BooksBarbecue
Back The Desert of Glass Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. BY MICHAEL C. GRUMLEY
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. EPILOGUE
  82. II
  83. III
  84. IV

Just like the drawings from his jet.

Saad lifted his own pair of goggles and pulled them over his white hair, which was partially illuminated by the glowing moon.

“So, you’re the one,” he said, staring back at her white outline in his goggles, “that’s been causing so much trouble.”

“I think you have it backward.”

He chuckled and glanced at Khoury.  “Ah, the innocence of youth.”

“You won’t get away with it,” said Mona.

He let the chuckle fade, still staring at her like a strange android. He grinned with an air of amusement.  “Get away with what?”

She didn’t answer.

“Please.  I would love to hear what exactly you think you know.”

“I know everything.”

“Everything?”  Saad looked at Khoury again.  “Well, I guess it’s all over, then.  Let’s just turn them all around.”

Her eyes narrowed contemptuously.  “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Of course you are,” he replied without a hint of doubt.  “Everyone is.”

He turned his attention forward through the front windshield, seeing the enhanced outline of the SUV in front of them.

“Let me guess—you believe you’ve found something important about me.  Earth-shattering, even.  Scandalous.”  He turned around to retrieve something Mona hadn’t noticed him climb in with and tossed it onto the seat next to her.  “You’ve been looking for this, no?”

She looked down at the seat.  It was the rest of the papers.

Her evidence.

“Would it surprise you to know that I had no idea who Abasi Hamed was until just a few hours ago?  One of Egypt’s great air force pilots, I hear.”

“A hero.”

Saad feigned a look of admiration.  “How wonderful.  But like I said, a complete unknown until today.  And do you know why?”

Mona didn’t respond.

“Because I didn’t care.  He was merely another serf in this great scam we call the free world, run by powerful elites around the planet benevolent enough to allow the rest to believe they live in a free and just world.  At least occasionally.  A world just a revelation or two away from becoming the fair and equitable system of which they all dream.  People like you.  And Colonel Abasi Hamed.”

“He was a good man.  Better than you.”

Saad laughed.  “I should hope so.  I didn’t know who he was because I didn’t need to know.  But in retrospect, I wished I had, so I could thank him.  Because if it weren’t for him, I would have been stopped a long time ago.”

“What?”

“Oh, come now.  Surely you know about the children.”

“I know a lot about the children.”

“Then you must know about the children Hamed killed.  And the truth, that Hamed saved me a lot of anguish without ever knowing it.”

Mona smirked.  “He figured it out.”