Tripoli's Target (Justin Hall # 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

to get in touch with Ali and finish making preps. Carrie, we’ll leave ASAP.”
    “I’m ready,” she said and gulped down the rest of her tea. She placed down the cup on the table. “I’m ready.”
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Three
     
     
    Cairo, Egypt
    May 13, 9:00 p.m. local time
     
    Justin began to lose track of time as the hot shower splashed over his head and shoulders. He leaned against the white ceramic tiles, his fingers combing aimlessly through his wet hair. His scalp was smooth and soft, but he noticed some gray hairs stuck to his fingernails when he rinsed his hands. The water took them away and his eyes followed their swirl in the shower drain. A single hair became stuck to his left toe and it resisted the stream for a brief second. More water trickled down from his chest and the stubborn hair disappeared into the drainpipe.
    Justin could not help but wonder about his swimming against the tide of death. He did not think much about dying, for death was an almost daily occurrence in his life. Few days went by without Justin shooting at or being shot at by someone. So far he had been wise and, in part, lucky. Flesh wounds, broken bones, stitches, but nothing he had not overcome. Despite that, his mind still raced at the moment when the current of violence facing him would grow strong, stronger than him, and it would drag him down the drain. Like the hair strand that had gone and could be seen no more.
    “It hasn’t happened in the last eleven years. It didn’t happen today and it’s not going to happen tomorrow either,” Justin cried in a loud voice and slammed a clenched fist against the shower wall.
    Speckles of grout burst out of the tile edges. Justin used his foot to push them toward the drain. He blinked to clear the last drops of water from his eyes and stepped out of the shower.
    Fifteen minutes later, dressed in a short-sleeved white shirt and navy blue pants, Justin waited for Carrie in the hall of their apartment building, a short walk away from the Canadian Embassy. Both agents rented two-bedroom apartments paid for by the Service. At one time, Justin used to live in a small house, northeast of the Garden City, by the American University. But that was seven years ago when he first arrived in Cairo. At that time, field missions took him away once or twice a month. Now, he could not remember the last time he spent a full week in the city.
    “Hey, you look sharp,” Carrie said as she stepped out of the elevator.
    “You, on the other hand, you look gorgeous.”
    Carrie’s V-neck black dress flowed down to her knees. A gray cardigan added a casual touch to her look. Her shoes were the essential pumps, with a rounded toe and four-inch stiletto heels. She had applied very little makeup, just a light shadow of mascara and pink lip gloss. Her hair was pulled back and arranged in a small ponytail. A black leather purse hung loose around her left shoulder.
    “A bit of overkill, you think?” Carrie pointed to her dress, noticing Justin’s gaze moving up and down her body.
    Justin hesitated for a second then nodded.
    Carrie shrugged. “I thought so. Oh, well. How often do I get to wear a dress and heels in his job?”
    “Not very often, but this is a simple dinner.”
    “If you knew how to cook, you’d know there’s nothing simple when preparing a delicious meal.”
    Justin grinned. He remembered Carrie taking pride in cooking suppers when they were still dating. They had soon discovered they were better off being good friends. Once in a while, Carrie came over to his apartment and cooked supper for the two of them. Some of the best steaks he had ever enjoyed were grilled by her hands.
    “I meant—”
    She waved a hand. “I know what you meant. We’ll go and enjoy our meal. Let’s just hope nobody is planning to interrupt us like the last time.”
    “You never know.” Justin swung open the doors for Carrie. “New York is two blocks away and that place has more Westerners