Page 144 of Grave Danger

Nouri finished by saying what needed to be said.

“It wasn’t the Iranian morality police who killed Ava Bazzi. It was that coward from the CIA. That’s what the truth looks like,” he said, and thenhe spoke directly to Andie on the cell phone. “Does the US government get the picture, Agent Henning?”

“Yes, we get it,” said Andie.

Jack could hear it in her voice: she too was hearing this for the first time. But she stayed in role.

“Before we meet your demand, I need to know that Yasmin is safe.”

“She’s safe,” said Nouri.

“Jack, is Yasmin safe?”

“Yes. She’s right here in the room with us. Asleep on the floor.”

“Okay, good. Have you been playing that silly Harry Potter game with her? The one you play with Righley?”

The question was out of left field, but Jack had to assume there was a point to it. “You mean the cloak of invisibility?”

“Yeah, that one. Have you played it with Yasmin?”

In the Harry Potter series, Harry and his friends at Hogwarts could become invisible by covering themselves with the cloak of invisibility. It wasn’t actually a “game” that Jack played with Righley, but more of an annoying “daddy trick” in which he became the cloak and smothered her entire body in a giant hug.

“No, we haven’t played it,” said Jack.

“Well, you should.”

Nouri was losing patience. “Enough with the Harry Potter bullshit.”

“You should definitely play that game with Yasmin,” said Andie.

“I said enough!” shouted Nouri.

“Jack, do it now!”

Jack took her cue, launched himself from his chair, and dove to the corner of the room, “cloaking” Yasmin with his body as a human shield.

In the same instant the glass doors to the kitchen exploded, sending glass pellets and fragments of the wood shutters flying. Zahra screamed at the top of her voice as a SWAT team burst into the cottage and charged toward the dining area.

“FBI, drop your weapon!” they shouted.

Jack heard the crack of gunshot from very close by, probably from Nouri. A flurry of return fire followed, and Nouri fell to the floor beside him.

Yasmin was crying, confused and frightened. An FBI agent snatched her from Jack’s arms, and a barrage of questions came from everywhere.

“Are you okay?”

“Is anyone injured?”

“Is everyone okay?”

Nouri was still breathing, but barely. He lay in a crimson pool of his own blood.

“Don’t move!” a SWAT agent shouted.

Nouri’s eyes blinked open. Jack moved closer and sat at his side. He was struggling to say something.

“My demand,” he whispered.