Page 137 of Grave Danger

Andie exited the videoconference, and her screen went black.

Her partner looked over from the passenger seat with clear shock on her face. “What now?” asked Grace.

Andie reached for her phone. “I need to get through to Isaac,” she said. “Gotta get the green light on SWAT back to red.”

Chapter 51

Jack checked the clock on the kitchen wall. Nouri had given the FBI thirty minutes for a callback from “the right person,” a deadline that had long since passed. He was pacing like a caged tiger as Jack and Zahra watched from their barstools at the counter.

“They think I’m bluffing,” said Nouri.

“Please sit,” said Zahra.

“I’m not bluffing. I’ll release this video. They’re playing with fire.”

“Nouri, please. You’re making me nervous. Sit down.”

Nouri stopped and shot a look of reproval. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

The tone made Zahra shrink. Nouri resumed pacing.

Jack could see a transformation in Nouri. It plainly annoyed him that the FBI was dragging its feet. More than that, it seemed Nouri was still stewing over the way Zahra had insisted on contacting Farid, even though Nouri had things “under control.” Jack, too, had found Zahra’s behavior odd—and revealing.

As Jack saw it, there was the one triangle of Ava/Zahra/Farid, and a second of Nouri/Zahra/Farid. The common leg was Zahra and Farid, about which Jack was certain of only one thing: Zahra had never been straight with him. It seemed that Nouri, too, was fed up with the lies. Jack didn’t know why the FBI had let Nouri’s deadline pass without a response, but if the bureau no longer saw negotiation as the solution to this standoff, it was time for Jack to take matters into his own hands. He had to convince Nouri that Zahra’s fight was no longer worth fighting. The truth about Zahra and Farid was Jack’s only point of leverage.

“Do you feel used, Nouri?” Jack asked.

He stopped pacing. “By your government, yes. I was used in the worst way.”

“I was talking about something different,” said Jack, his gaze drifting in Zahra’s direction.

“Are you accusingmeof using Nouri?” she asked with indignation.

Too muchindignation, thought Jack.

“It was your idea to tell Farid that Ava was sleeping with Nouri,” said Jack. “I’m surprised Nouri would let himself be used in that way.”

“The idea was to get Farid to drop his lawsuit,” said Zahra. “How many times do we have to tell you that?”

“Oh, right,” said Jack, his voice laden with skepticism. “He would be too proud to go through the court system if it meant making it public that his wife cheated on him.”

Nouri said, “If you knew Farid, you would understand it was a good plan.”

Jack dropped the sarcasm, his expression very serious. “Except that Zahra had a very different goal,” he said, and then looked again at Zahra. “Didn’t you?”

She seemed to sense where Jack’s questioning was headed. “Don’t you dare go down this road.”

“I’ve been thinking about this ever since you called your sister an ‘evil woman,’” Jack said, and then he looked at Nouri. “Do you think Ava was evil, Nouri?”

“Of course not.”

Zahra started to backpedal. “I didn’t meanshewas an evil person. I meant—all I meant is that she could do evil things.”

“Which is why you sent Nouri to lie about an affair—to show Farid that Ava could do evil things, even if it was a lie.”

“So that Farid would drop his lawsuit.”

“No. YouusedNouri to convince Farid that Ava was unworthy of him as a wife.”