Chapter Thirty-eight

 

 

February 23

Larnaca, Cyprus

 

Prince Al-Taweel had arranged for the meeting to take place on the 25th. Justin spent most of the first three days in Larnaca reviewing the files related to the National Defense Group. The NDG was a weapons and military equipment company headquartered in Riyadh, owned by a close friend of Prince Al-Taweel. According to Baeshen, Justin’s role as part of the business delegation was only to observe and take detailed notes. However, on the slight chance the Qatari prince or someone else among his executives asked him questions, Mr. Sherif Ibrahim—Justin’s cover name—should be able to answer on the spot.

Justin filled the rest of the time with preparations for the operation once on board the Lusail, Prince Al Khater’s luxurious 187-foot yacht. The CIS had obtained the blueprints of the yacht by hacking into the manufacturer’s servers. The team of cyberspace analysts had also been able to recreate the interior, based on photographs the prince and a few of his guests had posted on business websites and social media. Justin was trying to commit to memory every important detail of the yacht, so he would not waste any time when he was onboard.

The CIS cyberspace team had also provided Justin with two flash drives, which were going to be the essential tools in obtaining the evidence. Once he gained access to the prince’s office—which according to the gathered intelligence was in the master cabin that spanned two levels and was located forward on the main deck—all Justin needed to do was plug the flash drives into the prince’s computer, laptop, tablet, or any other electronic device. The flash drives were equipped with malware that first infected the computer and overcame its defenses. Then the software installed on the flash drives scanned the device’s hard drive, copying only the sensitive data, ignoring irrelevant files like movie or audio files. As long as Justin could remain inside the prince’s office for three to five minutes, he would be able to retrieve all intelligence contained in the electronic devices.

The greatest problem, however, came in the form of security cameras and motion detector systems installed throughout the yacht. Some of the pictures showed the location of a few cameras, mostly around the cockpit area, near entrances, and along the deck. According to the manufacturing company, the prince had insisted on installing extra cameras in some of the cabins. Everything was connected to a large circuit, which was constantly monitored by a couple of guards.

It was clear that Justin could not enter the prince’s office if the security camera system was still on. He needed someone to interfere and override the system, providing him with a window of opportunity.

That someone, hopefully, was going to be Mossad.

 

* * *

 

At first, Eli categorically dismissed the idea, calling it “crazy.” But the more Justin explained the plan, the more Eli’s reluctance began to melt away. He could see the reasoning and realize this was a good chance to settle the score with the prince. “But I’m not sure how this will work in practice,” he said.

“Take it to your cyber team, and they’ll give you some options,” Justin said. “When our teams ran a similar op, they were able to shut down the system for sixty seconds. At the same time, they also disabled the back-up power, which extended the operational time to almost five minutes. I will need between three and five minutes to swipe the files.”

“So why don’t you get your own team to hack into the prince’s system?”

Justin groaned. “I did ask, Eli, but our agency doesn’t have the capacity. The op I told you about happened in an urban setting. The team could physically tap into the closed-circuit camera system. With the prince’s yacht, it’s different. We need to do this wirelessly.”

“And you know for sure Mossad has the capacity to carry this out?”

“No, I don’t, Eli. Again, why not look into it? Run it by your people, and see what they think.”

A brief pause followed.

Justin could almost hear Eli’s mental gears at work.

Carrie, who was sitting on the couch across from Justin, gave him a shrug. They were in Justin’s hotel room, while Vale had gone out for his five-mile run.

Finally, Eli said, “All right, Justin. I’ll take this to our folks and my boss. But no promises.”

“Thank you, Eli, that’s wonderful.”

“Oh, don’t thank me yet. I haven’t done anything. If this operation is authorized, the CIS will be indebted to Mossad.”

Justin nodded. He had grown to expect that everything Mossad offered them came at a steep price. “But of course, Eli, it couldn’t be any other way.”

“Justin, you sound disappointed, but this isn’t my call. My boss will not risk a team without anything in return.”

“Removing the prince and closing this weapons channel is not enough?”

Eli sighed. “Justin, you know what’s going to happen? Someone else will take the prince’s place. Someone who’s smarter, perhaps better connected and harder to catch.”

“I’m sure that’s what the prince is thinking. These people know the risky business they’re in, and that they have to look over a shoulder at all times. We can catch and stop them all, Eli, if we work together, rather than against one another.”

Eli sighed again. “All right, all right, Justin. I’ll get back to you.”

“That’s great, Eli. Don’t want to press, but the meeting takes place in two days, so . . .”

“That doesn’t leave much time.”

“No, it doesn’t, but the meeting has been set.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Eli ended the call without another word.

Carrie glanced at Justin. “It could have gone worse.”

“He didn’t sound very convinced.”

“But he agreed to look into it.”

“He did, yes. I’m still going to update Flavio, and see if he can pull in any favors. In case Eli comes back empty-handed.”

Carrie nodded. “All right, now can we talk about the back-up team plan?”

“Sure. Some of the details will depend on what Eli tells us, but in essence, you and Vale will be in the small motorboat, sailing a couple of miles away from the yacht, on the port side. Ali Mansour will be positioned in the speedboat, on the starboard side.”

“If we need to intervene at a moment’s notice, two miles is quite a distance.”

“True. So as soon as you see me on the deck—advancing toward the prince’s office—you and Vale will glide the motorboat close to the yacht. In this way, you’ll cause a distraction, which will give me an advantage. You’ll also be nearby, in case things go sideways.”

Carrie gave Justin a look of concern. She removed her glasses and rubbed her forehead. “Justin, I have a feeling things will go sideways.”

“Don’t you always have that feeling?”

“Not, not always, but most of the time. And most of the time, I’m right.”

Justin shrugged. “I’m not worried. I’ve got you and Vale, and don’t forget Ali Mansour.”

“Yes, what exactly will his role be?”

“He’s more the emergency guy. If something goes wrong, and I need exfil, Ali Mansour will be the diversion. He, and of course you and Vale, will provide cover.”

“When’s Ali Mansour arriving?”

“Late tonight, or tomorrow at the latest.”

Carrie nodded. “Good, we’ll have plenty of time to update him and go over the plan.”

“I also want to do a dry run, perhaps tomorrow evening; of course, after Eli has confirmed Mossad will be a part of our operation.”

“And what if they don’t? Are we still going forward?”

Justin shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m still on the fence. Our strategy will need to change completely if we can’t hack into the yacht’s security system.”

“And what’s the new strategy going to look like?”

“We’ll think about it if we actually need it. Of course, we can’t mount a full-scale attack on the well-defended yacht.”

“According to the intel, Prince Al Khater’s security detail is comprised of about twenty heavily armed guards.”

“Yes, so we’ll have to be shrewd and attack from inside.” Justin shrugged. “But, things may not go that far.”

Carrie nodded and brought her glasses back onto her nose. “Yes, now it all depends on Eli and Mossad.”