Page 51 of Enemy of My Enemy

“Ethiopia didn’t change anything.” Looking down, Adam gripped the balcony railing hard enough to turn his knuckles white. “It was a mistake. What happened then—it was a mistake.”

Silence. The taste of peaches lingered on the air, and he remembered kissing Faisal, tasting peach nectar, and hearing his warm voice whisper Arabic against his shoulder.

“Loving you will never be a mistake to me,” Faisal finally said. “If you believe our love is a mistake, then that is your burden to bear.” His voice, as always, was soft and gently accented thanks to his private English tutors in Riyadh and his Oxford education. It tore at Adam’s heart, always. The tenderness containing a core of ferocity, a hidden fire that rivaled the sun.

Adam squeezed his eyes shut. After Ethiopia, after Adam had gone to storm the White House with Reichenbach, Faisal had tried to reach out to him. He’d called, he’d texted, he’d emailed. He’d tried, he really had, to get close to Adam again.

It had driven Adam to the brink. Always ignoring the calls. Reading the texts and never being able to respond. Leaving emails unread. Deleting them.

Faisal stepped back, away from Adam. “I am monitoring for anything that could be your Madigan. Searching for news reports and police filings. There may be something in the Sudan. Saudi intelligence hacked their central government a long time ago. An email was sent this past hour. A report about a jail being attacked and all the prisoners freed.”

“Yeah, that would be Madigan.” Time to get back to work. Time to get away from here, and from Faisal. “Can I see the report?”

“Of course.”

Adam hesitated. “I— I’m sorry. You know, for calling you. Asking for your help,again. I know this can’t be easy—” Fuck, it was brutal for him, and he was the one who had ended it.

A sad smile tried to turn up the corners of Faisal’s lips. “I’ve prayed… endlessly for the opportunity to see you again. Allah has delivered.Al-hamdu lillah.Seeing you always brings joy to my heart. And, I would rather you call me for help, even now, every time you need it, than worry about you in danger. I am here for you, always.” He nodded to the floor, to his men below who were lounging after Faisal had fed them a feast following their rescue. “You, and your men. You care for them so deeply.”

Fuck, what could he say to that? Nothing. There was nothing he could say. “Let’s go,” he grumbled. “We’ve got to stop Madigan.” He took off, heading for the double glass doors beneath the airy arbor off Faisal’s bedroom.

“Do you remember last year? Last spring? Almost exactly a year ago?”

Adam stopped. He looked down.

“I would give everything, every riyal in the Kingdom, every single thing I have, to go back to that night and try to change your mind.”

* * *

“I cannot getyour entire team in.”

Faisal had invited Adam and his men to his private office where he showed Adam the email scrapped from the Sudanese government’s servers and the attached pictures: the prison burned to the ground, guards shot dead, and prisoners escaped. None of the photos showed a bloody encircled M, but the Sudanese agent taking the blurry shots hadn’t known to look for one. Adam had started talking about getting his men on the ground and going through the remains when Faisal spoke.

“What do you mean? My team and I have to check it out. This is an important lead.”

“I said I couldn’t get your entire team in. I can getoneof you in with me.”

Doc frowned and was about to open his mouth when Adam interrupted. “Why would you go over there?”

“The Saudi royal family takes regional Gulf security very seriously. If hundreds of Sudanese prisoners have been released, especially fromthatprison, then the event would warrant a private, personal visit from a Saudi official.” He spread his hands briefly before clasping them. “Who better than the head of the Intelligence Directorate?”

“What did you mean bythatprison?” Doc blurted out before Adam could shut him down.

Faisal shared a long, silent look with Adam.

“What? What’s going on?” Doc glared between the two, and even Coleman started to frown. “You twoare keeping secrets fromus?” Incredulity drowned his words.

“It was a rendition site.” Adam crossed his arms and spread his legs. “The Saudis and the US government shared it. Black bag kind of shit. Enhanced interrogations. The US turned it over to the Sudanese after that kind of thing became politically unpopular.” Adam cracked his jaw and clenched his teeth together, hard.

Doc whistled. “That how you two jokers met? Became besties?”

Silence. Adam and Faisal stared at Doc, not blinking.

“Jesus Christ, sorry!” Doc threw up his hands. Faisal frowned at the expletive.

Adam glared at Doc until Doc shuffled back, his hands up at his chest, a silent apology. He turned back to Faisal. “How would we get in?”

“I will demand entry. My position brings some weight. And some fear.” Faisal lifted his chin, just a bit.