Heroes Never Die (13 page)

“I’m sure King Hamid is a reasonable man.  Can’t you talk to him again?”

“King Hamid is very consistent to his word.  He won’t be back at the bargaining table, and we have run out of time.”

Thinking that she had not voiced her objection firmly enough, Stephanie made the mistake of defying what had actually been a Presidential order.  “I will not allow myself to become involved in this.  You will have to send someone else.”

The President paused for a moment, and then he leaned back.  “I understand that your husband and father are in Turkey.  You must miss them very much.  I’m sure it would break your heart if they were accidentally killed in the war.”

Stephanie drew back, trying to comprehend the enormity of the shock.  She clearly understood the subtle threat.  The President will kill Brian and Dad if I don’t cooperate.

“If you complete this operation, I will give the order for both your husband and father to return home at once, and they will be safe.  You have my word on it.”

Stephanie was completely rattled.  “I don’t want anything to happen to my husband or my dad, and I want them home more than anything.  But please, Mr. President, please don’t send me on this operation.”

The President stood to his feet and took a few steps toward the fireplace.  Stephanie jumped up from her seat and followed his steps, anxious to hear his verdict.

“Let me put it to you this way, Stephanie,” he said as he coolly turned to face her.  “You are going to play a game called survival.  Between you and King Hamid, only one of you will live.  I advise you to play the game to win.  Any questions?”

Stephanie’s eyes grew wide, and she stared at him, her senses drowning in fear.  He was using Brian and her dad as pawns in his deadly game, and he had made it perfectly clear that her own life was in serious jeopardy if she didn’t play along.  She had no further questions.

“Wait outside while I have a few words with Barry and Kyle,” he gruffly ordered.

Stephanie left without saying another word.  As she brushed past Barry and Kyle, she thrashed them with a bruising look of hostility, but they ignored her.  She struggled to stabilize her battered emotions.  It was impossible to comprehend what was happening.  She stood outside the door and waited for Kyle and Barry.  She could hear their muffled voices and she stepped closer to the door so that she could hear what they were saying.

“I was under the assumption that Stephanie could handle this operation.  Where the hell is my ulcer medicine?”

Stephanie heard desk drawers being slammed open and closed and then she heard the vague sound of water trickling into a glass.

“We hit her with a full dose today,” Barry assured him.  “Once she accepts the fact that there is no way out of this, she’ll give us her full cooperation.”

“I hope you’re right,” the President warned, “because everything we have is riding on that girl.”

“She won’t let us down,” Kyle promised.

“In that case, I believe I have come up with a name for this operation.  How does Operation Blackbird sound?”

“Operation Blackbird?” Barry questioned.

“Yes,” the President said.  “Isn’t she a dainty dish to set before a king?”

Their thunderous peals of laughter delivered a crushing blow to Stephanie’s already wounded spirit.  Completely outraged, she left the men to have their revolting fun while she stormed the halls to find her way out.  A Marine guard quickly spotted her rambling through the secured area.

“Halt!” he ordered.

Stephanie swung around to face the man’s bayonet.  She was much too angry to be afraid.  “I’m trying to find my way the hell out of here, so why don’t you be a nice little soldier and point me in the right direction.”

“You are not authorized to be in this area.”

“I don’t care,” she snarled.  Her reeling emotions took precedence over rational thinking.  She quickly spun around and walked away, defying his order.

“This is your last warning.  Halt, or I will shoot.”

Stephanie spun back around.  Death was a welcome option.  “Go ahead,” she demanded.  “Shoot me.  I want to die.”

Barry and Kyle arrived on the scene just as she made the alarming remark.  “Corporal,” Barry ordered.  “She’s with us.”

When the guard saw Barry and Kyle, he lowered his weapon.  “I knew both of you had appointments to see the President, but I had no idea she was with you.”  The guard turned to Stephanie.  “I’m sorry, ma’am.  You’re free to go.”

