For one reason or another, she hated that word.
Regardless of her title, the end result was the same.
She was still being paid to acquire items that didn’t belong to her.
And she was very good at her job.
She circled Cobb like a hungry wolf. She was confident, but she knew her enemy could attack at any moment. She kept moving, searching for the right opportunity to strike. ‘You really think this is the best use of our time?’
Cobb cracked his neck from side to side, then rolled his sleeves above his elbows. ‘Do I think what is the best use of our time?’
‘This,’ she answered. ‘Fighting.’
He shrugged. ‘You’re the only one who said anything about fighting. I just mentioned coming outside, and you took it as a personal challenge. Just like you always do. One of these days, we’ll have to figure out why.’
‘Wait. So what is this?’
‘This is us having a conversation,’ Cobb replied. ‘Away from curious ears that might want to listen in if they thought we were up to something sneaky.’
He leaped forward and tried to sweep Sarah’s leg with his own.
Sarah dodged the attack and threw a jab toward Cobb’s midsection. ‘You mean this is all just misdirection? You weren’t really challenging me?’
Cobb deflected the punch and stepped back. ‘Why would I challenge you? I know what you can do in the field. I’ve seen you in action. I’ll take McNutt in a gunfight, but in hand-to-hand combat, you’re the one I want to watch my back.’
It was one of the highest compliments that Cobb could bestow upon her, and she knew it. She instantly swelled with pride. ‘In that case, what do you need to talk about?’
‘You’ve seen the video cameras recording our every move?’ To emphasize his remark, he grabbed her arm and spun her tightly into his chest. It was meant to look like a modified bearhug/chokehold of some kind, but it actually allowed her to survey the entire yard as she twirled around.
‘I count six,’ she said as she tried to wiggle free. ‘Three along the balcony and another three along the rear hedge.’
‘What about inside?’
‘Too many to count. Why?’
With her arms pinned to her sides, she kicked a leg toward the sky and hit Cobb in the face. Had she wanted to, she could have easily broken his nose. But since they were just putting on a show, she only hit him hard enough to make it look good.
Cobb released his grip and shoved her away. ‘I want to know if there’s anywhere private on these grounds. It seems that Papineau wants to watch our every move, and I need to know if he’s got the whole place covered. If he doesn’t, I want to know where our team can go to be alone. No cameras. No mics. Just us.’
‘Countersurveillance,’ she said. ‘That’s what you really want, isn’t it? You want to watch him watch us.’
‘We’ll get to that later, but first, I need to know what he can and can’t see. Can you handle that for me?’
‘With pleasure.’
‘If possible, I’d like you to do it before you leave for Egypt.’
She stopped circling. ‘I’m leaving for Egypt?’
Cobb used the distraction to charge forward. Had he wanted to, he could have taken her out with a number of different moves, including an open-palmed strike to her nose that would have ruined her face forever. Instead, he opted to teach her a lesson by slapping the back of her head. ‘Focus! Never let your guard down!’
She sneered at him. ‘Screw you, Mr Miyagi.’
He ignored the Karate Kid reference. ‘I’m serious. If this is going to work, I need you to stay focused at all times. Otherwise, we’ll get into trouble.’
She returned to her fighting stance, looking for the opportunity to take him out. ‘If what’s going to work?’
‘Our joint rekky to Egypt.’
She smiled. ‘Hold on, are you asking me out?’
‘Yes,’ he said sarcastically, ‘I’m taking you on a romantic getaway to war-torn Egypt because unstable governments are a huge turn-on for me.’
‘No judgment. Whatever floats your boat.’
Cobb shook his head and circled to his right. ‘You know damn well that I like checking out the scenery before I plan a mission, but considering the chaos in Egypt right now, I thought a second set of eyes might come in handy.’
‘Makes sense to me. Should I bring lingerie, or do you prefer—’
‘You know what? Forget it!’ he said, blushing slightly. ‘I’ll take the trip alone. But while I’m gone, I’m leaving McNutt in charge of the team. I’m sure that will be a lot of fun for you. I can picture it now: a solid week of cleaning his guns while he’s watching cartoons with the strippers he brought back from the club.’
She grimaced at the thought. ‘So, when are we leaving for Egypt?’
Cobb nodded. ‘Yeah. That’s what I thought.’
‘Seriously, when are we leaving?’
‘I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I need you to strangle me.’
‘Jack, I’m not going to—’
‘You know Papi’s going to see this, and everyone heard you throw down the gauntlet. So we have three choices: I kick your ass, you kick mine, or we call it a tie.’
‘I’ll go with door number two.’
‘I assumed as much. So here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to attack, and you’re going to—’
Sarah didn’t wait for him to finish his instructions. Instead, she planted a foot on his knee and grabbed his shoulders. Then she swung her body around his like an acrobat, wrapped her arm around his throat, and leaned back with all of her weight.
The two of them fell to the ground.
As they did, she tightened her grip on his neck, her bicep squeezing his carotid artery like a python crushing its prey.
In a matter of seconds, he would be unconscious.
‘Atta girl,’ he said as he closed his eyes.
8
Built on the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Citadel of Qaitbay once represented the first line of defense against the invading forces that tried to conquer the city. But much like the ruins of the lighthouse itself, which were used as building materials for the massive stronghold, the citadel was forced to change with the times. No longer a military outpost, the restored fortress now houses a maritime museum on the outermost reaches of Alexandria’s Eastern Harbor.
In most countries, this site would be a major attraction.
In Egypt, it was barely a footnote.
That spoke volumes about the area.
The entire region was filled with history.
Sarah stood near the main wall of the citadel and stared out across the bay. Behind her, the windswept waves of the Mediterranean Sea crashed against the break wall. In front of her, the city of Alexandria sprawled well beyond what she could see.
As the country’s largest port, Alexandria hugs the northern coast of Egypt for nearly twenty miles and handles three-quarters of Egypt’s foreign trade. Because of this, most of the development has occurred within two miles of the water. The long, narrow city is home to more than four million culturally diverse residents who have established some fifty distinct neighborhoods over six geographical regions.
Cobb and Sarah had only been in Egypt for a few days, but they had already visited many of the city’s most recognized sites. They had started in the northeastern district, working their way south toward the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa — a massive, three-tiered burial chamber in the southernmost corner. They had kept to a tight schedule, familiarizing themselves with the layout of Alexandria, but there was still a lot of ground to cover before the team arrived.