Fog of War (Justin Hall # 3) by Ethan Jones Read Free Book Online Page A

took you for someone else. One of their rivals. Or they realized you were foreigners, Westerners, and just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”
    Justin pondered on McClain’s words. The Taliban had hired foreign mercenaries to attack American troops in Afghanistan, drawing fighters from former and current warzones in the world. Somalia. Chechnya. Yemen. It was possible Justin and Nathan became targets of convenience.
    “I still believe someone betrayed us and leaked the intel,” Justin said.
    “I’m checking with CIA and MI6 about developments in northeast Iran. I’ll inform you right away once they have anything concrete.”
    “Sounds good,” Justin said. “We’ll press Colonel Garryev for some answers.”
    “You will not have time for that. I want you boys out of there ASAP.”
    “We have seats on the first flight to Azerbaijan tomorrow morning at eight hundred. Our next stop is Frankfurt, then back to our Cairo station.”
    McClain coughed, then paused for a few seconds. “There’s a change of plans, Justin.” His voice lost its evenness, turning edgy. “I’ve got some bad news.”
    He told them about the Navy SEALs squad that had gone missing in southern Somalia earlier that morning after their Black Hawk helicopter had fallen into an ambush. Everyone aboard was considered dead or captured, although their bodies had not been recovered, and there was no other intelligence about the doomed operation.
    Justin’s eyes darkened and his frown grew deep. He hoped he would not see the charred bodies of American elite troops dragged through the streets of Somalia, crowds of armed militants cheering and doing their macabre dance. Perhaps it was less gruesome than being beheaded alive for the pleasure of Jihad supporters.
    He felt partly responsible for the fate of the SEALs. His team at the CIS Cairo Station—his headquarters when not in field operations—was responsible for assessing the intelligence leading to the operation.
    “CIA wants an in-person briefing in the States. They want to share some extremely sensitive and highly classified intelligence. They say it’s about important security issues for both them and us,” McClain said.
    “What do they want?” Justin asked. CIA never shared any of their intelligence if there was no prospect of them receiving something of greater importance in return.
    “A copy of the defector’s files.”
    Justin grinned. He had anticipated McClain’s reply. He knew his boss had given the CIA the gist of their operation, and CIA was eagerly waiting to interrogate the defector. Since this was no longer possible, the documents would be the next best thing.
    “This is not going to be a finger-pointing session about the Somalia operation?” Justin asked. “I have no intention of becoming CIA’s scapegoat or allowing them to blame us for this incident.”
    McClain replied in a calm voice, “No, it’s not like that. They have assured me. They don’t trust cables and phones any more, even the secure ones. That’s why I don’t know more about this intelligence they’re giving us. Since the Wikileaks scandal, whenever its’ possible, CIA prefers briefings in person.”
    So they can say the meetings and the exchanges never took place, Justin thought.
    “The Americans lost eight men in that ambush,” McClain continued. “They’ve already talked to Joint Task Force Two. They just need the complete story.”
    “ We don’t have the complete story. You just told me we have no new intel about the ambush. We only know what the SEALs reported before they were shot down. CIA already has that intel.”
    “True, but it’s for their own due diligence. Perhaps they want to confirm some of the intel we gave them about al-Shabaab leaders.”
    “Our intel was accurate at the time of those reports, as confirmed by their own man on the ground.”
    McClain sighed. “Great, so just tell the CIA that and wrap this up.” His voice had regained its initial sternness. His tone