Retribution

Parker slowly buttoned the shirt, sitting on the edge of the bed in the Gulfstream jet’s medical suite. The shirt was too large, especially after his loss of nearly fifteen pounds from the last several days. His cheeks had a hollowed look and, although color was coming back to his face, he still saw shadows under his eyes. But for the first time in days his face was clean-shaven.

Parker squeezed his hand, testing his arm. The knife wound, fortunately, had been more of a glancing blow. It had been stitched and was already scabbing up.

“I have some good news.” Scott was standing at the door as the Gulfstream taxied to a parking spot at Luton International Airport, about an hour’s drive from London.

“What?” Suddenly Parker realized how low his batteries were. He wouldn’t have a lot of energy for a long conversation.

“We’re stopping here to pick up another passenger. You want to guess?”

Parker gave him a quizzical look.

“Apparently someone from Saudi Arabia thought they needed to keep one of us for safekeeping. It couldn’t be me or you.”

“Hernandez?”

“Yeah, you got it in one.”

“Is he all right?”

“You can ask him in a moment.”

Parker stood up, tucking the shirt in his pants that were—like the shirt—two sizes too big.

Scott indicated the door with a nod of his head.

Parker walked to the open hatch, looking out to a drizzly, rainy midday at Luton. A long black limo pulled around the hangar and stopped at the bottom of the aircraft’s steps.

“What the hell?” Moncrief was standing behind Parker, looking down the steps. “I knew he’d do anything to get out of a mission, but this is ridiculous.”

Hernandez climbed out of the limo with two others. One was a well-dressed Saudi wearing a white, open-collared shirt and a dark pinstriped suit. The cut of the suit was from Savile Row and had the shape of accented broad shoulders, tapered down to a thin waist. He seemed a man of royalty. The other was similarly dressed but was very different. He too had well-cut clothes, but his stomach bulged out from the suit and raincoat he had on.

“Hey, Colonel.” Enrico Hernandez didn’t look any worse for wear.

Parker grabbed Hernandez’s arm in a shake, like the Roman warriors of yore, above the wrist, then hugged his teammate.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes, sir. At first it was kind of crazy, but Ali took care of me.”

Ali stood next to Hernandez.

“Colonel, I have heard much of you. I am Prince Ali bin Saud. On behalf of my nation and my father, we wish to thank you. Yousef al-Qadi had become a danger to us all.”

“Then why take Hernandez?”

“Both you and Hernandez had become targets. If we didn’t take him in, the Crni Labudovi henchmen would surely have. Knez was on your trail, as you know, but there were more. One particular man was right on Enrico’s tail when we stepped in.”

Parker looked over Ali bin Saud’s shoulder. Another man was standing back, looking around, seemingly uncomfortable, scanning the buildings around the runway.

“Colonel, this is Mr. Zaslani of Mossad.” Scott stood at the bottom of the stairway. “So you were able to find Hernandez after all?”

Zaslani didn’t say anything, but looked sheepishly away from Scott.

“The hunt for Yousef al-Qadi certainly made for some odd bedfellows.”

Parker was reminded of the fable about the scorpion and the tortoise. Each needed each other to cross the river, but in the end both died.

“Colonel,” said Ali, “my father wishes to show his appreciation for your help.”

Parker just shook his head. “That’s not necessary.”

“We will do something.”

“Just make it up to Hernandez.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Colonel.” Hernandez was beaming. “My little girl has a scholarship for college, for medical school, for any degree she wants.”

“Good.” Parker looked back to Scott and the airplane behind him. Parker did a double take.

“Your eyes do not deceive you,” said Scott. “We have a transatlantic flight of our very own.”

As their jet taxied onto the active runway, Parker leaned across the aisle. “Prince Ali bin Saud. Should I know who he is?”

“Yes, his father is the secretary of the Bay’ah Council. You have a very powerful friend.”