CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.

Donatella wasn't saying much. Rapp had her gripped firmly under her good arm. He would have liked it if they could have walked a little faster, but at least he didn't have to carry her. Rapp wasn't too sure how long she'd last. She'd lost a fair amount of blood. There was no way around the problem; that blood needed to be replaced. They could worry about the wound and possible infection later, but for now he needed to get her stabilized. Fortunately, the streets were not very crowded. If there were any more trouble out there he'd stand a good chance of seeing it coming.

The worry that more Mossad agents might be lurking in the shadows had kept him from using his phone. He had to keep one hand on Donatella and the other on his gun. Conversely though, he needed to alert Kennedy. He needed to tell her what he'd found out, and if there were more Mossad agents about there was a strong case to make that he should call Kennedy immediately and tell her what he'd discovered. If he and Donatella went down in a hail of bullets Kennedy would never discover the truth.

Rapp decided the risk was worth taking. At the next corner he stopped and leaned Donatella against a building. "Hold tight for a second."

He released the grip of his pistol and grabbed his earpiece and phone. In a perfect world he would have preferred a more secure form of communication, but his digital satellite phone would have to do. He'd been told the phone was secure, but he knew better. There was very little the National Security Agency couldn't pick up if they put their minds to it. What he had to say was for Kennedy's ears only. Yes, the NSA was supposedly on his team, but they had their own problems just like the CIA had theirs, and unfortunately in this particular case Ben Freidman had been very good at cultivating agents within Washington's

various intelligence agencies.

Security be damned, he had to make the call. He would have to use innuendo and personal information to communicate the message. Rapp punched in a special number, one that he'd used very rarely over the last ten years. As it rang, he grabbed Donatella by the arm and they started walking again.

A man answered on the other end with a no-nonsense tone. "State your business."

"This is an alpha priority call. I need to speak with the DCI

immediately."

"Are you on a secure line?"

"No."

"I have your number. Hang up and stay off the line." Rapp the end button on the phone and turned to check the street behind him. Two men had appeared out of nowhere and they were moving fast. Rapp squeezed Donatella's arm and whispered, "Look sharp. We might have company."

Situation Room, Thursday afternoon

The President liked Colonel Grays plan, and he liked it even more after Kennedy came up with the idea of bringing back one of the nukes. It was not without great risk, however. Launching cruise missiles was one thing. Anybody with or without moral character, anybody with or without some intestinal fortitude could give the order to send in the cruise missiles. It did not test a leader's skills one iota. Sending in the planes was the next level and involved some real risk on America's part. The last thing anybody wanted to see was an American airman on Iraqi TV. Putting troops on the ground, though, that was some serious business. Especially sending them into Baghdad.

The President eyed Colonel Gray. "Do you know where you'd land the helicopters?" Gray produced a map and walked it down to the President. Standing over his left shoulder he said, "Right here, forty-eight miles southwest of Baghdad. We know this area is deserted."

"Why is it deserted?"

"See this building right here?" Gray stabbed his index finger at the photo.

"Yes."

"It used to be a chemical weapons factory. We bombed it, and now the area is under quarantine." Hayes looked surprised and asked, "You're going to send your men into an area that's under quarantine?"

"We bombed it eight years ago, sir. We've sent people back into the area and had the soil and air tested. It's safe"

The President was tempted to ask when this was done, but instead accepted the colonel's answer. "Is there anything else in the area we need to worry about?"

"Just the main road between Al Musaiyih and Baghdad." Gray again pointed out the spot with his finger. There's a secondary road right here, that leads to an abandoned chemical factory."

"So you'll use the area to unload the cars. "The President studied the photograph. "What if you get there and it's occupied?"

"Then we move onto our secondary landing area here." Gray pointed out the next spot.

"Sounds complicated. Colonel."

"This isn't the part that worries me, sir."

"What is?"

"Baghdad, sir. I don't have anybody who's ever set foot in the city. I'd like to find someone who knows their way around, someone who can get into the city before the op and check things out. Someone who can meet my team there and lead them to the target and back out of the city"

"Do you have anybody in mind?"

"I do, actually." Gray looked at Kennedy. "There's a certain individual who I've worked with from time to time who knows his way around this part of the world very well. We could really use his help."

The President looked at Kennedy. "Who is he talking about?"

"Iron Man."

"That might be a problem," replied the President.

"Why?" asked a disappointed Colonel Gray.

"Iron Man is in the process of, how should we say this," the President looked to Kennedy, who finished the sentence.

"He's retiring from the field."

Instead of showing disappointment, a sly grin spread across the Delta Force commander's face. "Guys like Iron Man don't retire. Give me five minutes with him, and he'll be begging me to go on this op."

The President folded his arms across his chest and said, "I hope you're right, Colonel."

As General Flood began to reiterate his position on the air strikes, Kennedy's digital phone beeped. She turned away from the group and answered the call. She listened for only a few seconds, ended the call and abruptly stood. There was a secure phone in the Situation Room but she didn't want to talk in front of the others. "Excuse me, Mr. President, but there's something I have to take care of." The President consented with a curt nod and Kennedy quickly left the room in search of a secure phone with some privacy.

At the next corner Rapp took a right turn and pushed Donatella into the first storefront he could find. He drew his weapon and waited for the two men to round the corner. Several seconds later they appeared but continued straight instead of turning. Rapp watched them cross the street and disappear. It was probably a false alarm.

The ringing of his phone caused him to jump slightly. He pressed the call button and said, "Hello."

"It's me. What's up?"

"We've got some big stuff happening. You know that hunch we had about my old friend?"

"Yes"

"We were right."

"Who was she working for?"

"Her old employer."

There was a pause before Kennedy replied. "Say that again."

"Do you remember who hired her originally?"

"Yes"

Rapp looked up and down the street. "They had some type of a free-lance arrangement. He set up the contracts, and she did the work."

"Are you talking about my counterpart over there?" Rapp could tell Kennedy was having a hard time believing this. "That's correct."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, and there's more, but we need to talk in person." Rapp looked at Donatella. Her eyes were closed, and she was leaning against the glass door. He was losing her. "I need a place cleaned up. Do you understand?"