by Bryan Murray
Doug frowned. “DC?”
Jake grinned. “Yes, the President invited all of us plus Andy and his wife and Sharon to a private dinner at the White House to thank Andy for the excellent job he did.”
Doug and Roddy looked at each other and smiled. “Outstanding!” Doug replied.
They all shook hands and the trio left.
CHAPTER 36
The past few days had been quite stressful for Ephraim, the Mossad agent originally assigned to keep an eye on Roddy in Tel Aviv.
When the Americans had called his boss, Agent Cohen, asking if the Mossad could double-check with all their informants to see if they could get some idea of what the JOD had been planning, Ephraim had been sent undercover to meet with Wasim, another Mossad informant, back in the village where Ben had been taken after his abduction.
The bearded Ephraim, wearing the dress of the local Arabs, had made his initial contact with Wasim, in his late fifties, a shepherd in the foothills outside the village. In the privacy of Wasim’s hut in the hills, the latter had explained to Ephraim what had been happening in the valley down below.
Although the village itself was still inside the border of Israel where almost seventy five per cent of the population were Jewish, and with the remaining twenty five per cent or so of Muslims, most of them non-violent, that minority had, however, been an attractive recruiting prospect for the militant JOD generals.
Wasim explained that on their recruiting visits the JOD terrorists had been ruthless in recruiting the young Muslim men and their threat of death if they refused to join the JOD had been a most successful recruiting tool.
Ephraim asked Wasim if he had seen any of the senior terrorist leaders close up when they had visited the village, but he nodded his head negatively.
“No, Ephraim, I stay in the hills with my sheep, but the local Muslims tell me about the horrors when these terrorist dogs come to visit!”
Ephraim was curious. “What happened Wasim?”
The slim, grey-haired shepherd had a faraway look in his eyes. “I saw it once from a distance, where those who refused to join the terrorists were either shot or maimed in front of their families and the rest followed like my sheep, but they did not have the fire of war in their eyes!”
“I can understand, my brother,” Ephraim replied. “Is there anyone in the village who could tell me more about these evil leaders?”
Wasim thought for a moment. “There is one Muslim woman, her name is Adila. The terrorists made her watch while they shot her two brothers when they refused to join the JOD! She would be able to tell you about the general and his brother who were responsible.”
“Can you arrange for me to meet her?” Ephraim inquired.
Wasim nodded. “I can take you into the village after dark, we will see if we can find her.”
“And are there still JOD terrorists in the village, Wasim?”
“I think a few, but most of them left after the Americans came to rescue the man who was kidnapped and held here. They were afraid of the Americans returning, I think.”
“Did you not see what happened when the American was kidnapped, Wasim?” Ephraim asked.
“No, my brother, I was up in the high pasture when they brought him in and when I returned, he had been rescued. The villagers were very happy that many of the terrorists were killed by the Americans and the Israelis.
Ephraim’s mind was made up. “Very well, Wasim, we will visit the village this evening and try to speak with the lady you mentioned.”
Wasim looked a little nervous. “You will bring your weapon, Ephraim?”
The young agent smiled. “Most certainly, my brother.”
* * *
It was a cool, clear, moonlit desert night as Ephraim and Wasim made it down into the silent village where Jake and his team had previously visited to rescue Ben.
On this particular evening, the streets were deserted and there were no signs of the terrorist activity that had been in evidence during Jake’s visit. The two men made their way stealthily to a small, clay hut at the end of a dark, dirt road.
Wasim pointed to the hut and whispered. “That is where Adila lives with her mother and grandparents.”
Ephraim nodded. “Let’s move in closer and make sure they don’t have visitors, okay?”
“Very well.”
They crept up to the window at the front of the hut, but they could not see inside for the old, dirty curtains at the window. Ephraim motioned to Wasim that they should go and check around the back.
They moved silently around to the rear and approached the dusty window to look inside. Suddenly, Ephraim felt the cold steel of a rifle muzzle in the back of his neck and he heard a female voice.
“One move and you will die! Raise your hands,” the voice continued. “Now turn around slowly!”
They both raised their hands and turned to see a young Muslim woman, a rifle in her hand and with her head covered in a burqa. When the woman saw Wasim, she relaxed a little.
“What do you want, Wasim?” she asked as she lifted the transparent veil on her burqa to show her upper face and eyes.
“Adila, I bring a friend who wishes to speak with you.” Wasim replied.
“Speak about what?”
Ephraim was relaxing a little. “I’ll be happy to tell you if you will lower the rifle and we can lower our hands, okay?”
Adila lowered the rifle but she still kept it pointing in Ephraim’s direction.
“I’m listening?”
Ephraim quietly explained what he was doing there. “I am deeply sorry to hear of the deaths of your brothers at the hands of these barbarian JOD terrorists, Adila!”
She nodded her thanks as Ephraim continued. “I am also very interested in killing the men who did this to your family and to others here in the village.”
At the mention of revenge, Adila looked ready to talk.
“Will you help me?” he asked
“What do you need to know?”
