“Finish him and come with me,” the voice commanded. Janusz’s glance revealed the third man to be dressed in the same yellow biohazard suit. The two yellow-suited figures now flanked Janusz to his left and right simultaneously. That’s when Janusz remembered the object tucked in the back of his pants. As his opponents charged from their respective corners, Janusz turned left, squeezing the trigger of his pistol just once. The perfect head shot dropped target number one. Janusz immediately fell to the floor and turned his arms toward the sky. The second Iranian was standing above him with the knife pointed down. Before the Iranian could plunge, Janusz fired two rounds straight into his chest. The Iranian fell forward still holding the knife. Janusz’s extended arm deflected his limp body, guiding it safely to the side. He immediately stood up as screams came from all around. The third Iranian ran across Old Highway 80 into a residential neighborhood. Janusz ran after him, wondering if there were any police officers in this town. Galloping at full stride, he did not detect the masked man behind the tree in front of him. A jagged knife blade sliced his right biceps and made him drop the pistol.

  “Motherfucker, where did you come from?” Janusz blurted. The only good news was that he’d finally located the fifth man. With his pistol on the ground and his upper arm injured, Janusz needed to even the odds. He searched hastily for something, anything. The Iranian lunged several times, slashing the air with his knife. Janusz leaned over to pick up a large branch lying against a tree. In one motion, he smashed the branch against the Iranian’s head, forcing him backward. Janusz followed up with a roundhouse kick that dropped his opponent to the ground. He picked up the branch, now broken in half. After tearing off the broken piece, he jumped on top of his opponent.

  Placing the thick branch under the Iranian’s chin, Janusz pushed down with all his might until he heard the crackling collapse of his opponent’s windpipe. He continued pushing until he was sure the man was dead. There was only one QF operative left. Janusz glanced at his arm. Although it was bleeding, the cut was not too deep. He removed his belt and wrapped it around his arm as a tourniquet.

  Janusz crossed Old Highway 80, running as fast as he could with his injured arm. Wailing sirens of some sort finally came to life from behind him as he entered Deodar Trail, a residential street across from the park. The sirens moved in the opposite direction toward the park. He wondered if the local authorities had been afraid to come earlier. After all, the sheriff’s office was right next to the park. Janusz passed several fenced properties as he ran up the street.

  A woman’s voice was crying out for help. As soon as he spotted the driveway, Janusz approached the house. The front door was open as he walked up the stairs to enter. A woman and two young children, a boy and a girl, all had red spray over their clothes and faces. The remaining Iranian assassin, in his yellow suit and mask, held the aerosol can in his right hand. Janusz stared at all of them with the leather belt dangling from his arm. On any other night, this would be a strange scene, but on Halloween, the woman and her children did not seem the least bit startled by his presence.

  “This man barged through the door and sprayed us. He grabbed my phone and won’t leave,” the woman pleaded with Janusz.

  “Everything will be all right, ma’am,” Janusz said as calmly as he could.

  “You’re too late, I already sprayed them. Now I vill spray you,” the Iranian said, and took a purposeful step forward. Janusz surveyed his surroundings. The living room was not that big. There was a small couch, a TV stand, a bookcase, and a recliner but not much room to move around. He was not about to abandon this family. He would stay and fight regardless of the risk of his own exposure to Marburg.

  Janusz motioned the Iranian forward. “Let’s get on with it, you son of a bitch.”

  His opponent moved closer and pressed his finger against the nozzle. Janusz held his breath and rushed forward like an NFL linebacker. Grabbing the Iranian by the torso, Janusz pushed him all the way back against the nearest wall. Janusz slammed the Iranian several times against the wall until the spray can fell out of his hand. Janusz then turned and threw his opponent against the couch. Janusz could not be sure if he had been exposed to the virus, but it did not matter anymore. The homeowner and her kids gazed wide-eyed as if watching an ultimate fighting cage match. Except this was truly a match to the death as the Iranian stood back up.

  “I’m commander of an Iranian Qods Force Unit. Do you know the Qods Force, Mr. vimpy American?” the Iranian asked as they circled each other in the living room.

  Janusz reached into his pant pocket to pull out the lighter. “Do you mean the little bitches who leave these behind?”

  The Iranian’s eyes opened wide in recognition of the QF lighter. As Janusz jostled to place the lighter in his pocket, the Iranian struck without warning. His punch landed right on the belt around Janusz’s biceps.

  “Son of a bitch,” Janusz cried out. He felt bad about cursing in front of the children and bit his lip. The Iranian landed another punch. It hit Janusz on the face, forcing his head back. The Iranian maneuvered for a third strike. This time Janusz’s kick crushed his balls. The Iranian hunched over reflexively, and Janusz grabbed his head and pulled his mask off. He then smashed the head against the side of the wooden coffee table. With a loud crack, the Iranian’s forehead split open. As his opponent’s body went limb, Janusz reached up to untie the belt around his arm. He grabbed the belt around both ends and placed the leather strap under the Iranian’s neck. Janusz pulled back as hard as he could. He choked the man for several minutes, squeezing every ounce of life out of him. Suddenly, he looked up as three men rushed through the door with guns drawn.

