On Wings Of Eagles (1990)

"Dadgar said: 'Did you know the Americans are out of jail?' Abolhasan said: 'It's news to me.' Dadgar said: 'Get hold of EDS and tell them that if they find Chiapparone and Gaylord they are to turn them in, that I'm now willing to renegotiate the bail and it ought to be much more reasonable.' "

Gayden said: "Fuck him."

"All right," Simons said. "Tell Abolhasan to give Dadgar a message. Say we are searching for Paul and Bill, but meanwhile we hold Dadgar personally responsible for their safety."

Howell smiled and nodded, and began speaking to Abolhasan.

Simons turned to Gayden. "Call the American Embassy. Yell at them a little. They got Paul and Bill thrown in jail. Now the jail has been stormed and we don't know where Paul and Bill are, but we hold the Embassy responsible for their safety. Make it convincing. There must be Iranian spies at the Embassy--you can bet your ass Dadgar will have the text of the message in minutes."

Gayden went to find a phone.

Simons, Coburn, and Poche, with Paul and Bill, moved to the new suite Coburn had taken on the floor above.

Coburn ordered two steak dinners for Paul and Bill. He told room service to send them to Gayden's suite: there was to be no unnecessary traffic in and out of the new rooms.

Paul took a hot bath. He had been longing for it. He had not had a bath for six weeks. He reveled in the clean white bathroom, the piping hot water, the fresh cake of soap ... He would never take such things for granted again. He washed the Gasr Prison out of his hair. There were clean clothes waiting for him: someone had retrieved his suitcase from the Hilton, where he had been staying until he was arrested.

Bill took a shower. His euphoria had gone. He had imagined that the nightmare was over when he walked into Gayden's suite, but gradually it had dawned on him that he was still in danger; there was no U.S. Air Force jet waiting to fly him home at twice the speed of sound. Dadgar's message via Abolhasan, the appearance of Simons, and the new security precautions--this suite, Poche closing the curtains, the shuttling of the food--all made him realize that the escape had only just begun.

All the same, he enjoyed his steak dinner.

Simons was still uneasy. The Hyatt was near the Evin Hotel where the U.S. military stayed, the Evin Prison, and an armory: all these were natural targets for the revolutionaries. Dadgar's phone call was also worrying. Plenty of Iranians knew that the EDS people were staying at the Hyatt: Dadgar could easily find out, and send men to search for Paul and Bill.

While Simons, Coburn, and Bill were discussing this in the sitting room of the suite, the phone rang.

Simons stared at it.

It rang again.

"Who the fuck knows we're here?" Simons said.

Coburn shrugged.

Simons picked up the phone and said: "Hello?"

There was a pause.

"Hello?"

He hung up. "Nobody there."

At that moment Paul walked in in his pajamas. Simons said: "Change your clothes, we're going to leave."

"Why?" Paul protested.

Simons repeated: "Change your clothes, we're going to leave."

Paul shrugged and went back into the bedroom.

Bill found it hard to believe. On the run again already! Somehow Dadgar was staying in authority through all the violence and chaos of the revolution. But who was working for him? The guards had fled the jails, the police stations had been burned, the army had surrendered--who was left to carry out Dadgar's orders?

The devil and all his hordes, Bill thought.

Simons went down to Gayden's suite while Paul was dressing. He got Gayden and Taylor in a corner. "Get all these turkeys out of here," he said in a low voice. "The story is, Paul and Bill are in bed for the night. You'll all come to our place tomorrow morning. Leave at seven o'clock, just as if you were going to the office. Don't pack any bags, don't check out, don't pay your hotel bill. Joe Poche will be waiting for you outside, and he'll have figured out a safe route to the house. I'm taking Paul and Bill there now--but don't tell the others that until the morning."

"Okay," said Gayden.

Simons went back upstairs. Paul and Bill were ready. Coburn and Poche were waiting. The five of them walked to the elevator.

As they were going down, Simons said: "Now, let's just walk out of here like it was the normal thing to do."

They reached the ground floor. They walked across the vast lobby and out into the forecourt. The two Range Rovers were parked there.

As they crossed the forecourt a big dark car drew up, and four or five ragged men with machine guns jumped out.

Coburn muttered: "Oh, shit."

The five Americans kept walking.

The revolutionaries ran over to the doorman.

Poche threw open the doors of the first Range Rover. Paul and Bill jumped in. Poche started the engine and pulled away fast. Simons and Coburn got into the second car and followed.

The revolutionaries went into the hotel.