Out Of The Night (11 page)

“Don’t ask.”

“When this is all over, I’m never leaving the States again. I’m staying in a place where no one chases me. This is impossible.”

Tony put his hand on hers. “I know, but it’ll be over soon. When we get to Cairo, I think I know where to go.”

“You remembered something?”

“I began the search for Joe Mitchell in Cairo. Now I remember how I knew where to start.”

“Did someone tell you?”

“Yes, Joe Mitchell.”

Dallas, Texas

Frank picked up his ringing phone, and the president’s voice carried over the earpiece. He didn’t sound happy. “Have you had an offer for a reward?”

“We’ve heard nothing,
Mr. President. Not a single word coming out of the Middle East about a captured CIA operative.”

“I can’t imagine how much damage this is going to do to our security here and worldwide. Joe Mitchell is a good man, but even Colanglo admits we left him in the field too long.”

“When a man is doing a good job, it’s only natural to want him to continue. I’m sure that’s what happened with Mitchell. For years he’s been our go-to guy.”

“Now he’s the biggest threat to our country in years.”

“We’ll find him. Tony’s on his way to Cairo now.”

“But he has no memory.”

“He has
some
of his memory, but he’s damn good at what he does. I hope he may still be able to pull this off.”

“That’s a lot of faith, Frank.”

“Let’s see what Tony finds out.”

“Call me as soon as you know anything.”

Frank hung up and called Zoe.

She stepped into his office with her usually sunny disposition. “Has Tony called yet?”

Frank sighed. “No. I hope Mac was able to get to the plane in time.”

“These agents are great at what they do, but sometimes it’s all about luck.”

“Have we heard anything from Mia on Anita Mitchell?”

Zoe flipped through her iPad. “She called to say while at a shopping center, Brad Hall approached Mrs. Mitchell.”

“Maybe he was just being friendly.”

Zoe shook her head. “That’s not the impression Mia got. She said it looked like Hall might be annoying Anita. Even threatening her.”

A thread of suspicion ran through his mind. “It’s time we looked into that. Find out exactly what Brad does for the CIA and what interest he has in Mrs. Mitchell.”

“I will. By the way, A.J. called and he’s on his way to Damascus. He said the eyes he has on Youssef el Jibar contacted him and said the target was on the move.”

“Wasn’t el Jibar in Iran?”

“That’s the last Brody reported seeing any trace of
him.

“Find out all you can about Hall. And call Vince. He might be able to shed some light on our investigation.”

Zoe left and Frank dialed Mia Mendoza. She answered on the first ring. “Yeah, Frank?”

“You have eyes on Anita Mitchell?”

“I’m right outside her house. She’s inside and just got off the phone with her son at Georgetown University. Mostly chit-chat.”

“What about this Brad Hall?”

“Can’t figure out what the guy’s angle is. He came on pretty strong this morning, but she held him at bay. I think the guy is stuck on her.”

“She wasn’t returning the love?”

“She smacked him. When she left, I followed him for a while. He stopped at a strip joint and stayed a couple of hours.”

“Lonely hearts’ club?”

“Looks like that may be the case. It appears Mrs. Mitchell went straight home, pulled into her garage, and has been inside ever since.”

“You think there might be something between them in the past, perhaps?”

“I don’t know. Joe Mitchell spends a lot of time away from home. Close to two hundred and fifty days a year. That’s a lot of extra time for a housewife.”

Frank rubbed the back of his neck. “No job?”

“No, she does some volunteering, participates in a book group, and teaches Sunday school. That’s Anita Mitchell’s life, except for her kids.”

“Pretty lonely, if you ask me.”

“Yeah, especially for an attractive woman who works out at the gym five days a week. She looks closer to thirty-five than fifty-two.”

“Okay, Zoe is running down Hall
, but you stay close to Mrs. Mitchell. I don’t want that guy to get drunk and go over there hassling her. With Joe’s abduction, she has enough coming at her to stagger a horse. She doesn’t need to deal with an idiot.”

Frank hung up and slumped in his chair. How did this all get so out of hand? Joe Mitchell had great contacts in the Middle East, especially Cairo. How did someone manage to grab him at the airport and no one know
s a single thing about it?

Frank had made dozens of calls trying to track down a lead for Tony to follow once his plane landed, but he hadn’t succeeded. Suddenly
, no one in the area talked about an American or Joe Mitchell. Even the drones overhead hadn’t spotted anything unusual.

He knew for a fact Mitchell hadn’t crossed any borders. He’d put out the word that
if anything left Egypt, Frank was to be the first to know. However, Joe could’ve been moved before anyone knew he’d been abducted.

