It was more than worrying.
Oxley’s only connection to Van Heerden was through Krantz; the mercenary had no idea it was Oxley who had been financing the operation, and it was unlikely Van Heerden could give the authorities any information beyond Krantz’s alias. The thing he knew for sure, though, was that Van Heerden’s failure came with a high price tag.
Oxley had had to burn through most of his contacts within the intelligence community to get the information he needed to prepare the San Francisco operation. He had always known there would be a thorough investigation of tonight’s event. He had also accepted that there was no way all his paid assets were going to get away from this scot-free. But it had been a calculated risk. The loss of paid assets would have been worth it if Veronica Hammond had been killed, but with the utter failure of the mission, Oxley had forfeited valuable resources with not enough to show in return. On the contrary, Oxley’s problems had only grown worse because of Van Heerden’s botched operation.
Anyone could have been responsible for the attack on Veronica. Hammond had made enough enemies during his military career to warrant such action being taken against him. ISIS, Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaida, you name it. They all wanted him dead. Oxley couldn’t think of a better way to exact revenge on one’s enemy than to kill his daughter. Taken separately, the San Francisco and Palo Alto events couldn’t lead to Oxley. Combined, though, they brought out a much different outcome.
Alexander Hammond was no fool. He would learn of Oxley’s involvement.
“Shit!” Oxley shouted.
Even though Hammond hadn’t been sworn in yet as vice president of the United States, he was still a formidable adversary with plenty of powerful allies. Oxley would need to be very careful moving forward and pondered the benefit of reaching out to Hammond personally. Maybe they could find a compromise? Should he come clean and plead his case?
Definitely too soon to do that, Oxley thought, shaking his head. Forcing him to give up Maxwell White’s flight plan had been the right thing to do at the time, but it had destroyed whatever bond, if any, he had ever shared with the American general. There was no trust left between the two men.
“What’s wrong, my love?” his wife asked him, a whisper in his ear. “San Francisco didn’t pan out the way you wanted it to?”
Oxley twisted his head and looked at his wife. There were no secrets between them. None whatsoever. Besides Krantz, she was the only person he trusted unconditionally. Adaliya was his life partner, the mother of his children, his lover, best friend, business partner, and confidante. It was as if she always knew what he needed at a specific time. Sometimes it was brute honesty, sometimes empathy, but more often than not, listening was the key.
Oxley’s dad, now long deceased, had chastised him for waiting so long to get married. Oxley had simply not wanted to make the same mistake his father and mother had made. His five children with Adaliya were treasures to be cherished.
He had met Adaliya in Kenya, while conducting training scenarios with the Kenya Defense Forces. Britain’s Ministry of Defence had long maintained a cooperation agreement that allowed British soldiers to train in hot conditions on rugged terrains. Adaliya, a criminal lawyer, had been hired by the British government to defend two SAS soldiers under Oxley’s command accused of assaulting a Kenya Air Force general. Oxley had fallen for her immediately. Her laugh and mischievous smile had enchanted him. He had no idea what an accomplished woman like her had ever wanted to do with a poor soldier like him, but she had stirred his soul in a way he had never thought possible. At the end of the trial, where she had successfully defended the SAS troopers, she had given Oxley her number in London.
Once he was back in Britain, he had called the number, half expecting a cashier from the local grocery store to pick up. To his utmost surprise, it had been Adaliya’s voice at the other end of the line. A week later, he had proposed to her with a ￡500 engagement ring. They were married the next month.
“It didn’t go well,” Oxley admitted. “Van Heerden has been taken, and Veronica Hammond is still alive.”
“And the technology?” Adaliya asked.
“Still a clear and present danger to us, I’m afraid. But I managed to buy us some time.”
“Enough to take care of our problem in the Arabian Peninsula?”
“We’ll see. I hope so,” he said.
The clock was ticking.
Oxley shifted in his chair. He was exhausted, but not tired for some reason. He felt Adaliya’s breath close to his ear.