by M. A. Lawson
Ara laughed.
“And speaking of masters of the universe, I’ll buy the next drink if that guy with the slicked-back hair and the suspenders who thinks he’s Gordon Gekko . . .”
She’d seen that movie, too.
“. . . doesn’t walk over here in the next five minutes and hit on you. He’s been looking at you ever since you sat down. No! Don’t turn around. Use the mirror.”
Ara looked at the Gekko wannabe in the mirror.
“He’s kind of cute,” she said.
“Yeah, he is, but his buddy’s not so cute, and I’ll bet they both walk over here and I get stuck with the buddy.”
“Yes, the buddy, he’s not so cute. But maybe he has a sense of humor.” Then she laughed again, and Kay really liked her laugh. In fact, she couldn’t help it, but she genuinely liked Ara Khan. She also felt sorry for her, living an almost cloistered existence in Afghanistan.
Sure enough, two minutes later, Gordon and his pal ambled over to the bar. Kay couldn’t help but wonder what Ara might have done if Gordon had had any class. Maybe she would have taken the guy back to her hotel for a roll in the hay in a place far from the prying eyes of her father and his people. Fortunately, Gordon was very drunk, very crude, and very full of himself. He wasn’t an Eli Dolan. Ara was polite to him but finally told him to take a hike, saying that she just wanted to sit with her friend and chat for a bit.
Now Kay was her friend.
“I guess this means I owe you a drink?” she said to Kay.
“Nah, we didn’t spit on our hands and shake on the bet.”
They sat there and chatted some more, Kay steering the conversation toward Ara’s college days in New York. Partially she did this to subtly remind Ara of her old roommate, Carolyn Harris. But her instincts were telling her it was time to get to the point. If she kept up the pretense any longer of just having bumped into Ara in a bar, Ara wouldn’t trust her when she did reveal the real reason she was there. Ara gave her the opening she was looking for when she asked Kay, “And what about you? What do you do in New York?”
“I don’t live here,” Kay said. “I came to here to see you.”
This made Ara sit back on her bar stool—increasing the distance between her and Kay—and a guarded look came into her eyes.
“Why?” she asked. “Have you been following me?”
Kay ignored the question. “Ara, I know you came to the UN to promote the kind of causes you believe in, the kind of causes that require money and political influence to make a difference. I work for a company that can help you.”
“Really,” Ara said, her skepticism evident.
Kay plunged ahead. “You may not know this, but you have a very valuable resource in your province—specifically, a very valuable mineral—and if you partner with my company, you can turn that resource to your advantage. I mean, to your country’s advantage. I just want a few minutes to talk to you about this.”
Kay realized immediately, in spite of all the hours she’d spent practicing with Eli and Anna, that she’d done a poor job of introducing the subject. She’d been too blunt and her delivery was stilted, and she doubted that Ara Khan was so naïve as to believe that any private company really cared about the people of Afghanistan. She now fully expected, after the way she’d botched the introduction, that Ara would tell her to take a hike. But she didn’t. Instead Ara said, “Sure, I’d be happy to talk to you. Let’s get a table. We’ll order an appetizer to soak up some of the vodka.”
Five minutes later, Kay realized that Callahan had been completely wrong about Ara Khan.
—
ARA KHAN WAS WELL AWARE of the 2007 U.S. Geological Survey that had identified lithium reserves in the dry lakes of Ghazni Province. She was also well aware of its potential value, as well as the difficulties of extracting minerals from Afghanistan. But where Callahan had really been wrong was thinking that Ara Khan was some starry-eyed idealist who would balk at Callahan’s proposal.
Ara Khan may have only been twenty-six years old, but she was a sophisticated young woman, completely immersed in the Machiavellian politics of Afghanistan. She’d spent the last two years, according to Callahan, helping her father govern his wild province and she wasn’t the least bit naïve. She also knew, without having to be told, that the only way she and her father would profit from the lithium reserves in Ghazni was if they had some sort of outside help. It was apparent to Kay that Ara had been thinking about the lithium long before Callahan had come creeping along.
