Appointment In Baghdad
BLOOD CIPHERA raid on a Toronto mosque reveals a hard link to a mysterious figure known only as Scimitar. He's a legend believed to be at the center of an international network of violent jihadist and criminal enterprises stretching across the Middle East and southwest Asia–created after the collapse of a brutal dictatorial regime in Iraq.From the opium dens of Hong Kong to the dark corners of eastern Europe, and war-torn Baghdad itself, Mack Bolan and two of Stony Man's finest are targeting an organized empire that runs everything from heroin traffic to global jihad. Yet Scimitar remains a mystery within an enigma; a brilliant, faceless opponent whose true identity will force Bolan into a personal confrontation for justice–and righteous retribution.
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The car came out of nowhere
It shot past Bolan on the shoulder, racing down the ramp, and he had only a fleeting impression of gray primer. It hurtled down the line of idling vehicles and made a kamikaze rush straight toward the roadblock.
âDown!â Bolan snarled.
Both James and Encizo reacted without hesitation. The Cuban sprawled flat in the back of the minivan as James threw himself between the front seats, landing next to Encizo.
The vehicle-based improvised explosive device detonated. Shrapnel cut through the air like steel rain and shattered the vehicleâs windows, spraying glass shards on the Stony Man team.
Shaken by the concussive impact and sudden violence, Bolan pushed himself into place behind the steering wheel and grabbed the AK-104 carbine.
Welcome to Baghdad, he thought grimly.
Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.
âErnest Hemingway,
1899â1961
War is a special kind of hell. There are no winners.
âMack Bolan
For the men and women of the U.S. armed forces
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Nathan Meyer for his contribution to this work.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER ONE
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: 0146
The mosque had been defiled.
Mack Bolan studied the building. A place of worship had been transformed into a forum for hate. A place where the devout and faithful had once found expression had now been subverted into a recruiting ground for blasphemers killing in the name of religion.
The rest of the street lay quiet.
Earlier that evening, Bolan had pored over an architectâs blueprints of the structure procured for him by computer expert Carmen Delahunt at Stony Man Farm. Like most of the buildings in that area of downtown Toronto, the old building was aesthetically unappealing. The mosque was not beautifully gilded, nor did it possess a dome and minaret. Only the placard sign announced what the squat bricked building housed.
A red flag had risen immediately when ownership of the building was traced to Syrian business magnate Monzer al-Kassar. The Syrianâs dealing had been on Stony Manâs radar for almost a decade. However, the Syrian facilitator had such a diverse, worldwide portfolio that his mere ownership of certain real estate was not considered a primary cause for action in and of itself. But that had all changed.
The mosque occupied two floors of a four-story brownstone in the run-down neighborhood. On the street level there was a Korean grocery store, and the top floor housed five apartments rented to people, as far as Delahunt could find, who had no connection to the radical activities going on beneath their feet.
Bolan looked at the dive watch on his wrist. It read 0148. Gary Manning, the Canadian-born Phoenix Force commando, would be in his overwatch position by now. Bolan had requested the operator as a readily available asset already long familiar with the Toronto area. For this brief operation Manning monitored Toronto police communications and stood guard against the possibility of outside forces arriving after Bolan had penetrated the building.
Bolan slid the earpiece into place so that the microphone was resting against his cheekbone. He placed a single finger against the device and powered it on.
âYou ready?â he asked.
Manning answered immediately. âCopy that, Striker. Iâm up. Iâve got eyes on your approach and the area. Radio chatter is good.â
âLetâs do it.â
Bolan eased open the door to his nondescript Toyota 4-Runner and stepped out into the street. It was very late winter in Toronto and still cold. There was dirty slush on the ground, and everything was cast in a gray pallor. Streetlights formed staggered ponds of nicotine-yellow illumination. In the building facing the street a single light burned in the window of the third floor.
Bolan closed the door to the 4-Runner and fixed the stocking cap on his head before walking to the rear hatch of the vehicle. Despite the chill bite in the air, he left the zipper to his heavy leather jacket undone. The deadly Beretta 93-R hung in a shoulder holster customized to accommodate the sound suppressor threaded onto its muzzle.
He opened the rear hatch, reached down and pulled up the lid over the compartment that held his spare tire and jack. He moved it to the side and pulled out a hard, plastic-alloy box of dark gray. His fingers quickly worked the combination locks and the case popped open.