Stephanie sped through the hallway, still not knowing her way out.  Kyle caught up with her to bend her steps toward the door.  She walked by his side with mule headed stubbornness, furious that she had to rely upon his compass for help.  When they reached the limousine, Kyle attempted to open her door, but she angrily refused his assistance.

“Unless you want to drop dead,” she said as she shoved his hand off of the door, “don’t do me any more favors.  You have already done more than enough.”  She locked her fierce penetrating eyes against him, hoping to stare him out of countenance, but his own cool stare remained steady.  She was no match for Kyle.  She gave up and climbed into the car.

On the way back to Langley, Stephanie hid the tears that trickled down her cheeks by looking out the window to view the city she loved.  Her reverential feeling of respect for the nation’s capital abruptly terminated, and she began to despise its power to destroy lives.  She felt confused, betrayed, and full of hostility.  She glanced at Kyle.  She knew him well enough to know that he had already skillfully thought through every detail of his plan.  Now he could lend reason to her confusion by justifying the injustice.  Now he could channel her hostility toward merited hate by molding her into a right-minded merciless assassin.  Then he would continue to instruct, nurture, and drill until the seeds he had sown flourished with the willful determination and skill to assassinate a king.  And there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

***

At the end of the day, Barry went over the demanding itinerary for the upcoming three weeks.  “Tomorrow you will be meeting with Marcus.  He is scheduled to give you and Kyle a guided tour of Minute Magazine.  You will also be spending several hours each day with Elizabeth Casey.  Elizabeth is our expert on diplomatic protocol.  She has been with this agency for over twenty years.  She can tell you anything you want to know about Saudi culture.  You will also be using my private dining chamber to practice dining etiquette.  We want you to be completely polished.  Elizabeth will also customize your wardrobe to meet strict Saudi guidelines.  I think you’ll find her expertise invaluable.”

“Then you will spend the last two weeks at Camp Peary, or what we fondly refer to as the farm.  There you will train for the assassination.”

Stephanie was familiar with the farm.  Kyle had been there many times to train for other clandestine operations.  She used to worry about him when he was there training for secret missions, but now she had her own safety to be concerned with.  What a strange twist of fate.

“Last,” Barry announced to wrap up the day, “you will be staying with Kyle throughout the rest of your training.”

“Not a chance,” she protested, afraid that Kyle would attack her again.  “I’m staying at my house.”

“That’s out of the question,” Barry refused.  “We only have three weeks to train you for this operation and that’s not much time.  We will be giving you a lot of new information each day, and I want Kyle to reinforce it at night.”

Stephanie wanted to argue, but she knew there was nothing she could say to change Barry’s mind.  “Will you at least tell Kyle to keep his hands off of me?”

Barry’s eyes jumped on Kyle.  Kyle just grinned.  “She loves to flatter herself.”

Stephanie winced with hostility.  Kyle was lying, and Barry was allowing him to get away with it.

Barry turned his focus back to Stephanie.  “You’ve had a busy day, Stephanie.  Try to get a good night’s rest because we have an even busier day planned for tomorrow.”

Get a good night’s rest, she thought.  How?  Barry apparently trusted Kyle a whole lot more than she did.  She glanced at Kyle.  If he knew about this arrangement ahead of time, his cool expression was not giving it away.  Her nightmare refused to end.

“Would you mind going to my office and getting my coat?” Kyle asked.  “I’ll meet you in the hallway.”

After all of the pain he had caused, she certainly didn’t owe him any favors.  “Get it yourself.”

Stephanie’s sassy comeback annoyed Kyle.  “Read my lips, Stephanie.  Get – lost.”

Her face filled with anger.  It was difficult enough to be the recipient of his bruising insults, but it was downright demeaning when he had an audience.  She would be more than happy to go and get his coat, and he would be more than sorry that he had ever asked for the favor.

Minutes later, Stephanie watched Kyle come out of Barry’s office as she bundled up in her red wool coat and black leather gloves.  His coat was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s my coat?”

