Heroes never die, p.11
Heroes Never Die, page 11
“Ooooh,” he mocked. “That sounds painful.”
Stephanie felt completely defenseless. “I mean it, Kyle,” she yelled. Kyle jumped to his feet and approached her. She stiffened, and his steps came to a halt.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Stephanie. You wouldn’t even be here right now if you hadn’t opened your big mouth in front of that Marine guard today – not one of your more intelligent moves. And don’t make another mistake by thinking I want you here, because I don’t. But the fact remains that you’re here. And whether we like it or not, we have to get along with each other so that I can train you for this operation.”
“You don’t really expect me to get along with you after everything you’ve done to hurt me?”
“I’m not hurting you. I’m only doing my job.”
Stephanie’s eyes widened with unbelief. “You took Brian and Dad away from me. You threatened to kill Brian. You threatened to destroy my marriage. And you have turned my life completely upside-down simply because you’re hell-bent on revenge.”
“No, Stephanie,” he corrected. “Brian is the one who took you away from me. And you had better believe it wreaked havoc in my life, too.”
“Oh, no,” she argued, shaking her head to set him straight. “You can’t pin this on Brian. Our relationship was over before I became involved with him. I love Brian, and I’m very happily married. And now you’re asking me to sleep with some king?”
Kyle wasn’t concerned. “We don’t even know whether Hamid will respond to you. If he doesn’t, you come home and it’s all over.”
But Stephanie was concerned. “And if he does?”
Kyle shrugged his shoulders. “Then you simply give him an evening that he’ll never forget, and then blow him away.”
Stephanie was completely appalled. “Dear, God! You make murder sound like a thrilling ride at the amusement park.”
“It’s not murder,” he said to reinforce the barrage of training she had received that day. “It’s routine political stratagem to influence our policies abroad. You must determine in your mind that the good of this strategy outweighs the bad. Taking one life in order to save thousands of other lives is always the morally correct choice.”
Stephanie agreed that saving lives was the better alternative, as long as it didn’t involve her. “Look, Kyle. I want the war to end just as much as the next person, but I won’t sleep with Hamid. And I can’t kill him, either.”
“Why not?” he asked. “You won’t be doing anything that Brian isn’t already doing.”
Stephanie rushed to defend her husband. “Brian isn’t killing anyone. He’s saving lives.”
Kyle’s face lit up with amusement. “Do I have to spell everything out for you? Brian is far away from home, and he’s surrounded by beautiful nurses. How long do you think it will take before he gives in?”
Kyle’s question surprised her. She had never considered such idiocy, for there had never been a reason to doubt Brian. “Don’t try to rob me of my faith in Brian. He loves me. And I have never given him a reason to look anywhere else.”
“He’s a man, and that’s reason enough.”
Stephanie felt sick. Now she was faced with losing Brian to another woman. “What happened to you, Kyle?” she asked as tears welled up in her eyes. “The Kyle I used to know would have stormed the gates of hell to save me. You were my hero. I worshipped you. And now you’re doing everything in your power to hurt me. Why, Kyle, why are you doing this to me?”
“The ‘why’ isn’t important right now. What is important is for you to learn everything we teach you as if your life depended upon it, because it does. Keep in mind that any order you disobey, Brian dies. My contacts in Turkey will do anything for a buck. Like it or not, you’re in this for the duration. If I were you, I’d start paying real close attention.”
Stephanie knew that Kyle had plenty of available resources to kill Brian, and he would do so in a heartbeat. Her insides churned with agitation. She was giving up, at least for the night. “I’m going to bed,” she huffed. “Shall I take the sofa?”
“Take my room. You’ll sleep better. Barry gave me a sedative to help you relax. Get some water if you want.”
Stephanie went for a glass of water. Her head was throbbing with pain. This was one night when she would appreciate the aid of a sedative.
Kyle joined her in the kitchen and opened the container of pills. He shook three tablets into his hand and held them out to her. She cautiously looked at the pills and then at Kyle. “I have to take three tablets?”
