After more than a week there was still no sign of the Jordanians. Hassan was increasingly anxious and Sayid could tell even Nadia was concerned. Late one night they were awakened by pounding and the sound of voices. Suddenly the door opened.
"I apologize." Hassan said. "Please get dressed quickly and come. I have news."
They dressed and walked down the hall to the main room. Several men and a woman were gathered around Hassan. He motioned for Nadia to come to him, but she shook her head and took Sayid's hand in hers.
"What is it?" She asked. "Tell me."
"Assef is dead." Hassan said.
Sayid felt Nadia tremble slightly, but nothing else about her betrayed any emotion. "How?" She said.
One of the men answered. "A car bomb. Tell her the rest, Hassan."
"There seems to be an information leak. The Jordanians were ambushed two days ago. Three hours later Assef's car blew up. We need to leave this place. Now. It is no longer safe." He looked at Nadia and Sayid. "It isn't safe for us all to travel together. We need to split up. Nadia, you will come with me, the rest of you will go with Jalal." The man who had spoken earlier nodded.
Nadia looked at Hassan. "No." She said. "I want to go with him." She gripped Sayid's hand hard.
Hassan walked over. "For once you will do as I say. We will meet them in Amman in a week." Heput his hand on her shoulder. "One week is not so long, eh?"
Nadia turned away from him and walked back to the bedroom. Sayid followed her.
"It's okay." He said. "You trust Hassan, right?"
"Yes."
"Then go with him and I will see you in Amman in a week."
She came to him then and covered her face with her hands. He realized that he had never seen her cry. He put his arms around her and held her. "This is all happening because of me. I am stubborn and foolish. Hassan is right. I should have gone on ahead."
"No one forced Assef to help you, or me. He did it because he wanted to. You know he is involved in lots of things. We don't know that this had anything to do with you. I don't think he is always careful." He remembered what the man who brought him here had told him. Assef knows everyone and everyone knows Assef. "Do you want me to ask Hassan if I can go with you?"
She looked at him. "Maybe, if you talk to him..."
"All right."
But Hassan would not be budged. "It is better this way. You just have to trust me. I will not let anything happen to her. I give you my word."
They could do nothing but what he asked. Jalal was impatient to be on the way. "Say your goodbyes. I will wait for you downstairs."
Hassan left them alone, too.
"A week, that is all." He said to her.
"A week." She kissed him and buried her face in his shoulder. "I have loved you since I was twelve years old."
"I wish I had known."
"You know now."
"Yes, and I love you now. One week." He kissed her.
"You need to go." She kissed him again and walked him to the door.
The trip into Jordan was surprisingly uneventful. The border guards hardly looked at their papers and they were in Amman by evening. Now he had nothing to do but wait for the week to be over. Three days in however, there was a message from Hassan. Plans had changed and they would meet in Cairo instead.
The change made Sayid nervous. Nadia hadn't wanted to go to Cairo. Jalal gave him a plane ticket and the address of a place to stay. It was more of a dormitory than a hotel, but it was a place to sleep, and the people were friendly. He made contact with a friend from university about some job possibilities, but he didn't want to make any decisions until Nadia got there. Hassan had left enough cash that the delay wouldn't be a problem.
The week passed with no word. Then, two weeks. He managed to make contact with Jalal in Amman, but no one had heard from Hassan, or Nadia. Jalal promised to let him know as soon as he heard anything. "You'll probably see them before I will though." He told him. But Sayid was increasingly worried. Something was definitely not right. In the middle of the fourth week he answered a knock to find Hassan at his door. He knew from the look on his face that the news was not good.
"May I come in?" The big man said.
The room was small and Hassan filled most of it, leaving Sayid feeling a bit intimidated.
"I am afraid I owe you an apology."
"For what?"
Hassan sighed and lowered his bulk into a chair. "We were deceived. When we left Ar Rutbah, I thought we were meeting an associate in Damascus. Assef tricked me into bringing Nadia to him. He found out about the two of you. Suddenly he tires of her independence. Talks about her disgracing the family..."
"Assef...what do you mean? He isn't dead? The car bomb...?"
"No. It was a ruse. Entirely fiction."
"What was he planning to do?"
"Take her somewhere, I suppose, maybe even back into Iraq."
"But she would be killed!"
"Not if he kept her hidden, which would also be away of controlling her." Hassan shook his head.
Sayid's interrogation training took over and he stood over Hassan barely controlling his anger. "You talk as if this didn't happen. If she is not with Assef, where is she!"
Hassan looked at him, genuine anguish on his face. "I do not know. I only know that when we discovered what was going on she ran. She took money from my bag. Not that I wouldn't have given it to her."
"When did this happen?"
"Four days after we left Ar Rutbah."
"But that is almost a month ago. Why wouldn't she come here, to me?"
"She is not that foolish. This is the first place Assef would look. He has probably had me followed as well. That is why I waited so long to see you."
"But I could have protected her."
"Perhaps. But you do not know Assef. He tries to live between two worlds but isn't comfortable in either of them. He is very traditional in his views on women, yet he has helped his sister many times to do things that are not in line with his way of thinking. Helping you was one of those times. At this point however, he would have no qualms about eliminating you if you got in his way."
"So what do we do?"
Hassan laughed. " I am old and fat. I am not going to do anything. You, however, can do whatever you wish to try to find her. I can help. I know many of the people she knows and you might be able to pick up a trail. But, Assef knows these people too, so she may be reluctant to go to them. Many people owe a debt to Assef. I can offer one other thing. I am in a position to fund your search. Most of my money is busy making money, as they say. I will set up an account for you. You can draw from it as you wish and the bank will inform me when you need more."
"Why are you doing this? Don't you work for Assef?"
"I work for myself. I do owe a debt to Assef, it is true, but Nadia is special to me, and seeing you together..." He paused. "My wife died many years ago. I have never had the desire to marry again. Some people belong together. If I can help you to find her, it would give me great pleasure, and ease my conscience."
"Where do I start?" Sayid realized that without Hassan's help he wouldn't even know where to begin.
Hassan pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "I've made a list of some of the people who might be inclined to help her, even with Assef involved. I suggest you start with those here in Egypt and Jordan. I will see what contacts I can make within Iraq. We'll be in touch and take it from there."
"How will I contact you?"
"I'll give you a number. Call, leave a message, and I will contact you. Stay here for a day or two while I get the bank account set up. I will let you know when things are ready." With great effort he hefted himself out of the chair. " I am truly sorry." He said.
Hassan left and Sayid thought about all that he had told him. He was inclined to trust him even though he had ties to Assef. His affection for Nadia was obviously genuine and his offer of money, and the list of names that he had given him would certainly help in a search. His choices limited, Sayid decided to believe him.