Protect and defend by Vince Flynn Page A

the Ministry of Intelligence. He could not believe he had not seen it earlier. Farahani came from a very proud Persian family. A family who could trace their genealogy back to Persia’s dynastic roots. A very pious family who could see the shah was about to lose his throne, and who in a move of self-preservation threw their support behind Ayatollah Khomeini and his revolutionaries. Farahani was very proud of his Persian lineage, and he was not about to take orders from some Palestinian mutt like Mukhtar.
    In the blink of an eye Ashani saw how this could turn out. If Mukhtar got a whiff that Farahani was looking down his prominent Persian beak at him, there would be violence, and there would be a better-than-even chance that Farahani would end up dead or permanently injured. Farahani’s brother, who sat on the Supreme Council, would be extremely upset. Mukhtar was too valuable to punish, so he would be sent back to the front lines in Lebanon. Powerful people would want to know why Ashani did not step in and stop things before they got out of hand. As tempted as he was to let it play out, Ashani decided that in the long run it would only make his life more difficult.
    Ashani pushed himself off the wall. “I know the man you are asking about. He is indeed from a good family, which is exactly why we should talk to him.”
    Farahani looked at Ashani with a confused, almost hurt expression.
    “He will speak honestly,” Ashani said. “If there is anything he has seen, or anyone he is suspicious of, he will tell us.”
    Farahani paused and then gave his consent.
    “Good,” Mukhtar announced. “Where is he?”
    Ashani checked his watch. It was almost noon. “Why don’t you send your people to collect him and have them escort him to the café?” Ashani did not give Farahani a chance to argue. He opened the office door. “I will wait for you by the elevator.”
    Mukhtar joined him in the hall a few seconds later. He pulled up alongside the Intel Minister and said, “This man is an idiot.”
    Ashani shrugged. “He is a very hard worker.”
    “If that is all you want then you should hire an ox.”
    Ashani sighed. “Imad, I do not make personnel decisions outside my ministry.”
    “Well, you should.”
    “There are other things at play, and although he is not the shrewdest man in the government, he is incorruptible.”
    “He likes these people too much. He is too easily fooled.”
    “I am not sure any of it will matter.”
    “What is that supposed to mean?”
    “We have been too open about this program. The Americans have learned the Natanz facility is a sham. We pumped millions of dollars into a fake facility, so if they ever did attack they would pick the remote location where the reactor was supposedly located. It was a good plan. There is no population in the immediate area. The Americans would have taken the bait and left this facility alone.”
    “They know Natanz is fake?” It was obvious by Mukhtar’s tone that this was news to him.
    “Yes, and now they and the Israelis know we have placed all of our eggs in one basket.”
    “I do not think they will attack. At least not by air. They are already on shaky ground with the international community.”
    Ashani hesitated to say what was on his mind, but a part of him wanted to take a stand. “A year ago I would have agreed with you.”
    “What has changed?”
    They reached the elevator and faced each other. They were the same height. Ashani was slender where Mukhtar was boxy. In a conspiratorial whisper Ashani said, “Our good friend has been a bit too verbose about his desire to see Israel wiped off the face of the map.”
    “You don’t share his views?” Mukhtar asked with suspicion.
    “I said no such thing. I am simply questioning the wisdom of making the threat before you can back it up.”
    Mukhtar nodded ever so subtly. “There is no undoing the past. The important thing now is to make sure this facility is secure, and I do not think this halfwit