The Bourne Deception - By Robert Ludlum & Eric van Lustbader Page 0,143
only American in the building, Jason. But there?s a Sudanese of questionable character who claims he was being interrogated by an American just before the raid began.?
Perlis must have been lured away by Bourne?s diversion with the lurker. Where had he gone? Bourne could feel himself approaching the center of the web, where the lethal spider patiently lay in wait. ?And since Black River?s main client is the NSA, there?s a good chance it has to do with the ratcheted-up tension in Iran.?
?You think Nikolai Yevsen is arming a Black River raiding party ready to invade Iran??
?Highly unlikely,? Bourne said. ?The NSA can provide more than enough state-of-the-art armaments that Yevsen could never get his hands on. Besides, for that they wouldn?t need Arkadin?s help. No, the Americans have identified the missile that brought down the plane?it?s Iranian, a Kowsar 3.?
Karpov nodded. ?Now it?s starting to make sense. This Goya is payment to Yevsen for supplying the Kowsar 3.?
At that moment, Karpov spotted one of his men jogging along the hallway toward him. He stared at Bourne for a moment, then handed his commander a sheet of curling thermal paper?clearly a printout from a portable printer.
?Get Lirov,? Karpov said as he scanned the document. ?Tell him to bring his full kit. I want this man checked out from stem to stern.?
The soldier nodded wordlessly and sped off.
?I told you I didn?t need??
Karpov held up a hand. ?Hold on, you?ll want to hear this. My IT man was able to salvage something from Yevsen?s servers after all?apparently they weren?t completely wiped.? He handed Bourne the sheet of thermal paper. ?Here are Yevsen?s last three transactions.?
Bourne did a quick scan of the information. ?The Kowsar 3.?
?Right. Just as we surmised, Yevsen acquired an Iranian Kowsar 3 and sold it to Black River.?
Where are you going?? Humphry Bamber said, twisting around in his seat. ?And why are you holding a gun??
?Someone knows you?re here,? Moira said.
?Dear God.? Bamber moaned and began to get up.
?Stay right there.? Moira held him down with a firm hand. She could feel the chills running through him in waves. ?We know someone?s coming and we know what he wants.?
?Yeah, me dead. You don?t expect me to sit here and wait for a bullet in the back.?
?I expect you to do what you?ve done before, help me.? She looked down into his pinched face. ?Can I count on you??
He swallowed hard and nodded. ?Okay, now show me the bathroom.?
Dondie Parker liked his work?almost too much, some said. Others, like his boss, Noah Perlis, appreciated the almost religious fervor with which he committed to his assignments. Parker liked Perlis. It seemed to him as if the two of them occupied the same gray space at the fringe of society, the place where both of them could make anything happen?the one with his command, the other with his hands and his weapons of choice.
After Parker got through the rear entrance to Humphry Bamber?s building, he considered his life?s work, which he privately likened to a polished wooden box filled with a collection of the most expensive and aromatic cigars. The climax of each assignment, the death of each target, lay in that box for him to revisit anytime he chose. To take out, one by one, smell, roll between his fingers, and taste. They took the place of military ribbons?medals of valor?commemorating actions necessary, as Noah had said to him time and again, to the welfare and security of the homeland. Parker liked the word homeland. It was so much more powerful, more evocative, more virile than the word nation.
Parker removed his shoes, tied the laces together, and, slinging them over his shoulder, climbed the stairs. When he reached the second floor, he went down the hallway to the far end, where a window overlooked the fire escape. Unlatching the window, he threw it open and climbed out, making his way up floor by floor, like a fly climbing a wall.
Noah Perlis had found Dondie Parker in one of the local ghetto gyms. Parker was part of a boxing club, the leading contender in the regional welterweight division. He was an exceptional boxer because he learned fast, had tons of stamina, and had found a way to channel his murderous aggression. On the other hand, he wasn?t crazy about concussions and fractured ribs, so when Noah showed up and expressed an interest in him, Parker was only too happy to listen to his proposition.