Chapter Thirty-three
February 18
Three miles south of Hasoms
Western Syria
Justin fell into Carrie’s deep embrace, enjoying the much-needed warmth and comfort.
“Oh, Justin. I thought . . . I wasn’t sure I was going to see you again.”
He nodded and stroked her hair. “I know, Carrie. I’m sorry things went sideways.”
“Not your fault. But you overcame it all, and that’s what’s important.”
“Yes, but barely.”
He broke off the embrace and told Carrie and Vale about the attack on Al Zahtani. They listened carefully, shaking their heads at times in disbelief, as Justin described the course of events.
When he was finished Carrie said, “We hit the village from the other side, to divert their attention.”
“I think it worked,” Justin said, “but the air attack finished the battle.”
“You’ll have to thank Carrie for that,” Vale said with a smile.
Carrie shrugged. “No, I just pestered the US command until they caved in. Too bad it didn’t come earlier.”
Justin said, “It happened at the right time.”
“Our attack would have been much stronger and effective if we had Abner and his partner. But they had to leave and follow Moshe and the rest of the convoy.”
Justin nodded. Carrie had briefed him on the latest development with the rest of the convoy. Prince Al Khater had decided not to risk the second group falling into an ambush. So his aide had ordered the remaining drivers to return to the port in Latakia. “Talking about the convoy, we’re no closer to the prince than when we started.”
“Right, but Flavio may have some intel about Cyprus and how its main bank is involved.”
“Where did that intel come from?” Justin asked.
“SAS,” Vale replied. “The Brits have a vast network and great contacts in Cyprus.”
Carrie nodded. “Yes, according to SAS sources, Prince Al Khater is using the United Bank of Cyprus to launder his money from the illegal weapons trade. And, he’s visiting Cyprus for a private meeting with the UBC’s CEO in Nicosia, the capital.”
“When?”
“Two days from now. The prince is on his yacht, Lusail, off the coast of Larnaca. That’s on the southeast side of the island.”
“Okay, so we’re heading to Cyprus.” Justin walked toward their Nissan SUV that Carrie had secured from one of the nearby villages.
“Sure, but how are we getting close to the prince?” Carrie asked as she followed Justin. “We have no assets in Cyprus. Even if we did, we’re short on time.”
“What about Mossad?” Vale asked.
“Yes, Eli said Mossad is monitoring the prince’s communications. If we could tap his phone or hack into his servers to access his emails, then we may get what we need.”
“It’s worth a try,” Carrie said. “Although Eli wasn’t that forthcoming.”
Justin shrugged and opened the driver’s door. “Do you mind if I drive?”
“Not at all, but . . . shouldn’t you rest?” Carrie said.
“Ladies first?” Justin replied with a smile.
Carrie shook her head. “Age before beauty.”
Justin laughed. “Are you calling me ‘old’? She just called me ‘old,’ Vale.”
Vale shrugged. “I’m not getting into this.”
“Smart man.” Carrie walked around to the front passenger seat.
When everyone was inside, Justin said, “Eli may not want to share intel, but Mossad wants to get Prince Al Khater as badly as we do. If they still want us to work on a joint op, Mossad will have to give us what they know or find out what we need to know.”
Carrie nodded.
Justin put the Nissan in gear and drove onto the narrow dirt trail.
Vale said, “I’ll contact Eli and make our request. They may be willing to cooperate, now that we’ve hit a dead end here.”
“Yes, this was too bad. We were so close,” Carrie said.
“Yeah, and all because of a hothead,” Justin said.
They drove in silence for a few minutes. Justin wondered about their next steps if the attempt to spy on the prince’s meeting failed. After the Moscow fiasco, where all witnesses were killed or made to disappear, they needed some strong, irrefutable evidence against the prince, to put him away for good. If Prince Al Khater could not be caught red-handed, then a witness or two would be essential to corroborating the charges against the prince.
Carrie said, “What are you thinking about, Justin?”
“What if we could get Egorov to testify against the prince?”
“You said she absolutely refused to do that.”
“That’s what she told me, but perhaps she can be convinced to change her mind.”
Carrie shrugged. “I don’t know. If we have no other evidence, we may consider that as an option. But do you think Egorov is a strong witness, considering her background and current pursuits?”
Justin thought about his answer for a moment, then shook his head. “You’re right. Even if Egorov agrees to testify against the prince, her testimony will be weak. No, we’ll have to get more evidence, and Mossad will have to deliver.”
“I hope so, Justin,” Carrie said.
“They will. We haven’t come so far only to quit now. No, Mossad will see it our way.”