NanoStrike (28 page)

After he dropped Hassan’s plastic carrier bag on his bed, Quinn went along the hall and knocked on Abdul’s door. Abdul didn’t answer; instead, he poked his head out from Adiba’s room and waved Quinn over. Adiba was slumped in a chair, her body wracked with deep sobs.

“What’s wrong?”

Abdul handed him a crumpled photograph. He recognized Adiba, Lana and two young boys, bracketed by Adiba’s parents.

“She found it in the trunk of the Mercedes. It’s Lana’s,” Abdul said.

“Son of a bitch.”

He recalled Lana’s reaction when she saw Nazar on the TV at the hospital—no wonder. He must have snatched her then smuggled her across the border.

“She blames herself,” Abdul said.

“Don’t be silly, Adiba. This has nothing to do with you.”

“When I came here with Abdul, Nazar asked me her name; I showed him the picture; we each have one.” Her voice cracked and she began to sob again.

Abdul raked his fingers through his hair and gave Quinn a look that said—she’s right. “When we visited, Nazar did show a lot of interest in Lana. He even asked where she went to school.”

Quinn stood over Adiba and placed a hand on her shoulder. This made a terrible situation worse. “Adiba,” he said.

She looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears. Quinn struggled to keep the fury out of his voice. The thought of Nazar hurting Lana, that frail little girl he’d seen in the hospital, pushed him to the limit. “This isn’t your fault. The guy’s a fuckin’ creep.”

But right now, every gun-toting law-enforcer had him, Abdul, and Adiba in their sights. They were marked: the Israelis, the British, and the Americans believed the easiest way to stop Allah’s Revenge was to kill the three of them. Nazar Eudon offered a way out of Jordan, their only way. In the US, given some breathing space, he could maybe get their death sentence lifted. Although even with Nazar’s help, it was a long shot. Without him . . . “Listen, guys, we need Nazar,” Quinn said.

Abdul snapped, “After what he did to Lana!”

“He’s a despicable pig, and I want to hurt him just as much as you two, but we’re stuck in his house, and we’ve entered Jordan illegally. The only reason we aren’t already dead is because we have David and his magic flask. We need Nazar’s plane to get out of here. If we clear our names, then we can focus on getting Nazar Eudon what he deserves. But right now, he’s our only option.”

His speech was met with silence.

At the end of the hallway, in Nazar’s bedroom, Keisha studied the TV monitors and listened to their conversation. Nazar had given her explicit instructions. “Bring David and the flask. Lose the others if you can. If not, bring all four, and I’ll deal with Quinnborne, Abdul and Adiba when you arrive.”

This development regarding Lana further complicated the situation and made it more important that she leave Quinnborne behind.

When Keisha was Lana’s age, Nazar had found her sexually attractive. She had feared him at first, but once she understood how excited she could make him, she looked forward to playing his rough games. That he no longer desired her did hurt, but she had adapted to her role: helping him, supporting him. These fools couldn’t possibly understand his needs. They couldn’t comprehend his greatness, his power and intelligence. He needed her now. The policeman posed a threat, and she would protect Nazar any way she could.

That evening, Keisha laid out a generous buffet. They ate. Then, fatigued, everyone elected for an early night. She told them they would fly to Arizona the next morning.

Later, she watched on the CCTV in Nazar’s room as Abdul, Adiba and Quinn prepared for bed. Once they settled, she called Mufeed. “Get the car. Meet me out front.”

Keisha crept past the guest rooms and down the stairs, still in her scruffy black jumpsuit to avoid upsetting David. He had been uncomfortable with her attire on the trip to Jeddah. She tapped on his door and went in without waiting. Kneeling on his prayer mat with his back to her, David rocked and reciting evening prayers. The backpack lay on the bed.

She lifted the flap and peeked inside. The flask was there.

She moved closer to David and spoke softly to him. When he didn’t hear her, she shook his shoulder, and he gave a start.

“David, we must take the flask to Mr. Eudon now.”

