Capture Me: The Complete Trilogy

Chapter 11-2

I’m still livid with fury when Sharipov returns to reclaim his phone. As he approaches my bed, I sit up and glare at him. “A f*****g error, huh?”

Raising his hand, the colonel rubs the bridge of his nose. “We’re questioning the officer responsible right now. It’s not yet clear whether—”

“Take me to him.”

Looking taken aback, Sharipov lowers his hand. “I can’t do that,” he says. “This is a matter for our military.”

“Your military f****d up big time. You had a traitor in charge of your missile defense system.”

The colonel opens his mouth, but I forestall his objections. “Take me to him,” I demand again. “I need to question him myself. Otherwise, we’ll have no choice but to assume that others in your military or your government were involved in the missile strike.” I pause. “And maybe even in this terrorist attack on the hospital.”

Sharipov’s eyes widen at my implied threat. If the Uzbekistani government is found to have ties to a terrorist organization like Al-Quadar, that could be disastrous for the country. I wouldn’t be surprised if the colonel is aware of our connections in the US and Israel. By denying me a chance to interrogate one treasonous officer, the Uzbekistani government might be making an enemy of the powerful Esguerra organization and getting a worldwide reputation for associating with terrorists.

“I have to discuss this with my superiors,” Sharipov says after a second. “Please, let me have my phone.”

I hand it to him and watch as he leaves the room, already dialing someone. I wait, confident of the outcome, and sure enough, he returns a few minutes later, saying, “All right, Mr. Kent. We’ll have our officer brought here within the next hour. You can talk to him, but that’s all. Our military will handle it from there.”

I give him a grim look. The only thing their military will handle is the traitor’s body, but Sharipov doesn’t need to know that yet. “Bring him,” is all I say, and then I lie back and close my eyes, hoping the throbbing pain in my skull subsides in the next hour.

I may not be able to lay my hands on the interpreter right now, but I can certainly get my pound of flesh here.