She glanced at Pike, but he was already moving, prepping his weapon and talking on the net to the other van.

“Knuckles, kit up. Things are going south.”

“We going in hard?”

“No. Same plan. The Brit is getting antsy and I just want to close the distance. All weapons concealed. Stage on the third floor. Brett leads, Retro takes the rear.”

The conversation continued in the room, accusations of Hussein having betrayed the plan to his father filling the air. Pike slid open the door, telling Jennifer, “Let me know when to enter, but don’t pull the trigger too soon. Worst case, we assault and Hipster could have handled it.”

He nodded at Aaron, and they both stepped out, linking up with the men from the other van. Jennifer watched them jog across the street and enter the apartment building.

They were gone no more than five seconds when the sound of scuffling filled the van. Panting, breathing, a fabric tear, then the words that would alter Hussein’s destiny.

“What the fuck is that?”

Jennifer knew the worst had happened.

He’s burned.

“Pike, Pike, this is Koko. Execute. I say again, execute.”

No questions came her way. All she heard was “Roger.” She knew the team was now moving as quickly as possible, completely trusting her call.

She saw Shoshana reflexively squeezing her fists open and closed, her eyes rigidly fixed on the speaker.

She heard Hussein scream, then, “Kill me. Do it. Send me home.”

She felt as if she’d been punched. We did this. We sent him to his death. She shouted into the radio, “Go, go, go! He’s killing Hussein!”

She heard a body hit the floor and thought they were too late. She put her head into her hands, ignoring the noise until she heard. “I’ve met her. She’s a Jew. And she’s a greater killer than you. She’s going to carve you up like all the men you murdered.”

She looked at Shoshana, seeing her visage change into that of a dark angel, her knuckles white as she squeezed her fists.

Arabic filled the van and Shoshana stiffened. She looked out the windshield and said, “He’s leaving by the balcony. He’s running.”

Jennifer leaned forward and saw a figure leap from the third-floor balcony to the one on the apartment complex next door. She heard a racket in the room from the microphone, then Pike on the radio. “We’re in. Hussein’s been stabbed. He’s alive, but bleeding out. Room is clear.”

The sound echoed through the speaker in the van, Pike’s voice picked up by the microphone on Hussein. She said, “Pike, al-Britani jumped to the north building. He’s in the wind.”

Shoshana said, “He was telling the team they were attacking today. Now.”

Jennifer snapped her head to Shoshana, and she said, “I speak Arabic. That’s what he was yelling, probably into a cell phone.”

Jennifer heard shouted instructions, the rustling of cloth, then Hussein.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Someone said, “Shh. You’re going to be okay. Lie still.”

Hussein: “It’s because of the white house. I never wanted to go there. Nobody wanted to go there. They did this. Ask Jacob. He’ll tell you about the white house.”

Jennifer cut in, “Pike, Pike, al-Britani is attacking now. He’s on the run to attack. Shoshana heard him tell the team before he fled.”

She heard Pike go robotically calm, and knew they were in deep trouble. The worse the situation, the more relaxed Pike’s voice became, and he sounded like he was ordering pizza now. No yelling. No stumbling over words or hasty statements.

“Roger all. We need to stabilize Hussein, then get him out of here. I’m leaving Brett and Knuckles. Aaron, Retro and I will be at your van shortly. Get a fix on his last known location, determine the avenues of egress and come up with a search plan. I’ll contact Showboat for an update and get him synchronized with Jordanian liaison services.”

Shoshana said, “There he is, up the street!”

Jennifer leaned forward and saw a figure running north. A laptop case bouncing against his back, he skipped through the smattering of people, knocking aside those who weren’t quick enough to move out of the way.

Shoshana slid into the driver’s seat, fired up the engine, put the van in drive, and punched out of the alley, turning the wheel and going fast enough to make the tires squeal in protest.

Flung to the side, Jennifer grabbed the passenger seat for support, shouting, “What are you doing?”

Shoshana tossed her an indigenous hijab, saying, “Put that on. Cover your hair. Nobody will look twice at us.”

Jennifer climbed into the passenger seat and said, “We should have waited on Pike. On Aaron.”

Shoshana faced her, and Jennifer saw the dark angel again. The killer she’d seen once before, in Germany. Right before she’d slit a man’s throat. She said, “He’s not going to escape his destiny.”

*   *   *

Exiting the building, still talking to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander, I saw only one van in the alley. Empty.

What the hell?

“Sir, I have to get back on the team net. I’ve got a developing situation. Keep me abreast of the Jords. I don’t want a gunfight to go bad.”

“Gunfight? You’re out of it. Let the Jords handle it.”

“I will, I will.”

At least I hope I will.

I manipulated my smartphone, getting back on the team internal. “Koko, Koko, this is Pike. What’s your status?”

“We’ve got al-Britani in sight. We’re tracking him. He’s running north, about a half mile from you. He just went east, deeper into the neighborhood.”

“Damn it, Koko, I told you to sit tight. Showboat’s spinning up the CIA. This neighborhood is going to be locked down in about thirty minutes with Jordanian security. He’s not going anywhere. Our job is done.”

“You need to tell that to Shoshana. She’s driving.”

I turned to Aaron. “Call Shoshana. Pull her off before she does something stupid.”

He began dialing and Brett came on.

“Pike, Hussein’s KIA.”

“What?”

“He bled out. The knife wound must have nicked an artery. Nothing I could do.”

I closed my eyes and took a breath. For all practical purposes, I’d killed him. By all accounts, he deserved it, but on this operation he was my asset. My responsibility. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d really wanted to help.

Something to think about later. As I had many times in the past, I compartmentalized the damage and continued the mission.

“All right. Sanitize the body and sterilize the room. Get anything related to him, then leave it for the Jords to sort out. Get down here ASAP.”

“What’s going on?”

“Shoshana’s on the warpath.”

36

Jennifer heard Shoshana say, “I got it, Aaron. I’ll just track him then feed his location to you. I won’t do anything rash.”

There was silence. Shoshana said, “Aaron? Aaron, you still there?” Then, “Who is this?”

Jennifer saw Shoshana’s face grow rigid. She said, “Pike, don’t tell me what to do. The mission takes priority.”

Pike said something and Shoshana glanced Jennifer’s way, saying, “I won’t get her killed.”

Jennifer could hear Pike’s voice from across the cab of the van, shouting into the phone. Shoshana hung up on him, tossing the cell in the back. She said, “Your little lover boy seems to have a soft spot for you.”

Jennifer glanced at the phone and could only imagine the rage Pike was experiencing now. She said, “It’s not just me. He has a soft spot for anyone on his team, especially when unnecessary risk is taken.”

Shoshana smirked and said, “Oh no. It’s you. He reeks of it, so much so he’s willing to put the mission behind your safety.”

Jennifer thought of past operations when she’d come within a hairbreadth of dying, all on Pike’s orders. Then of Aaron. How he reacted to Shoshana. “He’s no different from your team leader.”