Secret of the Oil: Prequel to the Donavan Chronicles by Tom Haase Read Free Book Online Page A

would detonate thirty seconds after launch. He did a 360-degree turn to eat up the time and rolled back into the firing azimuth with thirty-five seconds left before the two minutes were up. He counted aloud, “Five, four, three, two, one,” and pushed down on the firing button saying, “Fox one.”
    The aircraft was rock steady, and the missile’s exhaust flame lit up the sky in front of the fighter. The seeker stayed locked onto the designator on the ground. The computer on board the laser-guided ordinance provided the control surface movements to the small winglets as needed to correct for wind and atmospheric conditions. The guided bomb now followed a direct path to the ground target. Four seconds to impact.
    As the missile speed away from his bird, Jake rolled his F-16 to a maximum G-force turn and streaked for home base. He knew he would make it back safely. Time to go home; Mama’s waiting. Adios, Iraq.
     
    * * * *
     
    TARA LAWSON
    9:55 P.M. - BAGHDAD
    Tara anxiously waited for acknowledgement from the aircraft. She regretted losing Mohammed; she would never understand what really motivated him to turn traitor.
    The orange light on her laser designator device lit up. The plane had acquired the target and had locked on for firing.
    Two minutes to be gone.
    She had to get out of this house, right now. She picked up Mohammed’s cell phone and put it in her jacket pocket, then moved quickly over to the door. Hurry, hurry. At least, Glenwood would be proud of her and they could get their lives back on track now that this mission was over. She had actually completed a covert operation mission, a real feather in her own personal cap. One was enough to know that she could do it but would never have to again. Tara didn’t want to become part of any collateral damage that would surely result from the incoming precision-guided bomb. Now that she had fulfilled her mission, she had to hurry. Glenwood would be waiting for her, she knew it. Taking one final look around, she turned off the flashlight, keeping it in her hand just in case. Now, she flung open the door in her hurry to get away.
    Tara never heard the second puff from the silenced 9 mm Beretta.

CHAPTER 5
    ABDUL al-NAGGAR
    FRIDAY - 9:57 P.M.
    BAGHDAD
    Abdul al-Naggar fired directly into the woman’s head with two quick rounds. She was dead before the second round entered her skull. The terrorist bent down, pulled her body back into the building, and shut the door. Picking up the flashlight that Tara had dropped, he searched her crumpled body: two cell phones, a pistol, and a set of infrared goggles. He collected the pistol and the goggles, leaving the phones, and went over to the other body sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood.
    Evidence was what Abdul al-Naggar needed, something to take back to Tewfik al-Hanbali, something to demonstrate his continuing loyalty and dedication to the cause. The goggles and the pistol were a good start. The goggles must be U.S. military issue. That should be proof enough that the traitor Mohammed was meeting with the enemy.
    Abdul found nothing more of interest after his quick search of both bodies. Then he looked down at the corpse of Mohammed. Twice in the past few days, he had observed him working on the computer when no one else was around. It was unusual for anyone other than al-Hanbali to use it—not only that, but Mohammed seemed to be doing so without al-Hanbali’s knowledge, the only one of their cell who had a computer in Baghdad. The first time Abdul had spied Mohammed using the laptop was shortly after their arrival in Iraq. That was over a month ago, when Tewfik had told them that their overall control organization had sent them to observe different operations in Iraq. Just yesterday, al-Hanbali had told them they were going back to Saudi Arabia in a few days to start a new mission against the infidels.
    Earlier tonight, while the others were out on a reconnaissance, Mohammed must have thought he was alone. After