Page 96 of Samson

“I don’t blame him for having compassion, but I do not see the world as he does.”

“So you’ve been holding this against me the whole time? Something I had nothing to do with?”

“No, we’ve been busy planning, but when you turned up in front of the embassy, I saw both a threat and an opportunity.”

“What a miserable life you must be leading.”

“Me? I am very fulfilled in my life. I am on the verge of finishing what was started so many years ago. You’re the one whose life is miserable. How long it lasts may be up to you.”

Samson spit blood on the floor and ran his tongue along the cut inside his mouth. “All right. Then tell what you’re planning.”

“I’d be happy to, but first I’d like to hear what your investigation has turned up.”

Demir wanted to know what the feds knew. It wasn’t much, and Samson had no intention of giving him anything important, but if it got Demir to talk…but it didn’t matter. He would get no opportunity to share any information he got. He wasn’t getting out of here alive.

“As far as I know, you’re gathering weapons in order to attack Armenians over here just like ten years ago. But I also understand you have drugs on the premises? Is that for your own entertainment?”

“Drugs provide us with the funds we need.”

“Right. That makes sense. That’s how Marc came into it.”

“Our war is not only with the Armenians. In other parts of the world, churches that are blown to pieces don’t get much airplay because it is so commonplace. We will make it the same over here. The West has enjoyed too many years of religious peace, and we have a lot of time to make up for.”

“It won’t work.”

“You don’t think so? Have you ever noticed how Christianity is the one thing this country despises more than anything else? I wish you’d be alive to see it, the country celebrating the demise of a religion that was the cornerstone of its existence.”

“That’s a nice story, but it doesn’t explain why I’m still alive.”

“You’re here to help me.”

Samson shook his head and chuckled. “Is that why you’ve been keeping me around? Because you think I’ll help you? The problem you have is that you got rid of your only leverage.”

“You mean your daughter? You may be a cold and callous man, but there are other people we could kill or maim or torture who would cause you grief. Delilah’s still alive.”

“Not to me she isn’t.”

“Don’t be too hard on her. We did shoot her cousin to get her to talk. If it makes you feel any better, she resisted longer than I expected. She very much did not want to give up Riley.”

“But she did. And you think telling me this will make me care about her?”

“I hear Luca’s left the hospital. It wouldn’t be too hard to get to him either. Or Catherine, your father, Agent Trevors. But listen, that’s beside the point. I’m not that desperate to keep you alive. I’ll leave it up to you how you want to move forward with this.”

“I will say, my curiosity has gotten the better of me. What is it you want me to do for you?”

“We’ve got some bombs we need to defuse so we can reuse their parts. There are also more that need to be made. But with such unstable parts, it’s a messy job. We’ve lost two men already. We thought you’d be up to the task. If you don’t like it, feel free to blow yourself up, and we’ll make sure no one with connections to you remains alive either. Otherwise, you stay alive, do your job, and we don’t have to kill anyone else. When we’re finished, we’ll put you out of your misery.”

“Wait a second. You’re telling me bombs have gone off in this building?” Samson looked around at the blast marks on the wall. He’d seen them when he entered the room but hadn’t taken much notice. He turned in his chair and noted the reinforced door.

“Some minor earthquakes in the area had been reported,” Demir said.

“Am I right in my assumption that we’re in the basement of the embassy that’s under construction?”

Demir nodded.

“And this room has withstood the blasts?”

“This entire floor was originally constructed as a bomb shelter, but we’ve made adjustments and improvements to it recently.”

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