Chapter 19
1300, 4 August 2004
Rasheed Hotel
Ar Ramadi, Iraq
Saif and Abdul wandered into the Rasheed Hotel and approached the front desk, where Ahmed sat reading a book.
“Where’s your cousin?” Saif asked.
“He waited many weeks,” Ahmed answered. “When you didn’t come, he went home.”
Saif handed Ahmed 50 American dollars.
“Make sure your cousin gets half,” Saif said. “We have a job for both of you tomorrow. You better be here in the morning. And tell your cousin he better not make us find him.”
Ahmed immediately called Uncle Ghazi. “Uncle Ghazi, will you have Haitham call me? It is very urgent.”
“Have the Hadeeds done something?”
Ahmed hesitated because he didn’t know if Haitham had told Uncle Ghazi about what happened.
“Ahmed!” Uncle Ghazi exclaimed. “We don’t have family secre