“Allah’s will be done.” He stood, collected his backpack, and followed her out of the room without asking for the others. She loaded him into the rear of the car and sat up front to save him the embarrassment of sitting next to her in the dark back seat. They drove for twenty minutes in silence. David’s lips moved constantly. Airport security waved them through. No one in Aqaba would challenge Nazar’s car.

Once David was on the plane, she decided to secure the flask.

“David. May I have the virginbots?”

“I don’t have them.”

He did. She had checked his bag in the room.

“David, give me the flask.”

He reached in his backpack and passed it to her.

“That’s better. Why did you say no?”

“You asked for the virginbots. They are not in the flask.”

Keisha staggered back as though punched in the chest.

She had failed Nazar.

Chapter 36

Quinn stood in the doorway of Abdul’s room. “Abdul . . . Abdul, wake up.”

Abdul turned on the reading light. “What? What’s the time?”

“A little after midnight.”

He rubbed his eyes. “What the hell?”

“I need your help.” Quinn signaled for him to come.

“What’s going on?”

“Keisha’s taken David.”

Abdul sat bolt upright. “How . . . Shit. We’re fried.”

“No, I don’t think so. She’ll be back, but I have to make a phone call first.”

In his jockeys, Abdul joined Quinn in the hallway. “I thought David and the virginbots were our leverage?”

“I have the flask.” Quinn held up the small thermos.

“What about David?”

“He’s got Hassan’s coffee. I switched flasks at the service station.”

“Huh . . . okay, what do you need?”

Quinn pointed to the window at the end of their hallway. “Call me when she returns. I’m going to try the phone in the far bedroom, that’s where she came from.”

He ran down the hallway. When he entered Nazar’s room, his eyes locked on the screens displaying the camera feeds from their bedrooms.

Damn. He hadn’t anticipated that. The desk phone had a dial tone. Direct line, nice. He dialed Scott Shearer’s home number. Come on, Scott. Be your usual boring self. Be in.

A sleepy voice answered. “Hello?”

“Scott?”

“Quinn! Where the hell are you? Where’s Abdul?”

“He’s with me, so is Adiba.”

“Thank god!”

“Scott, I don’t have long. I’m in a jam. Turn on your recorder.” Quinn delivered a potted history of the past few days, but didn’t tell him where they were or where they were headed. If the authorities had qualms before, once they knew he had the weapon he felt sure they’d shoot first and talk later.

“I need a way to convince the world we’re not part of Allah’s Revenge. I have the weapon. I’ll deliver it in exchange for a safe exit from this screw-up—”

Abdul appeared at the bedroom door. “She’s back.”

“Scott, I gotta go. Do what you can. I’ll call tomorrow with a location for the exchange.” He hung up, ran to Abdul, and pushed him along the hallway. “Get back in bed. She mustn’t know we’ve been up.” They dashed down the hallway and into their rooms before the front door opened.

Keisha pounded up the stairs and opened Quinn’s bedroom door. “Quinnborne, wake up!”

Quinn pulled the covers off his face. “Is it time to go?”

Keisha turned on the light with her left hand. With her right, she leveled a nickel-plated Colt revolver at Quinn’s head. “Where is the flask?”

Her hand trembled, but from this range, she wasn’t likely to miss. “It’s not polite to point a gun at a man in his bed.”

Her voice shook. “I will fire if you don’t tell me.” She seemed angry enough to spit nails.

In a calm, level voice, he said, “Okay, I’m going to show you. Don’t do anything hasty.”

Quinn slid his hands from under the covers. He held the Glock, its barrel aimed point-blank at the center of the thermos. The flask meant more to her than anything—he hoped.

“What’s more important, Keisha? Killing me, or taking the thermos to Nazar?”

He waited for the logic to sink in and tried to slow his pounding heart.

She lowered the gun. “Very well.”

“Once we’re in America the flask is yours, but until then it’s our ticket to ride. So when do we leave?”

“The plane’s ready. David’s already onboard. I’ll wait downstairs for you and your friends.”

Abdul was dressed when Quinn knocked on his room door. They went together and woke Adiba. Once she was ready, Quinn sat them both down on the bed. “Our rooms were monitored. Keisha probably listened while we spoke about Lana.”

