Page 132 of Grave Danger

“This has gone very wrong,” she said, sniffling. “I need—I think I should speak to Farid.”

Nouri was incredulous. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I don’t want to go to jail. Look what happened to my sister.”

“Stop,” said Nouri. “You have to stay strong.”

“What good am I to Yasmin if I’m behind bars? If I ask Farid not to prosecute me for taking Yasmin, maybe we can work this out between us.”

“Farid is not your answer,” Nouri said. “The only way forward is to keep pressure on the US government.”

“I think talking to Farid is an excellent idea,” said Jack.

“You don’t even know Farid,” said Nouri.

“Farid came to see me after the hearing,” said Jack. “He told me it was Ava’s wish that Yasmin be raised in the West. He wants to honor that wish.”

“Then Yasmin belongs with me,” said Zahra.

“That’s what I told him.”

“What was his response?”

Jack soft-pedaled it. “You’re not his first choice.”

Nouri scoffed. “You see, Zahra? You still want to call Farid?”

Jack looked at Zahra with as much sincerity as he could muster. “I believe he could be persuaded.”

Her sad eyes glimmered with a bit of hope. “You really think so?”

Jack could see it in her expression and hear it in her voice: Zahra welcomed any sign that Farid didn’t hate her. That alone raised more questions about her allegations against Farid, though it wasn’t at all unheard of for the abused to seek the approval of their abuser. Jack’s more immediate problem was to extricate himself and Yasmin from a bad situation, and he had to exploit any angle.

“I think Farid would be receptive to your call,” said Jack.

Nouri’s anger rose. “Zahra, he’s playing you. Farid is a distraction. The FBI is trying to stall, and so is he. Don’t bring Farid into this.”

Jack continued to work on Zahra. “You said it yourself. This is all wrong. I’m sure Farid feels the same way. Everyone’s options are narrowing. Let’s talk to him about keeping Yasmin in the US. Maybe we can work something out.”

“That’s never going to happen,” said Nouri.

“We’ll never know unless you talk to him,” said Jack.

Zahra seemed torn. Clearly, she didn’t want to disappoint Nouri. But for reasons Jack was only beginning to understand, she felt some kind of connection to Farid, and her feelings tipped in the other direction.

“I want to speak to Farid,” she said.

Nouri muttered something in his native tongue.

“Please,” said Zahra. “I must talk to him.”

Nouri glared at Jack, directing none of his anger toward Zahra. “Fine,” he said. “Call Farid. But I want it on speaker so I can hear. And don’t tell him I’m here.”

Farid’s phone number was on the initial court filing, which Jack pulled up on his cell.

“Let me initiate the call and break the ice,” said Jack. “Then you can take it from there.”

Zahra agreed. Jack dialed, and on the third ring, Farid answered.