Sayyed finished buttoning the fresh white shirt and then put on his suit coat. He heard footsteps coming down the hall and turned to see Ali standing in the open doorway.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Yes. How are our neighbors across the street?"
"Nothing new. We estimate they have between thirty and fifty men."
"And us?"
"Thirty-two."
Sayyed nodded, and thought the number enough to handle a problem should one arise. Changing subjects, he said, "You have heard about this new American? The one who is staying at the Shady Cedar?"
Ali nodded. "Two of my men have been following him this morning." He held up a two-way radio. "They have sent me regular updates. They say the man is a fool."
"A fool?" Sayyed said, finding the word an interesting choice.
"He is wandering around the streets, asking merchants for information about kidnapped Americans and mentioning your name. He's handing out money and telling people where he is staying. Telling them he is here to negotiate their release. I am worried that some other faction will grab him. In fact, I will be amazed if he makes it to lunch, and if someone else gets him..." He made a pained expression and a clicking noise.
"It could complicate our negotiations."
"Yes."
Ali continued " The new American is young, inexperienced, and very nervous."
Sayyed's ears perked up "Young you say?" "Yes" Ali replied.
Sayyed slowly smiled, he knew who this young American was.
Mitch Rapp.
"Why don't you pick him up, but be very careful. You know how sneaky the Americans can be. Take him someplace first and strip him down. Make sure he isn't carrying any tracking devices. Then bring him here and show him the rabid dog in the basement ... find out how serious they are about making an offer."
"You are not seriously considering handing them back to the Americans?"
"No, I am not, but I would like to see if the Americans can help drive the price up a bit. Now go get this other American, and make sure no one is following you. Bring him back here and we will see what he has to say, and then I will give you some time to take out your frustrations on Mr. Sherman."
Sorry for the late and short chapter guys its just university has been so hectic and this semester is just awful.
I can't even tell you how much this semester sucks because of the amount of assignments that have piled up and 1000 word essays i gotta write.
Also i have midterms coming up next month so I'm just so overwhelmed with uni that i haven't even got time to watch the new episodes of my favorite shows :'(
But other than all that, i just wanna thank you guys so much for following my story and taking your valuable time to read it. You guys encourage me to write more and i love ya'll for that <3
Enjoyy