“We have a major problem with one of the camp residents—”
“Can this wait? I’m in a meeting with US military advisors...”
“No, it can’t wait. It’s about the transactions and—”
“Yes, yes. I get it. I’ll call you in a minute from another secure phone. Is your line safe?”
Zweiri glanced at his phone and frowned. The young man had dialed this number. If someone was tracking his phone, they would be able to connect the two of them. The commander did not know much about how the technology worked, but he knew the Americans and their National Security Agency listened to everyone’s calls, especially if they kept using the same phones and called a large number of people. The sensitive call would require a heightened measure of security. “I’ll change phones as well. Here’s the new phone number.”
He gave it to the governor and hung up. Zweiri found the new phone in one of his desk drawers. He had used this phone only a couple of times, always to call the same number, his younger brother, who was a student at the Carlos III University of Madrid, Spain. Yes, that phone will be safe. No one is tracking my baby brother.
Zweiri placed the phone on the desk and waited for the call.
Two long minutes dragged by in silence. Zweiri paced back and forth in his office, which grew smaller and smaller by the second. He felt his palms sweating and trembling. His beating heart drummed in his chest, and he thought it might just erupt at any moment. This is what those apostates and infidels must have felt, the ones we caged like animals...
At the five-minute mark, Zweiri reached for the phone. He did not know the governor’s secure number, but he was going to call the office. However, before he could form the number, the phone rang. “Yes?” Zweiri said.
“Those Americans were like leeches, so hard to get rid of. They bring a handful of advisors, who think they’re smarter than all of us, and expect us to give them honor and respect. The fools.”
“So, we can talk now?”
“Yes, yes. Go ahead, tell me what happened in the camp.”
“Two Canadian special operatives, along with policemen and local militia, have been nosing around the camp. So far, they’ve talked to Ghanem and—”
“How did that happen?”
Zweiri shrugged. “I had people in place, but we can’t be obvious and stop journalists from talking to residents.”
“These agents posed as journalists?”
“Yes, they think that’s clever and we’ll not notice.”
“They’re sadly mistaken.”
“They are. Now, what should we do?”
“How much has Ghanem told them?”
“I’m not sure, since my men could not listen to the exchange.”
“Well, that’s our first step. Find out what the bigmouth has blabbed to them. Use coercion, if necessary, but make it seem natural.”
Zweiri nodded. “We’ve already ‘talked’ to her.”
“Do it again, as it seems it hasn’t had the desired effect.”
“I’ll take care of that, but perhaps we should stop the transactions—”
“Zweiri, what have I always told you?”
He frowned. The governor was about to give him a lecture about their relationship, but Zweiri was not in the mood. That crook forgets who brought him to power. Without me, he would be back in the street, a nobody. “You’ve told me many things, Governor...”
“Well, this one is extremely important, and I’m tired of reminding you. I do the thinking, and you do the groundwork. How is that?”
Zweiri cursed the governor under his breath and said nothing.
“I’m waiting here...” the governor said.
“I ... I understand,” Zweiri muttered.
“Good. It’s good when you know your job.”
“What should we do about the agents?”
The governor thought about it for a long moment, then said, “I’ll meet with the Canadian agents, and try to steer them away from the woman and anything she might have said. We’ll try to handle this, let’s say ... gently.”
“I don’t think that would persuade them. From what I’ve heard, the pair is very determined.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Asif.”
The governor let out a loud groan. “Asif tends to misjudge people. He sees enemies and opposition everywhere. It’s in his nature.”
“He’s seldom wrong.”
“Yes, I know that, but thanks for the reminder.”
Zweiri hesitated for a second, then said, “Perhaps we should send them a warning.”
The governor thought about the suggestion, then said, “Sure. That would make Asif happy, at least for a while. But don’t kill them. That would only make matters worse. The Canadians, and potentially the Americans, will send in more teams. They might discover our involvement, and that will be the end, our end. Mine, but also yours.”
It was the only time that Zweiri truly agreed with the governor. “Yes, we will do that.”
“Good. Any other troubling news?”
“No.”
“Anything good?”
Zweiri struggled for words. “Well ... we have a plan, and that’s good.”
“Yes. Let’s make sure it’s executed right. Take care of business, and call me when it’s all done.”
“I will do that,” Zweiri said in a hurried tone and ended the call.
He sighed and walked to the window. Asif will not be pleased. He doesn’t like to be on a leash. All I can do is relay the governor’s order. Then, it’s out of my hands.
He dialed Asif’s phone number. He replied right away, “Yes, Commander, what do you need?”
“The governor has a job for you.”
If you enjoyed this exclusive preview of Retrieval,
click here to continue the adventure now:
Retrieval - Book 4
This work would have not been possible without the great support of my wife and son. I would also like to thank CaryLory, Frank Paine, Dixie Peterson, Kristen Lewendon, Tim Birmingham, and Walter Scott for their helpful suggestions.
CLOSURE. Copyright © 2018 by Ethan Jones
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First edition: April 2018
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Ethan Jones is an Amazon bestselling author of the wildly popular Justin Hall spy thriller series which includes Arctic Wargame, Tripoli's Target, Fog of War, Double Agents, The Diplomat, Rogue Agents, Shadow Agents, Homeland, The Saudi Strategy, The Central Connection, The Austrian Asset, The Belgian Bagman, The Cyprus Coverup and the 14th book Covert Assassin was released in June. Carrie Chronicles spy thriller series which features Justin Hall's partner, Carrie O'Connor. Books include Priority Target, Codename: Makarov, and Entry Point. Javin Pierce spy thriller series which is the latest series, includes The Corrector, Betrayal, Closure and now Retrieval.
and Jennifer Morgan suspense thriller series which has three books so far: The Secret Affair, The Secret Blush, and The Secret Cause. Check out Ethan's website https://ethanjonesbooks.com to learn more and to sign up to Ethan's Exclusives which includes updates, deals, and a free starter pack library.
If you like assassinations, conspiracies, military, political, psychological, and spy thrillers, with international action, adventure, terrorism, and intrigue, mixed with secret operatives on clandestine missions, then you will love Ethan's thrillers!
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