“We need to know what this general and his brother look like and where we can find them?”
She thought for a moment. “The general is Ibrahim Al-Amabakhu and his brother, with a big, ugly scar on the left side of his face, is Jamal. I will never forget them. They have a camp that they visit down in the valley at al-Farakesh about twenty miles north of here. The general, he has, how do you say, a leg wound. He walks with stick in his hand.”
Ephraim was listening intently. “I understand, Adila, keep going?”
“When he and his brother come to my village, they look for new members of JOD. Everyone was afraid and when my brothers refuse to join JOD, this Jamal, he shot them both right there in front of us!” tears welled in her eyes.
Ephraim calmed her down. “This is very helpful, Adila. I don’t want you to discuss our meeting with anyone, not even your family, is that clear?”
She nodded that she understood.
“That way you will not be in danger. I give you my word that we will get your revenge on these animals. I will be in contact soon and thank you.”
She put her hand on his arm, a determined look in her eye. “I would like to be there to see this man Jamal die!”
Ephraim nodded that he understood and he and Wasim left as silently as they arrived.
* * *
On the way back to Wasim’s hut, Ephraim was already on his cell phone, talking with Joseph back in Tel Aviv.
“Yes, Ephraim?” Joseph inquired.
“I have some information that may be significant, Agent Cohen!”
“Go ahead, I’m listening?” Joseph replied.
“It concerns the possible whereabouts of the JOD General who was involved in the kidnapping of the American engineer.”
Joseph was immediately interested. “Please explain?” he urged.
After Ephraim explained his meeting with Adila, Joseph was immediately alert. “Good work, Ephraim. What I would like you to do is confirm in more detail what this lady told you.”
“In
what way, sir?”
“I need you to go with our informant, after you pay him, and visit this location at al-Farakesh, where I believe there is an old fortress. If you can get a positive ID on this general and his brother, I need to know immediately so that we can plan an attack or extraction, is that clear?”
“Yes, Agent Cohen, I will report later.”
“Thank you and again well done, Ephraim!” Joseph went off the line.
Ephraim looked at Wasim. “Well, my brother, we have a further mission!”
Wasim gave him a knowing look as Ephraim added quickly. “For which you will be well paid!”
The old shepherd gave a toothless grin.
* * *
Close to the Iraqi border on the hillside below the old, deserted Bedouin fortress at al-Farakesh, Jamal was expecting the visit of his brother Ibrahim that day and he and his thugs were awaiting further instructions from the general following the recent deaths of many of their colleagues at the hands of the Americans and Israelis.
In the late afternoon sun, Jamal was anxiously watching the road across the desert leading to al-Farakesh and he grabbed his binoculars when he saw the distant dust storm being raised by the convoy of the three vehicles heading towards them. He immediately alerted his men to be ready to receive their visitor.
“The General is arriving, my brothers, double the guards and stay alert!”
The men all moved into position.
* * *
Up in the foothills above Jamal’s location, the approaching convoy was also being watched through binoculars by Ephraim and Wasim.
“Looks like we’ve got company,” Ephraim observed. “If it is this General Al-Amabakhu, we need to move in closer to try and find out what is happening.”
Wasim swallowed nervously. “If you say so, my brother!”
As the leading Humvee was approaching Jamal’s camp, Ephraim wiped the lens to make sure he had a clear view through the binoculars. The convoy stopped and immediately Jamal and his thugs emerged from the building to assure the occupants of the three vehicles that it was safe to get out.
Ephraim watched closely as firstly the general’s bodyguards emerged, weapons drawn at the ready and finally, Al-Amabakhu slowly climbed down from the vehicle, his walking cane in his hand as he made his way slowly over to his brother Jamal. Both men hugged each other before they went inside the building.
Up on the hillside above, Ephraim was already on the phone to Joseph, who answered on the second ring.
“Yes, Ephraim, what is happening?”
“Good news, sir,” Ephraim replied. “We have found both the general and his brother!”
“Well done, Ephraim. Please give us the exact coordinates so that we can constantly monitor the location with our reconnaissance drones.”
“Of course, what would you like me to do now, sir?”
Joseph thought for a moment. “Once we have them under drone surveillance, can you try and move in closer and relay any additional information that you can find?”
“Of course, sir. Stand by to receive the coordinates.”
“Thanks, stay in touch.” Joseph rang off.
* * *
Back in DC, Jake, Sarah and Steve had finally made it back into town and for the first night in what seemed forever, Jake and Sarah were able to share the same bed.
As always, their lovemaking had been soft and tender and the warmth and gentleness was in total contrast to the violent lifestyle that seemed to be their daily regimen these troubled days.
After a casual breakfast, they drove into the office where Angela was really pleased to see them.
“Welcome back, guys,” she smiled. “How does it feel to be back in civilization?”
Sarah shook her head. “Not sure. I hope you’re in the mood for a typing marathon?”
Angela grinned. “Ready when you are.”
Jake was already going through the mail, checking out their finances and getting up to speed on his in-tray.
Steve arrived, grabbed a coffee and grinned at Angela. ‘Hey, stranger, how’s it goin’?”
