How to Betray Your Country by James Wolff (spicy books to read .TXT) 📕

I know, Youssef, that’s why we’re doing this. I made you a promise that I would help, and I’ll keep that promise.

I could have left Turkey already, I would have found Syrians in other countries very quickly. They will know people in other places, they can ask them about my family. But you said this would be a quick and safe way to find out where they are, August. You said we can trick Lawrence into getting the information for us. You said he would not tell anyone about this until —

That’s what I thought would happen.

We did not need to play this stupid game with him.

Let’s stay calm. We don’t know what’s going on yet.

Okay, okay – yes, we need to be calm. Maybe there is not a problem. So the Turkish know that I gave information about Daesh to the British. This is not a problem, this is not a crime.

I’m afraid there’s something else, Youssef. I’m pretty sure the surveillance team saw me, too.

What? How did they see you?

They must have spotted me more than once in the same area and drawn the obvious conclusion. I’m sorry. I’m not feeling very well and it’s obviously affected —

But what does this mean, that they saw you also?

It’s not good. I have a complicated history with Lawrence. He doesn’t trust me. If he thinks I’m connected to this, if he thinks I’ve been helping you behind the scenes and that he’s been tricked, he’s going to be very angry. He’s going to —

Wait, let me open the door for my friend. I will call you back in five minutes.

• • • •

VESTIBULE/006

top secret

foia exempt

from:ATY7to:C14B1subject:Transcript of meeting with MIT and August DRUMMONDdate:24 December 2016

BEGINS

elif: Okay, introductions. August, may I call you this? Good. My name is Elif, I am the deputy in charge of anti-terrorism investigations in Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization. You know Lawrence already. Can I get you anything? It looks like you are in some discomfort.

august: I’m all right, thank you.

elif: There is a serious-looking injury above your eye, some other bruising and scarring on your face, your finger is wrapped in a bandage. Anything else? You are moving in a strange way. Your ribs?

august: I might have cracked one of them.

elif: Have you seen a doctor? Have you had an X-ray? You look very pale.

lawrence: No gestures, August. You’ll need to say your answers aloud for the tape recorder.

august: I’m okay. A bit of a chest infection, perhaps. It’s wiped me out.

lawrence: Louder, please. No whispering in here. You’re not on a secret mission any more. You’re not running around playing cowboys —

elif: Okay, okay. Take it easy, gentlemen. August, I am hearing you say that you are well enough to continue with this interview. If that changes, please let me know. Now, I can start by asking you some questions, which is what I would normally do, but I hear from Lawrence that you used to do this for a living, so why don’t you save us all some time and just tell me what the hell is going on.

august: I wouldn’t know where to begin. Could you ask a question, just to start me off in the right direction?

elif: Okay, fine. Good idea. In fact, I’ve got a better idea: I’ll give you a selection of questions and you can pick which one you want to begin with. Since you’re not feeling well. Does that sound fair? Excellent. Let’s see. Which laws have you broken since you arrived in Turkey? No, not that one? Okay, okay. What is the prison sentence for engaging in activities in support of a terrorist group? Not that one either? How about this one? On balance, do you think Youssef Haddad is in a better or worse position than you right now? Do you think Youssef Haddad had a representative of his government sitting in the room to make sure that he was all right when we interviewed him? Do you think Youssef Haddad is happy with his current situation? Do you think — Is something the matter, August? Shall I continue?

august: Youssef hasn’t done anything wrong, Elif. He hasn’t broken any laws, he hasn’t done anything to harm Turkey’s national security. [Sound of coughing.] When he was told about a crime being committed he called the police to report it immediately. He doesn’t deserve to be in trouble.

lawrence: Come on, give him some credit, August. You might have been the director, but he was your leading man. It’s just a shame that we saw through your little charade straightaway.

august: You mean his meetings with you? That’s a different matter. He might have embarrassed you, Lawrence, but he didn’t break any laws.

lawrence: He didn’t embarrass me, as I said —

elif: Wait, wait, wait. This is my interview. You are here as a courtesy. August, let’s have the full story, please.

august: Where shall I start? I used to work for British intelligence, but you know that already. In fact, Lawrence was there the day I left, weren’t you? Can you remember the date? No, my memory’s a bit foggy too. Anyway, after a few months I got a job here. And on the flight I saw a young British man behaving strangely. [Sound of coughing.] Something about him reminded me of other Daesh converts I’ve met. It was obvious he was on edge, pretending to be something he wasn’t. When we landed he was immediately detained by your colleagues, Elif, but before they took him away he was able to discard a piece of paper with directions to a meeting place.

lawrence: Wait, this guy was British?

elif: William Lewis Evans, 31 years old. Prefers to be called Billy. Or Abu Ahmed Al Biritani, if you look at his Twitter account. He’s a bit of a joke, this one. It was his third attempt to get into Turkey. Each time we stop him and send him back. We keep asking