PRIMAL Inception (The PRIMAL Series)
Page 12
Vance looked sideways at the former Marine. “Ice, you’re nuts. I tell you a bunch of jihadist douche bags are gonna try and blow us to hell and you think it’s a good thing.” He shook his head and laughed.
The corner of Ice’s mouth turned up in a slight smile. His eyes never left the crowded highway.
Vance continued. “Only problem is that pompous cocksucker has given us the boot. It won’t take Langley long to follow that up and shit-can us.”
“Just means we need to move fast.”
“Yep. First things first, we need to get the Doc and his crew out.” Vance pulled out his phone and scrolled through the contacts, looking for the doctor in charge of the WHO team. “After that I’ll tee up a meeting with Tariq. We need to find out how Special Tasks got wind of the attack. You find out if the gear has arrived.”
Ice pulled into the parking lot of one of Abu Dhabi’s entertainment complexes and slotted the four-wheel drive into a free spot. Vance was already talking to the head of the WHO team. Ice jumped out of the vehicle and dialed the FedEx Custom Critical depot to check if the extra equipment he had ordered from Langley had arrived. With a direct threat to the team, he’d be happier packing a little extra heat.
CHAPTER 2
An hour later, Vance was waiting in an emergency fire escape at the Al Wahda shopping mall. A symbol of the Gulf city’s progress, the mall was a sprawling complex of over 120 high-end retail outlets. Vance hated it, all sparkling marble and glass, built by unskilled migrant labor with petrodollars. Like so many things in the Middle East, the glamour was a thin veil. In the staircase, behind the scenes, the flaking paint and exposed wiring told another story.
Vance checked his phone. His contact was late. A moment later it buzzed and an SMS displayed on the screen:
Contact is moving toward your loc.
Ice was watching the approaches to the emergency exit. Despite his stature, the CIA operative had an uncanny knack for remaining out of sight. Vance felt comfortable knowing the big man had his back.
The door to the landing swung open and a security guard in a dark suit barged in. He gave Vance a cursory nod and scanned the stairwell for any threats. Vance lifted his arms, allowing the man to pat him down for a concealed weapon. Security procedures complete, the suit exited through the same door. A few seconds later Vance’s contact entered.
“It is good to see you again, Vance.” Tariq Ahmed, the head of Abu Dhabi’s Police Special Tasks Branch, was every inch the charming gentleman, his slim frame clad in an immaculate tailored suit, dark hair slicked back, beard and moustache trimmed to perfection.
“You too, Tariq. Been a while.”
Prior to assuming his current mantle, Tariq had been an intelligence officer in the UAE Army. He had worked with Vance while on secondment to the CIA in Afghanistan.
Tariq’s face remained impassive as he spoke. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.” He folded his arms across his chest. “You should have listened to Mr. Beecroft.”
“What the hell, Tariq? A pack of terrorists want to take down my team and you want me to let some pompous asshole like Beecroft stop me from bringing them down?"
“Mr. Beecroft is a powerful man, Vance. If you value your career, I would suggest you follow his direction.”
“My career? Tariq, I’ve been in this business for long enough and one thing I’ve learned is that Langley doesn’t give a shit about me. No, this is personal now. I want the murdering motherfuckers double-tapped in the face!”
Tariq raised an eyebrow at the CIA man’s tirade. “As do I, Vance, and I assure you we have the situation well in hand.”
“Yeah, twelve dead in three months. Looks like you’ve got it well in hand.” Vance gave a hard stare. “Does it bother you that someone in your government is sponsoring the murder of innocent civilians?”
Tariq’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”
“I didn’t, but I suspected as much. Now you’ve all but confirmed it.”
“There is more to this than you think, my friend.”
“Clearly. That’s why you’re meeting me in a goddamn stairwell.”
“Leave this to my people; the CIA has no role to play here. This is an Emirates problem and we will resolve it. You can stick to Iraq.”
It was Vance’s turn to fold his arms. “No role? You feed us some crap about a terrorist group targeting my team and then you tell me I don’t have a role to play in it. Screw you, Tariq, I thought we were friends.”
“We are, and that is why you were warned.”
“Don’t think I’m not appreciative, buddy, but you need to give me a whole lot more than that. Who’s your source?”
“I cannot reveal that.”
“Then give me some details. Who’s leading the attack? When’s it planned for? What type of attack? A suicide bomber? A car bomb? For fuck’s sake!”
“The attack was to occur in the next twenty-four hours; a VBIED into the medical clinic. That is all I know.”
He didn’t believe for one second that the well-groomed Arab was sharing everything.
“Vance, trust me when I say this.” Tariq’s gaze had softened slightly. “There is nothing more the CIA can do here. I know your Embassy has already booked a flight for you tonight. You would be well advised to take it.”
There was silence as the two men stared at each other.
“Maybe you’re right,” Vance said.
Tariq smiled halfheartedly. “You’re making the right decision, my friend. Have a safe trip and perhaps we will meet again under better circumstances.” With that, the head of Special Tasks Branch disappeared through the door behind him.
Vance waited a few seconds before moving down the stairs to the underground parking level. He exited the stairwell and walked across to where the Land Cruiser was parked.
A few minutes later Ice crossed the parking lot to join him. “Only the one guy with him. He’s trying to keep it discreet.”
“Yeah, could mean he’s being watched.”
“Do you trust him?”
“I’m not sure,” Vance said, shaking his head, “but I’d wager he knows a shitload more than he’s telling.”
“Any more intel on the threat?”
“Yeah. Car bomb into the compound. Next twenty-four hours.”
“That’s pretty specific. Think it’s good?”
“Tariq and I worked together in the 'Ghan. He pulled my nuts out of the fire a couple of times. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve ended up getting my head cut off on YouTube.” Vance opened his car door. “So yeah, I think it’s good. I’ve just got the feeling he’s still hiding something from us.”
The two men climbed into the Land Cruiser and Ice started the engine. “From what I’ve read in Forbes, his father’s a very powerful man.”
“Damn straight he is. The emir’s chief security advisor, and in his spare time he runs a billion-dollar logistics company.”
“So if Tariq’s hiding something, it’s going to be pretty high-powered.” The tires of the four-wheel drive screeched on the polished concrete as Ice nosed it toward the exit.
“You’re right. If the US found out there’s a terrorist cell operating inside the UAE government, it would be a major embarrassment. That’s why he wants the CIA out. Not that it would matter. That prick Beecroft would sacrifice his own mother to keep the oil flowing.”
“The terrorists could have a royal link,” added Ice.
“True. Some rich, bored asshole getting his kicks out of playing jihad. Whoever it is, he fucked up though.”
“How so?”
“By trying to kill us.”
“So what’s the plan from here?” Ice asked as he wound down the window and paid the Pakistani worker who manned the parking booth.
“We get our gear from the depot and stake out the clinic. Jihad jerk-off’s posse are bound to do one last recon. We’ll leave the lights on and maybe they’ll still be keen to join our little party.”
***
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