Something to Die For by Will Jordan

Author:Will Jordan
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2020-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 42

Islamabad, Pakistan

Reclining in the back seat of his luxury SUV as it slowly advanced through evening traffic, Vizur Qalat was in an upbeat mood. He had good reason to be. His recent ascent to the top position within the ISI, Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency, had allowed him to usher in a series of sweeping changes that had greatly bolstered his position.

Old enemies and political rivals were either eliminated or quietly ushered into meaningless figurehead roles, while long-time allies and younger, more easily influenced personnel were phased in to replace them.

In barely six months, Qalat had reshaped the most influential organisation in the country, consolidating power around himself. He had spent most of his long career preparing for this, operating on the periphery of major events, biding his time and waiting for the right moment to make his move.

That moment had come in the summer of the previous year, during a tense but ultimately fruitful meeting with Marcus Cain, the interim head of the CIA. Each man had come away from that meeting with something he’d long sought, or at least believing he had.

Qalat smiled faintly at the memory. Powerful and ruthless he might have been, but Marcus Cain still had much to learn. He would come to understand that in due course, as they all did.

The traffic up ahead had slowed to a crawl. Curious, Qalat leaned forward to peer between the two muscular bodyguards seated up front. Pakistan could be a dangerous country, and a man in his position couldn’t afford to put himself at risk.

‘What’s the hold-up?’ he asked, his mood soured by the delay. It had been a long day; he was tired and hungry, and entirely unwilling to be waylaid.

‘Looks like a breakdown up ahead, sir,’ the driver replied. ‘Engine trouble, maybe.’

A rusted old panel van had shuddered to a halt in the middle of the road, the rear end sagging noticeably on old suspension. Busy oncoming traffic meant it was impossible to go around the obstruction.

Qalat made a dismissive gesture. ‘Get them out of the way. Push them off the road if you have to.’

Nodding, the driver leaned on his horn, sounding an angry blast to the van’s owner. Doubtless he hoped to avoid the indignity of getting out and helping push the dilapidated vehicle aside himself.

As if in response to this, the van’s rear doors suddenly swung open. Qalat’s first assumption was that the van’s passengers were preparing to push the machine off the road, but a sudden flash from inside the darkened cargo area caused him to jump in surprise.

It was followed an instant later by a thunderous bang that reverberated through the SUV’s frame, and the crunch of disintegrating machinery. With a terrible surge of alarm, he realised that someone was shooting at them, targeting the car’s engine bay.

It was an ambush!

‘Get us out of here!’ he screamed as a second violent impact shook the SUV.

The driver threw the gear stick into reverse and stomped on the accelerator, but his effort yielded nothing.

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