So Kay didn’t have to sell Ara Khan on the deal at all; she just had to show that what Callahan wanted to do was feasible. She didn’t have to convince or persuade Ara that it was in her country’s best interest to accept Callahan’s proposal, she just had to show that Callahan could really do what he was offering to do. When Kay brought up the fact that the Callahan Group was willing to support her father in a bid to become president of her country, Ara smiled. That wasn’t something that had occurred to her or that she’d considered within the realm of possibility.
“We’re obviously not doing this out of the goodness of our hearts,” Kay said. “We know if your dad’s the guy in charge, we’ll have a better chance to accomplish what we want.” Kay was relieved that she could now be honest with Ara; it was much easier for her to be herself and be honest than try to con her.
“That’s very good,” Ara said, “but I hope you realize that it will take a substantial, uh . . .”
Kay could see she was looking for the words to bring up the subject of money.
“He’ll need a war chest,” Kay said.
“Exactly,” Ara said. “A very large one. A lot of people will have to be . . . persuaded. How much are we talking about?”
“Twenty-five million,” Kay said. “We know it’s going to be difficult to make this happen, but since the lithium is potentially worth billions, we’re willing to make a substantial investment provided we have documents that spell out the details for the future. But we’re not going to move on this unless the terms are clear and our investment is protected.”
Kay had actually been astounded when Callahan said they were going to give Sahid Khan twenty-five million. Recalling the thirty million the New York Times said the Chinese paid the Afghan minister of mines in 2010, she wasn’t surprised by the amount, but she was surprised that Callahan was willing to give him all the money up front. She was also surprised that Mercer agreed with her.
“If it was up to me,” Mercer had said, “there’s no way in hell we’d be giving a bandit like him that kind of money, but Callahan made the decision. He said he didn’t want to get outbid by somebody, and although it won’t cost two billion like an American presidential campaign, it’s going to take quite a bit. Callahan said he didn’t want to start out with some lowball amount and then have to add to it every couple of months when Khan needed to get something done. The main thing, however, is that Callahan can get the money—and it’s not like it’s his money—and in the grand scheme of things, considering the billions the U.S. has given to Afghanistan in foreign aid, twenty-five million is a drop in the bucket.”
If Ara was shocked by the amount, however, she didn’t show it. She simply nodded a couple of times as she considered the number. Kay also wondered if Ara was thinking at all about the issues she’d come to the United Nations to discuss; Callahan may also have underestimated the ardor she felt for those issues. Maybe the only thing Ara was thinking about was that she’d continue to be shod in Dolce & Gabbanas.
“Okay,” Ara said. “Enough business for tonight. I’ll be flying home in two days and I’ll discuss all this with my father. If he thinks your proposal has merit, I’ll contact you and we’ll proceed from there. By the way, your company was smart to send someone like you to talk to me instead of some slick corporate bullshitter.”
Before Kay could thank her for what had sounded like a compliment, Ara said, “N
ow, I didn’t come to New York just to attend this conference. I also came to have some fun. I’ve been working my ass off the last few months, and I deserve some fun. There used to be a place a few blocks from here. I don’t know if it’s still there, but they used to have two guys that came from New Orleans after Katrina and they play dueling pianos and tell dirty jokes. Would you like to come with me?”
“Sure,” Kay said.
Later that evening, Kay had another thought: Maybe Carolyn Harris hadn’t led Ara astray; maybe it had been the other way around.
—
THEY HAD A GREAT TIME that night. They drank too much; they laughed a lot. Handsome young men bought them drinks, caressed their egos, and tried to get them into bed. She also found out that Ara really was passionate about the causes being discussed at the UN. Maybe some of the money they were offering the Khans really would end up doing some good.
