“Yeah, roger that,” said Turk. “Beats the hell out of hanging around here.”

Chapter 36

Duka

Milos Kimko eyed the driver nervously as they headed into the town. Two of Girma’s men were sitting behind him, guns ready; another pair were in the back. Traveling with them was only a hair less dangerous than traveling without them, Kimko thought. Girma was clearly becoming crazed, and his band would surely follow his lead.

The driver stopped the truck abruptly. They had reached the gas station where Li Han suggested they meet. Fortunately, it was at the southeastern end of the city, a good distance from the areas favored by both sides.

The street was empty, the station closed. Kimko debated whether to get out. The vehicle offered a modicum of protection, but it was easier to see in the dusk, making it a logical target.

Nervous energy got the better of him. He opened the door. The others hopped out with him. Instead of fanning out like proper soldiers or trained bodyguards, they clustered together, clumped near the car as he prowled near the gas pumps, looking around the shadows of the building for ambushers or lookouts.

A flask would be welcome now. A drink.

No. He would play this through, get what Li Han had to offer, and turn it into a ticket out of here.

Danny drove the Mercedes up the road leading out of town and glanced at his watch. The Tigershark wouldn’t be in range for another five minutes. At that point they could activate the bugs they had planted, and use the Whiplash system to communicate.

“Where the hell is Melissa?” grumbled Nuri. “She was supposed to meet us.”

“We’re a little early.”

“I don’t even trust that she saw Li Han.”

“Where’s the truck?”

“Still at the north end of the city.”

Danny pulled the car off the road. They expected Li Han to get on the highway at some point, then try and go south in the direction of the Brotherhood’s strongholds. The Whiplash team had loaded up in their Osprey and was en route. Once they were sure it was Li Han, Danny would order the team to prepare an ambush. They’d catch him on the road south.

If it was a false alarm, they’d go back to square one.

“Someone’s walking up the road,” said Nuri. “In our direction.”

“Melissa?”

“Can’t tell. Not enough resolution. They’re holding something—could be a gun. Pistol.”

“All right. Wait here,” said Danny, opening the car door.

“Where you going?”

“I’m going to make sure it’s not an ambush.”

Danny slipped the door closed, then trotted down the road to a small cluster of bushes. He turned around, looking at the car, then took a few steps past the brush. Whoever was coming would see the bushes and expect someone to be waiting there.

He trotted another twenty yards down the road, then went off it into the open field and lay flat. The person would be focused on the brush if not the car, and miss him completely.

His right knee complained as he folded himself onto the ground. Middle age was creeping up on him; the sins and strains of his youth were coming back to haunt him.

“Nuri?” he asked over the team radio.

“A hundred yards,” said Nuri. “I can’t tell if it’s her.”

“Call her phone,” said Danny.

Li Han stood at the edge of the roof fingering his binoculars, watching the Russian at the gas station about a half mile away. Kimko had four bodyguards with him, but they were back by his truck, useless if he was attacked from anywhere but the road. From what Li Han had seen, he’d made only the most precursory check of the area before stopping.

He was disappointed. He’d always heard that Russian intelligence agents were the best in the world. But obviously they didn’t send the best into Africa.

A vehicle drove past the gas station. Li Han watched as the bodyguards took cover behind their truck. They’d be dead meat if someone in the car fired a grenade.

No one did. The car sped past, continuing around to the eastern side of the city.

The Russian had stepped into the shadows as it approached. He moved out of them now, going toward the northern edge of the small property.

Li Han decided he would come from the south on foot.

“Go,” he told Amara. “Drive as I told you. I will meet you there.”

The Brother nodded.

Melissa nearly jumped when her phone rang. She took it from her pocket, telling herself to relax and move slowly. She crouched at the side of the road as she answered.

“Yes?” she whispered.

“Where are you?” asked Nuri.

“On the road where we were going to meet.”

“Wait.”

She could see shadows up the road ahead. She’d assumed it was Danny and Nuri’s car, but now she wasn’t sure.

“Danny is about ten yards on your left, on the east side of the road,” Nuri told her. “Put one hand up. When you do, he’s going to get up.”

This is a bit much, she thought, but she did it anyway, turning in Danny’s direction. A shadow emerged from the field.

“Hey,” yelled Danny.

“Hey.”

“The truck you spotted is parked near a building at the southern edge of town,” said Danny, running to her. “Come on. We should have a pretty good view of the proceedings in a few minutes.”

Kimko saw the pickup approaching and hissed at the gunmen back by the car to get ready. Just as he ducked down, he realized someone was walking up from behind the service building. He turned around and saw the outline of a man with a pistol pointing at him.

His heart fell toward the ground; his lungs clutched.

“It’s me,” barked Li Han.

It took several seconds before Kimko could breathe again. Those seconds were filled with an incredible thirst.

God, for some vodka.

“Why are you playing games?” asked Kimko in English.

“Why did you bring so many people with you?”

“Bodyguards. There’s fighting in the city. Two factions. Did you bring the photos?”

“I brought some things.”

“Show me.”

Kimko led him over to his truck. Meanwhile, the vehicle that had been approaching pulled into the gas station, stopping a few yards from the truck.

The guards are useless, thought Kimko. They were too used to intimidating people simply by flashing their weapons around. In a real fight, they’d be so much chum in the water.

Kimko got into the truck. Li Han got in on the other side, then took a cell phone from his pocket and turned it on.

“It has no SIM chip,” said the Asian. “It can’t be tracked. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried,” said Kimko.

“Here,” said Li Han, handing over the phone.

There was a small mélange of colors on the tiny screen. At first glance the image seemed to be nothing—indiscriminate shapes. Slowly, Kimko recognized a black triangle and a round sphere—the blurry outline of an aircraft.

He paged to the next image, and then the next. These were sharper. The object was definitely an aircraft, but it looked like no UAV he’d ever seen. Assuming it was a UAV, it would certainly be of interest back home.

Assuming.

“This looks like a model,” said Kimko harshly. “A prop for a movie.”

“It’s not.”

“How do I know?” Kimko started to hand the phone back.

“You can keep that,” said Li Han. “Show it to your experts. Here. This is from the aircraft, the interior of the wing. Notice that it has writing.”

He took a thin, long piece of metal from his pocket. Only a little larger than a fountain pen, it looked like a miniature shock absorber. It had a series of tiny numbers and letters stenciled on the bottom.

“It is an actuator,” said Li Han. “It moved a piece of the wing that acted as a flap. The material is still attached. You can see it’s a metallized glass. Very rare.”