri wants is a cruise missile up his ass and his hungry subjects attacking the palace when the food shipments stop. He wants things to stay just like they are, and your buddy Nazim agrees.”

  “He said that?”

  “Yes. He said he’s been watching Tumeri for months and there’s no truth to the assassination rumor. Geez, don’t you people communicate?”

  “Evidently not well enough.” He sounded ticked off.

  “It’s a wonder you all don’t end up shooting each other.” Jenna shoved the heels of her hands against her aching eyes.