“That man, Aalam El Hashem who told you to do this took them,” she said with disgust. “I don’t know where they are but I won’t stop looking for them. It’s not just them. He has killed people in the camp who have tried to stop him and have disagreed with his beliefs. I saw one of them.”
The young man stared at her with wide horrified eyes.
“No, no. He wouldn’t do that. You lie.” Laraib shook his head. “He is a cleric, a holy man.”
She’d hit a nerve. Gabriel couldn’t help feeling more hopeful.
Leverage the girls, Antonia. You just might have him here. He is thinking about it now. Keep forcing him to doubt Aalam and his motives.
“I am not lying to you. I am telling you the truth. Will you really sacrifice your life for a man like him? A man who lies to you and kills your own people?”
“I don’t do this for him. I am sacrificing my life for Allah and to free my oppressed people,” he shouted. “I have to… I liked Nazila. No, I must do this. I will not let you distract me. I have to be strong. They said if I was caught this is what would happen and I must not let you trick me and win.”
“I don’t think you want to die, Laraib. You are arguing with yourself over it and you should…”
“I don’t want to die,” he told Antonia. “Not really. He made me do it. He said I was the weak one in the group. I had too many doubts. Aalam said he would kill my brothers if I don’t and I will be branded a coward. I have to…”
“Where are your brothers?” Antonia asked him quickly.
“I don’t know. On a ship, I think. They are heading to England. I’m not sure. Stop it. Stop trying to trick me. I just want to go home. I want everything to be like it was at home in Syria before the war. That is never going to happen now. I must do this.”
Laraib turned his attention back to the detonator again. Malinov heard Antonia take a deep breath and then say, “Your parents would never approve of this. Why do this evil man’s work for him?”
“Because I have to. I might be scared but he is right.”
Laraib appeared confused.
“Don’t dishonour their memory by killing yourself and others. I am begging you. Whatever grievances you have against these people and their governments you can use peaceful means to solve them and bring change. You are clever, Laraib. You are not a murderer. If you do this that’s all you will be remembered for, a murderer of innocent people. That will be your only legacy in this world,” Antonia shouted her words passionately, desperately trying one more time.
“You see what I am about to do so differently. I am not a murderer. I am a saviour of my people, a soldier. I must not doubt and fear. It does not matter what Aalam has done, I do this for Allah not him.”
Malinov didn’t like the renewed strength in the young man’s tone. He was going to do it and there was no doubt. Gabriel started pulling Antonia back with force as she screamed at Laraib to stop. One of the police officers shot before Malinov could. The bullet sliced through the back of Laraib’s head as he turned and ran in the opposite direction towards the crowd. But it was too late his finger was already down on the detonator.
There was a split-second delay before the explosion occurred as Laraib’s body hit the floor. The air was filled with screaming. Kareef surged forward and flung himself on top of the young man sacrificing himself by trying to absorb as much of the blast as he could with his body.
Malinov flung Antonia to the ground and covered her with his own body to shield her from the explosion.
Chapter 12
Shrapnel flew and the terminal building shook. Glass rained down on top of them. Gabriel covered Antonia’s head with his hand and curled himself over her. But the force of the blast threw them both flat to the floor. He felt the glass shower on his back and hoped none of it would stab him. Antonia needed him.
Eventually, everything went still and no one moved. But slowly the survivors raised their heads and those who could, stood. Kareef was dead but he had managed to reduce the force of the blast and save more people than would have been otherwise including Gabriel and Antonia.
Malinov looked around at the dead and the body parts from Laraib and Kareef. He ran his hand over his face and reflected on the nauseating horrific scene thinking what a senseless waste of human life. The sprinklers were spraying water and were drenching everyone. Lots of people were weeping and rushing to help each other. Gabriel was bleeding from his forehead but only a little. He had been lucky. He wondered if Laraib had run the opposite way to avoid killing Antonia out of guilt. He would never know. Putting his thoughts to the back of his mind, he picked up his weapon from the floor and inserted it back inside the holster inside his suit jacket.
The Russian United Global Defence agent took hold of Antonia’s shoulder and slowly turned her over. She was dazed and moaning with pain. He cupped the side of her face and stroked his thumb gently across her cheek to revive her.
“Antonia, are you okay?” he inquired in a soft deep tone.
She blinked her eyes and looked up at him. The reality of the explosion and the death of both Laraib and Kareef began to dawn on her. His heart sank. He could see the pain of self-blame for their deaths and the others in her eyes. She believed she’d failed them all by not succeeding in talking the boy down.
Gabriel wanted to immediately tackle it, get her feelings out in