A soft tap at his door had
him turning his chair around to stare at his agent, Hank “Anything?”

“El Jibar slipped our net. Brody and I had him tied up in Iran. He didn’t make a move we weren’t aware of.” Hank took a chair
and sat on the edge of the seat. “Three of our minders were murdered last night. They were our connection with el Jibar.”

“The bastard probably knew all along we were watching him.”

Hank shrugged. “That’s what we figured. And as long as we knew how to get to him, we weren’t too concerned. Now he’s vanished.”

Frank templed his fingers and looked across his desk.
“Any clues?”

Hank slumped back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. “Not a damn thing. My guess is he’s on his way to get Mitchell.”

“Yeah, whoever has him must be a low level follower, or we’d be hearing something by now.”

“Someone might have just gotten lucky.”

Frank shook his head. “I think Joe Mitchell was set up. If my guess is right, his own people turned on him.”

Hank straightened. “
Are you accusing Colanglo?”

Frank shook his head. Vince was squeaky clean
, and they’d been partners in the CIA for twenty years and friends ever since. Colanglo would never put an agent in danger.

“No, I’d trust Vince with my life.” He chuckled. “And believe me, I have.”

Frank had always considered Hank Falcon’s guardian. He was dependable and smart as a whip.

While Mac could blow up the world with a single device and strike faster than a rattler, Hank tended to be slower and more methodical. Brody, oh God, controlling him was like putting a leash on a wild tiger. No one could predict what Brody would do to pull off an assignment.

Tony, on the other hand, had a smoother, more cultured demeanor. He’d always been the con. He’d rather outmaneuver his prey than kill them. Whereas, Hank had a mean streak. He’d grown up on the streets of Philadelphia in a ruthless gang. At eighteen, he’d had a choice to join the service or jail. Hank enlisted as a Green Beret and became one of their best.

El Jibar. The meanest, most elusive terrorist in the world
. But the time had come for Falcon to take him down. The task would be immense, but Frank knew his men could handle anything. However, if Tony couldn’t get Joe out of the Middle East and secured, Tony would be forced to kill his friend, a man he’d known for years.

Nothing prepared a man for that.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

As the plane took flight, Tony tried to relax only to find the effort useless. His mind raced and his thoughts were as scrambled as eggs in an omelet.

He’d hooked up with Joe a few days before his capture. They had lunch and Joe talked about his reluctance to go back to the Middle East. His hands
had trembled when he lifted his coffee cup to his lips, and he’d watched the crowd like an over-zealous Secret Service agent.

That’s all Tony remembered about their meeting
, not the conversation or the reason for Joe’s hesitation to return to a place he considered his second home. Tony wondered if Joe had said something about a threat or something wrong in the CIA. His memory just wouldn’t go there.

Abby touched his arm. “Are you okay?”

Tony looked over at her and his chest constricted. Feelings he’d never comprehended were possible tiptoed across his heart. He really loved this woman. He had to find out what went wrong. He wanted her back at all cost.

Clasping her hand
, he leaned closer. “Were we in love?”

She licked her lips and looked away. “I was.”

“What about me?”

Her eyes clashed with his and her jaw tightened. “
You said you never wanted to see me again.”

Tony knew those words came at a high cost to her self-esteem, and they’d hurt. “I’m sorry.”

She stared out the small window of the plane. “Don’t be. I learned my lesson.”

He released her hand and trained his eyes on the back of the seat in front of him. “I still love you, Abby. I don’t know why, or how, or even if it’s real. But everything inside me cries out for you.”

She settled and folded her hands in her lap. “I’m sure you don’t mean that. When your memory returns, you’ll feel like you did in Paris. Trust me.”

“Did you betray me?”

She turned to him and lowered her eyes. “It’ll all come back, and I’m sure when it does, there won’t be any love.”

“So, you won’t tell me why I left?”

“It’s over.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Let’s forget about the past.”

“I just woke up one day and didn’t love you anymore?”

“I don’t know that you ever loved me.”

“I never told you?”

She shrugged.

Running his fingers through his hair, he let out a tired breath. “Guess I’m a bigger fool than I thought.”

Washington, D.C

Senator Parker sat at his desk in his District office, contemplating what to do about Brad. Now that he had no further use for the CIA agent, it would be best to get rid of him before he spilled his guts to Mitchell’s wife. Nick would bet his senate race that Hall was in love with Anita Mitchell.

