Without Warning
Joel C. Rosenberg
PRAISE FOR JOEL C. ROSENBERG
“His penetrating knowledge of all things Mideastern—coupled with his intuitive knack for high-stakes intrigue—demand attention.”
PORTER GOSS
Former director of the Central Intelligence Agency
“If there were a Forbes 400 list of great current novelists, Joel Rosenberg would be among the top ten. . . . One of the most entertaining and intriguing authors of international political thrillers in the country. . . . His novels are un-put-downable.”
STEVE FORBES
Editor in chief, Forbes magazine
“One of my favorite things: An incredible thriller—it’s called The Third Target by Joel C. Rosenberg. . . . He’s amazing. . . . He writes the greatest thrillers set in the Middle East, with so much knowledge of that part of the world. . . . Fabulous! I’ve read every book he’s ever written!”
KATHIE LEE GIFFORD
NBC’s Today Show
“Fascinating and compelling . . . way too close to reality for a novel.”
MIKE HUCKABEE
Former Arkansas governor
“[Joel Rosenberg] understands the grave dangers posed by Iran and Syria, and he’s been a bold and courageous voice for true peace and security in the Middle East.”
DANNY AYALON
Israeli deputy foreign minister
“Joel has a particularly clear understanding of what is going on in today’s Iran and Syria and the grave threat these two countries pose to the rest of the world.”
REZA KAHLILI
Former CIA operative in Iran and bestselling author of A Time to Betray: The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran
“Joel Rosenberg is unsurpassed as the writer of fiction thrillers! Sometimes I have to remind myself to breathe as I read one of his novels because I find myself holding my breath in suspense as I turn the pages.”
ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ
Author and speaker
“Joel paints an eerie, terrifying, page-turning picture of a worst-case scenario coming to pass. You have to read [Damascus Countdown], and then pray it never happens.”
RICK SANTORUM
Former U.S. Senator
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Visit Joel C. Rosenberg’s website at www.joelrosenberg.com.
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Without Warning
Copyright © 2017 by Joel C. Rosenberg. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of jets copyright © by tcp/Getty Images. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of bomb run copyright © by wragg/Getty Images. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of black smoke copyright © by Rafeeq Abdul Rahman/EyeEm/Getty Images. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of Capitol building copyright © by Tetra Images/Getty Images. All rights reserved.
Designed by Dean H. Renninger
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible,® copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
2 Corinthians 5:8 and Luke 23:43 in chapter 49 are taken from the New King James Version,® copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 29:11 in the dedication and Psalm 9:3-6 in chapter 86 are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Without Warning is a work of fiction. Where real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales appear, they are used fictitiously. All other elements of the novel are drawn from the author’s imagination.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Rosenberg, Joel C., date, author.
Title: Without warning : a J. B. Collins novel / Joel C. Rosenberg.
Description: Carol Stream, Illinois : Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., [2017]
Identifiers: LCCN 2016043153 | ISBN 9781496406163 (hc)
Subjects: LCSH: Journalists—Fiction. | IS (Organization)—Fiction. | GSAFD: Christian fiction. | Suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3618.O832 W58 2017 | DDC 813/.6—dc23 LC record available at https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lccn.loc.gov_2016043153&d=DgIFAg&c=6BNjZEuL_DAs869UxGis0g&r=ZlF6A1J_SMm9xAyjgyDor34CB-fqQRaraBLNVSdnrVo&m=h1jYR2pLoT7PFxKXR75R-NlvwYI-4BitFcUSR3jKdDg&s=xibuEi18yIFELVFlZcKAhTL81pOhNJOuNyJCElLRhD8&e=
ISBN 978-1-4964-0629-3 (International Trade Paper Edition)
Build: 2017-01-24 14:47:15
To our youngest son, Noah—you have such an inquisitive and creative mind and, oh, what a storyteller you are! Your mom and I cannot wait to see the great things the Lord will do in and through you, young man, as you follow him with all your heart.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
JEREMIAH 29:11
CONTENTS
Cast of Characters
Preface
Part One Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Part Two Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Part Three Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Part Four Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Part Five Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Part Six Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
CAST OF CHARACTERS
JOURNALISTS
