Target One (The Spy Game—Book #1) by Jack Mars

Author:Jack Mars [Mars, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2022-09-05T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Jacob recognized the pilot as soon as he got onto the private landing strip on the outskirts of Alexandria. Orhan Yildirim was a short, compact Turkish-American of indeterminate age, with a lean, wiry body that Jacob could tell was the result of a lot of time spent in the field. While Yildirim didn’t work for the Company, he was a trusted gun-for-hire. He acted as a guide and fixer all over the eastern Mediterranean and also doubled as a pilot.

“Nice to see you again, Orhan,” Jacob said, taking his hand in his. Orhan’s grip was firm and his hand calloused, especially the trigger finger.

Orhan flashed him a grin, bright in the rising sun. “Beirut this time, eh? What’s the cover story?”

“Private businessman coming in for a bank deal. I’ll change into a suit on the plane. Which one is it?”

“This way.”

Orhan led him across the tarmac, where several planes were parked.

When Jacob saw that they were headed for a six-seater Cessna, he asked, “That doesn’t have the range to get us to Beirut, does it?”

“This is the 210 Centurion. It’s got a range of 1,000 miles. The best of the mid-sized Cessnas. That’s why I use it. Dump your stuff in there.”

Jacob threw his bag in the middle row.

“We’re all fueled up and ready to go, but I need you to help me haul something into the cargo hold.”

“All right.”

They went into a nearby hanger, where a mechanic working on another plane took one look at them and left. Yildirim led him to a large metal cage of thick steel mesh, used a key to remove a heavy padlock, and gestured to a metal footlocker sitting on the bottom. Several other crates and boxes took up the rest of the space. Jacob knew better than to ask.

Whatever Yildirim planned to smuggle into Lebanon, it was heavy as hell. Jacob gripped one end while the Yildirim held the other, and together they sweated and strained their way to the plane.

“Don’t give me a hernia, Orhan, I’ve got an important mission.”

“Wuss.”

Once they had stowed the crate, they climbed aboard and put on headsets that would both dampen the noise of the uninsulated engine and allow them to speak to each other via an internal radio.

With an expert’s combination of ease and care, Orhan Yildirim went through the preflight procedure, then taxied down the runway, talking with the air traffic controller. They waited as a cargo plane took off, then got into position and took off a safe distance after it.

Jacob let out a breath of relief to be leaving the first part of the mission behind him, and to be leaving Jana too. That woman made him feel both guilty and nervous. He hated bringing civilians along on missions.

Yildirim didn’t count. While he didn’t work for any agency, he was anything but a civilian.

The plane headed out over the waters of the Mediterranean, golden in the rising sun, then turned northeast toward Lebanon. To their right stretched the green of the Nile Delta, to their left nothing but water, and ahead the bright sunrise.

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