Sahara (Dirk Pitt 11)

Massarde looked sharply at Kazim. "Should it turn out to be a rescue mission by the UN forces, none of Hopper's people or my engineers and their families can be allowed to escape. If only one gets through to expose Fort Foureau or Tebezza, you and I are finished as business partners."

The beginnings of a smile widened across the General's face. "Not to worry yourself, Yves my friend. We have too good a thing going to allow a few prying samaritans to pull the rug from under us. I promise you that by tomorrow at

noon they will all be carrion for the vultures, every last one of them."

After Kazim had left, Massarde spoke briefly into his intercom. A few seconds later Ismail Yerli entered the room.

"You heard and observed on the monitor?" asked Massarde.

Yerli nodded. "Amazing the man can be so cunning and yet so stupid at the same time."

"You read Kazim quite accurately. You can see you won't have an easy time keeping a leash on him."

"When does he expect me to join his entourage?"

"I'll introduce you this evening at a dinner party I'm hosting in honor of President Tahir."

"With the situation at Tebezza in a critical stage, isn't Kazim too occupied to show?"

Massarde smiled. "The great lion of Mali is never too busy to attend an elegant dinner put on by a Frenchman."

Sitting in his small command center office in the UN building in New York, General Bock read the report relayed by a United Nations communications satellite by Colonel Levant. There was a grave expression on his aging face as he picked up a secure phone and called Admiral Sandecker's private number. The Admiral's answering machine beeped and Bock left a terse message. Sandecker was back to him within eight minutes.

"I've just received an unpleasant report from Colonel Levant," Bock announced.

"What's the situation?" Sandecker asked flatly:

"Aircraft of the Malian air force destroyed their transport plane on the ground. They are cut off and trapped."

"What of the rescue operation at the mine?"

"It went off as planned. All foreign nationals still alive were placed under medical care and evacuated. Levant reported his casualties as light."

"Are they currently under attack?"

"Not as yet. But it is only a matter of hours before forces of General Kazim close in."

"Do they have an optional escape route?"

"The Colonel was quite clear in stating their only hope lay in reaching the Algerian border before daylight."

"Not much of a choice," Sandecker said grimly.

"I suspect it was a red herring."

"Why do you say that?"

"He sent his report over an open frequency. Kazim's communications operators were sure to pick it up."

Sandecker paused to take notes. "You think Colonel Levant is heading on a different tack than he advertised?"

"I was hoping you'd tell me," said Bock.

"Clairvoyance is not one of my strong points."

"There was a message to you in Levant's report from your man, Pitt."

"Dirk." There was sudden warmth in Sandecker's voice, and a touch of reverence. Leave it to Pitt to come up with an unthinkable scheme. "What is the message?"