Raymond Khoury - The Sanctuary

Farouk scrunched his face and sighed heavily. He felt as if he were drowning from the inside. He wasn’t really surprised. Not only was Abu Barzan a grubby pig of a man, he was a sleazeball who’d sell his own children if he could find a buyer who wasn’t put off by their crappy genes after taking one look at him.

Farouk told Abu Barzan, “Stay on the line,” then turned to Corben, his mouth twitching with pain and frustration. “He says he’s sold them. He’s on his way to deliver them right now.”

Corben thought about it as he coaxed the car on, then said, “Does he still have the book?”

Farouk nodded and asked Abu Barzan about the book, describing it specifically. Abu Barzan replied that he thought he had it. The deal was for the entire consignment.

“Ask him how much he’s getting for the lot,” Corben told Farouk.

Farouk immediately realized it was the right play, nodded, and asked.

Abu Barzan laughed. “Your buyer’s got deep pockets?”

“Yes,” Farouk, at his wit’s end, insisted patiently.

The answer came back: “Three hundred thousand dollars. Cash.”

He told Corben and made a surprised, impressed face like That’s a huge offer.

Corben mulled it over, then said, “I’ll give him four.”

Farouk’s eyes widened. He relayed the offer.

Abu Barzan scoffed. “That was quick. This guy serious?”

“Of course he is.”

“He’d better be.” Abu Barzan’s tone was more serious now. When it came down to hard cash, he didn’t mess around. “So tell me. What’s so special about this book?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Farouk blurted angrily. “I’m just trying to save the woman’s life.”

“Spare me the soft sell, will you?” Abu Barzan took a deep, wheezy breath. “Alright. I’m interested. But I need to call my buyer. Least I can do is give him a chance to beat your guy’s offer.”

Farouk informed Corben. Corben asked him to find out how long it would take.

“He called me today,” Abu Barzan said. “I’ll call him now. What’s your number?”

Corben told Farouk to say they’d call him back in five minutes. Farouk did, then hung up as the Pathfinder turned off the main coastal highway. The foothills that harbored the embassy loomed in the distance.

Farouk curled into his seat and sucked in a deep breath, trying to push away the burning pain in his gut and taking solace in that he was still breathing and in the hope that — contrary to expectations — things might just end up better for him than they had for his friend Ali.

Kirkwood leaned against a bench in the courtyard behind the annex and waited. He was raked with frustration, unable to ask the questions he needed to ask, feeling precious minutes slipping by while he could only sit back and watch helplessly. He was checking the time yet again when his phone rang.

He saw the incoming caller ID and frowned. He stood up, glancing around to make sure he wouldn’t be overheard, and flicked it open.

“I just got a call from an interested buyer,” Abu Barzan’s voice thundered in his ear. “He’s offering me more than you are for the collection, my friend.”

“I thought we had a deal,” Kirkwood noted irritably.

“We did, and we do. But it’s a nice offer, and I’m a businessman, you know?”

A real competing buyer, or just a shakedown? Kirkwood wondered. Either way, he had to play along. “How much is he offering?” he asked with affected patience.

“Four hundred thousand.”

Kirkwood mulled it over. Another buyer, out of the blue. Offering far more than the collection was worth. If it was the same group that held Evelyn, then getting hold of the pieces would make her expendable. To say nothing of the fact that he wasn’t about to let anyone have them either. Not that easily.

“I’ll give you five, but on one condition. We’re not playing this game again. You want to be careful here. You know I’m good for it, you won’t have a problem with me. But there are some dangerous people out there.”

“So I hear,” Abu Barzan agreed soberly. “I’ll tell you what. Make it six hundred and the whole collection’s yours. Including the book.”

Kirkwood’s chest tightened. Abu Barzan wasn’t supposed to know about the book. Kirkwood didn’t want to take the bait, nor did he want to give him the impression that paying up was that easy. He let him stew for a moment, then said, “Okay. Six hundred. But that’s a huge price and you know it.”

“Oh, believe me, I know it. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“This new buyer,” Kirkwood asked quickly. “Anything you can tell me about him?”

Abu Barzan chuckled throatily. “Sorry, my friend. Just another crazy American, like you. Trying to get his hands on that book. Maybe I should hang on to that one, what do you think?”

Kirkwood barely contained his displeasure. “I wouldn’t recommend it,” he replied tersely.

Abu Barzan laughed again, mockingly. “Relax. From what I hear, it sounds like it’s cursed. I’ll be glad to get rid of it. Don’t forget the extra cash.”

And with that, he hung up.

Kirkwood stared at his phone for a moment before putting it away. He thought about the timing, and something didn’t feel right. This new bidder was specifically after the book. The only people he knew of who could have been in touch with Abu Barzan were Evelyn’s kidnappers and the Iraqi dealer Corben was trying to bring in. Had he failed? Had the kidnappers gotten hold of the man?

He walked into the main villa and climbed up to the ambassador’s office. The ambassador’s secretary informed him the ambassador would be in a meeting for another hour or so. Kirkwood thanked her. He went back out and crossed over to the annex and made his way to the press office.

Mia was still there, where he’d left her earlier. She was reading something densely worded that she had accessed on the Internet and seemed to be deeply engrossed by it. He couldn’t see a heading, and the text was too small for him to make out what it was about.

“Have you heard anything from Corben?” he asked.

“No.” Her expression was lined with concern. She checked her watch.

Kirkwood had already checked his. He knew it was past twelve o’clock. His eyes rose and met her gaze, his anxiety mirrored in her eyes.

The noon call would already have been made.

They’d know soon enough.

The Pathfinder emerged from the congested coastal strip and began its climb towards Awkar.

The SUV’s engine groaned as the wide, flat road narrowed into a series of winding bends that snaked up the foothills of Mount Lebanon. Unregulated and irregular buildings lined the road, thinning out as the climb progressed, the gaps between their stone façades widening to reveal more of the lush forests that loomed beyond.

Corben called Olshansky and gave him the number of Abu Barzan’s cell phone. He told him he needed a lock on its position, which was most likely in northern Iraq. He also told him that the phone was probably being used at that very moment, and that Corben was also after whoever was on the other end of that call.

He made sure Olshansky understood to pull out all the stops on this one.

They were now ten minutes away from the embassy, and Corben didn’t have much time to evaluate his options. He needed to call Abu Barzan back, though he suspected he already knew the outcome. Regardless, he wasn’t ready for the interference that would inevitably descend on him the minute he entered the embassy compound.

He spotted a side road he had used before, slowed down, and took it. It was a narrow lane of cratered asphalt. He followed its path, past some scattered houses and low buildings that soon gave way to the pine forest. The track leveled off before starting to head downhill in a series of tight bends. He was about a mile off the main road when he pulled over into a small clearing and killed the engine.