The First Commandment

CHAPTER 118

You were always too smart for your own good,” said Morrell, his gun trained on Harvath. “Where’s McCourt?”

“Sleeping it off behind the garage,” replied Harvath. “Listen, Rick—”

Morrell held up his hand. “My guys wanted to grab you in downtown Lake Geneva when you were heading for your car, but I said no. It was too public. Now I’ve got one man down and the rest of my team on a wild-goose chase. This is going to end right here before anybody else gets hurt.”

Harvath started walking toward him. “We don’t have time for this.”

Morrell responded by painting a racing stripe with his MP5 right up the dock, stopping only inches from Harvath’s feet. “Stop right there and drop all your weapons, right now,” he commanded.

“Roussard is on his way to kill Meg Cassidy.”

“Roussard’s not my problem. Now drop your weapons.”

“He killed Vaile’s nephew, for Christ’s sake. You’ll be a hero at the Agency for bagging him. Jesus, Rick. You know Meg. You know better than anybody else what she risked when she agreed to come on that assignment with us. I don’t care what anybody has told you, you can’t let some shitbag terrorist kill her.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not authorized to—”

“Fuck authorized. This is about us — all of us who were part of that operation to hunt down Abu Nidal’s kids. Do you know who Roussard is?”

Morrell shook his head. “I don’t think it would make any diff—”

“He’s Adara Nidal’s son, Rick,” replied Harvath, cutting Morrell off again. “This whole thing is about revenge. Payback for whatever twisted thing they think I did to her. And it’s why he saved Meg for last.”

A flood of images sped through Morrell’s mind. He remembered all too well the mission to take down Adara and her brother that he and Harvath has been assigned to years ago.

“All that matters,” continued Harvath, “is that we stop Roussard. After that, I’ll put the cuffs on myself, but we’ve got to get the hell out of here.”

Morrell lowered his weapon and said, “How?”