Chapter 15: Ash

Once Lexa was out of the room, Ahmed didn't waste time getting down to business. He informed me that he would pay me $500,000 a year and that I would be assuming Omar's position as his right hand, as long as I proved to be as good as Azan had said I was. I asked him exactly what he expected of me since I really didn't know what Omar really did. He simply said that I would lead the missions, train the recruits, and do anything else he required of me.

I thought about it for a few minutes. Ahmed was basically asking me to do the exact same things I did for Azan, but he offered to pay me almost three times as much. He must really want or need me, so maybe I have some leverage with him. I decided to ask for a few concessions before agreeing to the terms of the contracts. I said, "I want Lexa to be my partner because after the valley, I know I can trust her with my life. I also would prefer that she share my room at least until she is back to 100%. I want my own vehicle and ATV that I can modify as I see fit, and they will not be used by anyone but me. I need to be able to trust my partner and my equipment."

He just smiled and said, "I see why Azan liked you so much."

He agreed to my terms, so we continued to discuss my new duties for the next few hours. He then showed me around the entire complex, at least what I needed to do my job. While we walked, I asked him about Omar replaying what happened as we left the safe house a few days ago. He said that Omar had told him what happened. Ahmed noted that Omar said that Lexa attacked him for no reason and that he only defended himself. He also said that he had told Omar to leave us alone. I was pissed. I told him that Omar was full of shit, that he had started it, and when Lexa bested him in the fight, two of his guys held her while he used her as a punching bag. I explained that if it weren't for Omar, we would have been here the next day. But instead, Lexa almost bled to death and had to be rushed into emergency surgery, all because of Omar. I told him that if Omar gave Lexa or myself any shit, I would kill him.

After we finished the tour, he showed me to my room and gave me directions to where Lexa's room was located. I went inside my room to see what it looked like. It was about the same as the one at Azan's place but maybe a little bigger. It would be plenty big enough for two beds and the couch that was already here. When we went back to town, I would have to buy a TV, DVD player, and maybe even a game console if Lexa wants one. Next, I went to check out the bathroom. It was actually more significant than the one at Azan's and even had a tub. This would definitely make my time here better than I had anticipated. I can't wait to show Lexa our new space.