VILLAGE OF BADULAH GAR
WEST OF QUETTA
In the darkness, Alexandra smiled contentedly as she felt him cuddling her against him. "Put your arm under me," she whispered as she lifted herself on an elbow. "Now hold me."
"Are you all right?" Christopher whispered in concern as he felt her lean against him.
"Just exhausted a little bit. Tell me, big boy, when last did you make love?" Alex shifted closer to him.
Unsure how to answer, Christopher took a deep breath and responded, "A while ago. Why do you ask?"
"If you haven't guessed by now, give me your hand."
She fumbled and placed his hand on the bedroll behind her. "You get to sleep on the wet side of this bedroll." She giggled as she felt his sharp intake of breath. "Don't worry. I think we won the competition."
Lying back, Christopher grinned as he recalled her reactions to his lovemaking. "We can always try again to make sure that they know you married a virile man." He lifted himself on an elbow, but stopped as she pressed a hand on his chest.
"Maybe in the morning before dawn prayers—you've made your wife very tired." She moved closer. "But make sure you wake me up nicely." She turned so that they now lay in a spoon position. "I like kisses on the back of my neck, my ears ..." Her edict ended in low snores.
"Gentle kisses on the back of your neck," Christopher mumbled as he pulled the blanket up to cover her neck.
12 ST. CHARLES STREET
LONDON
"Don't pretend that you suspected me, William," Ronan opened his desk drawer and retrieved an aluminum briefcase. "You and I both now you had no inkling that it was me."
"Saying something like au contraire would be too theatrical at this point, old boy. And I won't pretend that I've changed the bullets in your gun to blanks," Sir William responded. "But I would suggest you drop that pistol before I order them to shoot you."
"Who? You've tied up your Striker Blue teams in the rescue of the Jacobsen family." Ronan tapped three keys on his console.
"Ives!" Sir William ordered. "The Commander is yours."
Five members of the Striker Blue team invaded the library with their MP5s trained on all the occupants with the exception of Sir William.
Two medics rushed to tend to the groaning Edmond.
Ronan lowered his pistol. "The garage?"
"Yes," Sir William responded. "The instruction to prepare the Jacobsen family for transport was the signal for his team to make a quiet entry into the garage. That ensured that no one in this house, including Edmond, was aware of their presence."
"I see. It's too late anyway." Ronan aimed the pistol at his right temple.
The big Newfoundland dog turned his massive head and stared at the unusual sight of his two caregivers raising their voices in anger.
"Is it? Did you get the warning message off to your Iranian friend and Richard Townsend as yet?" Sir William signaled the members of the Striker Blue team to halt in their advance. "Make sure Mr. Jacobsen doesn't move, Ives. You may let Lady Catherine leave if she so desires."
"Like hell I will, William. Ronan, answer his question! Did you warn the Townsend or Aries?" Lady Catherine advanced to the desk.
Ronan smiled in resignation. "Townsend, yes. Aries is all yours. He is a product of you and William. You and your bloody chase for more profit and power created him. Everything he is has been created by you and your politicians and morals. Shall we get on with it?" He smiled bitterly.
YOU ARE READING
The Shaddad Conspiracy
Adventure“Your murder victim was not an innocent, naive woman. She was on our terrorist watch list. The fact that she escaped from Basra and lived a normal life in London buggers belief, but she was planted here by a foreign government to wreck the Taliban p...
