Free Plague of Coins (The Judas Chronicles #1) by Aiden James Page B

most hedonistic moments. I recall thinking right then that all ladies present on the airplane should take notice.
    “What brings you here?” My tone cheerful despite my wariness, I had a pretty good idea what had inspired his visit. It wasn’t a social call that brought him to Dubai from D.C. “Did Michael decide we needed more spy-power for our ‘little ole’ expedition?”
    “That’s what I love about you, Willie boy—you’ve always got something smartass to say!” He laughed warmly. “And this must be Ms. Amy Golden Eagle hanging on Alistair’s arm, huh?”
    “I am,” she acknowledged, suspiciously. “So you work for Michael?”
    I guess her awareness of our government’s personnel didn’t extend far beyond Michael’s immediate staff and contacts. Cedric’s responsibilities extend into many divisions within the CIA. It made his presence on our plane both perplexing and a bit ominous.
    “Let’s just say he and I work together...frequently,” he said, a slight smile upon his face. “Especially in situations where we’re forced to handoff our ‘plants’ moving from one location to another. We decided two nights ago that Dubai would be well suited for this particular mission.”
    “So, will you be joining us to learn firsthand what Mr. Stanislav is up to these days?” Alistair moved over to his pod while motioning gentlemanly for Amy to take her seat. That left only me still standing, since my seat was taken. “I don’t suppose we will finally get an official itinerary with what exactly you guys want us to do...or will we?”
    “Yes, you will.” Cedric took a sip from his champagne and a short hit from his slim cigar. “No more mysteries, my man! No doubt ya’ll have been wondering why Michael didn’t contact you guys with anything other than a vague request to spy on Stanislav’s operation. Right?”
    Alistair and I nodded while Amy looked on with a puzzled expression on her face. This was indeed the first time she’d ever been involved with something like this. The first time working undercover for the U.S., I could tell it would take her a while to catch on to how assignments are generally handled. A little bit of info here, followed by a few more specifics there, and so on and so on.... Until all the ingredients are laid out and it’s too frigging late to pull out.
    “Perhaps we should excuse Amy and my dad to the lounge area while we hash this thing out.” I figured that’s where our stewardesses disappeared to after we boarded the plane. “Then we could break down the plan for them once we’re finished.”
    “No, they need to be a part of this, William,” advised Cedric. “Alistair’s language skills will come in handy on this mission, and Amy will serve as bait to get you guys inside Stanislav’s camp.”
    “What?? So we’re actually going to be interacting with these people?” Now it was Alistair’s turn to be taken aback. “What happened to the idea of a few photographs of Stanislav’s camp captured from a safe vantage point in the Alborz Mountains? Interacting with these miscreants was not the plan William relayed from Michael, and my son is never wrong about these things!”
    “On the contrary, it was always the plan,” countered Cedric.
    He stood up from his seat and moved over to the small bar near where I stood. Dressed in tan summer slacks and a short sleeve khaki shirt, he looked physically fit enough to return to an active role in the field. I wondered how much he liked his recent supervisory promotion.
    “We just couldn’t tell you much until now—definitely not while you were in the states.” He poured himself more champagne, and then motioned to each of us if we would care to join him for a drink. Only Alistair accepted. “We’re not sure how many other agencies know of your trip to Iran, but our counterparts in Britain informed us that the Russians are well aware of yours and Alistair’s original flight plans. That’s why we canceled your