At one point, Kay could tell Ara was genuinely interested in a guy—a well-built stud who was a utility infielder for the Yankees but saw playing time only when Jeter was injured or needed a rest. Kay waited until they were alone in the restroom together before she said, “Hey, if you want to split with him you won’t hurt my feelings, and I swear to God, I won’t tell anybody. Really, Ara, you can trust me on that.”
“I believe you, but I think not. I’m having a good time tonight, just the two of us. And I have his number. Let’s move on to the next place.”
The hangover Kay had the next day was of historic proportions, but she called Mercer and said, “Mission accomplished. It was easy.”
“Easy?” Mercer said, sounding skeptical.
“Yeah. You and Callahan were completely wrong about Ara Khan. I didn’t have to sell her on anything. She and her dad had just been waiting for someone like Callahan to come along. She said she’d call me after she’s had a chance to talk things over with her old man. Then, after I told her what we wanted to do, we went out on the town together and had a blast.”
“I know,” Mercer said. “We had someone following you the whole night. He said the karaoke number you two did together was impressive but that Ara has a better voice than you.”
“Well, I don’t know about that,” Kay said.
15 | A week later, when Ara Khan hadn’t called Kay back, Eli suggested to Callahan that Kay call her.
“No,” Callahan said. “These things take time. What Ara’s father is doing right now is trying to figure out if he can get a better deal from someone else. I don’t think he’ll find one.”
Callahan turned out to be right. That night Ara called Kay.
“My father can see the merits in your proposal. He wants you to provide documents laying out a timeline for the mining operation, specific milestones that must be met, infrastructure upgrades that will be needed, profit projections, and how profits will be shared between the mining company and Afghanistan. My father didn’t specifically ask for this, but I also want to understand how many local people will be employed and a document discussing the environmental impact of lithium mining on a large scale. Finally, you will provide a draft of the contract that defines our relationship. There will be nothing in these documents discussing your support of my father’s political aspirations. How long do you think it will take to prepare these documents?”
“I don’t know,” Kay said.
“Well, find out and get back to me,” Ara snapped.
Kay almost said: Yes, ma’am. “I’ll do that,” Kay said.
“Courier the documents to me when they’re ready. Don’t e-mail or fax them. If the preliminary documents appear satisfactory, we’ll meet here in Afghanistan to finalize our arrangement. My father is unwilling to leave the province at this time. There are matters here that require our—I mean his—personal oversight.”
Kay wondered if that meant that Sahid Khan was reluctant to travel because he needed to stay close to home to keep the people he governed in line.
“But there is a problem that needs to be resolved before we go any further.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” Kay asked.
“Twenty-five million isn’t going to be enough to facilitate what needs to be done.”
“Is that right,” Kay said. “So how much do you want?”
“Twice that amount.” Before Kay could tell Ara that she was just a middleman and in no position to make a decision on the money, Ara said, “We’re not trying to hold you up. You’ve simply underestimated what it’s going to take to achieve your objective.”
Kay thought that was probably bullshit. Ara and her old man probably were trying to hold them up.
“I’ll convey all this to my boss,” Kay said, “and call you tomorrow.”
—
KAY IMMEDIATELY CALLED Callahan and passed on what Ara had told her, and the next morning Callahan held a meeting with Kay, Eli Dolan, Sylvia Sorenson, and Anna Mercer in attendance.
“Eli, how long will it take you and Sylvia to provide the documents Ara wants?” Callahan said.
“They’ve been ready for a month,” Eli said, “except for the environmental impact statement. I wasn’t expecting that. And we can’t give her a real environmental impact assessment, as those take months to prepare—analyzing waste streams, water tables, soil conditions, all sorts of things. But I think I can give her what she wants in terms of generic environmental concerns, with the caveat that an engineering firm will be hired to do a formal assessment later.”
“Yeah, well, give her whatever you think will make her happy,” Callahan said. “Kay, you call Ara back and tell her we’ll give her everything she asked for by the end of this week and that she’ll have a week to review the documents. I want to get moving on this. Eli, who besides Kay do you need at the meeting?”