  “Police! Put your hands up,” they yelled. Janusz raised his arms. The Iranian’s head fell to the floor as the cops maneuvered to cuff Janusz. At that exact moment, his thoughts transitioned to Marjan.

  51. Espinas Palace Hotel, Tehran, Iran

  November 07

  He gently caressed her arms and tried to kiss her as she sat next to him. It was the perfect opportunity for her to finally get that glass of tea on the dining room table. From there she walked over to the large panoramic windows overlooking the entire city. Perched at the foot of the Alborz Mountains, the Espinas Palace was considered the only five-star hotel in the Iranian capital. The suite was booked to consummate their Sigheh, the temporary Shia marriage allowing a man and woman to have sex within the confines of the law. As she looked out the window at the iconic Milad Tower to the south, her body shivered when he called her name. She dropped several lumps of sugar in the tea and stirred.

  “Zohreh, come here, honey,” he said as Mrs. Salehi tried to ignore him. “What’s the matter? Don’t you want to sit next to me?”

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Nader. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

  “Please, now that we’ve made this official, you can call me Nader.”

  She felt like vomiting but forced herself to sit next to the abominable man once more while placing the glass of tea on the coffee table.

  “Zohreh dear, I know this is hard for you. You should try to relax so we can—”

  “It’s been barely two weeks since Mohsen died,” she protested.

  “I know, I know. How about the view from this room?”

  “You’re right, Nader. This is very thoughtful of you. Did you bring some dirty movies like I suggested?” she asked.

  “I searched far and wide to find something for you. I think you’ll like what I got. Let me just get my laptop,” he said as he lunged toward a nearby end table.

  “Nader?”

  “Yes, dear.”

  His response made her nauseated. “Before we get to that, I need to hear the truth from you,” she said as he walked back toward her. “I will only give myself to you if you tell me what happened to my husband, I mean Mohsen. You know what I mean,” she said.

  He threw his head down and sighed as he sat next to her. “What do you want to know?”

  “Was that him in the room when they dragged me out?”

  He kept his eyes down as he took a deep breath. “Yes.”

  “What was the cause of his death?”

  He hesitated, almost pleading with his eyes to be let off the hook. “We’re not allowed to discuss that. I could get in serious trouble.”

  “Do you want to consummate the Sigheh or not?” she asked firmly while gently caressing his leg with her hand.

  Looking around the room for several more minutes, he finally turned to her. “Your husband was working with the deadly Marburg virus. He had been infected during an experiment. Since the IRGC Qods Force was running the show at the hospital, I presume it was their program.”

  “Was it his fault like they said?”

  “I don’t think so. He was involved in a rather unusual experiment with chimps. They were cutting lots of corners. He did as he was told.”

  “Was this part of the government’s effort to develop a new biological weapon?”

  “I’m fairly certain that it was.”

  “How do you know all this? How can you be so sure?”

  “As head infectious disease doctor at Vali-Asr Hospital, I was privy to some details on what happened. I filled in the rest by myself. I was sworn to secrecy with the threat of severe retribution. If any of this ever—”

  “Don’t worry. By the grace of God, I will make sure you’re rewarded for telling me the truth,” she said as she moved to kiss him on the lips. He immediately pulled back, holding on to her with trembling hands.

  “Don’t be so nervous. Here, have some tea. It’ll help you relax,” she said as she handed him the glass from the coffee table. She then maneuvered behind him to rub his shoulders as he drank his tea. Ten minutes later, he was sound asleep on the couch. She impatiently dug the phone out of her pant pocket to play the recording. When she was satisfied with what she heard, she got up to grab her bag. She then called a friend who had agreed to drive her and the kids to Imam Khomeini International Airport. The appointment was set for the next morning in Dubai, UAE, with the general manager of Al Arabiya News and several reporters. The network had promised to pay her one million dollars for verifying rumors about Iran’s deadly new biological weapon. She knew her tape was much more valuable to the Gulf Arabs than what they were paying. She would use the money to start a new life for herself and her children in France.

  52. Unit 81 Safe House, McLean, Virginia

  November 21

  Peering out the window, he was focused on the kids. If not for them he would have done this differently, a lot differently. He shifted his body to avoid touching the window. His arm still hurt from the attack in San Diego. After a three-week quarantine at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, he had passed the incubation period for Marburg with a clean bill of health. The family he rescued in Pine Valley had become infected, but with round-the-clock care by the professionals in the Nebraska Center’s biocontainment patient care unit, they were expected to fully recover.

  “Here we are, dear, fresh lemonade.” Marjan entered the living room with a tray.

  “You shouldn’t have,” Janusz said, walking over to grab a drink.

  “It’s the least I can do.”

  “I finally caught up with the men who ordered the murder of your husband. You don’t have to worry about them anymore,” Janusz said, watching her hand tremble slightly as she almost spat out the lemonade.

  “Oh dear, how can I ever thank you? But the Iranian regime has many agents around the world. If they’re determined to find someone, they’ll eventually succeed.”

