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“Our cover papers are in order,” Adnan countered “The best money can buy”

The Iranian looked at hih he were insane “We are arinia They will fingerprint me and know in seconds who I really am We are trapped,” he added in another hiss “How could this be? How?”

Adnan pointed at the man’s hand “Perhaps that cell phone you’re always on They can track these things I’ve warned you before about that”

“Allah’s will be done,” Gul Khan said as he put his gun’s firing selector on full auto, apparently in accordance with God’s wishes

Muhammad stared at him incredulously “If we are stopped now, our plans will not succeed Do you think God wants that? Do you!” He paused and took a deep, steadying breath “Here is what I want you two to do What youtree canopies and said in a firm voice, “I want you to hold them off, while I h these trees to the west I can call Marwan to come and pick me up in the other truck at that location But you must hold them off You must do this!”

Adnan stared sullenly at his leader By his expression, if there were a literal translation for “chickenshit” in his native tongue, Adnan would’ve certainly used it

“Go, now, draw them off, it is your sacrifice for the cause,” Muha away

“If we are to die while you escape, then give un,” Adnan said bitterly “You will have no need of it”

The Iranian pulled out his pistol and tossed it to Adnan

The burly Khan turned toward the chopper and smiled “How about this plan, Adnan?” he said over his shoulder “Firing into their tail prop before they can land worked very well against the As when they hit the ground”

The bullet hit hi Khan’s own spine like a twig, and the big Afghani fell dead

Adnan swiveled his pistol away fro this traitorous attack, had started to run He was not fleet of foot, however, and the cowboy boots he favored were not built for running Adnan caught up to hi tree trunk

Muhaue as Adnan pointed Muhammad’s own pistol at him The stream of invectives in Farsi fro Arabic and then finally in English: “Adnan, please Why? Why?”

In Arabic Adnan answered, “You deal drugs, you say, to makefor

your precious cowboy boots and your fancy jewelry than you do on the work of Islam, Muhammad You have lost the way You are American now But that is not why I do this”

“Tell me why then!” the Iranian shouted

“It is your sacrifice for a greater end” Adnan didn’t smile, but the triumph was very clear in his eyes He fired a contact shot into the e flowed froun, then set it down and , where the chopper had landed and one of the passenger doors was now opening Adnan had lied It was actually a four-person chopper Two ri between the to retrieve a shotgun from the Suburban

The object theThey unzipped it Inside was a man, a man who looked remarkably like Adnan and was dressed identically to hi They set hiainst a tree near where the dead Iranian lay Adnan handed his wallet to one of the men and he placed it in the unconscious un from Adnan, pressed Muhammad’s dead hands around it, pointed it at the unconsciousaway part of his face A living hus, and not by his choosing Who would select that vocation, except a madman?

Ato the helicopter, and they climbed in; it inias on the chopper’s sides or tail, and none of the men wore uniforms Indeed, they barely looked at Adnan as he settled himself in one of the backseats and pulled on his safety harness It was as though they were trying to forget he was even there

Adnan was no longer thinking about his dead colory that awaited hienerations to come in awed tones Adnan al-Rimi was now officially a dead man Yet he would never be more valuable

The chopper took a northerly route, on its way to western Pennsylvania To a town called Brennan A inia sky was quiet once entle rain that took its ti away all the blood