Philippine Sea
Abdullah turned from his laptop and saw Col. Ibrahim hesitate before stepping out of the yacht’s dark interior. The AS commander glanced up toward the security man leaning on the rail one level above the sun-deck and glared. The sentry stared back for a moment and then turned his attention to the horizon. Abdullah snapped his laptop closed and stood.
“I have been in contact with the leadership and received some guidance in regard to our situation.” He’d planned their meeting for the open air of the yacht’s weather decks to avoid having to suffer Ibrahim’s body odor but the man surprised him by arriving freshly showered and surprisingly clean-shaven. In Abdullah’s relatively limited association with Filipino Muslims, he’d found them proud of the scraggly facial hair that pa