  “I don’t think that’ll be a problem in your case. Life is full of so many surprises, wouldn’t you agree?” he said sarcastically.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you gotten settled in yet?” he asked, avoiding her question.

  “I don’t have any friends here. Roozbeh’s parents live in Maryland, but that’s about it.”

  Her reply caught him by surprise. “Really, where exactly?” he asked.

  “Let me think. Oh yes, a town called Annapolis. I took the kids there several times. Always lots of traffic.”

  “Well, perhaps I can help change that. Will you excuse me for a minute? I need to use the restroom,” Janusz said.

  “Certainly.”

  He returned five minutes later to find Marjan sipping her lemonade on the couch.

  “Sorry, I had to make a phone call.”

  “I was still in shock when we met in Brazil, you know?” Marjan explained.

  “Yes, that seems like so long ago now.”

  “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for coming to the morgue with me.”

  “Oh, that’s not necessary. You’ve thanked me and the Unit more than you can ever imagine.”

  “I’ve tried my best at work, but—”

  “Oh, you’ve done more than try. You practically handed me over on a silver platter,” Janusz said.

  She stared at him with wide eyes. Her face turned pale as she shifted uneasily on the sofa. “Oh dear, I hope I’ve not offended you,” she said in a voice that was almost apologetic.

  “At first, I thought it was a coincidence that Dr. Ahvazi showed up in France. It was right after you started working with us, right?”

  “I’m not sure I understand.”

  “I kept wondering how you could’ve known about my weakness,” he continued.

  “You’re scaring me, Janusz. What weakness? What’s going on?”

  “It finally hit me when I looked through my wallet. I’d pulled out the wrong card by mistake. Instead of the contact card for the Unit, I’d handed you the card to my addiction specialist.”

  “What’s an addiction specialist?”

  “You know exactly what it is. Heather saw you holding the card your first day on the job. You told her you were looking for a therapist, but she read the doctor’s name on it and did a little digging. No more lies, Marjan. Why did you do it?”

  “This is crazy,” she continued to protest.

  “If you think that’s crazy, you’ll get a kick out of this. Immigration service, otherwise known as ICE, is coming for you now.”

  “But why?” she asked while fidgeting on the couch.

  “Because the Unit is no longer sponsoring you. As far as our government is concerned, you’re here illegally. The kids, however, can stay with their grandparents in Annapolis.”

  She put her face in her hands and began to cry when he cut her off.

  “Why did you betray me to the Iranian regime, Marjan?” he demanded, unfazed by her antics.

  She wiped the tears away and straightened up. Her demeanor changed instantly; now she stared at him with a serious expression. “Because the MOIS was blackmailing me. Before Roozbeh bought the tickets to Brazil, I got a call from a man asking me to meet him at an apartment in Tehran. The man identified himself as MOIS. He explained I had no choice but to work for them if I cared about my parents. They promised a house, nice cars, the best medical care, and vacations for them. Once Roozbeh gave his press conference, they pressured me to help find him.”

  “And me, why did you tell them about me?”

  “I wanted to do a good job. I thought it would make me look competent in their eyes. It wasn’t personal. I had to do it for my family,” she said with a stone-cold face.

  “The good news is, I got my money back from your government plus interest for my pain and suffering. The bad news is, you won’t be around to watch your kids for a few years unless you find a brilliant immigration lawyer. There was no way I could let you get away without some sort of punishment.”

  “Please, John, there’s got to be another way. I don’t want to leave my children.”

  “You should’ve thought of that before you got your husband killed and then betrayed the people who helped you. Believe me, if not for those kids, I would’ve asked Kim to kill you already. They’ve suffered enough, and I didn’t want them to lose another parent. We’ll hand them over to their grandparents in Annapolis unless you want to take them with you.”

  She stared daggers at him before speaking up. “That’ll work. They can stay with their grandparents for now.”

  The doorbell rang as two ICE agents walked in to arrest Marjan on charges of living in the US illegally. At that moment, Janusz realized that she already knew too much about the Unit.

  53. Dulles Airport, Virginia

  November 22

  Jennifer glanced at the departure board to check the status of their FIJI-bound flight. There was another thirty-minute delay. She faced her husband, squeezing his hand tightly. She seemed happier now. They were taking a well-deserved vacation for a month. Their most immediate plan was to start a family. The sound of Janusz’s phone startled them both.

  “Oofta, do you have to get that?” Jennifer asked.

  “One last time, darling. I promise you won’t see this phone until we return.”

  “Well, at least put it on speaker so I can hear.”

  “Fine,” he said before picking up.

  “Janusz?”

  “Speaking.”

  “It’s Jason Osborne from the SSCI. Do you have a minute?”

  Janusz put the phone against his ear. “Jason, why are you calling me directly? We have channels for that. I’m definitely not in those channels.”

  “Something terrible has happened.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “There was a shooting on Route 28. Tony and Stan were coming to meet me at our facility. The car was shot up on the road.”

  “How are they?”

  “Sorry to tell you this, Janusz. Stan is dead.”

  His words stunned Janusz. Jennifer just stared at him. “What about Tony?”

  “He was transported by helicopter to Inova Fairfax. It’s not looking good.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25