Crown's Vengeance, The by Andrew Clawson Read Free Book Online Page B

view, a drastic contrast to bin Khan’s deeply tanned face. A few mumbled words in Arabic came from off-screen, and the president eye’s filled with recognition.
    “Hello, my friends. It is good to see you again.”
    “It’s our pleasure, President bin Khan. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.”
    The soft-spoken Arab dismissed Nigel’s comments with a wave of his hand. “I believe that we are men with similar interests. So please, what is it you wish to discuss?”
    Drake’s heart sped up. Their entire operation rode on this call.
    “Spencer, would you kindly bring President bin Khan up to date regarding our recent acquisitions?”
    Drake briefly summarized his activities over the past few days, relating the incorporations and oil futures purchases he’d coordinated.
    “I appreciate your activity, Mr. Drake. A rise in the price of crude bodes well for my pocketbook.”
    President bin Khan may have been an old man, but beneath the wizened exterior was a ruthless businessman, dispassionate as a shark. Spencer appreciated such qualities in a man.
    “However, as you gentleman can likely surmise, my finances are quite healthy at the moment. Why have you orchestrated these transactions?”
    Drake and Stirling locked eyes, aware that everything hinged on bin Khan’s reaction.
    “President bin Khan, what are your thoughts on America?”
    The president seemed to freeze for an instant. Just as quickly, his eyes softened, though the anger that flashed across his features had been unmistakable.
    “The answer is complicated.”
    Even if Stirling and Drake didn’t already know about bin Khan’s past, there was no mistaking his tone. The man hated America with a passion, and Drake didn’t blame him. In 1948, bin Khan had been a child living in Iraq. His mother and father, both members of the Iraqi military, were deployed to fight the newly formed state of Israel. Their only son Khalifa had stayed at home while his parents went to war.
    They never came back.
    Five-year-old Khalifa bin Khan would later learn of the United States involvement in the creation of a Zionist state in Palestine, a precursor to the 1948 war that killed his parents and sent eight hundred thousand Palestinians into exile, forever altering the dynamic of the Middle East.
    As he grew, bin Khan laid blame for his parents’ death at the feet of the United States, his hatred for their western culture and meddlesome politics growing with each passing year. Time and again, America prevented the heathen Israelites from being overrun by the righteous Muslims whose land had been stolen from underneath their feet.
    After his adoption by an influential cleric, bin Khan had quickly risen to prominence in his new home country of Dubai, aided by his adoptive father’s paternal relationship to the ruling family. Within a decade, bin Khan was so beloved within Dubai that he was appointed to the Federal National Council, the supreme federal legislative body for the United Arab Emirates.
    Ten years later, he was elevated to the presidency.
    Now in control of one hundred billion barrels of crude oil reserves, Khalifa bin Khan was the perfect man to bring Stirling and Drake’s plan to fruition.
    “I understand that the loss of your family can be directly attributed to the American government’s support of Israel.”
    President bin Khan remained still.
    “You have done your homework, Mr. Stirling.”
    Spencer Drake cut to the chase.
    “President bin Khan, we have a proposal for you. First of all, I must admit my near total ignorance as to how your country’s oil production facilities operate. Your secrecy is legendary. That being said, if you, as the president, decided it was in the best interests of your nation to reduce the supply of oil coming onto the market each day, would it be within your authority to make that a reality?”
    For several seconds, bin Khan was frozen, not so much as twitching a muscle. Finally, he responded. “Gentlemen, as