James Bradley “J. B.” Collins—national security correspondent for the New York Times
Allen MacDonald—D.C. bureau chief for the New York Times
Bill Sanders—Cairo bureau chief for the New York Times
AMERICANS
Harrison Taylor—president of the United States
Martin Holbrooke—vice president of the United States
Margaret Taylor—First Lady of the United States
Carl Hughes—acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Robert Khachigian—former director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Paul Pritchard—former Damascus station chief for the Central Intelligence Agency
Lawrence Beck—director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Arthur Harris—special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Matthew Collins—J. B.’s older brother
Lincoln Sullivan—attorney
Steve Sullivan—attorney, grandson of Lincoln
JORDANIANS
King Abdullah II—the monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
ISRAELIS
Yuval Eitan—Israeli prime minister
Ari Shalit—acting director of the Mossad
Yael Katzir—Mossad agent
EGYPTIANS
Wahid Mahfouz—president of Egypt
Amr El-Badawy—general, commander of Egypt’s special forces
Walid Hussam—former chief of Egyptian intelligence
TERRORISTS
Abu Khalif—leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)
Tariq Baqouba—commander of ISIS forces in Syria
OTHERS
Prince Mohammed bin Zayed—head of intelligence for the United Arab Emirates
Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Siddiq—onetime professor and mentor of Abu Khalif
PREFACE
From The First Hostage
The camera zoomed in on the president.
And then, on cue, Taylor spoke directly to the camera.
“My name is Harrison Beresford Taylor,” he said slowly, methodically, wincing several times as if in pain. As he spoke, Arabic subtitles scrolled across the bottom of the screen. “I am the forty-fifth president of the United States. I was captured by the Islamic State in Amman on December 5. I am being held by the Islamic State in a location that has not been disclosed to me, but I can say . . . I can say honestly . . . I can say honestly that I am being treated well and have been given the opportunity to give ba’yah—that is to say, to pledge allegiance . . . to the Islamic State. I ask my fellow Americans, including all my colleagues in Washington, to listen . . . to listen carefully . . . that is, to listen carefully and respectfully to the emir, and to follow the instructions . . . he is about to set forth for my safe and expeditious return.”
When Taylor was finished, the camera panned back to Abu Khalif, emir of the Islamic State.
“Allah has given this infidel into our hands,” Khalif said in Arabic. “O Muslims everywhere, glad tidings to you! Raise your heads high, for today—by Allah’s grace—you have a sign of his favor upon you. You also have a state and caliphate, which will return your dignity, might, rights, and leadership. All praise and thanks are due to Allah. Therefore, rush, O Muslims, to your state. Yes, it is your state. Rush, because Syria is not for the Syrians, and Iraq is not for the Iraqis, and Jordan is not for the Jordanians. The earth belongs to Allah.
“I make a special call to you, O soldiers of the Islamic State—do not be awestruck by the great numbers of your enemy, for Allah is with you. I do not fear the numbers of your opponents, nor do I fear your neediness and poverty, for Allah has promised your Prophet—peace be upon him—that you will not be wiped out by famine, and your enemy will not conquer you or continue to violate and control your land. I promised you that in the name of Allah we would capture the American president, and I have kept my word. The king of Jordan will soon be in our hands. So will all the infidel leaders in this region. So will all the dogs in Rome. The ancient prophecies tell us the End of Days is upon us and with it the judgment of all who will not bow the knee and submit to Allah and his commanders on the earth.”
Khalif now turned to his right and faced a new camera angle. Behind him was a shadowy stone wall. When he resumed speaking, it was in English.
“Now I speak directly to Vice President Holbrooke. Fearful and trembling, weak and unsteady, you and the infidels you lead have lost your way. Now you have three choices—convert to Islam, pay the jizyah, or die. You must choose your fate and choose it quickly. If you and your country choose to convert, you must give a speech to the world doing so under the precise language and conditions of Sharia law, and you will be blessed by Allah and have peace with the caliphate. If you choose to pay the jizyah, you must pay $1,000 U.S. for every man, woman, and child living in the United States of America. If you do not, or if you act with aggression in any matter against me or against the caliphate, the next video you see will be your beloved president beheaded or burned alive. From the time of this broadcast, you have forty-eight hours, and not a minute more.”
