Jihad

CHAPTER 134

“Charlie, can you change course and get north to Port Fourchon?”

Marie Telach’s voice over the Deep Black communications system felt like a spike in Dean’s brain. He pulled his headset off of his right ear and reached into his pocket and pulled out his satphone, pretending to use it.

“This is Dean,” he said.

“We need you to go to Port Fourchon,” repeated Telach. “It’s south of New Orleans.”

“How far from New Orleans are we?” Dean asked the pilot.

“Twenty minutes. Maybe fifteen. Why?”

“There’s a deep-water port called LOOP out there, south of Port Fourchon,” Telach told Dean. “Johnny Bib has a theory Kenan may be heading there.”

“What’s a deep-water port?” Dean asked.

“You talking to me?” said the pilot.

“If you know the answer.”

“Port ships use them because they draw too much water to get into a regular harbor,” said the pilot. “Like LOOP, up near New Orleans, and that gas port they’re talking about building near Houston.”

“We need to get to LOOP if you know where it is,” Dean told the pilot.

“I don’t know if we have enough fuel.”

“Push it,” said Dean.