either a settlement or a war between the central African oil cartels and us. Your job is to watch my back and collect information, not to play with yourself in my office. If I need a whore, I'll call one.'
'I am here to do whatever you wish, Pavel-'
'I am Comrade Kazakov to you, Major,' he corrected her. 'And there should be no doubt in your mind that you are here to do whatever I wish, or else your fate would be the same as your last boss, General Zhurbenko-thirty years at hard labor in Siberia. But you are a highly trained soldier and a keen tactician, not a zblidavattsa. If I ever get another indication that you fancy yourself as anything else but my chief of security and my aide-de-camp, you will find yourself digging coal in Siberia beside Zhurbenkoor at the bottom of an Icelandic fjord.'
'Yes, Comrade Kazakov,' Vasilyeva said. But her eyes blazed as she went on, 'But now I wish to tell you something.'
'You do so at your own peril, Major.'
'Very well,' she said. She took a bold step forward; Kazakov's eyes warned her away, but he knew it would take more than a stare to make this woman back off. 'You say you chose me, Comrade. But now I tell you this: I chose you as well.'
'Zasrat mazgi? Oh, really?'
'Yes, Comrade,' Vasilyeva said confidently, with only a hint of a smile on her beautiful but army-hardened face. 'I chose General Zhurbenko the same way: He was a man that could get me the things I wanted-power, prestige, money, land, and status. If I had to let the old bastard feel me up or be his min 'etka every now and then, it was all part of my plan to get what I wanted.
'I feel the same way about you, Comrade-you are a man that can get me what I want. You have the poweryou still have the power, even here, in exile in Iceland. I can dedicate myself to a man such as you.'
'Frankly, Major, I was not too impressed with how well you protected your other mentor.'
'I noticed your power the moment I first met you in the general's car. I knew you were the one for me, the man with even more power than Zhurbenko, the one who could get me the things I want,' Vasilyeva said. 'Besides, he gave me to you-it was clear he no longer needed me. It was easy to switch loyalties. If the general showed the same loyalty to me when your plan started to become exposed, I would have used my powers to protect him as well-but he decided to be a good soldier and take his punishment, protecting his wife instead of me. That will cost him his life.' She stepped closer to him again, and this time he saw something more sinister in her expression-not just confidence, but a warning as well. 'I have given myself to you, Comrade. I am yours. Betray me, and I will bring you down like I brought down Zhurbenko. Remain loyal to me, and you can do with me as you want-anything you want-and I will do anything for you.'
Pavel Kazakov had to suppress a thrill of dread that came over him again. The old feeling had come back-the feeling of impending danger. Every time he had listened, the feeling had saved him. Every time he ignored it, failed to break off his plans, run, and protect himself, he went down in disaster and defeat.
But before he could respond, she reached out to him, took his hands, and placed them on her breasts. Her eyes were demanding, commanding, riveting-and irresistible. She had always been irresistible. This wasn't loyalty, and certainly not love-this was plain old-fashioned ambition, desire, and a willingness to do anything, and allow anything to be done to her, to get what she wanted.
Of course, he failed to listen to the danger signal. He was helpless to heed it now.
'Well,' he said with a smile as she reached behind her neck to unzip her sweater, 'if you put it that way, Major…'
Zuwayy slammed the phone down hard. 'Saghf tarak khord!' he cursed. 'That bastard! How dare he order me around like a child!' But Kazakov was right about one thing: This was a good opportunity to lash out at someone and prove he wasn't going to be pushed around. And he would be fully, completely justified in doing so.
He dialed a special secure pager number, then sat and waited. Several minutes later, a call was put through to him: 'Speak.'
'This is Ulama al-Khan, Majesty,' Khalid al-Khan, the chief justice of the Egyptian Supreme Court and the leader of the main opposition party, responded. 'God be with you.'
'And to you, Ulama,' Zuwayy said. This guy had to be the biggest idiot in all of Egypt and probably all of northern Africa, Zuwayy scoffed to himself. Khan saw himself as an Islamic holy man, a true believer who fancied himself a spiritual master and leader. He was so zealous in his beliefs-and so enamored of himself-that he couldn't see danger when it was right in front of his face. His ambition would quite possibly drive him into the Presidential Palace-but he had no concept of how to lead a government, except to send out his henchmen in the Egyptian Republican Guards and assassinate a political enemy. He truly believed that God would absolve him of all his sins, no matter how heinous his crimes.
But most times stupidity and ambition made for a pliant coconspirator, and that's what Zuwayy had in Khan. The Egyptian cleric thought it was in the best interest of all concerned for Egypt to join the Muslim Brotherhood-a loose confederation of Libya, Sudan, and Yemen, with major support in Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon, and with some wealthy supporters in such pro-Western states such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and even Kuwait. Jadallah Zuwayy, as ruler of the most powerful military in the alliance, was the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Their sworn mission: to replace all of the secular governments in the Middle East with religiousbased governments firmly grounded in traditional Muslim beliefs. Egypt joining the Muslim Brotherhood would be the crown jewel in strengthening the organization and convincing other undecided nations to join-Egypt had the most powerful military force in the entire region, almost on a par with Israel quantitatively.
Zuwayy found a ready and willing ideological slave in Khalid al-Khan. Obviously the cleric never read anything but propaganda sheets-for he truly believed that Zuwayy was descended from the Prophet Muhammad and was the savior and sword of Islam. Zuwayy nurtured that fiction every chance he could, and Khan was obviously enjoying and benefiting from the attention. It did not take long to lodge al-Khan firmly under Zuwayy's thumb.
'I have a request of you, Ulama,' Zuwayy said.
'Ask anything of me, Majesty,' Khan replied devoutly.
'A sneak attack by unidentified commandos was perpetrated against Libya tonight.'
'I have heard of this, Majesty. Are you safe?'
'Perfectly safe, Ulama.'
'I swear this to you, Majesty, that the terrorists that did this deed will be hunted down like the dogs they are and punished!'
'You would tell me if these terrorists came from Egypt, Khalid?'
'Of course, Majesty!' Khan cried. 'I would notify you the instant I found out, even if I risked violating state secrets. You are descended from the loving Prophet-none may seek to harm you! All true believers know this to be true!'
'Thank you for your words of comfort, Khalid,' Zuwayy said. 'But I need your help to find the terrorists.'
'Anything, Majesty.'
'I believe that the terrorists crossed into Egypt to make their escape. I need your military forces to provide me with radar and patrol data so that I may track them down.'
'It shall be delivered to you by daybreak, Majesty.'
'And whatever my military forces may do, Ulama, I do not want your military forces to intervene,' Zuwayy said. 'I will not attack Egyptian soil without first notifying you-but I do not want any Egyptian forces to respond to attacks elsewhere.'
'I will give the orders myself, Majesty,' Khan said. 'It is easily done. The commanders of our largest military bases are friends to me and our cause.'
'Very good, Khalid. My war ministers will be in touch with your office within the hour. On behalf of all the faithful, I thank you.'
'It is my honor, Majesty,' Khan said. 'I am pleased to tell you, Highness, that I shall place my name in nomination before the People's Assembly for president of Egypt, insh'allah.'
'Excellent, Ulama,' Zuwayy said. His defense ministers and generals were entering the room-he had to shut this zealot off, quick. 'You have my full support and blessings. Anything my government or I can do to support you, it is yours.'
'Of course, joining the Muslim Brotherhood is my main goal, Majesty,' Khan said. 'I wish to strengthen ties with all of our Muslim brothers and force all of the foreigners out.'
'The foreigners are draining the strength out of all the faithful. We need to formalize our union, Ulama. When