“Good. She is a woman. Now she will hate Nazar too,” Adiba said.

“You’d think so,” Quinn said, “or maybe it gives her more incentive to protect him. Let’s not count on her, okay?” Abdul nodded, but Adiba looked confused.

Keisha drove the Mercedes. Mufeed had remained at the airport with David. She led them up the steps to the plane. Quinn walked behind her, while Abdul clutched the plastic carrier bag with the flask. The plane pulled away as soon as the cabin door shut.

Abdul glared at David. “Why didn‘t you tell us you were leaving?”

“Allah did not command me to.”

“After Quinn saved your neck in Jerusalem, don’t you think you owed him at least a warning?”

“Since the Hajj, I have given myself to Allah completely. It was His wish for me to help Imam Ghazi in Jerusalem, and He, not Mr. Quinn, chose to spare me while Ghazi perished. Allah directed me to go with the woman tonight, but His divine intervention caused Quinn to exchange the flasks, which is why you are here now, Abdul.”

“You knew about the switch?” Abdul said.

Face calm and sure, David said, “The flasks look quite different.”

“And you didn’t say anything?” Abdul sat next to David. “You think everything in life is predestined. That we’re all puppets acting out the master plan of some divine being. What about free will?”

“We have free will. We can choose to live according to Allah’s rules, or not. Abdul, before my Hajj, I was unhappy, anxious, and uncertain—like you. But now, while I follow His teachings, I have no worries. Through the words of the Koran, Allah steers my choices. This is the best path, a path of peace, purpose, and fulfillment. For me, it has been a wonderful awakening.”

“What are you going to do when we see Nazar?” Abdul asked.

“I will do what Allah guides me to do.” A brilliant smile lighted David’s face and transformed his countenance. Abdul didn’t remember seeing the man smile before.

“But what about the innocent people who died in London, and in Seoul, and the soldiers back at the lab? And what about their families, grieving for their lost loved ones?”

“If they lived their lives according to the teachings of the Koran, then I rejoice for them—they are with Allah in heaven. If they were unbelievers, then their lives were worthless anyway.”

Abdul didn’t know how to respond. It could be argued that a religious zealot like David couldn’t be blamed for the murders; as with a psychopath, he was disconnected from reality. Within his distorted frame of reference, he’d done nothing wrong. Worse still, he believed he was doing good, doing God’s will.

Abdul wanted to understand more about the nanobots. The knowledge might prove useful to Quinn when they reached Arizona. “David, how can the virginbots be a weapon for Ghazi and a fuel for Nazar?”

David’s face brightened. For twenty minutes, he presented his technology to Abdul; animated and engaged, he seemed like a different person. Although the concepts were outside of Abdul’s sphere of knowledge, David explained them at a level he could comprehend. By the time David finished and fell silent, Abdul understood the basic tenets of the nanobots and how programming dictated their actions. He also realized that he was in the presence of a brilliant mind.

“Thank you, David. I appreciate you taking the time to share your work.”

David inclined his head a little to the side. “Would you like to pray with me, Abdul?” The question took Abdul by surprise.

David rose and moved to the front of the cabin. He rolled out his mat. Abdul yearned to join him. To relieve the stress and allow his mind to melt into the soft rhythm of prayer. As if on autopilot, Abdul followed and knelt beside David. They prayed for fifteen minutes. When they were finished David beamed at Abdul.

“
Allahu Akbar
,” he said.

“
Allahu Akbar
,” Abdul replied. He felt calmer than he had for days, and more conflicted than at any time in his life.

Chapter 37

Nazar’s jet arrived at Phoenix airport late in the morning. Quinn peered out the window as they taxied, checking for any kind of welcoming committee. A Jeep pulled alongside. The driver pushed a set of steps to the side of the fuselage, and climbed to the front of the plane. Quinn cracked open the cabin door and watched Keisha. She’d told him an arrangement had been made with the ground crew to get them through without passport checks. Keisha handed over a thick envelope, which disappeared into the driver’s inside pocket.