Page 201 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

I know I’m taking a risk, but if Ibrahim wanted Oumar dead, he would have already killed him like everyone else in this room.

“You came here to protect Oumar because you need Oumar alive,” I continue.

Ibrahim’s jaw tenses. “You don’t know what you’re talking about?—”

“Just listen to me. Please,” I say, praying for the words that will convince the man standing in front of me to stand down. “You need Oumar alive, and so do we, but this situation is about more than one person. I’m assuming you know the impending arms deal that’s on the table goes through in the next twenty-four hours.”

I wait a moment, taking Ibrahim’s silence as a yes.

“I know who your boss is. General Keïta who runs the Koumana Syndicate. I know you’ve been searching for Oumar, because you need him to stop this exchange. If the exchange does go through,” I continue, “your boss will potentially lose everything. That’s why you had to get Oumar back. The information he holds makes him an extremely valuable asset, and with new players, new weapons, and new alliances, you need him alive.”

I can tell from his expression that Ibrahim is surprised at how much of the scenario I’ve worked out. I’m also convinced I’m on the right track.

“She’s right,” Graham says, moving forward. “Stopping this arms deal is in the best interests of everyone in this room, and the only way it will happen is if you let him go.”

“Why would I do that?” Ibrahim asks.

“On top of what I just said. . .Look around you,” I say. “You have four men pointing weapons at you.”

Ibrahim opens his mouth to say something and then hesitates, so I keep talking.

“You need Oumar, but trust me, you need me as well if you want to stop this. So I’m going to offer you a one-time deal. Give us Oumar, and as soon as I’m done debriefing him, I’ll let you walk away. I give you my word.”

I’ve thrown him off now. I can see it in his eyes. This is the deal he wasn’t expecting, but he knows what I’m saying is true. Knows that he needs me.

“You have to look at the bigger picture,” I continue, needing to convince him. “You can tell your boss this isn’t about loyalty anymore, it’s about survival. And not just about your survival, but the entire Koumana Syndicate you work with.”

I drop my hands to my side but keep my gaze on him. Now it’s up to him to make the right decision. I start counting seconds in my head, not sure what direction to go if this doesn’t work. No one moves. No one says anything. At thirty seconds I’m starting to doubt my plan. At forty seconds, Ibrahim drops his weapon to his side then takes a step back.

“You made the right choice,” I say.

“Did I?”

I catch his gaze, making certain he doesn’t see anything but confidence in my expression as I speak. “I know these men you took down—the ones who kidnapped Oumar—are with the Russians, but the woman claiming to be Mariam?”

“She was sent to help me find Oumar. They killed her in the crossfire.”

“So she didn’t find Mariam,” I say.

Ibrahim shakes his head.

“Have your men guard him for now,” I say, praying that Rourke doesn’t do something stupid. “And then when I’m done here, you’ll let him go.”

Ibrahim lets out a sharp breath as he walks toward me, then stops close enough that I smell his sour breath. “I’m holding youto your word. Because if this arms deal goes through, my world isn’t the only one that burns.”

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

“We’re not letting him go,”Rourke says, stopping in front of me while his men secure Ibrahim’s hands with zip ties behind his back.

“This isn’t your call,” I say, holding my ground and making it clear to Rourke that he isn’t in charge. “Besides, we don’t need to bury Ibrahim. In the end he’s more valuable running to General Keïtaand reminding the man that we’re inside his network and he’s no longer in control.”

Rourke puts his hand on his weapon in an attempt to intimidate me, but I’ve come too far to back down now. He rests his hand on the butt of his gun for a long moment, exhales sharply, then nods.

“We can’t remain here long, but there’s no time to return to Paris before we do the initial debrief,” I say. Rourke might have brought us here, but I intend to make it clear that I will be the one asking the questions. “We need to know as much as possible, as quickly as possible, in order to set things in motion and stop the arms transfer.”

To my surprise, Rourke asks, “What do you need?”