The Bin Laden Plot

The man studied Khalila and the money for a moment, then slowly retrieved the envelope. After assessing the amount inside, he tilted his head slightly to the side and smiled.

Then he answered Khalila’s question.

36 KUWAIT CITY

As the sun slipped beneath the horizon, Harrison watched as Khalila stood before the mirror in their hotel room, testing both knives concealed in the sleeves of her business jacket again. She seemed nervous, responding to Harrison’s questions even more curtly than usual as they prepared for a meeting with an intelligence officer in the Kuwait Security Service.

Khalila had hoped Ayman’s tip would lead elsewhere. That she didn’t trust the security service was clear, and she had requested a meeting on official Kuwaiti government ground, hoping the location would deter aggressive behavior. Tonight’s meeting would take place at the seat of Al-Diwan Al-Amiri, commonly referred to as the Seif Palace due to its location overlooking the sea.

She was dressed similarly to earlier in the day, except she wore no niqab this time, just a hijab wrapped around her hair and neck, leaving her face exposed. When she finished testing her knives, she caught Harrison’s eyes in the mirror.

“We’re going to use a code phrase tonight. If I say, ‘We must take what Allah provides and be grateful,’ it means we’re in danger and I’m about to engage.” She repeated the phrase in Arabic. “Understand?”

Harrison nodded.

* * *

Darkness had descended by the time they left their hotel, and it was silent in the car as Mussan drove through the city toward the Seif Palace; Khalila seemed lost in her thoughts, as was Harrison, who wondered why Khalila was so worried. She’d clearly had dealings with the Kuwait Security Service in the past.

When the palace appeared in the distance, Khalila pulled the second envelope of money from her purse and handed it to her partner.

“Put this in your jacket and leave your weapon in the car. We’re going to be searched at the entrance, and we’ll have to leave our pistols behind, either at the entrance or in the car.”

“I thought you picked this location to increase our safety,” Harrison replied. “How does meeting in a place where we have to leave our weapons behind do that?”

“Not all weapons will be left behind. My knives and their housings are nonmetallic,” she said, reminding him of her revelation in Syria. “They won’t set off a metal detector. If anyone has nefarious intentions tonight, they’ll be careless, thinking we’re unarmed.”

“I will be unarmed,” Harrison pointed out.

“I’m not the one who insisted you accompany me,” she said with attitude. “This strategy improves my odds of survival. You can either join me or stay in the car.”

Harrison cursed under his breath, then quickly decided as Mussan stopped by the palace entrance. Despite the circumstances, Khalila’s odds would be better if he accompanied her. Plus, he doubted the Kuwaiti agents were as well trained as he was in close-combat situations.

“Fine,” he said as he placed the envelope in his jacket and pulled his pistol from its shoulder holster, placing it on the seat beside him.

Khalila and Harrison emerged from the car and headed toward the palace entrance, taking in its grandeur. The original seat of Kuwait’s government comprised an artificial lake, manicured gardens, a marina, and several helicopter landing pads. The clock tower, covered in blue tiles and capped with a gold-clad dome, was a magnificent example of Islamic architecture, and the Seif Palace’s most well-known feature.

They were met near the palace entrance by a man who introduced himself as Basim Iqbal, who wore a dark gray suit with a slight bulge under his left shoulder. Harrison concluded he was armed, his suspicion confirmed when they reached the metal detectors at the entrance. Iqbal pulled a pistol from a shoulder holster and placed it in a basket before proceeding through the detector. He retrieved his weapon, returning it to its holster while Harrison and Khalila passed through the detector without incident.

Iqbal led them down a long outdoor concourse with parallel walkways framing a series of pools and fountains. Although Arabic was the official language of Kuwait, English was a compulsory second language in Kuwaiti schools and was used by Kuwaiti businesses. Khalila conversed with Iqbal in English, more for Harrison’s benefit, he assumed, so he could listen in.

Their conversation was of little import to the issue at hand — who was the prisoner taken from the Abbottabad compound and what had happened to him — until they reached the seawall overlooking Kuwait Bay, the palace’s perimeter lights shimmering atop the water’s black surface. There, Khalila made the query.