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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

Once dry, she lifted the fragments together as one piece and slowly rotated to the correct orientation of Saad’s hand and palm, shaking the loose powder free before lowering the single piece down over the scanner, nearly touching it.

Nothing happened.

Abo swallowed and lifted it back up, carefully lowering it again over the entire screen.

Nothing.

Her eyes widened with worry.

One more time.  Up and back down over the screen as she prayed for success.

To her relief, the screen finally changed to read Mido Saad – Authorized, followed by a loud metal click of the door’s robust lock.

***

The Eshe girl was now frantic, screaming and wildly wrestling her hands in an attempt to loosen or break free from the weathered leather straps.  On the opposite side of the slab, Mido Saad continued chanting louder and louder, drowning out the girl’s screams.  Khoury caught something he recognized amid the chanting—a single word that resembled the Arabic version for salvation.

It was all interrupted by a loud sound from a device in Saad’s pocket.  The old man stopped and reached to withdraw it, staring at its screen.  On it read two words:

Access Granted.

Saad’s expression froze before his eyes shifted to Khoury in a look of bewilderment.

His security chief immediately reacted.

With powerful hands, he clamped down forcefully over Saad’s feeble mouth and neck, pinning him to the stone bed and causing Saad’s eyes to bulge in panic.  Saad’s body convulsed, and he reached to peel away Khoury’s hands, but he was no match for the younger man’s strength.  He squeezed tighter, a thumb now over Saad’s nostrils cutting off his oxygen supply.

Tilting her head, Eshe saw what was happening and exploded in a fit of desperation.  While next to her, Saad struggled for the final moments of his life.  Under an ever-tightening grip.

Khoury squeezed tighter and tighter, until something popped in the old man’s frail neck.

75

75

Unable to see the groundswell of light behind him, Rickards finally glanced at the two structures ahead of him through his dirty windshield; one, where several SUVs were parked, and another that appeared to be a run-down blockhouse from which a dark figure emerged.

Khoury was less than a hundred feet from the house when he heard the tired sound of a squealing engine.

Stopping, he stared and made out a silhouette from an approaching object.  Small and loud, it rumbled over the dirt path leading directly toward them.  He withdrew his gun when the automobile’s two headlights switched on.

With lights on, Rickards saw the figure before him stopped between the two structures and staring back at him before adjusting his position and raising both hands.

A small flash appeared, and a hole suddenly punched through a corner of the sedan’s windshield.

He was shooting!

Rickards momentarily panicked and briefly lifted his foot from the gas pedal.

He had no weapons!