“That was the worst. Doesn’t even qualify as a dad joke,” Dafna said, following her friend’s lead.

Yossi and Lahav both gave him disappointed looks before walking away.

Only Nicole remained at the table. “I thought it was kind of funny,” she said with a smile.

“Really?”

“No. Now suck it up, Buttercup, and get to work.”

She stood and left him.

Chapter 37

CHAPTER 37

TWO WEEKS LATER

LA PORTE, SOUTHEAST OF HOUSTON, TEXAS—DECEMBER 17, 2020—15:45 / 3:45 P.M. CST

When the Suburban pulled up to the nondescript warehouse, Nir turned from the front passenger seat and said, “Okay, guys, full gear in. I don’t want anything left in the vehicle when I head out.”

“Root,” said Imri while the rest of the Kidon team began collecting. They’d spent the night at a nearby hotel, but tonight they would stay at a different one.

Confident that one of the guys would carry his gear, Nir gathered the four large orange and white bags emblazoned with the word Whataburger. When he’d contacted the leader of the Mossad team inside, the man told him the fastest way to win over the passionate loyalty of the men and women there was by means of cheeseburgers and fries—Whataburger cheeseburgers and fries, to be precise.

How very American of them, Nir had thought.

When they were still pulling up, he’d sent a message to let the man know he and his team were arriving. So as they approached the door, he wasn’t surprised when it opened from the inside. A short, paunchy man who appeared to be in his mid-seventies stood in the doorway. A sparse ring of white covered the lower quarter of his scalp, and a wide smile had spread across his face.

“Come in, come in,” he said.

Once inside, Nir put out his hand. “I’m Nir Tavor.”

The man grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously. “Of course you are. Your reputation precedes you.”

“My reputation? In training, it seemed like we couldn’t go two days without a story about the great Avigdor Neeman.”

The old man laughed. “Lies and exaggerations, I’m sure.” After being introduced to the rest of the Kidon team, he said, “Ah, you brought the food. My team has been working nonstop since five this morning. They will appreciate this very much.”

He led them into the large open warehouse. Eight green industrial generators sat positioned around the room, and each one had a pair of techs working on it.

Neeman leaned toward Nir. “I keep them in pairs. Not as efficient, but it greatly reduces the chance that something will accidentally go boom.”

Clapping his hands loudly, he got everyone’s attention. Nir wondered if startling them all like that increased or reduced the chances that something would go boom. When the techs looked up, he said, “Our friends are here.”