Page 141 of Grave Danger

“That’s the way we see it,” said Tidwell. “Nouri has effectively threatened to kill Agent Guthrie, who’s at the mercy of the Iranian regime in a Tehran prison cell. We have no choice.”

“You have to breach,” said Andie.

“We have to breach. There’s only one question: Are you in or are you out?”

He was asking her again to make the phone call to Jack—to act as the diversion for the SWAT breach. It was Andie’s calculation that a breach was more likely to succeed with a diversion than without one, which left only one answer.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m in.”

Chapter 53

Tension was rising inside the beach cottage. Nouri’s deadline—I want this deal wrapped up in thirty minutes—was ancient history, and Jack’s phone was silent.

“They’re out there,” said Nouri. “I can feel it.”

Nouri had moved Jack, Zahra, and Yasmin to the dining room, away from the glass doors and large windows in the kitchen. It was more of a dining area than a formal dining room, rectangular in shape with large openings at the short ends, one that led to the kitchen and the other to the great room. Slatted plantation shutters covered the doors and windows throughout the cottage, and Nouri had closed all of them to prevent anyone from seeing inside. Jack and Zahra were seated at the glass-top table. Nouri had threatened to tie them up with an extension cord if they moved without his permission, but it hadn’t come to that. Yasmin lay asleep in the corner on a blanket. The dimmer was on low to keep the chandelier light from waking her. Nouri was standing along the wall, off to the side of the window. Every few minutes, he would peer through a tiny slit in the shutters. Paranoia was setting in.

“Who’s out there?” asked Jack.

“SWAT. I know they are. This is taking too long.”

“You told Jack’s wife that the next call better be from someone with authority to meet your demands,” said Zahra. “I’m sure it’s just taking time to find the right person.”

“Zahra, shut up,” he said harshly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

There was silence. Nouri walked to the kitchen entranceway to check for the sound of SWAT outside the cottage, and then to the front opening to the great room.

“You won’t hear them if they’re out there,” said Jack.

“You agree with me, then? They’re here?”

“All I know is that this is pointless, and you should give up. The FBI won’t agree to your demand.”

“You don’t even know what my new demand is.”

“Money? An airplane out of the United States? Whatever it is, you don’t need three hostages. You should at least let Yasmin go.”

Nouri glanced at Yasmin, who was sound asleep on the floor. “She’s the only reason SWAT hasn’t busted down the door already.”

Jack couldn’t disagree, at least not convincingly, so he tried a different strategy.

“I could probably help you,” he said.

“Help me what?”

“Shape your pitch. Give it the best chance of success.”

“I can make my own demand,” said Nouri.

“See, you already have the wrong focus. It’s not about your demand—whatyouhave to gain. It’s about the quid pro quo. You have to make them understand clearly whattheystand to gain. Or what they stand to lose if they don’t give you what you want.”

“The US government knows what it stands to lose.”

“That’s an assumption on your part. Assumptions are dangerous in negotiations.”

“Have you not been paying attention, Swyteck? If they don’t meet my demand, the world learns the truth about Ava Bazzi.”

“But what does that mean, exactly—‘the truth about Ava Bazzi’?”

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