contrary. We needed to talk, away from the prying eyes and ears of the American NSA.”
The man sitting next to Abbas was dressed in a dark blue suit with a faint lighter blue pinstripe. His black hair was trimmed and professionally styled. A neatly trimmed beard accentuated his oval face. Black eyes stared out through square black spectacles perched on a prominent nose. As he smiled, his brilliant white teeth betrayed his real age.
Abbas blew out a breath with disgust. “We are careful, your highness. Very careful.”
“Yes. Yes, you’ve told me how careful you are. Maybe too careful. The Americans think these attacks are the work of one man. A deranged man, not an attack on their way of life.”
Abbas said nothing.
“Aazim, we chose you because you are aggressive. But so far your actions are that of a woman.”
Closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths, Abbas said, “On purpose. The next attack will prove we have brought jihad to their homeland. They will no longer be able to deny its existence.”
The prince nodded. “My brother and I were hoping you would dispel our concerns. When will this glorious moment occur?”
“Is my shipment still on time?”
The prince nodded his head ever so slightly.
“Good. Here is what we have planned.” Aazim Abbas proceeded to outline his proposal.
When he was done, Prince Bandar Farad Saud sat back and laughed. “I like it. This will be a glorious moment. Now, you will be my guest until tomorrow. Then you can fly back.”
“Prince, I must be back in Dallas by tomorrow afternoon.
“You shall be, but tonight you are my guest.”
***
The sparsely furnished one-bedroom apartment occupied by Billy Reid reflected his total lack of concern for frivolous possessions. His sofa and coffee table were purchased at a yard sale for twenty dollars. Gaming magazines were stacked in various locations throughout the room. His dining room consisted of a single barstool scooted under a three-foot long, waist-high breakfast bar separating the living area and kitchen. An unmade twin mattress lay on the floor of his bedroom. An old lamp atop an upside down milk crate provided the only light in the room.
However, he had a different standard when it came to his electronics. A high-end ASUS gaming laptop was his most recent acquisition. But his pride and joy was a new 60-inch 3D HD TV and Play Station purchased with cash at a local Best Buy two weeks earlier. A TV stand bought at a local Walmart provided plenty of storage for his numerous games. The TV and Play Station were procured the day after he had received the biggest paycheck of his life. Actually, it was an electronic transfer from a bank in Europe. He didn't know which one, nor did he care. The money was there.
Billy was 32 years old, ex-Army with two tours of Iraq and one in Afghanistan. His final tour in Iraq derailed what he thought would be a twenty-year army career. A roadside IED destroyed the Humvee he was driving and left him burned and deaf on his left side. The burns on his arm, chest and leg had healed, but the scars were a permanent reminder of the accident. After months in a VA hospital and an Honorable Discharge, he came home broke, divorced and bitter.
The large payday was the result of a sergeant he had met in Afghanistan contacting him with a proposal. After several months of careful thought, he accepted the challenge.
Billy had a talent, one the Army recognized with EIC Silver Badges, one for pistols and one for rifles. He was an excellent marksman and a trained sniper. Not a very marketable skill in the civilian world, especially when accompanied by deafness and scarring, but he had found a part-time job at a pistol range. The money wasn't much but it allowed him time to work at the challenges Ortega offered.
He slipped into the role of assassin easily. After following and observing the two men for several weeks, he devised the plans and methods for their demise.
The first one gave him an
The man sitting next to Abbas was dressed in a dark blue suit with a faint lighter blue pinstripe. His black hair was trimmed and professionally styled. A neatly trimmed beard accentuated his oval face. Black eyes stared out through square black spectacles perched on a prominent nose. As he smiled, his brilliant white teeth betrayed his real age.
Abbas blew out a breath with disgust. “We are careful, your highness. Very careful.”
“Yes. Yes, you’ve told me how careful you are. Maybe too careful. The Americans think these attacks are the work of one man. A deranged man, not an attack on their way of life.”
Abbas said nothing.
“Aazim, we chose you because you are aggressive. But so far your actions are that of a woman.”
Closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths, Abbas said, “On purpose. The next attack will prove we have brought jihad to their homeland. They will no longer be able to deny its existence.”
The prince nodded. “My brother and I were hoping you would dispel our concerns. When will this glorious moment occur?”
“Is my shipment still on time?”
The prince nodded his head ever so slightly.
“Good. Here is what we have planned.” Aazim Abbas proceeded to outline his proposal.
When he was done, Prince Bandar Farad Saud sat back and laughed. “I like it. This will be a glorious moment. Now, you will be my guest until tomorrow. Then you can fly back.”
“Prince, I must be back in Dallas by tomorrow afternoon.
“You shall be, but tonight you are my guest.”
***
The sparsely furnished one-bedroom apartment occupied by Billy Reid reflected his total lack of concern for frivolous possessions. His sofa and coffee table were purchased at a yard sale for twenty dollars. Gaming magazines were stacked in various locations throughout the room. His dining room consisted of a single barstool scooted under a three-foot long, waist-high breakfast bar separating the living area and kitchen. An unmade twin mattress lay on the floor of his bedroom. An old lamp atop an upside down milk crate provided the only light in the room.
However, he had a different standard when it came to his electronics. A high-end ASUS gaming laptop was his most recent acquisition. But his pride and joy was a new 60-inch 3D HD TV and Play Station purchased with cash at a local Best Buy two weeks earlier. A TV stand bought at a local Walmart provided plenty of storage for his numerous games. The TV and Play Station were procured the day after he had received the biggest paycheck of his life. Actually, it was an electronic transfer from a bank in Europe. He didn't know which one, nor did he care. The money was there.
Billy was 32 years old, ex-Army with two tours of Iraq and one in Afghanistan. His final tour in Iraq derailed what he thought would be a twenty-year army career. A roadside IED destroyed the Humvee he was driving and left him burned and deaf on his left side. The burns on his arm, chest and leg had healed, but the scars were a permanent reminder of the accident. After months in a VA hospital and an Honorable Discharge, he came home broke, divorced and bitter.
The large payday was the result of a sergeant he had met in Afghanistan contacting him with a proposal. After several months of careful thought, he accepted the challenge.
Billy had a talent, one the Army recognized with EIC Silver Badges, one for pistols and one for rifles. He was an excellent marksman and a trained sniper. Not a very marketable skill in the civilian world, especially when accompanied by deafness and scarring, but he had found a part-time job at a pistol range. The money wasn't much but it allowed him time to work at the challenges Ortega offered.
He slipped into the role of assassin easily. After following and observing the two men for several weeks, he devised the plans and methods for their demise.
The first one gave him an
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