The Hidden Read Online Free PDF Page A

suburb of Heliopolis, in an unremarkable, dimly lit, sparsely furnished house on the edge of a palm-fringed street, two middle-aged men stood with three younger men, Hamid, al-Dyn, and Hossein. One of the older men, Taha Farouk, was a tall, striking individual with a chiselled, clean-shaven face and thick, grey-streaked black hair. He stared ahead darkly as he listened intently to what the other older man, Littoni—of equal stature but more thick-set—was saying. Farouk’s mouth twisted with bitter, inner torment.
    “The girl must know something,” Littoni said, pausing to light yet another cigarette, then blowing out great rings of smoke. “Mustafa from sector three believes that a report has been issued to all of Issawi’s cronies detailing our movements, our code names, and sightings. It’s only a matter of time before the Secret Police raid what they believe to be our venues. We have to get the girl on our side, find out what’s going on. She might be our last chance.”
    “There’s no time, Littoni,” Farouk snapped angrily, shaking his head. “Issawi’s due to return from Luxor tonight. Tomorrow, he’ll go to his club. Al-Dyn has worked there every night for the last two weeks, and he’s had his ear to the ground. In a week’s time, Issawi will attend the celebrations for the king’s birthday at the palace. I say we take him out this week, take everyone by surprise. Forgetabout the bomb. It’s too dangerous for us. The Group’s finished if we follow that plan. If they’re onto us, they’ll be expecting something big. We can only succeed if we take them by surprise.”
    Littoni shot Farouk a look. Anger coursed through his body. Farouk was determined to have his way. Hamid and Tashi had all the equipment necessary to make a bomb strong enough to blow Issawi’s car sky-high, pulp the men inside, and destroy half the Abdin Palace. But Farouk had had his sights on Issawi for years and was convinced that pumping a bullet through his heart would be a pleasurable experience. He wasn’t interested in impact or sending the king the message that the revolution was about to begin. It was almost as though he had lost sight of the bigger picture.
    “Don’t try and stir things up, Farouk,” Littoni said icily. “You’ve been outvoted on this one. All the crucial X sectors agree that Hamid and Tashi’s device will do the trick. That way, there’s no chance of anything going wrong. And we’ll be able to take out not only Issawi, but also the king and some of the politicians attending the celebrations. It will be headline news for weeks, a message all the die-hard supporters of the current government won’t be able to ignore.”
    Farouk broke in. “You’re lying. The committee of traders at Khan el-Khalili and the Muski are both against the idea. You have the halfhearted support of some of the Patriots, professors, and the university men at al-Ahzar, but you’re dangerously out of your league with a bomb of this magnitude. It’s not the right time. I say take Issawi out solo, without fanfare. Then we’ll be perfectly positioned to stage a bloodless coup.”
    Littoni said, “Shut it, Farouk. You want Issawi to win? They’ll have their own surprises in store for us, that much is certain. The girl’s bound to be in on it for sure.”
    Farouk was growing increasingly agitated. He snarled, “For the last time, forget about the girl. Al-Dyn will be able to get us all the information we need. There’s no time left. Issawi’s not that smart. He loves his club. Thinks his security operation’s the best there is. He’s relaxed, off his guard. If there’s anything we need to know, al-Dyn will report back to us. Besides, the girl’s husband’s taken his secrets with him to the grave. I heard they hadn’t been married long. Hardly enough time to let his bride in on Issawi’s networks.”
    Littoni shot Farouk a wrathful look and turned to Hamid.
    “Regardless of what al-Dyn finds out, our boys need