The Rescue(89)

Kurt Aleman had stumbled on an article Jacob Harcourt wrote five years ago in which Harcourt made a case for the appointment of a “viceroy in Afghanistan” to lead a “Praetorian Guard to victory in the Afghanistan war.” He proposed an arrangement where the United States would hire a private army, commanded by a viceroy-like leader—presumably Harcourt—who would report directly to the president or whomever the president appointed.

The arrangement would keep US soldiers out of harm’s way, an attractive premise after close to twenty years of fighting in Afghanistan, but an equally dangerous one. This modern-day Praetorian Guard would not answer to Congress or be held accountable for its actions. Like the Praetorian armies of ancient Rome, it would be beholden to nothing but money and power, with Harcourt at the reins—feeding Aegis Global’s bottom line.

Decker closed the laptop and shut his eyes for a few moments, trying to clear his head. He needed a complete reboot after the past few days. He’d lost the ability to focus, his brain racing in any of a dozen different directions. Unfortunately, other than a short stretch of sleep tonight, he didn’t foresee them taking a meaningful break anytime soon. Success would rely on continuing the rapid tempo that had kept Gunther Ross and Aegis off balance so far.

He opened his eyes and rubbed his face. “I could use a coffee. Anything with caffeine.”

“Are we stopping outside Dallas?”

“I think that’s the best call,” said Decker. “Somewhere off the beaten path.”

“Then coffee isn’t a good idea. We’re only two hours away, and you need a solid night of sleep.”

“What are you, my mother?”

“If I were, we’d still be sitting in Colorado—plotting a way to smuggle you into a country that doesn’t extradite.”

“The thought had crossed my mind,” said Decker.

“I doubt it. Running away isn’t your style.”

“Has to be easier than this.”

“Running from this might seem like the easier path, but it’s just a short-term solution,” said Pierce. “You don’t want to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder.”

“Sage advice coming from a guy hiding in the mountains.”

“Touché.”

“What was your plan?” said Decker.

“Wait for all of this to blow over.”

“That’s not much of a plan.”

“No. It isn’t. That’s why I was hopeful when I heard about Penkin. We all were. My wife especially. She knew our situation had a limited shelf life.”

“Then we better make this count,” said Decker. “Take our time and drive a stake through the heart of it.”

“Jacob Harcourt?”

“Aleman seemed to think so. It’s no secret that Aegis has its hand in every conflict and shady government around the world, but I don’t see a nexus to the Steele kidnapping. If it exists, I don’t think it’s on this thumb drive. Aleman would have highlighted it in his summary.”

“Sounds like it’s time to put Ms. Mackenzie to work on this.”

“I was just about to call her.”

“Don’t let me get in the way,” said Pierce. “Unless you need some privacy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Just—you seem pretty attached to her.”

“She saved my life,” said Decker. “She’s gone above and beyond for me.”

“I’m not saying she didn’t.”

“What are you saying?”

“I guess I’m saying it’s good to hear you talking about something other than the business at hand.”

“She’s a critical aspect of the business at hand,” said Decker. “As you call it.”

“Forget what I said. Give her a call.”

“I think I will,” said Decker, his face feeling flushed. He dialed her with the satellite phone. “You want me to put this on speakerphone?”

“Sorry, Mr. Touchy,” said Pierce, moments before Harlow answered.

“What took you so long?” said Harlow, her voice clearly audible throughout the vehicle. “I thought something happened.”

Pierce winked at him and grinned.

“We’re fine. I started sifting through Aleman’s file and got carried away.”

“Am I on speakerphone?”

“No. But apparently the eavesdropper can hear everything anyway.”

“May as well put it on speaker,” said Harlow. “I have Sophie and Pam with me.”

“Hi, Pam,” said Decker. “I still owe you for that motel.”

“No need,” said Pam. “It wasn’t that expensive.”

“I can’t imagine why,” said Decker, laughing.

Harlow got down to business. “Did you find anything useful in the file?”

“I need to get this to you as soon as possible. Aleman thinks Harcourt is behind the kidnapping, but I don’t see how or why. Aleman doesn’t connect those dots as far as I can tell, but there’s a lot here to digest. There’s no doubt that Aegis is involved somehow, but my guess is we’re dealing with someone under him in the organization. Someone with the authority to run operations without Harcourt’s permission.”