The arrangement was intended to guarantee their anonymity.
But it hadn’t worked with the tour guide.
She glared at Dade. ‘I wasn’t listed on the passenger manifest, and we didn’t fly into Alexandria. How did you…?’
He smiled cockily. ‘In my line of work, it pays to have your bases covered. Alexandria. Cairo. I’ve got connections at all the private terminals and airfields in Egypt. The passengers of every flight are documented and sent to me and a few other associates. We get our information from mechanics in the hangars, controllers on the tarmac, even some of the pilots themselves. Anyone with access.’
‘That has to be hundreds of flights a day,’ Sarah replied.
‘Try thousands,’ Dade corrected. ‘But trust me: the right picture to the right people is worth the effort.’ He smiled. ‘CIA checks don’t bounce.’
It was a joke — the CIA would never risk a paper trail — but Sarah understood his point. A couple of hours spent scanning through photos each night was worth the government payday. The CIA was a lot of things, but it certainly wasn’t bankrupt.
Cobb stopped and stared at Dade. ‘I’d appreciate if you could keep us out of the Agency’s spotlight. Considering what I did for you, I figure it’s the least you can do.’
‘No problem, Jack. Your secret’s safe with me.’
‘Glad to hear it.’ Cobb turned and started to walk away. ‘Nice meeting you, Mr Dade. Take care of yourself.’
Dade stared at Sarah for an explanation, but she had nothing to offer.
‘Jack,’ Dade called out. ‘I can help you.’
‘I’m not interested in your help,’ he shouted back.
‘Hey, you reached out to me, remember?’
Cobb spun around to address Dade. ‘And then I came to your rescue when you brought your troubles with you. Or have you forgotten that?’
‘What? Those two back there?’ Dade waved it off. ‘That was just a disagreement between friends. Nothing more. Besides, we could have easily outrun them. You just happened to be in the right place at the right time.’
‘Maybe so,’ Cobb snapped, ‘but can you outrun gunfire? Next time you have a disagreement, make sure they’re unarmed.’
Dade smiled, intrigued. He knew Cobb couldn’t have seen the two men chasing him for more than a few seconds, yet he had still managed to pick out the silhouette of their pistols beneath their clothing. That was an impressive feat.
‘Seriously, Jack. It was no big deal.’
‘Listen,’ Cobb said calmly, his voice as steady as his gaze, ‘I already spend enough time looking over my own shoulder for trouble. I don’t need to be looking over yours, wondering when Bigfoot and Biggerfoot will show up again.’
Dade raised his hand. ‘I swear to you, I’ll deal with them. They won’t be a problem. Just give me a chance to help. Tell me what you need to know.’
Cobb stepped closer. ‘Why are you so interested in helping me? You don’t owe me anything, and I’ll be damned if I want to owe you anything. I saved your life, and in return, you’re going to keep our whereabouts unknown. Or are you going to have a problem with that?’
‘With all due respect, Jack, I’m not here for you — I’m here for her.’ He nodded toward Sarah, who was quietly watching the scene unfold. ‘The two of us go way back, and I owe her more than you can imagine. So please, tell me, what can I do to help?’
Cobb glanced at Sarah. It was up to her and her alone. She knew her history with Dade, and if she wanted to call in a favor, it was her decision to make.
Sarah nodded without hesitation.
‘Okay,’ Cobb said, ‘we’ll call on you when the time is right — but that moment isn’t now. In the meantime, quit following us.’
‘No problem.’
Cobb lowered his voice, so only Dade could hear it. ‘I know you and Sarah have a past, but I’m a man who values his privacy. I can’t stress that enough. Now that I know what you look like, you’ll be on my radar from now on. And if I catch you snooping or lurking around, I won’t hesitate to take you out. Understood?’
Dade nodded. ‘Understood.’
‘And trust me, I run a lot faster than the goons.’
11
Cobb didn’t think Sarah would intentionally lead him astray, but he knew there were things she hadn’t yet shared. He was willing to take her word that Dade was a CIA asset, but what aspects of Dade’s life did he conveniently leave out of his résumé?
Cobb needed to know what Sarah knew.
And he needed to know now.
After parting ways with Dade, Cobb and Sarah had returned to their hotel. Initially, Cobb had considered booking rooms somewhere else, but he eventually decided against it. Dade had found them once before, and there was no reason to believe he couldn’t do it again. Changing hotels would only tip off Dade that Cobb didn’t trust him.
Cobb made his way to the window and pushed it open, allowing what little wind there was to circulate through the space. It still felt like summer in Egypt, and the unseasonably warm air was remarkably dry. The only relief came in the form of cooler sea breezes blowing in from the coast.
To his left, Cobb caught a glimpse of the Henan Palestine Hotel. It was picturesque, framed beautifully against the backdrop of the Mediterranean. Cobb thought about the air-conditioned rooms and the chilled bottles of water that no doubt waited in the miniature refrigerators. Just because he had spent more nights than he cared to remember with little more than military fatigues and a pile of leaves to make him comfortable didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate the high-thread-count linens and down-filled pillows of a five-star establishment.
Next time, he promised himself.
For now they would make do with the no-star accommodations of the rundown hotel half a block from the Henan. Not that Cobb was complaining. The bed was clean. The neighborhood was quiet. And the door locked. Cobb understood that he and Sarah could have blended in with the crowd at any of the popular tourist hotels, but the last thing he wanted was an overly eager concierge keeping an eye on their every move.
Cobb preferred the kind of place where people minded their business.
He turned from the window and took a seat on the well-worn chair in the corner of the room. ‘What else can you tell me about Simon?’
Sarah found a spot on the edge of the bed. ‘What you really mean is, “Tell me everything about Simon Dade,” right?’
‘Yes, that’s what I mean.’
‘I’ve known Simon for roughly seven years,’ Sarah said.
‘Seven?’ Cobb thought back to what Sarah had said earlier, remembering that it had been six years since she had last visited Alexandria.
‘The operation we were running wasn’t a hit-and-run. It went on for nearly a year.’
‘What can you tell me about the op? I don’t need to hear everything. Just the relevant points and how Simon was involved.’
‘What do you know about sex-trafficking?’
Cobb groaned. From his time overseas, he was all too familiar with the horror stories. ‘It usually starts with an abduction. Young girls are taken off the streets, and some are pulled right from their homes. After a steady diet of mind-numbing drugs, they are shipped across the world and put to work in brothels.’
‘Or worse,’ Sarah said. ‘Many are sold at auction to the highest bidder. They spend the rest of their lives being victimized by the scum of the earth, men who feel their wealth gives them the authority to violate another human being with impunity.’
‘How do you and Simon fit in?’ Cobb asked.