FEBRUARY 5, ‘25 // Rachamim looked warily at Jamil. Was this an innocent invitation to speak—or did Jamil have sinister intentions? His hand slid into his pocket and he fingered the alarm that Arthur had given him. Rachamim knew that he would have to remain on his guard. He removed his tallit and tefillin before following Jamil to his room, but kept his hand close to the alarm in his pocket. “Haven’t I repeatedly warned you to get out of this city?” Jamil demanded the moment they entered his room. “You haven’t given me any reason to listen to you,” Rachamim told him. “My life was already completely disrupted once before. Do you think that I can just get up and leave everything, that I can destroy my life because of some figment of your imagination?” “I am not imagining anything,” Jamil said insistently. “I know what I am talking about! Here I am, trying to save your life, but you won’t listen to anything I tell you!” “Then explain it to me!” Rachamim said in exasperation. “Why don’t you speak clearly?” Recap: Jamil is shocked to find Rachamim in shul. The US soldiers identify Abu Salim and get the go-ahead for the operation. CHAPTER 38 Jamil averted his gaze. “I did not speak clearly because I didn’t know exactly what was going to take place. I only knew that something terrible would happen. And then … I saw that they had kidnapped you. I was happy that you were safe from the tragedy that would be taking place in this city.” A shadow of a smile crossed Rachamim’s face. “Actually, the kidnapping was good for me. In the end, I recovered the treasure that had been taken from me over twenty years ago.” “What do you mean?” Jamil asked in confusion. “I found my lost children,” Rachamim announced joyfully. Jamil gasped in astonishment. He stared at Rachamim’s beaming face. Found his children? Did that mean that they had been reunited in Afghanistan? The world seemed to spin for a moment, as everything Jamil thought he knew was suddenly turned on its head. Jamil grabbed Rachamim’s hand and shook it to bring him back to reality. “Listen to me!” he said urgently. “Don’t you realize you’re dealing with al Qaeda? If they let you escape with your children, it’s because they want you to be destroyed here, 176
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