Sameer groaned at the idea and turned away from the young boy. The action was not missed by Mamoon. “Perhaps one day, but for now, we stick with what we know.”
11
Bridger’s Residence, Wood County, TX
ROGER RAN HIS finger along the hand drawn plans he discovered in the copy of Moby Dick. He saw where the different traps were located on the property and he assumed that he was supposed to activate them to keep himself safe. He pulled open the door, the book nestled under his arm, when he heard the telltale crunch of gravel under a car tire. He jumped back inside and shut the door. Crouching low, he duck-walked to the closest window and pulled the sheer curtain back a bit. He saw the familiar green and white markings of the local Sheriff’s office.
Roger slid to the ground, his back to the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut and ground his teeth. If I were going to assassinate somebody and wanted to get away clean, I’d disguise myself as a cop, too.
He heard the light knock at the door and reluctantly pulled his weapon from its holster. He got to his feet and focused on the front sight of the weapon.
“Hello?” Another knock. “This is Sheriff Evans of the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.” Roger watched as the knob turned slowly and the door pushed open. “Is there an agent Wallace here? Bobby Bridger sent me to give you a message.”
Roger stepped into view, his weapon pointed at the man standing in the doorway.
“I’m sorry Sheriff, but I need to see your ID.”
Sheriff Evans held his hands up and nodded slowly. “Easy there, son. Let’s not do anything hasty.”
Roger exhaled and forced his shoulders to relax, but kept the weapon trained on the lawman before him. “Sorry, sir. But there are bad people after me and—”
“Bobby mentioned that.” He stepped into the earthen dwelling that Bridger called home. He reached up slowly and removed his sunglasses. “He wants you to make a run to the airport. They have a plane waiting for you.”
Roger hiked a brow and gave him a questioning look. “And just where the hell am I supposed to be going?”
Sheriff Evans cleared his throat and gave him a weak smile. “I’m pretty sure he said that they’re in Pakistan. But it wasn’t the best connection so maybe not.”
Roger lowered his weapon slightly and stared at the man, his mouth hanging. “Did you say Pakistan?”
The large man nodded. “I’d suggest you pack for warm weather.” He motioned toward the window. “Bobby asked me to drive you to the airport.”
Roger lowered his weapon and nodded. “What the hell. I’m sure in Bridger’s mind, it’s right on the way to Omaha.”
Karachi, Pakistan
“SCOTT HAS HIM.” Bridger lowered the phone to the receiver and seemed to visibly relax. “That’s one less thing to worry about.”
“Until he gets here,” Jay mumbled absently. “We’ve verified al-Abadi has returned to the city.”
Steve looked up from the stack of paperwork scattered across his desk. “Where did he go? One of his suppliers?”
Jay turned to Gregg who held a finger up. “The address returns to…Kashif Abu Faqir. Deceased.”
“Why would he visit a dead man?” Deric asked.
“Any relatives still kicking?” Bobby asked, not sure he really wanted to know.
“No sons. No daughters. One widow, Asma Abu Faqir.” Gregg shook his head. “There’s little to nothing about her.”
Jay stood and stretched. “So, maybe he’s courting this widow for her money or he’s just visiting a sick friend. I don’t care either way. al-Abadi is the target here. We need to stay focused.”
“Agreed.” Deric stood and pulled down the map for the city. “From what we can tell, the demonstration is supposed to start in or near Baloch Park.” He tapped the page to indicate the location. “The protestors are then supposed to march up M.A. Jinnah towards the Rambagh Quarter. The whole road will be shut down and they’re expecting a ton of people. They’ve been advertising and hiring people to make this one of the largest Western protests ever.”
“Fuck me,” Jay spat. “We’re going to have to grab him before he gets into the crowd.”
“We should grab him when he leaves his house,” Bobby stated flatly. “There will be too many people around to just grab and run once he hits the Bazaar.”
Gregg nodded. “Those streets will be packed. Our best bet is what Bobby said. Otherwise we’ll never get through the crowds.”
Deric chewed at his inner cheek then turned and gave Jay a grin. “We can pull a Dixie shuffle on them.”
Bobby raised a brow. “Too risky.”
“If we can find out what he plans to wear, it would be easy.” Deric grinned wider. “Can you imagine their faces when they grab him and realize it’s the wrong guy?”
“We take out the guards,” Jay stated flatly. “Too many variables not to.” He lowered his eyes and sighed. “I really hoped to do this without casualties, but if we’re going to grab him in broad daylight, we’re going to have to remove all threats.”
“This has to be clean.” Bobby stood and marched to the map. “He’s got fourteen blocks from his house to the park. If we try to disable the car and take him, innocents are likely to get hurt.”
“Then we take him from his home,” Jay answered softly. “We don’t wait for him to get to his little protest.”
Jim had sat and listened to the back and forth without saying much. He finally stood and shook his head. “You boys are making this too complicated. It’s a simple snatch and grab.” He pointed to Gregg. “Dig up one of your disablers for his car. Deric and I can install it once the sun is down and we can choose the least crowded spot once he leaves.”
“Can you be in and out unseen?” Bobby asked.
Jim gave him a smirk. “Please. We’ve been playing this game full time since you retired. I could be in and out