“Break one in half.”
Stephanie tried with all of her might to break the solid tablet in half. Kyle took the pill from her, instantly snapped it in two, and handed it back to her. She swallowed the pill and then slapped her glass down on the counter. “If Brian knew what you were doing to me, he’d kill you.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” he said with a smug grin. “It would go against his moral code of ethics.”
“You just can’t lose, can you, Kyle?”
“I haven’t won yet, but that’s only a matter of time.”
Stephanie’s stare sharpened. If he was implying that they would be back together someday, he was completely out of his mind. She tossed back her head and stormed to his bedroom. She waited inside the doorway until she had his full attention. Then she grabbed hold of the door and slammed it as hard as she could. She reached for the lock, but there was none. “Cripes,” she mumbled. She opened the door to complain about her lack of privacy. “There’s no lock on this door.”
“And if you slam the door that hard again, it won’t be there, either. So go ahead, slam it all you want,” he antagonized. “Then I can watch you undress.”
Stephanie shut the door, gently this time, and lay down upon the bed. Staring at the ceiling in the still darkness of Kyle’s room, she had one more thing to worry about – Brian’s unfaithfulness. Kyle had planted a seed of doubt in her mind, and as the seed began to take root, she saw a vision of Brian in the arms of another woman. Her eyes began to tear, and then she remembered the tears in Brian’s eyes when he left for Turkey. He loved her too much to risk losing her by being unfaithful. She had entrusted her whole heart to his tender care, and his honorable rules of conduct would prevent him from crushing her with pain. Kyle was only trying to destroy her confidence in Brian. And now he was setting her up to sleep with King Hamid to destroy the confidence Brian had in her. Kyle was truly a master at crushing his enemy. She began to think about the mission. She had already used all of her resources, and there was no way out. She either had to bend or break, and she decided to bend. Then she closed her heavy eyes and gave in to the soothing effect of the sedative.
Chapter Thirteen:
Stephanie rested her head against the car window to view the scenic Virginian countryside while the sound of smooth jazz played on the radio. Kyle drove to the farm, heading south to Richmond, then east toward Colonial Williamsburg to arrive at their destination of Camp Peary. They pulled up to the gate that read, “Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity, Department of Defense.” Stephanie noticed two heavily-armed guards approach the car and ask to see their badges. Then the guards raised the gate and lowered the sharp spikes that were anchored in the road, clearing the way to enter the CIA’s training center. As they drove through a small portion of the 10,000-acre reservation, Stephanie saw watchtowers and geographical borders that were cut out of the thick woods. The borders, patrolled by guards armed with machine guns, some with fierce-looking German Shepherds, were set up so that agents could learn to infiltrate enemy lines. So this is my home for the next two weeks.
Kyle drove directly to the living quarters – drab, uninteresting, wood-framed barracks. Matt and Zach had already arrived and were waiting for them on the sidewalk in front of the barracks. Stephanie recognized them right away. Those are the men who tricked me into going to the CIA in the first place. Why those no good, sons of… Stephanie didn’t finish her thought. She remembered what Kyle had done when she called him a foul name. Will I always be frightened when I think about that day?
Kyle and Stephanie climbed out of the car and joined Matt and Zach. Meeting them was unavoidable. Kyle reintroduced them. “You remember Matt Parsons and Zach Tyler? Matt and Zach will be helping to train you for the most dangerous part of this mission – the assassination.”
Matt reached out to shake her hand. “Welcome to the farm, Stephanie. No hard feelings?”
He’s kidding, right? Stephanie refused to shake his hand. Instead, she looked off into the distance.
“We’re going to teach you how to survive,” Zach said. “Matt and I will also be your backup in Saudi Arabia. Even though you won’t see us, we’ll be watching you. If anything goes wrong, we’ll make sure you get home safely. I hope we can earn your trust.”
Stephanie slowly turned her focus back to Matt and Zach and smiled faintly. It was the least she could do, especially when they were risking their lives, too.
