The Crimson Dagger - Vatican Knights Series 23 (2020) by Jones Rick

Author:Jones, Rick [Jones, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Vienna, Austria

Ali Mustafa was sitting before his dead computer with the Holy Lance held within the grip of his enclosed hand. Wearing his lip mic, he remained in constant communication with Ghazi, who was standing sentinel on the rooftop next to the helipad, and to Zamir and Talib, who were shoring up the defenses on the floors below. Qusay had finalized the suicide vests. And with the aid of Abd-al-Mumin, they were fitting the garments on the cardinal and the judge while under the watchful eye of Abd-al-Mumin’s gun.

Mustafa continued to glance at his watch trying to determine when to make his demands. Right now, he knew that his enemy was trying to get into his mind, perhaps even creating a psychological profile. But he knew exactly what he was doing by calculating everything down to a precise moment. While his opponents tried to determine their next plan of action, these costly wastes of time only benefited Mustafa. In the time it was taking the Austrian faction to decide upon their next actionable measure, Mustafa was taking countermeasures to bolster his defenses from top to bottom. Of course, it was rudimentary thinking that his opponents had three points of entry to choose from: the two stairwells and the helipad.

Looking at his watch, he then contacted Ghazi, who was topside. “Ghazi, anything?”

“Negative.”

“Remember, any approach is considered hostile. In other words, shoot now and don’t ask questions later.”

“Copy that.”

Then Mustafa tapped his earbud for a second time. “Zamir.”

“Go.”

“Location?”

“Inside the restaurant.”

“Inventory?”

“We discovered a pair of culinary torches. Not much else, I’m afraid.”

“The torches, are they functional?”

Ali Mustafa could hear what sounded like gas leaking, and then the ignition of fire over his earbud.

“They are,” said Zamir.

Mustafa looked at his watch. Though they were behind schedule, he knew that the authorities were trying their best to evacuate the lower levels, which helped Mustafa since the process was proving to be time consuming. “Excellent,” he said. “Now, listen closely, Zamir. I want you and Talib to go to the fiftieth level, the restaurant, and find the gas lines . . . Once found, this is what I want you to do.”

For the next three minutes, Ali Mustafa outlined his wishes in detail.

Zamir listened before he probed Mustafa’s intentions with a single question, which was a mistake. “Are you sure, Mustafa?”

“Question me not, Zamir, or I’ll order Talib to toss you through a window. There’s a reason for everything I do, a motive behind my thinking. It’s the only way. Soon, the authorities will gather their forces to make another run at us the moment I make my demands clear, only for them to stall us for hours as they decide upon a mission plan. What I’m doing, Zamir, is taking away their ability to delay us by forcing them to act quickly. They will have no other choice but to do exactly as I tell them. The advantage is for us to take.”

“Mustafa, it’s not that I question your cleverness or your ability to plan.

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