“Whoops,” she said with angelic eyes as she ordered the elevator.  “I accidentally on purpose left it in the women’s restroom.  I sure hope it didn’t fall into the flusher.”

“Go back in there and get it,” he ordered.

“Read my lips, Kyle.  Go – to – hell!”  Then she stepped inside of the elevator.  “One more thing – never leave your car keys in your coat pocket.”  She dangled his keys in the air.  “Better hurry and get your coat or I will strand you here.”

Kyle bolted toward her.  “Get back here, Stephanie.”  She pushed the down arrow and the elevator door closed, locking her safely inside.  She only wished that she could see his face when he discovered his cashmere coat floating in the toilet.

***

Stephanie kept a cool distance from Kyle as she walked around his condo.  She noticed that nothing had changed.  It was still neat and in good taste, the stereo, bar, and casual furnishings creating the appearance of a bachelor hideaway.  But her picture that once crowned his desk was gone.  So was the love they once shared.

Then she wondered what Brian would do if he knew she was staying with Kyle.  Would he understand?  If I explained everything to him, would he believe me?  He trusts me, but I have never tested his limits.  I never wanted to.  Even now, I’m not trying to.

“You ready to call a truce,” he asked coolly.

“No truces,” she snarled, wanting him to keep his distance.  “I’m not here because I want to be, and if you lay one finger on me, you can forget about ever fathering children.”

“Ooooh,” he mocked.  “That sounds painful.”

Stephanie felt completely defenseless.  “I mean it, Kyle,” she yelled.  Kyle jumped to his feet and approached her.  She stiffened, and his steps came to a halt.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Stephanie.  You wouldn’t even be here right now if you hadn’t opened your big mouth in front of that Marine guard today – not one of your more intelligent moves.  And don’t make another mistake by thinking I want you here, because I don’t.  But the fact remains that you’re here.  And whether we like it or not, we have to get along with each other so that I can train you for this operation.”

“You don’t really expect me to get along with you after everything you’ve done to hurt me?”

“I’m not hurting you.  I’m only doing my job.”

Stephanie’s eyes widened with unbelief.  “You took Brian and Dad away from me.  You threatened to kill Brian.  You threatened to destroy my marriage.  And you have turned my life completely upside-down simply because you’re hell-bent on revenge.”

“No, Stephanie,” he corrected.  “Brian is the one who took you away from me.  And you had better believe it wreaked havoc in my life, too.”

“Oh, no,” she argued, shaking her head to set him straight.  “You can’t pin this on Brian.  Our relationship was over before I became involved with him.  I love Brian, and I’m very happily married.  And now you’re asking me to sleep with some king?”

Kyle wasn’t concerned.  “We don’t even know whether Hamid will respond to you.  If he doesn’t, you come home and it’s all over.”

But Stephanie was concerned.  “And if he does?”

Kyle shrugged his shoulders.  “Then you simply give him an evening that he’ll never forget, and then blow him away.”

Stephanie was completely appalled.  “Dear, God!  You make murder sound like a thrilling ride at the amusement park.”

“It’s not murder,” he said to reinforce the barrage of training she had received that day.  “It’s routine political stratagem to influence our policies abroad.  You must determine in your mind that the good of this strategy outweighs the bad.  Taking one life in order to save thousands of other lives is always the morally correct choice.”

Stephanie agreed that saving lives was the better alternative, as long as it didn’t involve her.  “Look, Kyle.  I want the war to end just as much as the next person, but I won’t sleep with Hamid.  And I can’t kill him, either.”

“Why not?” he asked.  “You won’t be doing anything that Brian isn’t already doing.”

Stephanie rushed to defend her husband.  “Brian isn’t killing anyone.  He’s saving lives.”

Kyle’s face lit up with amusement.  “Do I have to spell everything out for you?  Brian is far away from home, and he’s surrounded by beautiful nurses.  How long do you think it will take before he gives in?”