“Before you get settled in, we want to give you a rundown of your training,” Matt said. “Let’s get started.” The foursome began to walk the grounds toward the York River. Stephanie noticed a small-scaled replica of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in George Town that had been built near a restricted stretch of the York River to simulate the real hotel on the Caribbean Sea.
“Our first objective is to train you to complete the assassination,” Matt continued. “As you know, your goal is to lure Hamid to George Town. Once you are there, you are to ignore any tenderhearted emotions that might prevent you from pulling the trigger.”
“That’s an error that will cost you your life,” Zach reinforced. “Hamid is the enemy. Understood?”
“Perfectly,” she said, absorbing every word.
Matt continued, “In the authentic escape, you will have the advantage – the element of surprise. We are going to teach you how to optimize your advantage. You’ll be in and out before anyone has a clue as to what happened.”
“That’s right,” Zach agreed. “The second objective is to train you to escape to the beach. Once there, a Huey helicopter will fly in for the pick-up. The distance from the mock hotel to the York River is the exact distance from the Ritz-Carlton to the Caribbean Sea. Everything on these grounds is designed to simulate the authentic escape route.”
“Then we move on to the last objective,” Matt said as they walked toward the river bank. “The Huey will drop a thirty-foot rope ladder. Once you master climbing the ladder in the daylight, we’ll practice the drill at night, the normal condition of your escape.”
“The night drill will be the most challenging,” Zach said. “You’ll have to memorize every sight and sound along the course until you can run through it practically blindfolded. The helicopter’s sudden burst of light in the dark night will blind you, and so will the blowing sand. But before it’s over, you’ll be able to escape with confidence and speed.”
The escape was much more overwhelming than Stephanie had imagined. “I’m not so sure about this,” she stammered. “Two weeks isn’t very long.”
“You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish in two weeks,” Kyle finally spoke. “Once you feel the rush of adrenalin, nothing can stop you. When you make your escape in George Town, it will be just another day in paradise.”
Stephanie still wasn’t convinced. Then she remembered what the President had said. ‘Between you and King Hamid, only one of you will live.’ She felt waves of panic just as she had when he said it. She had to struggle to gather her courage. She was embroiled in a fierce battle, and the prize was life. She suddenly became resolute. As long as she had breath, she was going to fight to survive. “Let’s get started.”
***
Stephanie looked around the dorm room that had been her home for the last two weeks. She had learned to complete her flight to freedom without a single mistake. In the process, she had become a trained assassin, primed, polished, and ready to go. Still, she knew the plan could go amiss, and she couldn’t help thinking the worst. What if I die?
Kyle walked into Stephanie’s dorm room and sat down on the bed beside her. “Something wrong?” His voice startled her.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
Stephanie shook her head, choosing to keep her thoughts to herself.
“Before we head back home, I want you to give me the drill one last time.”
She was well versed with the plan. “My trip to Riyadh is scheduled to last four days. On my third day there, Marcus will call and give me an emergency assignment. If there’s a good chance that Hamid will follow me to George Town, I’ll ask, ‘is the sun shining there?’ If the sun is shining, I’ll fly back to the United States to receive my weapon as well as my new portfolio for the mock interview with Governor David Marshall. Then when I arrive in George Town, my goal is to stay with King Hamid. Once I’m in his room, I’ll call Marcus to let him know that everything is set up. At 3:30 a.m., I will make the hit. I’ll run to the beach for the 3:45 a.m. pick-up. Then a helicopter will take me back to the United States.”
“You nailed it. Barry was impressed with your performance today. You made me look good.”
She pounced on him. “I’m not doing any of this to make you look good. I’m cooperating to protect Brian and Dad.”
“Touché. And Barry just gave me a piece of information that will give you even more incentive. Iraq has invaded Turkey. We’re hearing some chatter about them going nuclear.”
Stephanie raked her fingers through her hair. The thought of Brian and her dad being trapped inside of Turkey was unbearable. “No one is going nuclear. Hamid is mine. And then the war will take a turn.”
