Thanks for the reviews of Ch. 37 everyone! Sorry it's taken a while to post this next update. Thanks for your patience & let me introduce you to Nadiyah el-Zaid...
...
THE DATE
CHAPTER 38
Danny Galvez was pulling out all the stops with telephone calls to help Peter Quinn organise a covert operation to rescue Rudy McCoy from the Children of Jihad terrorist group in Syria. Before he knew it, Quinn had been driven back across the border into Lebanon to meet Nadiyah el-Zaid at her luxury villa near Rachaiya.
Nadiyah was in her early forties. She was cosmopolitan, feisty and chain-smoking. She wore a black silk blouse, blue skinny jeans and a loose bright pink hijab embellished with a fluttering organza rose on the side. She was excitable to the point that Quinn wondered if she had a mood disorder like Carrie's. She was certainly unlike any Muslim woman that he'd ever met before. Is she really a Muslim? He wondered. Or is her hijab more of a fashion accessory?
As Nadiyah strode around the vast room in her zebra-print high-heels, she explained how she was frequently contacted by terrorists looking to do business deals with her. She had politely declined, with her cover being that she was still in mourning and would be ready to collude with them for buying and selling hostages when she was ready.
Galvez had already explained to Quinn that since the death of Nadiyah's husband, Abdul, she had begun working as an asset for the CIA. Her freedom and protection in return for whatever information she could pass on about the activities and identities of her late husband's kidnapping clique.
Nadiyah was eager to help, especially when Quinn showed her a picture of himself and McCoy that he had on his cell-phone. It had been taken the evening before McCoy had flown out of the United States to Lebanon. The photo was of them by the pool table, shortly after they'd finished their game and before McCoy had followed a trendy crowd towards the karaoke bar. Quinn couldn't remember who'd taken the photo, probably some random stranger that McCoy had charmed. He didn't particularly appreciate the geeky glasses that McCoy had made him wear in the shot, but he liked that fact that they had their arms draped around each other's shoulders and were happy and laughing. Quinn hadn't even realised the photo was on his cell-phone until a couple of weeks ago. It had been a bittersweet discovery, found whilst Rudy was incommunicado in Lebanon and Quinn had no idea what was happening. Dar Adal's nightmare call the next day to say Rudy was missing and presumed dead had changed all that.
"He's certainly a cute blue-eyed boy." Nadiyah put her hands on her hips, in a pose reminiscent of Wonder Woman. "I'll be pleased to help rescue Rudy from those evil jihadist bastards!"
Quinn frowned, "You don't have to physically come, Mrs el-Zaid, we just need to use your name when we go with the money to pay for Rudy and get him out of there."
"Fuck that," grinned Nadiyah, wickedly. "From what I've learned about the way my husband did business, is he was very much hands on. Abdul liked to personally visit and assess the hostages he was purchasing from flea-bitten organisations like Children of Jihad. He would often bring a Doctor with him too, to assess the state of his prospective purchases."
Quinn liked the sound of that. "Any particular Doctor?"
Nadiyah shook her head, the pink flower on her designer hijab flapping wildly. "No, it depended on whereabouts Abdul was doing the transaction."
Quinn was relieved, "That's good. We have a local Doctor lined up who can help us, Mrs el-Zaid."
"Please!" She reached over and tapped Quinn's forearm, beaming a mega-watt smile. "Call me Nadiyah."
"Nadiyah..." Quinn straightened his posture assertively. "I'd rather you didn't accompany us to rescue the hostage. As you're a CIA asset with access to so many terrorists of interest, we don't want to compromise your cover prematurely."
Nadiyah wagged her finger defiantly. "I'll come to buy the hostage, then I'll do what I like with him," She pursed her lips and casually looked at the picture of Quinn and Rudy on his cell-phone again. "That's what Abdul did. He didn't hold onto hostages himself. He was the middle-man. Nobody will ever know what happened to your Rudy after I buy him. Quick transaction. All Children of Jihad will know is that I buy the hostage from them, then sell him on for a profit to an unknown buyer. They won't give a fuck as long as they get their money!"
Quinn shook his head. "It's what happens afterwards, though. Once Rudy is safe, then we'll need to take action against Children of Jihad to neutralise them and retrieve your payment. That's what could compromise your cover, Nadiyah."