“I don’t see why I need to go at all,” Kay said.
“You need to go because I want you to stay connected to Ara. So who else needs to be there, Eli?”
“We need somebody from Glardon Mining in case they want to get more into the nuts and bolts of the mining operation. I think I can handle everything else myself.”
“Will you need me there?” Sylvia asked Eli. “I mean, in case there are legal issues they want to discuss. I’d prefer not to go—I mean, because of my mother—but if I have to . . .”
“No, you won’t need to be there,” Callahan said, answering for Eli. “The Khans aren’t worried about the legal shit, because Sahid Khan plans to bribe his way through all the legal shit.”
“But we’re going to need security,” Eli said. “I mean, if it’s okay with you, Thomas, I’d just as soon come back from Afghanistan alive.”
“I’ve already thought about that,” Callahan said. “We’ll use Cannon and Sterling.”
“What are you talking about?” Kay said.
“For the initial meeting with Ara and her father,” Callahan said, “we could send some of our own people with you to keep the Taliban from killing you while you’re over there. But the Callahan Group is not in the security business, and when we actually begin mining operations we’re going to need a heavy-duty, full-time security company. C&S Logistics is an outfit run by two ex–army colonels named Cannon and Sterling. They’ve been around for about ten years and they hire good people, all of them previously trained by Uncle. Our plan was to use them when we started mining and doing the infrastructure upgrades, but we might as well bring them in now so they can get the lay of the land. I’ll call Cannon and tell him.”
“But what about the money?” Mercer asked Callahan. He’d only grunted when Kay told him that Ara wanted double what Callahan had initially offered.
“The money’s not a problem,” Callahan said.
“You’re kidding,” Kay said.
“The Pentagon’s budget this year is about five hundred billion,” Callahan said. “Fifty million is point zero one percent of that budget. The money’s not a problem.”
Kay wondered what the Pentagon’s budget had to do with Callahan’s calculations, but didn’t ask.
“So,” Callahan said, “Eli, you and Sylvia finish getting the documents together and courier them to Ara. Kay, you call Ara back, set a specific date for the meeting, and find out where she wants to meet. You can also tell her we’ll give her the amount she wants, but if she asks for any more, tell her it might be cheaper for us to have her old man whacked and deal with his replacement.”
“Are you serious?” Kay said.
“No. That was a joke. Sort of. Just make sure she understands that I’m not going to let her keep raising the ante.”
—
ALPHA COULDN’T BELIEVE IT!
Alpha had been willing to risk everything for eighteen million as Finley was getting two and Bravo five. But now Callahan was planning to give the Khans fifty million instead of twenty-five, meaning that Alpha would walk away—if able to walk away—with over forty million dollars.
This was like winning the lotto without even buying a ticket.
Alpha called Bravo and gave him an update, saying only that the plan was proceeding forward. There was no reason to tell Bravo that the prize had doubled, and there was no way that Bravo would be able to find out.
“As soon as I know where the meeting is, I’ll let you know,” Alpha said. “But you won’t have much time. You’re going to have to really scramble. You’ll need to . . .”
“Don’t tell me how to do my job,” Bravo said.
And Alpha thought: This arrogant son of a bitch is going to be a problem.
—
OTHER THAN A COUPLE of phone calls to Ara Khan, Kay didn’t really have anything to do in the two weeks before they left for Afghanistan. All the heavy lifting was being done by Eli and Sylvia. The only thing of note that she did during this period was go to bed with Eli Dolan.
One day, after another meeting to brief Callahan on how everything was proceeding, Eli asked Kay if she’d like to go out for a drink. The last time Kay had drinks with Eli, she’d gone home a bit tipsy—but she’d gone home. This time Eli Dolan charmed the pants off her—literally. Or to put it another way, Kay allowed those pants to be charmed off. She and Eli had two drinks on M Street, and when Dolan asked if she’d like to see his Georgetown town house, she’d called her daughter and said that Mommy had to pull an all-nighter for God and country.