Chapter Sixteen
February 12
Piazza Navona
Rome, Italy
Justin took a long moment to ponder Eli’s words. He had explained in broad terms the plan, which sounded quite outlandish at first. But the more Justin thought about it, the more it started to make sense and become more reasonable. “How well do you know these . . . eh, let’s call them ‘partners’?”
Eli shrugged. “As well as we can assume to know our assets, Justin. You know how these things work.”
“Yes, and the last time we trusted a Mossad asset, we almost paid for it with our lives.”
Eli frowned. “Justin, keep your voice down. I thought we weren’t going to bring up that old episode. Water under the proverbial bridge.”
“Sure, I have no hard feelings, Eli. But it would be stupid of me not to wonder if I’m ending up in the same situation.”
“You’re not, and here’s why: Nasser is not your run-of-the-mill asset. He’s a revered Palestinian leader, although not as powerful as he used to be when he fought with Hamas. Many people still trust him, even though he’s behind bars.”
“And how did he become Mossad’s asset?” Carrie asked.
Eli shrugged. “It’s a long and complicated story. Nasser has a large family, most of which live in the Palestinian territories. If he wants them to see another day, he’d better cooperate.”
Justin nodded. He reached for his coffee cup, but found it empty. He shrugged then said, “Okay, he has a strong motivation to tell the truth. Or maybe he’s fed up and is looking for the ultimate set-up.”
Eli nodded. “Yes, that’s a possibility, very slight, but still, it could happen. The risk we take in such operations.”
“Who are the other drivers?” Carrie asked.
Before Eli could answer, Justin slid his gelato toward Carrie. “Do you want this?”
“You sure?” she said.
“Yes, you’re done with yours, and I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Sure, can’t let scrumptious gelato go to waste.” Carrie lifted a spoonful.
Moshe said, “The other drivers, yes, well, I’m going to be one of them.”
Eli gave Moshe a pat on the back. “See, you’ll be in very good hands.”
Justin nodded. Mossad was putting some skin in the game. In the last Mossad-planned operation, it was only Justin and Carrie. While the probability of a set-up remained high, the chances of Mossad tricking them dropped considerably, since the mission involved one of their own operatives.
Moshe continued, “Being a driver for the prince’s convoy requires a recommendation from a trusted source. Nasser still has influential friends running smuggling lanes in southern Syria, western Iraq, and the entire region. They’ll put forth some of their own trusted people. But it will be up to Prince Al Khater to approve the final crew.”
Carrie leaned forward and said, “He actually gets involved in such small details?”
Eli said, “He does. When it comes to illicit weapons delivery to terrorists, Prince Al Khater monitors and makes all those decisions personally.”
“And when would we know about this approval?”
“Three, four days at the most. At least, that has been the case in previous deliveries we’ve tracked.”
“You’ve done this before?” Justin asked Moshe.
Moshe shook his head. “No, I haven’t been part of any crews. We tracked the last two shipments. They were destined for the Iraqi Army, but were rerouted before they reached Mosul.”
“Rerouted to where?”
“We don’t know. Thus, the need to have someone onboard at all times. So that we can prove our allegations, and so that the prince will have no defense.”
Eli nodded. “Yes, Moshe’s right. Until now, Prince Al Khater has used all sorts of excuses. Jihadists looting the cargo. Corrupt Iraqi Army commanders selling off weapons. Shipments lost or delivered to the wrong recipients. We’re hoping it will be different this time.”
“Yes, me too,” Justin said. “We’ll need some time to go over the file and consider this plan. I need to run it by my boss and get his authorization.”
“You do so, Justin. I don’t want to pressure you, but there isn’t much time. Nasser will talk to Prince Al Khater tomorrow or the next day at the latest. At that time, we need to have a definite answer, since we’re putting forward the drivers’ names.”
“Either way, I’ll get you an answer as soon as I can.”
Eli drew in a deep breath. “Well, that was a friendly chat. See, Justin, we can get along pretty well.”
That’s when you’re not trying to stab me in the back, Justin wanted to say. But he bit his tongue. “Of course we can, Eli. When we run a joint op, we can definitely make things work.”
“Well, Moshe and I are going to do a bit of touring. I’ve promised my wife a couple of Barolo wine bottles and pecorino cheese.” Eli pushed his chair back and stood up.
They shook hands, and Eli and Moshe left the restaurant.
Justin slid the folder toward Carrie. “Well, what do you think?”
Carrie shook her head. “Not here.”
Justin smiled. “You’re the paranoid one now?”
“Yes, we didn’t pick this place or the time to meet. And we have no idea who those people are.” She tipped her head toward the nearest patrons.
“Agreed.”
Carrie scooped up the last of her gelato. “Ready to go?”
“Yes, but I want a cup of coffee to go.”
“In that case, I’ll have one as well.”
Five minutes later, Justin and Carrie were sitting on a stone bench near the northern corner of Piazza Navona, across from the Fontana del Nettuno. The air was fresh and cool, and weak sunrays struggled to deliver a certain amount of warmth. Justin sipped his large coffee cup, then said, “So, what do you think?”
“The biggest problem I have with this plan is that there isn’t anything for me to do. I mean, I can’t be one of the drivers or otherwise be smuggled in with the cargo.”
“I’m afraid that wouldn’t be possible. If the prince is paying close and personal attention to all the details, the weapons compartments will be sealed and locked.”
“Yes, and you’ll have no backup, in case things go sideways.”
Justin nodded. “Moshe will be a part of the team, but we have no idea who the rest of the drivers are.”
“But we know for sure they won’t be just drivers. People transporting illegal weapons for a Gulf prince?” She cocked her head. “They have to be pros.”
“Mercenaries?”
“Yes. Guns for hire, the worst kind. And we’re not sure about this Moshe character.”
Justin shrugged. “Eli seemed to like him and was confident of Moshe’s abilities. And Mossad wouldn’t throw one of their own to the wolves.”
“Right, unless they’re trying to get rid of him.”
Justin peered at Carrie. “You really think that?”
Carrie shrugged. “Well, we’ve seen other agencies do that. It’s a great way of cleaning your hands of a troublemaking agent. Just going through some scenarios, the pros and the cons.”
“And there are more cons than pros so far.”
Carrie held the cup with both her gloved hands and brought it to her mouth. “Let’s see what we can do to balance the scales, shall we?”