Foreign Influence_ A Thriller - Brad Thor [124]
Rashid shook his head.
“Sheik Aleem wants you to be in charge of both.”
“I am honored.”
The older man looked at him. “You should be.”
“But changing everything at the last minute will make success nearly impossible.”
“With faith in Allah, nothing is impossible.”
“Of course,” replied Rashid, “but where am I supposed to find men in two days with weapons experience who are willing to be Shahid?”
“Do you have faith in Allah?”
“Of course I do.”
“Good, for He has already provided you with everything you need.”
Rashid’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“Allah has already given you six Iraqi National Guardsmen.”
“Your thugs at the mosque?”
“They are not thugs. They are exceptional instruments if wielded properly.”
“I thought they were just muscle you used for security.”
The older man shook his head.
“You should have told me about their backgrounds.”
“At the time, you did not need to know. Now that you do know, perhaps you will treat them with more respect.”
Rashid rubbed his mouth with the palm of his hand and said, “While we’re talking about respect, let’s talk about where I fit into the bigger picture.”
“One step at a time,” he replied as he changed the subject and gestured toward the second story of the atrium that overlooked the lobby where they now sat. “Aleem has suggested the men work in three teams of two. I think that is a good idea.”
“But two of your National Guardsmen were shot last night, remember?”
“They will be fine. One of them we will put up there, on the second floor, to act as a sniper.”
“That’s not really the plan, is it? We’re not just going to pick four hotels with the best fields of fire and turn the guardsmen loose, are we?”
“Why not? Anyone can walk into these hotels. There is no security whatsoever. Our men only need to make it as far as the lobby.”
Maybe it was the fatigue that caused him to take a moment to catch on. “Mumbai was a combination of bombings and shootings. It turned the entire city upside down. Police, fire, ambulances; none of them knew where to go. It was mass chaos.”
Marwan smiled, “Very good, Shahab.”
“I should have thought of that.”
“Yes, you should have. You have been focused on the success the brothers had in Bali and the 7/7 bombings in London. You must remember to always ask yourself, how can we do better. Mumbai was definitely better.”
Rashid nodded. “So three teams means three hotels?”
“Come, Shahab. You’re not thinking big enough. This is Chicago. The hotels sit side by side. The men will go from one hotel to another and then to another and another still. As our bombs rip through the city, the police will be overwhelmed.”
“And then what?”
Marwan removed a ten-dollar bill from his wallet and set it on the table. “You concentrate on succeeding in Chicago. The rest of the plan will take care of itself.”
CHAPTER 60
AMSTERDAM
Three hours ago, Harvath and de Roon had almost come to blows in the infirmary of the Sacleipea. With al-Yaqoubi barely clinging to consciousness, he had given them everything he could about the Amsterdam bombing cell, but Harvath had wanted more. He had wanted to know who the overall architect of the plot was. What were the cities targeted for attack in the United States? When and by whom? How could they be stopped?
Al-Yaqoubi had lost consciousness twice and both times Harvath had brought him back around again with the salts. The third time he lost consciousness, though, de Roon had stepped in. If Harvath hadn’t stopped, he would have killed the man. The accountant would have ceased being of use to anyone. De Roon needed him to be awake and alert enough to help ID the bombers if they were lucky enough to spot them.
Harvath had known his friend was right, but he also knew that he couldn’t stop until al-Yaqoubi gave them everything. In the end, Casey’s had been the voice of reason that had convinced Harvath to back down. The Amsterdam attack had to be neutralized first. The red-light district would be packed with