“I can’t believe all these people are in here, but I love it!”
“Yeah, good to be back,” he looked across at Jake. “So, where did you get your tux, Jake?”
Jake smiled. “Gino’s down the road,” he nodded in the direction of Sarah. “And if you need help with your bow tie, Sarah’s the expert!”
Angela was curious. “Somebody getting married?”
Steve smiled. “No, we’ve been invited to dinner at the White House.”
“No kidding, you guys really get around!”
Jake looked up from his pile of papers. “Yes, and this time we’re not the guests of honor, thank goodness!”
“Hey, who cares?” Angela smiled. “It’s the White House! How many people can say they’ve been there twice?”
“True.”
CHAPTER 37
The night was cold and crystal clear as Ephraim and Wasim made their way stealthily down the hillside towards Jamal’s camp.
With details of the location now downloaded into a cruising UAV on patrol at forty thousand feet altitude, the details on the ground were now firmly in place with the Mossad and Joseph had impressed on Ephraim that whatever else happened that night, they must not be detected. Nothing must affect the attack on the location by Death Dart the following day.
A dog was barking nervously as they moved closer to the main building. Using his night binoculars and night goggles, Ephraim could see that two guards were posted outside the quarters where he assumed the general would be located.
After they had been watching them for a few minutes, the two guards moved over to another building, leaving the windows to the main building unguarded.
Ephraim signalled to Wasim to stay under cover and the latter looked relieved to be staying out of sight. The young agent then crawled along on his stomach until he was almost under the open window of the main building.
His heart beating, gun in hand, he could hear snippets of conversation coming from inside the room. He took a big chance and quickly popped up to peek inside over the window sill to see that it was Jamal and the general who were talking. They seemed to be discussing an event in the near future.
Jamal sounded surprised. “You mean Abu al-Bengari our leader will be coming here, my brother?”
Al-Amabakhu, who was sitting with his leg propped up on a stool, replied.
“Yes, he will be here in three days with his generals for a major meeting in the fortress on the ridge.”
Outside, a wide-eyed Ephraim was soaking in every word.
“And the purpose of the visit, my brother?” Jamal asked.
The general explained. “We need to plan a new strategy with the generals after the problems we had in the US!”
Jamal was anxious to help. “We are honored by the visit, my brother. Is there anything that you need to have taken care of?”
The general nodded negatively. “Just make sure that our leader’s safety is assured, is that understood?”
“It will be done!” Jamal confirmed.
* * *
Outside the window, Ephraim, his heart pounding, had heard enough. He moved swiftly and silently back to where Wasim was in hiding. He signalled him to follow him silently up the hill. About twenty yards further across the area, they had to dive behind a wall as two other terrorists walked past, rubbing their hands in the cold night air.
They waited a few seconds and then moved on swiftly away from the camp. Once they were a safe distance from the location, Ephraim was already on the phone to Joseph who came on the line quickly.
“Yes, Ephraim?” he inquired.
“I have an urgent update, Agent Cohen!” the young agent advised.
“I’m listening?”
“We need to delay the attack on the general, sir!”
“Why is that?” Joseph was curious.
“Because I just overheard the general telling his brother that in three days�
� time the JOD leader and his generals will be visiting the location!”
Joseph was incredulous. “You mean Abu al-Bengari?”
“Yes, sir.” Ephraim replied.
“You are right, well done Ephraim. Stay low, I need to discuss this important new development with Director Ephron.”
“Very good, sir.”
“And Ephraim, once again, well done!”
* * *
Zeke Ephron, the Director of the Mossad, was at his desk when Joseph asked his secretary if he could speak with the director on a matter of the utmost urgency.
He was quickly shown in and the mild, bespectacled director looked up from a file he was reading, an inquisitive look in his eye. “Utmost urgency, you say, Agent Cohen?”
“Yes, Director.” Joseph replied. He then went on to explain his telephone call from Ephraim as the director sat there not speaking a word until Joseph had finished.
Finally, the director took a breath. “You are quite right, Agent Cohen, utmost urgency is a true assessment of the opportunity we have here. To be able to have a chance to take out Abu al-Bengari and some of his top generals, all at one time is indeed an incredible opportunity, both for us and the Americans, after what happened in Washington!”
“Yes, sir,” Joseph replied. “How would you like to handle this, sir?”
The director thought for a moment, that laser brain behind those inscrutable eyes working overtime. “This is definitely a drone surveillance and attack operation, so the prey won’t escape, Joseph and I would feel a lot happier if we got the American special security people involved. We can’t afford to let this opportunity slip away!”
“What would you like me to do, sir?” Joseph inquired.
“I would like you to contact Mr. Harrigan and his team, Joseph, you seem to work well together. We will pay his regular fees and if he is interested to help us, we need to get him over here very quickly!”
“I will contact him immediately, sir,” Joseph replied. “And when we get him here we can plan our strategy in detail.”
“Exactly, please move as fast as you can and keep me informed?”
“Very good, sir.” Joseph left quickly.