1
THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15
I had never been in the Oval Office before.
But I’d always imagined my first time going differently.
The tension wasn’t immediately apparent as I stepped into the most coveted executive suite on the planet. But it would come. It had to. I would force it. And when it did, my fate would be sealed.
At first, the president and I were both on our best behavior. As far as he was concerned, our past battles were water under the bridge. Yes, in Amman he had been blindsided by an enemy he neither truly understood nor saw coming. But in his eyes, the successful rescue effort had been enough to shift the balance of power, and he had adapted quickly. Tonight, as he addressed the nation and the world in a live televised speech to a joint session of Congress, he was at the top of his game. Soaring in the polls. Confounding his critics. Seemingly destined to leave the American people the legacy of peace, prosperity, and security they so desperately longed for.
The president beckoned for me to be seated, then took a seat himself behind the Resolute desk, built from the timbers of a British naval vessel abandoned in a storm in 1854. As he did, he opened a black leather binder embossed with the presidential seal. He picked up a Montblanc fountain pen and excused himself for a moment to make a few final edits to his speech before we loaded into the motorcade to head up to Capitol Hill together.
With every passing moment, my anxiety grew. In less than an hour, Harrison Beresford Taylor, the nation’s forty-fifth president, would deliver his annual report to the legislature. He would assert unequivocally, as he had on every other such occasion, that “the state of the union is strong.”
Yet nothing could be further from the truth.
I could take it no longer. It was time to say what I had come to say.
“Mr. President, I very much appreciate you inviting me here. I know you have a great deal on your plate right now. But I have to ask you, not as a reporter, just as me. Do you have a plan to kill Abu Khalif or not?”
It was a simple, direct question. But it immediately became apparent that Taylor was going to avoid giving me a simple, direct response.
“I think you’re going to be very pleased with my speech tonight, Collins,” he said, leaning back in his black leather chair.
“Why?” I asked.
“Trust me,” he said with a smile.
“That’s not exactly in my nature, sir.”
“Well, do your best.”
“Mr. President, are you going t
o lay out for the American people a plan to take down the ISIS emir?”
“Look, Collins, in case you haven’t noticed, in the last two months we’ve ripped ISIL to shreds. We’re targeting all of their leaders, including the emir. We’ve stepped up our drone strikes. We’ve taken out twenty-three high-value targets in the last six weeks alone. Is it going as fast as I’d like? No, and I’m pushing the Joint Chiefs. But you need to have patience. We’re making great progress, and we’re going to get this thing done. You’ll see.”
“Mr. President, with all due respect, how can you say we’re making progress?” I shot back. “Abu Khalif is on a genocidal rampage. As we speak, he’s slaughtering Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, and anyone who gets in his way: beheading them, crucifying them, enslaving them—men, women, and children. We’re getting reports of unspeakable acts of cruelty, worse every day. He’s murdered your friends and mine. This is the guy who held you captive. If we hadn’t gotten there when we did, he would have taken a knife and personally sawed off your head—or put you in a cage and burned you alive—and uploaded the video to YouTube for the entire world to see.”
“And now we have them on the run,” Taylor countered. “We’re blowing up their oil fields. We’re seizing their assets. We’re blocking their ability to move money around the world. We’re shutting down their social media accounts and cutting off their communications.”
“It’s not enough, Mr. President,” I insisted. “Not unless you’re going after the emir directly. You’re hitting his men and his money, but, sir, you can’t kill the snake unless you cut off its head. So I must ask you again: have you signed a presidential directive to take Abu Khalif out, or not?”
2
The president leaned forward and glared at me.
“I was there, Collins. I was in that cell. I was with those children. Every night their faces haunt me. Every morning I hear their shrieks echoing down these hallways. Don’t stand there and make it sound like I’m doing nothing. You know full well that’s not true. I’m not sitting on my hands. I put American boots back on the ground in Iraq. I sent America back to war in Iraq—against the will of my party and much of my cabinet. My base went ballistic, but I did it. Because it was the right thing to do. And we’re winning. We’re taking out ISIL’s forces. We’re cutting off their supply lines. We’re taking back land. We’ve got them on the run. What more do you want?”
