Sleeper's Run

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

"You know what to do," Singleton says to the men waiting outside the door. He seems to have aged twenty years in the short trip from the chair to the exit. "And keep a close watch. That man has a tendency to escape tight situations."

The men nod, taking the warning with a degree of skepticism. Nevertheless, they choose to stand guard and sit at a folding table to play cards when their employers walk away.

"They don't have enough time to gather any significant information from him," Rahman says, checking his watch. "The meeting is in just half an hour."

"That still gives us some time," Singleton says. "What do you have for me, Lieutenant?"

"The information is inside the computer alright," says James, busy with a scan of Eric's hard drive. "I managed to locate a protected program meant to send to about five hundred addresses all around the world; news sites, federal law enforcement agencies, the works. It looks like he was trying to open Pandora's box, but I disabled it."

Well, son of a bitch! Singleton thinks, surprised that Caine was telling him the truth and gaining a whole new respect for his wits and threat level. "Is there anything else about the meeting?"

"Just more emails," James says, browsing through them. "Apparently, he was about to sell the information for fifty million euros to be transferred to a Swiss bank account upon delivery to this mysterious Dionysius."

"That's a lot of money," Najjar says. "That must be some kind of information he has."

"That's classified," Singleton says.

"Is there any clue to Dionysius' identity?" Rahman says.

"No. They both use aliases and disguised emails; that will take me too long to decipher," James says. "They've been in communication for a few days. Frankly, it could be anyone from the Iranians, the North Koreans, to any terrorist organization."

"That kind of money can buy anyone a ticket to freedom in any country with no ties to the West," Rahman says.

"This is a major intelligence coup," Najjar says. "My people can be ready to move in within half an hour."

"If the buyers don't know who Caine is, we're going to need a man who can pose as him," Singleton says.

"How are you going to do that?" James says. "The case is classified and you're the only one who knows its details."

"Then you should go," Rahman says to Singleton. "All you need to do is identify them so Najjar's men can nail the bastards. I'll tell the men to cease with the interrogation."

"Not so fast," Singleton puts a hand on Rahman's chest to stop him. "He may still have valuable information regardless of the deal. Let them work on him and see what they get." Besides, he would love nothing more than for Caine to be punished for all the havoc and grief he's created.

Singleton has no desire to participate in this operation. The last time he was on the field, Germany was two different countries. Getting Caine can save his career, but busting his buyers could advance it. Singleton has to admit that retiring as the sub-director of the Special Activities Division has a certain ring to it. Let alone all the juicy connections he can make, which translates into enormous dividends in the private sector. Plus, the operation will give him enough ammunition to further sink Caine's reputation; all of it by just wearing a red tie.

"Let's do it," Singleton says, sending the place into a flurry of activity.

Najjar gets on the phone to assemble a team of State Security agents to arrest the buyers in a hurry. He orders one of his drivers to take Singleton to the hotel by the market, and the surveillance teams to stake out the place. The other driver will take Rahman and himself to a waiting area.

"I set the files so they can find them on the desktop," James says, as he gives Singleton Eric's laptop. "All they have to do is press play. After that, the computer will lock down and ask for a password. If they want access to it, they have to type 'horse's hair'." The reference to the single thread that held the giant sword over Damocles' head in the myth doesn't elude Singleton.

"You stay here and make sure Caine is alive when I return," Singleton says as he fixes the red tie around his neck. "I don't want these boys to get some Gulf War flashback and decide to take it out on him."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he's fine," James says as he listens to Eric's muffled screams from inside the container.

"You're gonna make it to goddamn general one day, son," says Singleton, patting James on the back as he gets in the car with an energy he hasn't felt since the Cold War.

Condescending prick, James thinks, as he watches the two cars and the surveillance team speed away from the warehouse. "Hey, you," he says in Arabic to one of the mercenaries at the table. "You have a weapon?" The contractor nods. "I need your help with something." The man leaves the card game, to the annoyance of his teammates, and follows James, who takes the mercenary all the way to his workstation.

"What is it?" the man says.

"What the fuck's that?" James says pointing to the ceiling.

The thug looks up and Jamesdelivers an empty hand strike to his throat with astonishing speed. The manbarely starts to choke when James delivers a kick to his groin that doubles himover. In a swiftly brutal move, James snaps the Iraqi's neck with his hands. Hetakes possession of his gun, checks it and walks back for the rest.