"Not if it's done right," she smirked. "I'm sure a clever boy like you will figure something out. You better had do, because I'm coming to Syria, whether you like it or not! We can use my helicopter, just like Abdul used to do. Fly in, get what we want and fly out again."
"Do you have any training, Nadiyah?" Quinn was nervous. "I mean if anything goes wrong and you need to fire a weapon?"
"Trust me, I'm a woman with many hidden talents." Nadiyah smiled at Quinn secretively. "I'll help rescue your boyfriend."
"He's... um... not... em..." stuttered Quinn.
"Pah! The way the two of you are looking at each other in that photo?" Nadiyah threw her head back, laughing. "Love is love. Your secret is safe with me."
…
Nadiyah el-Zaid made tentative contact with a few acquaintances of her late husband and let them know that she was now back in business and looking for a big fish to purchase. She told them that she'd heard rumours that the Children of Jihad in Syria had acquired a westerner. It took a few hours, but a call confirmed that the rag-tag mob over the border had an American soldier for sale and he was alive, but not in particularly good shape. They'd been unable to get him any proper medical care yet, apart from a local dumb ass Doctor with a few bandages.
Even though Quinn was severely sleep-deprived, he insisted that they make a plan and mobilise immediately. He said that they could agree the terms of the transaction en-route. He wondered if Doctor Bacho knew that the terrorists referred to him as a dumb ass? That might have made him laugh, but the knowledge that Rudy McCoy was not in particularly good shape was almost too much for him to bear.
…
Upon arrival back in Syria by helicopter the following morning, Quinn could see Hana Bacho standing by her window and looking petrified as her husband, Syed climbed onto the helicopter to join him and the others. Syed looked nervously at Rayan the pilot who he recognised as one of the Lebanese CIA Agents who had visited his house only a couple of days earlier.
Syed grinned at Nadiyah as he sat down next to her and he stuck out his hand, "Hi, I'm Doctor Bacho. You must be Mrs el-Zaid? The beautiful woman with all the money, or so I heard on the phone from Agent Quinn!"
Her eyes flickered across his chiselled jaw and she winked assertively at him, "Please, call me Nadiyah."
Syed smiled nervously, remaining oblivious to her appreciative gaze. He had a large medical bag, that Quinn immediately opened and hid three handguns inside.
"You know how to shoot, Syed?" Quinn assessed the Doctor's shaking hands as he unsuccessfully tried to buckle his safety belt.
Syed nodded apprehensively and allowed Quinn to help him.
"Good." Quinn tightened the belt, just as the helicopter began it's ascent from the Bacho's road. Dust and dry grass was whipped into a ferocious billowing brown cloud as the rotor blades deflected the air downwards.
It was time to fly into the terrorists' compound and rescue Rudy McCoy.
...
Quinn looked at his haphazardly assembled team on-board Nadiyah's helicopter. Firstly, there was Rayan Chehab, the Lebanese CIA Agent who happened to know how to fly a helicopter and was probably the most useful in terms of being capable with a weapon and playing a part in an operation to rescue an American soldier from jihadist terrorists. There was Nadiyah el-Zaid, a revenge-seeking, flirtatious, adventurous Widow who thought she was Wonder Woman in a trendy hijab. Thirdly, there was Doctor Syed Bacho, a fitness fanatic who dearly loved his two young daughters. He was only assisting Quinn so his family would be given a safe passage out of Syria and away from the various terrorists who came knocking on his door during the night.
Quinn had a moment of self-doubt and guilt for risking the lives of these three innocent people in order to rescue McCoy. He wondered if he should put a stop to it immediately and telephone Dar Adal to arrange a proper black ops mission, now Syed had told him where the Children of Jihad were holding McCoy. However, he was afraid that Dar Adal would throw a spanner in the works and leave McCoy to rot, injured and blindfolded in a cell.
Quinn also thought about calling Saul, but decided it would be unfair to place the burden of knowledge and responsibility on his shoulders. He had enough on his plate after the Memorial bombing. Quinn clenched his own shoulders tightly, before lowering them and exhaling. Nope, this is my mess. Rudy is my responsibility and I'm getting him out of there before it's too late.
...
