Foreign Influence_ A Thriller - Brad Thor [102]
She shoved Wadi out the door and closed it behind them. In the hall, she pushed him up against the wall, drew her knife, and placed it against his throat. She held her fingers to her lips and motioned for him to be quiet. His eyes reflected how frightened he was. He nodded once, very slowly, and Casey peeled the duct tape back from his mouth.
“We have Saud,” she said before Rafiq could speak. “He will remain safe, only as long as you cooperate. If you understand, nod your head once.”
Rafiq nodded.
“Good. I know everything about what is going on here. If you lie to me, I will gut you like a pig and let you watch your insides spill out. Do you understand me?”
Again, Rafiq nodded.
“Are there any more bombs?”
The man nodded and flicked his eyes across the hallway.
“The bicycles?”
Rafiq nodded.
“Are the bombs armed?”
The man nodded, but then shook his head.
“Which is it?” demanded Casey.
“The bags, yes. The bicycles, no.”
“How are the bags armed?”
“Each one has an electronic light.”
The woman studied his face and then said, “I’m sorry Saud will have to die because his brother lied.”
Rafiq became even more panicked. “I am not lying. They’re beacons that flash. Twenty seconds after they are activated the bombs detonate.”
“Tell me about the cell phone triggers. How do you defuse them?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re still lying to me.”
“I’m not lying. Why would they want us to know? The cell phone is their guarantee. If we don’t go through with it or our primary detonator doesn’t work, this is how they make sure the mission goes forward.”
The cell phone detonators were a fail-safe. These Rafiq would not have been taught how to deactivate. Casey moved on to her next question.
“What’s your target?”
“Piccadilly Circus.”
“When?”
“Tonight, during the evening rush hour.”
“What is your secondary target?”
“I don’t know. We surveyed many targets. It could be any of them. The London Eye, Covent Garden, several of the theaters.”
“Who’s in charge of your cell?”
Rafiq Wadi seemed reluctant to answer and Casey applied pressure to her knife.
“The man who was shot in the neck,” he said finally.
“And who does he report to?”
“I don’t know.”
“How do they contact each other?”
“I don’t know. Please.”
Casey placed the tape back across his mouth. They’d have to interrogate all of them.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Julie Ericsson’s voice came over her earpiece. “You need to get back in here.”
“Why? What’s up?”
“One of the cell phones just began vibrating.”
CHAPTER 48
Gretchen Casey quickly steered Rafiq Wadi back into the room and had him lie facedown with the other prisoners.
“Which one?”
Ericsson pointed to the cell phone in question. It was in a pile of pocket litter belonging to the terrorist who had been shot in the neck; the man Rafiq Wadi had identified as the cell leader. She could tell by looking at him that he wasn’t going to make it. He’d already lost too much blood. There wasn’t anything they could do for him. Casey picked up his phone and stepped to the back of the room where she radioed Harvath.
“One of these guys just received a text message.”
“What did it say?” Harvath replied.
“Someone wants an update.”
“What did Rafiq say about the bombs?”
“He said the cell phone triggers are a fail-safe in case one of the devices fails to detonate.”
“Do you believe him?”
“I do.”
“What about the secondary target?”
“He doesn’t know. They surveilled several potentials.”
“Do we know who the cell leader is?” asked Harvath.
“The guy with the neck wound. He’s not going to make it. Right now, though, we need to focus on these bombs. What do you want to do?”
Harvath knew what he wanted done, but it was up to Casey whether she wanted to do it. “How do you feel about deactivating the cell phones?”
“As long as they’re not booby traps, we’ve done these before, so