Experience told him that men in love did foolish and unpredictable acts. As the senator who’d sent Mitchell to Turkey,
he had to careful. When Mitchell’s body showed up, not one piece of paperwork would have his name on it.

Hall on the other hand might ruin everything. At this point in his career,
Nick couldn’t let that happen. He’d kill first.

A knock sounded at his door before his secretary stuck her head in. “It’s that reporter, Jason Lamb.”

Shit.

He
forced a smile. “Send him in.”

He
stood up, walked around his desk, and shook hands with the scruffy, little writer with his long dreadlocks and grungy clothes. How in the hell did he get a job with a major newspaper?

“Good to see you again, Jason.”
Nick waved him to the seat in front of his desk and returned to his leather chair. “How have you been?”

“Busy, sir. I just came back from Syria.”

Nick folded his hands across his waist and leaned back. “That’s not a good vacation spot.”

The nosey brat barely cracked a smile. Instead
, he stared at him from behind the lens of his glasses with an intensity that practically seared his conscience. “I wasn’t there on holiday. I went there to investigate Green Gulf Construction.”

Nick
sat up and placed his hands on his desk. “Why would you do that?”

The reporter took out his notepad and a pen. “My sources say there is a connection between
Mohammad el Genoez, the owner of the Islamic company, and the well-known terrorist, Youssef el Jibar.” Lamb’s inquisitive brown eyes didn’t flinch at the accusation. Instead, they peered closer. “I’m investigating the legal aspects of that bid.”

Nick
cleared his throat. “Where did you get that information?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Lamb started writing. “What I want to know is how you negotiated a contract with someone so close to a man sworn to destroy America.”

He held up his hands. “I know nothing about el Jibar. I simply chaired the committee that sent out the bids, and ultimately, we all agreed to go with Green Gulf Construction.”

“That was a two billion dollar contract
, and yet only four people made the decision on who would get the bid?”

Nick
knew he had to shut up Lamb, and there was only one way to silence a reporter. So far the United States had not released any funds to el Genoez, and Youssef grew more anxious by the minute.

If someone should start an investigation on the deal,
his career would be over. He’d lose his senate seat and probably go to jail. He couldn’t let that happen.

“It was simple, really.”
Nick smiled. “We went with the lowest bid. Very often that’s how these things work.”

“Was Green Gulf Construction the lowest bid?”

“Yes.”

“And you have proof of that. The other bids are in your possession?”

“Yes, they are.”

The reporter put down his pen. “May I see them?”

“Well, they aren’t here in my office, but I might be able to get them.”

“Good, I’ll come by tomorrow at this time and go over the other bids?”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

The reporter stood. “I thank you for your time, Senator
.
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” He reached out and Parker shook his hand.

True journalists were a politician’s worst enemy.

Nothing scared those on Capitol Hill like the truth.

Cairo

Tony and Abby left the plane and stood in the middle of the busy terminal. People of all ethnicities surrounded them. Tony looked across at the modern airport with its shiny floors, wide corridors and high, well-lit atrium ceilings surrounded by glass.

Stately, tall palm trees stood down the center of the arrival area at terminal three. There were
local restaurants, coffee shops and a McDonalds, Starbucks, and several other franchises.

Since they’d checked an empty suitcase, they had no luggage to claim. Tony took Abby by the arm and herded her toward a restaurant. “I’m hungry. Let’s grab a bite to eat.”

“Does this look familiar?”

“Yes, I’ve been here a dozen times, but nothing comes to mind about my last visit.”

“Would you have arrived at this gate?”

“No, but I just don’t have a feel for the place yet.” He looked at her. “Give me some time. Maybe an image will pop.”

“I hope so. I feel this might be a waste of time.”

Tony left Abby and went to the restroom to freshen up a little. While washing his hands, two men of Egyptian descent walk
ed in and jammed the door.

Tony slowly dried his hands, watching the men in the mirror. With one on each side, he lowered his
gaze to the sink, closed his eyes, and dropped his shoulders.

Then the first man made his move. Before he could get the weapon he carried out of his jacket, Tony spun and jabbed his fist into the man’s jugular. The punch instantly caused significant swelling and constricted
the throat. His opponent would be dead in seconds.

The
other man with a mustache pulled out a knife. Tony kicked it from his hand and with a right hook knocked the assailant to the floor.

Tony held the weapon against his attacker’s throat. “What do you want?”

“We don’t know anything. We were sent to kill you and the girl.”

“Who sent you?” When the man didn’t speak fast enough, Tony stabbed the knife in the downed man’s shoulder. Yan
king it out, he pulled his adversary off the floor. “I won’t ask again.”