As the helicopter flew in the direction of the Children of Jihad's compound, Rayan the pilot spoke frequently on the radio to Mansur, the other Lebanese CIA Agent who had stayed with Hana Bacho and her two daughters at the Bacho's hilltop house. They were busy packing the SUV with suitcases, ready to flee across the border into Lebanon to an established safe-house and prepare to be flown over to the United States.
"Are you sure it's going to be OK?" Syed rubbed his forehead. He was sweating more now than he had been after his uphill run a couple of days ago. "Won't the Children of Jihad find it strange that I'll be arriving by helicopter with all of you guys?"
"Nonsense!" Nadiyah answered before Quinn had a chance to. "My contacts thought it was fine that we would collect a local Doctor en-route after I suggested it." She beamed at Syed, before squeezing his knee. "They suggested you. Don't be afraid. It is fine."
Syed looked disconcerted before forcing a smile. It was unheard of for a woman in a hijab to be so forthright and publicly touch a man who wasn't a family member. Quinn sensed Syed's confusion and smirked to himself as he turned to look out of the window and down onto the arid terrain below. He liked these pair. Syed reminded him of Rudy a lot. He seemed outgoing and extrovert, but with a nervous streak and an ongoing need for reassurance. Syed was also strikingly good-looking with a rock hard body. Not that I've noticed his body. Why have I started noticing male bodies? Bloody Rudy McCoy has screwed up my head! How come I never appreciated the male form before now?
Quinn distracted himself by considering Nadiyah. She was an unpredictable, hyperactive badass. She was fucking nuts and reminded him of... Quinn frowned. Nadiyah reminded him too much of Carrie. He suddenly wished that Carrie was there. Carrie was a professional. Nuts or not, she had bagged Abu goddamnfucking Nazir only a few months ago. He smiled as he realised that he was wishing Carrie was there for her skills as a CIA Agent and not for her skills as a fine piece of ass, or somebody he thought he'd been falling in love with. I think I'm finally over her!
...
Quinn noticed that Syed was staring at him in a way that unsettled him and he looked away quickly. Even though Syed was married with two daughters Quinn got the impression that Syed was probably not averse to a bit of male company from time to time. Quinn rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers and thumb, aware that if he could rescue Rudy... No! He reprimanded himself. When he rescued Rudy, then he wanted more than a jovial friendship and an annoying lodger. Quinn wanted... He frowned again. What do I want? I'm not gay! I don't think I'm bisexual... but there's something about Rudy McCoy... He remembered what Nadiyah had said about the photograph of himself and Rudy laughing together. Love is love. He pulled his cell-phone out of his pocket and looked at the picture that was now his screensaver. Love is love. He wasn't convinced, but decided to be open to persuasion.
...
Syed was craning his neck to see the picture on the screen and Quinn glared as he hurriedly pressed the power button off and popped the cell-phone back into his pocket.
"The hostage is a good friend of yours?" Syed smiled knowingly.
Quinn nodded, guardedly, "Yep."
"Blue. I was right!" Syed smirked and looked pleased with himself. "I guessed his eyes were blue underneath that filthy blindfold."
Quinn scowled as he drummed his fingers on his knee. He wondered if Syed was deliberately winding him up. Why the fuck was Syed interested in the colour of McCoy's eyes?
Nadiyah sensed the growing atmosphere between them and wagged her finger at Syed. "Behave yourself Doctor Bacho or you'll have me to deal with." She pouted teasingly.
Syed raised his eyebrows, finally sensing her attentive flirting, "You're wasting your time with me, Mrs el-Zaid! I'm a very happily married man." He winked at Quinn.
Nadiyah pursed her lips as she tried to weigh Syed up. She decided to lean forward to talk to Rayan the pilot instead, where she might have more luck.
"We're almost there, Mrs el-Zaid." Rayan grinned, flattered by her attention.
Syed gulped as he pointed out of the window. "I think that's the compound where the hostage is."
Nadiyah leant close to Syed as she looked out too. "You think Peter's blue-eyed boyfriend is down there?"
"Black and blue more like." Syed sighed sadly and gazed at Quinn. "He doesn't look like your photo anymore." Syed's eyes flashed with genuine concern and worry. "I'm just warning you, Agent Quinn."
Quinn swallowed and nodded gratefully as he mentally prepared to kill whoever had hurt Rudy McCoy.