One Step Back: A Titus Ray Thriller
Page 12
“Members of al Quds, then?”
“That’s my guess. We’ve been hearing reports the Sunnis are growing in popularity. Tehran won’t sit still while that happens. But that’s good. Mossad likes it when Tehran is distracted.”
“Why wasn’t the captain interested in me?”
“I told him you were my father, plus you look harmless, Hammid.”
It was true. I’d lost weight during my three-month ordeal, and, since I’d spent the time indoors, my skin had taken on an unhealthy pallor. However, I doubted I looked old enough to be his father.
“I also told him you’d fallen in the orchard and injured your leg. He wasn’t surprised at your reluctance to get out of the car, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
I remembered the way the captain had inspected the contents of our car and his lingering look at my cane. He may have believed Rahim, but he had checked out his story anyway.
“You said you were on your way to your cousin’s wedding in Dogubayazit?”
“Yes, and if I hadn’t given him the apples, he might have inquired further about the gifts.” He flicked his hand toward the wedding presents on the backseat floorboard. “Then, I would have insisted he take one or two of those gifts for his sister.”
As in most Middle Eastern countries, bribes and “gifts” were a way of life among the people, especially with military and government officials. Nothing got done without them. If you made inquiries or requested help from any bureaucrat, they expected something in return.
“You were very generous with the apples back there. Will you have enough for your friends at the border now?”
I tried not to sound worried, but whenever I found myself involved in someone else’s operation, I got nervous.
He was dismissive. “Yes, there will be plenty. Now help me find the turnoff road. It leads over to a lake, but the sign is hard to see. We’ll make the switch there.”
He slowed down, and we both concentrated on the passing landscape. The trees were dense, and the late afternoon shadows made finding the lake road difficult.
“I think it’s coming up,” Rahim said.
I pointed off to my right. “There it is.”
He made a sharp right turn onto a dirt road leading through a canopy of trees. One-half mile down the road, a secondary road branched off, and Rahim was able to make a U-turn at the fork in the road. Then, he pointed the car back toward the main highway.
Rahim killed the engine, and, after glancing down at his watch, he looked over at me. At that point, I knew I was about to be given The Speech, a last-minute review an operations officer usually gave to a subordinate before a critical phase commenced.
Technically, I wasn’t a subordinate of Rahim’s organization.
Still, I listened carefully.
“Remember the traffic at the border will move very slowly, and, once I’m pulled over, I expect there will be a long wait. At times, you will hear loud voices. That’s not a cause for worry. If you hear angry voices, especially my angry voice, you should start to worry.”
He paused for a long moment. Then, he opened the glove box and removed the handgun I’d seen earlier.
He handed it over to me with an understanding smile. “I’m assuming you found this already.”
I checked the chamber.
It was loaded.
“Thanks, Rahim.”
“Any questions?”
“No. I’m confident you’ve thought of everything.”
We both got out of the car, and I helped him remove some of the apple boxes so he could stack them in the trunk after I was inside.
Before climbing in, I said, “Rahim, please hear me when I say I’m grateful for everything you and Javad have done for me. Perhaps, someday, I can repay you.”
Rahim placed his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “That will never be necessary, Hammid,” he said. “It has been God’s will for us to help you.”
As I tucked myself into the trunk again, I found myself hoping it was also God’s will for me to make it out of Iran alive.
END OF PROLOGUE from One Night in Tehran
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Table of Contents
PART ONE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
PART TWO
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
PART THREE
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
PART FOUR
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A NOTE TO MY READERS
BONUS EXCERPT
One Night in Tehran