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Out of Darkness

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Contents

Dedication.............................................vChapter 1 A Changed Man................................1Chapter 2 Troubling Day................................8Chapter 3 Rick Austin..................................14Chapter 4 A Tight Circle...............................24Chapter 5 Getting Started..............................31Chapter 6 Down to Business.............................37Chapter 7 Abe's Key Insights...........................44Chapter 8 Friday Lunch.................................49Chapter 9 Critical Features............................54Chapter 10 Lebanese Supper.............................60Chapter 11 An Evening Walk.............................67Chapter 12 Trudy and George............................77Chapter 13 Major Difference............................87Chapter 14 Sam's Surprise..............................94Chapter 15 Saturday Afternoon..........................103Chapter 16 Beirut Alumni Evening.......................116Chapter 17 First Date..................................126Chapter 18 Ahmed.......................................137Chapter 19 Thursday....................................145Chapter 20 Ahmed's Mosque Day..........................155Chapter 21 The Garage and Air Base.....................164Chapter 22 Tan Van.....................................172Chapter 23 Take Down...................................184Chapter 24 Ahmed in Atlanta............................195Chapter 25 Disappointment..............................202Chapter 26 Return to Tampa.............................205Chapter 27 Interview...................................209Chapter 28 Reunion.....................................215Acknowledgments........................................221Notes..................................................223Bibliography...........................................237

Chapter One

Sam Flynn had spent the night at the Palm Beach Hotel, not far out of Limassol, Cyprus. The flight from the States had been uneventful, but his London stopover had cost him a suitcase, along with the frustrations that accompanied its loss. His destination was Beirut, Lebanon.

Over the years, he'd made a practice of breaking up long flights by stopping and grabbing a night's rest before reaching his final destination. Unfortunately, the events of the first leg of his trip and a restless night had left him tired and groggy as his alarm shattered a deep sleep and he shuffled to the bathroom.

His bald head betrayed his youth. A closer look at his lean, muscular body would alert any observer to the physical prowess of the man. Splashing water on his face didn't change his sense of weariness. It had been a rough couple of weeks in his Washington office, trying to keep everyone briefed on recent happenings in the Middle East; then, out of the blue came special orders for Lebanon. And of course, he'd been told he was the best man for the job. He had to agree. Experience was important. But the flip side of that was simply there were many men needing to acquire more experience, and they weren't going to get it behind a desk. Nobody really listened to his argument. They'd made up their minds.

Actually, he hadn't protested too much, even when his wife Trudy went ballistic. They had a wonderful relationship but the trip planned to see her aging mother appeared to be falling apart. At this point in her mother's life, delays always carried the old question as to whether or not Trudy would have a chance to see her again. So far, each of her setbacks had been overcome fairly quickly. However, all of her doctors remained noncommittal about any future incidents. Sam had consoled her as best he could under the circumstances. Finally, he'd said, "I don't think I'll be gone more than a week. Why don't you fly up now and I'll take some leave as soon as I get back and drive up to spend a few days with you both?"

This hadn't been the answer she wanted, but as a good army wife, she knew this was about all she was going to get right now. She'd fallen back on her old standby chin high eyes dry motto and said, "Sam, we'll make it work," just before he gave her a big hug and kiss.

Over the years, Trudy had come to learn the simple truth: Sam loved the opportunity of being in the field. Pushing paper was not for him. He'd grab any alternative that presented itself to avoid the mundane of the office. Most of his friends felt the same way. Being in the field always brought unexpected challenges, and he thrived on each one he encountered. His task this time seemed pretty simple. He was to make contact with an informant. Together they would travel to his home in civil war-torn south Lebanon using whatever transportation and infiltration techniques he thought were required. In the process, Sam would assess every aspect of his new friend's personality, character, and reliability while gathering as much firsthand information as he could about the sectarian violence. He'd done things like this on several other occasions. Such missions always came with a sense of adventure, and he was looking forward to every minute of his trip. He loved Lebanon and its people. He couldn't wait to enjoy the food.

After lunch, the flight to Beirut had been short and without incident. His reservation at the Hotel Phoenicia placed him in close proximity to good shopping, and he'd taken the time to pick up a couple pairs of trousers and some shirts before grabbing a nap.

He traveled as a businessman seeking items for his import-export business. Those who needed to know of his activities had been briefed. As usual, he made it a point to avoid contact with any U.S. government officials at this point in his mission. Such contacts had a way of raising the curiosity quotient among onlookers, and Sam wanted to avoid any suspicions as he began his mission. It just didn't make sense to do anything that could spark someone's curiosity about his activities. Rather, arrangements had been made to meet his contact, George Ayoub, at the hotel about eight that evening for supper.

Sam had seen a picture of George before leaving Washington, so they met as old friends and businessmen in the lobby before heading upstairs to the Age d'Or (Age of Gold) rooftop restaurant. He'd also read a file on George that led him to believe he could be trusted. From Sam's perspective, this was the most important information he'd acquired because they would be moving through dangerous contested areas getting to George's home tomorrow.

Sam found George to be very congenial. He had a good sense of humor, and they joked back and forth about their experiences in Beirut as students and Lebanese life in general. George took the opportunity to update Sam on happenings in the south while making certain he understood the dangers they'd be facing. Sam was well aware of his situation and evidenced more concern about George and his family than he did himself.

They'd both left the restaurant with a sense of reassurance about each other and the business at hand. They also perceived the beginning of a genuine friendship. As they parted, George agreed to pick Sam up about three the next afternoon for the trip south. It was hoped they would arrive in George's small village east of Sidon just before dusk. George wanted to avoid any curious onlookers who might spot a foreigner in his company and spread the word. He'd planned a supper meal and meeting with a group of fellow Christians who'd suffered...