“What about the handcuffs?” Pickens asked.

“I’d be surprised if there weren’t handcuffs in Yaxaas’s bedroom.”

“Jake—”

“How did you get out of the other cuff so quickly, John? And what about the duct tape? It sure was sticky for a guy who’s sweating so much. It couldn’t have been on there more than a minute.”

“I’m not sure where this is coming from, partner, but let’s get out of here and talk about it.”

Pickens stepped around the desk. The warlord’s body was at his feet.

“Badeed’s dead too, by the way.”

“How did—”

“Remind me . . . Why were all those weapons in the basement?”

“I told you, brother. Those are for the militias to fight Boko Haram. They’re—”

Jake shook his head. “I did some research, John. The one militia you were supporting switched sides four years ago. They stopped fighting Boko Haram and pledged allegiance to al-Shabaab.”

“It’s a gray area.”

“It’s clear as fucking day. They’re terrorists.”

“Look, Jake. The administration shut down support for the militia. They didn’t care who won—they just didn’t want the bodies in the news every day.”

“But you didn’t shut it down, did you?”

“I thought I could still do some good.”

“I found a bag of diamonds hidden in the safe.”

“I’m taking a small cut. It’s how they do business here.”

“It’s a slippery slope once you take that first step,” Jake said. “Pretty soon you’re in bed with arms dealers and warlords.”

Pickens shook his head in protest, but Jake kept speaking.

“Speaking of warlords, Badeed and I had a nice chat—before I killed him—obviously. He told me that the four men who tried to kill us in Kitadra were hired by a guy who looks a lot like you, to kill a guy who looks a lot like me. Apparently, you were not a target.”

“A lot of guys in Africa look like me.”

“That’s some racist shit right there, John, but I’m going to let it slide.”

“You’re going believe a warlord over me? Half the sources we talked to said Badeed was the pirate leader.”

Jake smiled. “Only the sources you were running, John.”

“Did you really kill him?”

Jake nodded. “I told him Yaxaas had the bioweapon and asked him to meet me at the safe house. Cawar fell for the same ruse.”

“Cawar is dead too?”

“I found the phone you used to text him, John. I sent him a message—pretending to be you—and told him we needed to meet. He and Badeed died in the explosion. You may have felt it just before the power went out.”

“That was the safe house?”

“Ironic, right? All the weapons you bought from Cawar ended up killing him.”

Pickens said nothing.