“Inside,” Carter said. “The injury left him with a bit of a withered hand. He had several operations to try to repair it, but nothing ever worked. He tends to keep it in his pocket. He doesn’t like to shake hands. He’s a proud Bedouin, bin Shafiq. He doesn’t respect physical infirmity.”

“I don’t suppose your sources in Riyadh can tell us where he’s hiding within Zizi’s empire?”

“Unfortunately they can’t. But we know he’s there. Put an agent into the House of Zizi, and eventually bin Shafiq will walk through the back door.”

“Put an agent close to Zizi al-Bakari? How do you propose we do that, Adrian? Zizi has more security than most heads of state.”

“I wouldn’t dream of interfering in matters operational,” Carter said. “But rest assured that we’re willing to be patient and that we intend to see it through to the end.”

“Patience and follow-through aren’t typical American virtues. You like to make a mess and move on to the next problem.”

There was another long silence, broken this time by the clatter of Carter’s pipe against the rim of the ashtray.

“What do you want, Gabriel?”

“Guarantees.”

“There are no guarantees in our business. You know that.”

“I want everything you have on bin Shafiq and al-Bakari.”

“Within reason,” Carter said. “I’m not going to give you a truckload of dirt on prominent figures in Washington.”

“I want protection,” Gabriel said. “When this thing goes down, we’ll be the number-one suspect. We always are, even when we’re not responsible. We’re going to need your help weathering the storm.”

“I can speak only for the DO,” said Carter. “And I can assure you that we’ll be there for you.”

“We take out bin Shafiq at the time and place of our choosing, with no interference from Langley.”

“The president would be grateful if you could avoid doing it on American soil.”

“There are no guarantees in our business, Adrian.”

“Touché.”

“You might find this hard to believe, but I can’t make this decision on my own. I need to speak to Amos and the prime minister.”

“Amos and the prime minister will do what you tell them.”

“Within reason.”

“So what are you going to tell them?”

“That the American president needs a favor,” Gabriel said. “And I want to help him.”

12. Tel Megiddo, Israel

Tel Megiddo, Israel

THE PRIME MINISTER GRANTED Gabriel his operational charter at two-thirty the following afternoon. Gabriel headed straight for Armageddon. He reckoned it was a fine place to start.