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.The tunnel had that same dimly lit, claustrophobic feel.She looked up at Dade, and noticed that he had to scrunch his shoulders to keep from banging them off the sides of the tube.The tunnel was that tight.When she reached the bottom of the ladder, she had to fight every instinct to go charging through the hallways in search of Jasmine.They needed to move quickly, but they needed to blend in as well.She knew the only reason that Garcia had eyes inside the bunker was because it had been wired for surveillance.That meant someone else was watching.* * *Despite their advanced weaponry, Hassan’s men were losing the battle.Although the goons were seriously outmanned, it was the Muharib’s willingness to sacrifice themselves for the greater good that was the real problem.The warriors were relentless.As the cloud cover grew and the moonlight waned, the Muharib were driven by a sense of destiny.They believed that Amun had blessed them with additional darkness – a sign that their actions had pleased their god.In response, they attacked with renewed vigor, overwhelming their opponents with their superior numbers.Though many on the frontline were gunned down, the surge of humanity quickly enveloped the trespassers.At such close range, the bulky firearms were no match for the agile swordsmen.Skulls were split and organs were spilled as the Muharib sliced their way through the crowd.The goons continued to fight, but it was only a matter of time.It was a slaughter in every sense of the word.Sensing that his window was closing, Kamal slipped off into the darkness, leaving the others to fend for themselves.Despite Hassan’s order that Dade was not to be harmed, Kamal intended to make the American pay for his betrayal.Dade was out there, somewhere in the night.Kamal would not stop until he had been punished.* * *Hassan stood beside his car and watched the massacre through night-vision binoculars.Though it wasn’t the same as being there, he could see well enough to know how the fight would end.He cursed his men for not rising to the challenge, then cursed himself for not bringing more men.People were expendable.Opportunities were not.Hassan lowered the device.‘They have failed me.’Realizing his defeat, Hassan smashed the expensive lenses against the nearest Humvee in frustrated disappointment.‘A hundred rounds of ammo each, and still they are beaten by men with swords.Swords! They insult me with their incompetence.’He folded his hands behind his head and looked skyward, sucking in the cool night air in an attempt to calm down.‘Come, Awad.It’s time to go home.’In response, the bodyguard drew the long, curved blade he had hidden under his jacket.He had been embedded as a spy in Hassan’s camp for years.His job was to keep an eye on the tunnels that ran under the gangster’s territory and to notify his brethren in the Muharib if anyone breached the wall of the underground temple.Ultimately, he was the one who had sounded the alarm in Alexandria.He had given the order to attack Hassan’s men.He had given the order to abduct Jasmine.And he had given the order to blow up the temple.Now he had one more loose end to deal with.If Hassan had seen it coming, he would have recognized the blade immediately.It was the same weapon that he had just belittled.The same weapon that had just cut through his squad of goons.Now he was about to understand its power.In a flash, Awad’s blade swept across Hassan’s throat.Blood gushed from the wound as he slumped to the ground.Awad stood over his boss and sneered: ‘I am home.’75Jasmine didn’t know how long it had been since Kaleem had been dragged from their cell.Her face no longer ached, so she guessed it had been at least a few hours since she had been struck by the guard.She wasn’t sure what would happen next, but she was sure of one thing: the waiting was intolerable.So much so, she actually felt relief when the door swung open.Unfortunately, the feeling wouldn’t last.It would quickly turn to fear.The guard who had slapped her came in first.As he moved toward her, she instinctively retreated to the rear corner of the cell, the farthest point that her chain would allow.Rather than give chase, the guard simply stared at her – as if his only purpose was to ensure that she did not intervene in what was about to happen next.Jasmine watched in confusion as five more guards entered the room [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]