“Assassinating Hamid is a long shot, and we’re running out of time.”
Is he insinuating that I’m not capable of making a difference? “Don’t underestimate me. I have the ability, the incentive, and most of all, I always get what I want. And I want Hamid dead.”
“You’re scared, aren’t you?”
Stephanie didn’t want to admit it, but she needed someone to confide in, and Kyle was the only person she could talk to about the operation. “Yeah, I’m scared. I know I can make the hit, but I also know something could go wrong. And I can’t stop thinking about Brian and Dad if I don’t make it back alive. Brian would be hurt, but he would go on with his life. But Dad is a different story. I’m all he has. Losing me would devastate him. I’m frightened for him. Heck, I’m frightened for me. I don’t want to die.”
“Nothing is going to happen to you. The plan is idiot-proof.”
“This isn’t the time for one of your backhanded compliments, Kyle.”
“Wasn’t meant to be. Just do exactly what you’ve been trained to do, and nothing will go wrong. I promise.”
“I hope so, because I have a lot to live for. Speaking of, I want to stop by my house to see if a letter came from Brian.”
Stephanie knew immediately that it was the wrong thing to say. Kyle winced as soon as he heard Brian’s name. But his bruising insults and burning stares no longer mattered. She was leaving for Saudi Arabia the next morning, and when she returned, Brian and her dad could come home. Her nightmare was almost over.
Chapter Fourteen:
Stephanie had been in the air for almost fifteen hours. The airliner made a screeching halt on the runway at King Khaled International Airport. When she was allowed to remove her seatbelt, she reached inside her carryon bag and pulled out a rectangular silk scarf. She wrapped it over her head, crossed it around her neck, and then pinned the ends to the back of the scarf. Her conservative navy skirt hit just below the knees, and her tailored blouse, cut to accentuate her waist, was draped at the shoulder with a bow. She checked her high heels for scuffs, and then she took a deep breath. I can’t back out now. It’s time to give the performance of my lifetime.
Stephanie stepped off of the plane and into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She was now Mickey Chapman, journalist for Minute Magazine. She looked around the huge terminal until she spotted the immigration desk. Airport police and military guards were everywhere. When a guard motioned for her to take a place in line, she took her place and looked straight ahead. Women were required to have escorts at all times, and she was alone. She felt out of place and conspicuous. Why can’t this line move faster? Finally she came to the red line on the floor. Then it was her turn to approach the desk.
“Sabah al-hayri,” the immigration official said. “Ma ismok?”
Stephanie knew what he said, but she wasn’t allowed to speak Arabic. She shook her head that she didn’t understand him, and he spoke again in English.
“Good morning. What is your name?”
“Mickey Chapman.” She had rehearsed this moment many times, but she still felt nervous. She wondered if her face had turned red.
“Is this your first time here?” Stephanie nodded that it was. “Landing card and passport, please. I also want the letter from your company with the name of your guardian.”
“I have all of that,” she said as she handed him the documents. While he looked over her papers, she watched as another agent checked her luggage. He found her laptop and microcassette recorder and confiscated both pieces of equipment. He opened a small bottle of perfume and smelled it to make sure that it wasn’t alcohol. Then he closed her suitcases.
The immigration official suddenly shouted, “Guard!”
Stephanie turned her head and saw a guard rapidly approaching and her knees began to wobble. I’m going to be arrested!
“Take this woman to King Hamid’s press attaché. He’s standing over there.” The immigration official nodded off to his right.
Stephanie could still hear her heart pounding. She forced herself to relax as she grabbed her luggage, and then she followed the guard. She instantly recognized Ayub Ali Masudi from the pictures Kyle had shown her. He was short, thickset, and one of the key men who surrounded King Hamid. He was wearing an abah over his white thawb, and his head was covered with a white keffiyeh with a brown braided agal around it. His black shoes were so shiny that Stephanie noticed the overhead lights shimmering upon them.
