Page 19 of High Treason
“I’m checking backgrounds on all of them. Are you going to ask Ali what he meant or am I?”
He glanced at Ali. “You’re right. All bases need to be covered. I’ll handle it now.”
She hoped his friendship with Prince Omar and his men didn’t sign a death warrant for all of them. But she’d been there. Knew what it was like to be betrayed by someone she trusted. “We can make this task force work,” she said. “It’s not my intent to be difficult—just do my job. You have the advantage in your relationship with Prince Omar.”
“Are you trying to placate me?” But his words weren’t harsh. “Monica, we have the weight of two agencies on our shoulders. Intel drips into our phones like water, and while we need to read it, it’s not up to us to decipher every piece of info. The world is watching the US to see how the tragedy sorts out. You have your methods, and I have mine. In the meantime, we have to work together.” He stood and walked to Ali.
Monica sat alone in the hospital lobby for nearly two hours while Princess Gharam was being settled into her room. Prince Omar hadrequested Kord to join him on the floor where his mother would be staying. A little difficult for Monica to befriend the woman when she was barred from the scene.
She had no idea what Kord said to Ali about his earlier statement. Neither did she have Ali’s response because both men had their backs to her.
If not for her vigil on the elevator door and checking her phone for updates, she’d slip off to the ladies’ room to wash her face and brush her teeth. Kord ... he could have dumped acid on her outside Prince Omar’s and the doctor’s meeting or with her question about Ali. She respected, valued his treatment of her. Maybe they were off to a semi-good start.
Finally Prince Omar and his chosen men exited the elevators to drive back to the Saud mansion. Again she’d ride in the second limo with Wasi and Saad. Traffic had thinned with rush hour behind them.
The lights of the mansion signaled Monica’s weariness. Evening shadows crept across the grounds and blanketed the beauty, like thehijabPrincess Gharam and the other women from Saudi Arabia wore. A quick power nap sounded tempting, but it would be hours before she gave in to any semblance of sleep. Too many specifics to work out.
The limos stopped in front of the home, where Karim and Fares stood guard, and passengers left all vehicles. Jeff and SAC Thomas emerged from their cars, where they’d been awaiting the prince’s arrival. New intel or a formality?
Once inside, Prince Omar requested a meeting with those involved with his security while dinner preparations were under way. Right now she’d take a BLT—well, maybe a turkey, lettuce, and tomato, since the Muslim diet refrained from pork. She hadn’t eaten since half a bagel with blackberry pecan jam this morning, but she’d consumed more cups of coffee than she cared to count.
In the foyer, she waited with Kord for instructions. She scrolled through intel on her phone for updates while Kord studied his. She assumed he was catching up too.
He glanced up. “Want to talk?”
“I prefer privacy.”
“The sitting room?” He gestured the way.
“Been there before.”
The open windows of the sitting area ushered in darkness, and she closed the drapes while Kord snapped on a light. Once they were seated on chairs more comfortable than the mattress on her bed, she formed her words carefully with the knowledge of hidden recording devices. “How long have you known Prince Omar?”
“Over six years.”
“And the man who was killed today, Zain, you’ve known him equally as long?”
“I have.”
She added kindness to her words. “I need to get my interrogation hat on. You don’t offer much info. Thanks for telling me about the danger you two experienced.”
“Not the first time.”
He’d reverted to his stoic mode. “Perhaps when we have a spare moment, you’ll tell me more stories.”
“Maybe,” he said.
“I thought if we discussed what happened, something might trigger an idea about who is at the helm.”
“Fire away.”
She gave him a half smile for his pun. “Have you considered how the situation six years ago with Prince Omar and Zain could have influenced today?”
“I doubt the crimes are connected because the killers from back then are dead, but a formidable enemy waits for an opportunity tostrike. Here are the details on what I told you before. Six years ago, I had an assignment in Saudi that involved US holdings. Bombers killed two American businessmen and kidnapped a third along with a Saudi government official. Within twenty-four hours, the two kidnapped victims were beheaded. The bodies were hung outside Riyadh. Although diplomatic relations between the two countries seemed to be worsening, the US and Saudi Arabia wanted the crimes rectified. We believed ISIS was responsible. I look Mideastern and grew up in Iraq, so the language and accent were familiar. I posed as a naturalized American citizen with a military background who was discontent with US policies. I asked questions and voiced my discontent with the US. I got inside the terrorist group.”
Impressive. Kord just added another rung to her ladder of respect.
“Shortly afterward, members of ISIS kidnapped one of Prince Omar’s sons and his second wife. I promised Prince Omar I’d return his family. Zain and I worked to free them. We were chased into a cave in the middle of the desert and managed to hide there.”
