Novel is avalibale at Amazon: Forty Days to Armageddon
Chapter Three
February 11—2:30 P.M. Palacio de Miraflores, Caracas, Venezuela
Robinson found his way across Caracas having taken a taxi to the front gate of the MiraforesPalace where a pair of armed guards eyed him suspiciously. The usual entourage was left behind as President Santiago trusted no one. Robinson was led through a central patio featuring lush flowering plants and a pair of shading palm trees that towered over a bubbling fountain perched in the center.
He was escorted to the Joaquín Crespo Salon where thirty-six ornate carved dark mahogany chairs surrounded the largest table he had ever seen other than the one in the queen’s palace in England. Every aspect of the décor from the parquet polished floor, the French baroque chandelier, and the oiled art that hung discreetly announced that the room existed as a monument to aristocratic refinement.
Hidden in the shadows stood Alejandro Santiago a figure of modest stature; a slightly disheveled man with jet black hair, thick eyebrows, and a champagne glass held in his hand. He dressed in a dark green military uniform with a plethora of pins and patches laid across his chest.
“Care for a glass of wine?” He held up a bottle of Chateau Margaux.
“That is very kind of you, Mr. President.” He accepted the wine and took a sip while they strolled back to the patio where a cockatoo eyed them suspiciously.
“Your country is most disturbed with the recent test in Iran?” he began.
“We are concerned.”
“You should have stopped it long before it came to this you know. I always figured Israel would put a stop to it. It was your county’s fault this happened as the Jews did not feel that you would back them up properly.”
“We always backed them…. ”
“You always said you would, however invisible lines were drawn as to how far you would go. The precious oil, of course, is behind the whole of it. You gave them military hardware and let them build up their defenses. It is like sending a child into the playground with a weapon and everyone expects him to hold off the school bully without the support of his friends. ‘Who will help me when the bully attacks? I really don’t want to use the weapon. Perhaps I can run?’ All these things go through his mind. In the end he will put it off until the bully is pummeling him senseless.”
“You are right of course. Our support should have been clearly laid out so that everyone would know where they stand. However, it is the nature of politics to maintain uncertain relationships that often dissolve in the sand.”
The crack of gunfire sounded nearby.
“Did you hear that?”
“It could be gun-fire I suppose.”
Santiago grabbed Robinson by the sleeve and led him back to the salon.
One of the guards ran into the room. “RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! We are being over-run by revolucionarios!”
Behind him several khaki-green figures armed with machine-guns sprayed the room with bullets and shot the guard in the back. Riddled with bullets he died before he hit the floor. Robinson and president Santiago dove to the floor as the bullets buzzed like crazed hornets over their heads. The pair crawled under the table while the room disintegrated in clouds of splintering smoke, plaster raining down around them, most of it landing on the table.
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Armageddon: 2013
Mystery / Thriller. . .The Day Iran set off the WMD. . . . . . . . . . . . . A half-billion would die before it was over. . . . . . Some said that Admiral Mustafa Mahdi was the most ruthless man in history, others said a savior. He was a man who unde...
