would have a two-day head start.
Tasking Cheng with both operations was wasteful and it was Shi who ultimately would be held responsible if Cheng failed. Looking at his boss, he said, “You are placing a lot of confidence in one man.”
“No,” the general replied. “I am placing my confidence in two men—you and Cheng.”
“If this fails, and the PSC also uncovers what we know about Cheng, you and I are both dead men.”
“Then you had better make sure this doesn’t fail, and that you complete your assignment before the Americans have any idea what’s going on.”
CHAPTER 14
----
----
D UBAI , U NITED A RAB E MIRATES
I t was after five o’clock and the dusty Bur Dubai neighborhood was still crowded with tourists. Businessmen were headed home or out for drinks. Taxicab drivers, immune to the heat, drove with their windows rolled down, picking up and dropping off customers in front of shops emblazoned with brightly colored Arabic script. Clothing, jewelry, and electronics competed alongside prayer rugs, hookah pipes, and antique furniture for buyers’ attention. The scent of the Gulf mingled with the aromas wafting out of restaurants up and down the neighborhood streets.
One of the first things Harvath had noticed about Bur Dubai was that it wasn’t as security-conscious as other parts of the city. There weren’t cameras on every single building and street corner. He was glad. It would make his job a lot easier.
He had gone around and around in his mind as to the best way to grab Khuram Hanjour. What about an invitation from Fahad? Would he respond to something like that? Would he respond on short notice? From what Harvath had seen over his career, particularly in his training with the Secret Service, people who engaged in risky behavior were extremely compulsive. The risk alone delivered its own high, and they were constantly trying to top the last time. It was a reasonable bet that if Hanjour was in town, he’d drop everything to come PnP with Fahad.
Based on Fahad’s Grindr account, as well as the questions Levy’s colleague had asked him in the prison, Fahad and Hanjour had had nocontact for over a week. All Harvath had to do was properly bait the trap.
He and Levy studied the previous messages back and forth between the men. After a brief discussion, Levy crafted a short but seductive invitation. All they had to do was wait. Hours passed.
They had held off until after arriving in Dubai, sweeping the safe house, and checking into a room at the Arabian Courtyard, before attempting to contact Hanjour. If he was anxious to meet and they were still on the road from Abu Dhabi, they might have blown their opportunity. There was too great a chance that if Hanjour wanted to play, but Fahad was hours away, he’d simply scroll through Grindr and find someone else.
Despite that possibility, there was something about their communications that suggested the fifty-seven-year-old Hanjour had an affinity for the twenty-six-year-old-Fahad. Harvath assumed it was akin to older straight men who got their kicks dating women half their age. He couldn’t be sure, but he hoped that if there was something there, it would work to their advantage.
When the chime sounded on the cloned phone, Harvath and Levy immediately stopped what they were doing and read the message. Hanjour wanted to meet. “SR@1800,” he typed.
“Silk Route at 1800?” asked Levy.
Harvath nodded, “Six p.m. at the Silk Route.”
It was on. Hanjour had taken the bait, but now the real work would begin. The biggest problem with Bur Dubai, next to the traffic, was the fact that there was no parking. The Arabian Courtyard offered a valet service, but there was no way Harvath was going to place his operation at the mercy of how quickly valets could bring a car around.
Being able to devote someone from their team to remain with a vehicle was a big advantage. Harvath was reminded once more of the advantages of not always going it alone. Levy and
Tasking Cheng with both operations was wasteful and it was Shi who ultimately would be held responsible if Cheng failed. Looking at his boss, he said, “You are placing a lot of confidence in one man.”
“No,” the general replied. “I am placing my confidence in two men—you and Cheng.”
“If this fails, and the PSC also uncovers what we know about Cheng, you and I are both dead men.”
“Then you had better make sure this doesn’t fail, and that you complete your assignment before the Americans have any idea what’s going on.”
CHAPTER 14
----
----
D UBAI , U NITED A RAB E MIRATES
I t was after five o’clock and the dusty Bur Dubai neighborhood was still crowded with tourists. Businessmen were headed home or out for drinks. Taxicab drivers, immune to the heat, drove with their windows rolled down, picking up and dropping off customers in front of shops emblazoned with brightly colored Arabic script. Clothing, jewelry, and electronics competed alongside prayer rugs, hookah pipes, and antique furniture for buyers’ attention. The scent of the Gulf mingled with the aromas wafting out of restaurants up and down the neighborhood streets.
One of the first things Harvath had noticed about Bur Dubai was that it wasn’t as security-conscious as other parts of the city. There weren’t cameras on every single building and street corner. He was glad. It would make his job a lot easier.
He had gone around and around in his mind as to the best way to grab Khuram Hanjour. What about an invitation from Fahad? Would he respond to something like that? Would he respond on short notice? From what Harvath had seen over his career, particularly in his training with the Secret Service, people who engaged in risky behavior were extremely compulsive. The risk alone delivered its own high, and they were constantly trying to top the last time. It was a reasonable bet that if Hanjour was in town, he’d drop everything to come PnP with Fahad.
Based on Fahad’s Grindr account, as well as the questions Levy’s colleague had asked him in the prison, Fahad and Hanjour had had nocontact for over a week. All Harvath had to do was properly bait the trap.
He and Levy studied the previous messages back and forth between the men. After a brief discussion, Levy crafted a short but seductive invitation. All they had to do was wait. Hours passed.
They had held off until after arriving in Dubai, sweeping the safe house, and checking into a room at the Arabian Courtyard, before attempting to contact Hanjour. If he was anxious to meet and they were still on the road from Abu Dhabi, they might have blown their opportunity. There was too great a chance that if Hanjour wanted to play, but Fahad was hours away, he’d simply scroll through Grindr and find someone else.
Despite that possibility, there was something about their communications that suggested the fifty-seven-year-old Hanjour had an affinity for the twenty-six-year-old-Fahad. Harvath assumed it was akin to older straight men who got their kicks dating women half their age. He couldn’t be sure, but he hoped that if there was something there, it would work to their advantage.
When the chime sounded on the cloned phone, Harvath and Levy immediately stopped what they were doing and read the message. Hanjour wanted to meet. “SR@1800,” he typed.
“Silk Route at 1800?” asked Levy.
Harvath nodded, “Six p.m. at the Silk Route.”
It was on. Hanjour had taken the bait, but now the real work would begin. The biggest problem with Bur Dubai, next to the traffic, was the fact that there was no parking. The Arabian Courtyard offered a valet service, but there was no way Harvath was going to place his operation at the mercy of how quickly valets could bring a car around.
Being able to devote someone from their team to remain with a vehicle was a big advantage. Harvath was reminded once more of the advantages of not always going it alone. Levy and
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