End of Chapter 24

“Damn it lover you don’t need any aphrodisiacs. Get the hell out of here. You better take that shower-alone. GO NOW, habibi, before I insist that you fuck me right here and now. Right on the floor with the servants as onlookers cheering you on.”

Chapter 25

Joseph, after taking a shower and a quick shave exited the bathroom drying his damp hair with a big fluffy towel. At one time he hated the fact that the army had insisted that his longish blond hair had to be cut short. Now he could see some advantages to the military ‘Buzz Cut’. First of all, it dried quickly and it was easy to keep groomed. But lately an additional plus came to light. Whenever he rubbed the short stubble it reminded him of Rich. Now that man was the love of his life, but at times he could be so weird.

For the last few weeks, during their lovemaking, he would find any excuse (or no excuse at all) to rub his cock and balls over the short hair. When Joseph asked him why, he said it was a major turn on. That it felt like tiny electric shocks stimulating his libido. He said it made him fantasize about all kinds of erotic situations, none of which he would divulge. Joseph never pressed him for any answers, but the fantasies sure added to their bedtime activities.. Oh! Damn it, there I go again the soldier thought; all I have to do is to think about Rich and I start getting hard. I’ve got to put him out of my mind. Thinking about him can make me careless and I cannot afford the luxury of that now. It takes only one slip and its curtains for me. (No, not the type of curtains he visualized in one of his own crazy fantasies. The one in which the both of them were on stage doing the “Dance of the Seven Veils”. After the last veil floated to the ground, he and Rich, completely nude, are holding hands and bowing before a huge applauding audience as the curtain comes down!) (Now who is weird? he asked himself.) He was constantly trying to force this daydreaming crap out of his consciousness by repeatedly telling himself, over and over; I have to stop thinking of him. Being with Rich is fun. With Rich my mine can relax and be free. Being with Fazzi is not fun. It is work, deadly work. I have to focus and keep focused. My mind must always remain concentrated on the job.

Wrapping the big towel around his waist, he walked over to the walk-in closet where he surveyed the growing collection of clothes hanging there. Along with two sets of army fatigues and his class ‘A’ uniforms, the maid had hung the new suits and sports clothes that Fazzi had ordered custom made for him. (Fazzi had also wanted to have his uniforms tailored but he had really put his foot down on that one.) The tailor had done a beautiful job on the new items. All were beautifully crafted and hand finished. All very expensive looking and made to give the impression that the wearer was either a highly successful young businessman or more likely, a man ‘kept’ by one. The entire wardrobe must have set Fazzi back almost as much as he had paid for the BMW. Standing there he could not help but admire the beauty of two special items. Items. Hanging there were not one but two tuxedoes, one a formal black ‘penguin’ tux and the other a white dinner tux. While he had not wanted either, now as he ran his fingers over the material, he secretly ached to try on the black one.

In addition to this expensive wardrobe, Fazzi had also paid the tailor a small fortune to have a tailor’s dummy made up. That duplicate of the soldier’s body now stood in the corner of the closet and could be used when Fazzi wanted to order new outfits for Joseph. The only thing required was to select the material and style and the tailor would make up whatever he wanted. When not used for that purpose, the tailor had told them it could be used to hold jackets while the maid steamed the wrinkles out. When Joseph had again protested, it was Fazzi this time who put his foot down. Throwing his arms in the air, begging for the assistance of a higher authority, he then shook his finger in Joseph’s face and said, “damn it habibi you better face certain facts; no matter what you say or want, I am going to surprise you from time to time with gifts. It is my nature! I love to give gifts to those I love. It is the nature of my people to express love in this manor. This is an old Arab tradition and if I must say so myself, perhaps one of the best. So why not make it a little easier on the both of us! I don’t have a lot of time to waste shopping nor do I have the time to stand in line exchanging something that is the wrong fit or size. But most of all, as you should have learned by now, it is just not my style to buy ‘off the racks’. That is for peons. Then again how can a gift be a surprise if you have to go for fittings? And this will simplify it for you too. I don’t want you to have to spend all that time on fittings, standing on a raised platform having a stranger running his hands over that sexy body, touching you where he should not touch you and sticking pins into you. Time is money and we can use it much more effectively —- besides if someone is going to stick something into you-it is going to be me and I won’t use pins. Look at it as a money saving thing. We are lovers as well business partners. We will be going to a lot of business and social activities and we will need more clothes. The tailor made a mannequin of me and I am ordering one of you. Just trust me on this–this is the way of the ‘rich class’. And you, my ex-farmer, are going to be rich, very rich. So get used to it. You are no longer a ‘Fellah’. And I don’t want to hear or see you acting like a peon ever again.”

Opening one of the dresser draws, Joseph ran his fingertips over the new silk dressing gown and pajamas the Arab had purchased for him. He had never felt pure silk before. It was so light and smooth and it had this seductive sexy feeling. No wonder women loved its texture against their bodies. He almost ‘creamed’ at the thought of it next to his skin. And then he smiled, as in his minds eye he pictured Rich in a similar set of pajamas. He made a mental note to remind himself that as soon as he could he was going to buy Rich a set of these. Damn there I go again. I can’t put these on now. With that material rubbing against my privates the Washington monument would take second place to the ‘Benson’ monument. While he was not concerned that Fazzi would see him so aroused, he did have misgivings about that nice maid seeing him exposed. These and other thoughts were suddenly and rudely interrupted by the voice of Fazzi coming through the intercom. He was telling him dinner would be ready in a half hour and to please get ready and come down on time-as he feared that cold lamb kabobs might loose their potency. Joseph, smiling told him he would be ready and that Fazzi should wait for him in the dinning room.

A playful mood descended on Joseph and instead of the silk nightclothes he removed the formal black Tux from the closet and quickly got all dressed up. Needless to say, the outfit fit like a glove. In fact it even came with a pair of gloves, a top hat and a shiny black cane with a silver handgrip and tip. What the hell, why not go all the way? Completely outfitted along with new black shoes and silk socks, he gave himself a final inspection in the full-length three-sided mirror that enabled him to view his entire body. He smiled and couldn’t help saying to himself, God it does look great, I could get used to this kind of thing. Then placing the cane over his shoulder and using it to tilt the top hat at a rakish angle, he left the room whistling and walking with that Fred Astaire swagger he had admired when he watched those old films. He descended the stairs (he almost felt like tap-dancing down them) and made his way to the dinning room. He stopped in the doorway and leaning against the doorjamb, he struck a pose that would have done the old time dancer-actor proud. Then he cleared his throat and awaited Fazzi’s reactions.

The Arab looked up and let out a gasp as his mouth fell to the floor. He said nothing. He was speechless. His hands started to tremble almost over-filling the wineglass he had been filling.

“OHHHHHHHHHHH! ” crooned Joseph. “I’m sorry but I thought we were dressing for dinner!” Then after placing his top hat and cane on the sideboard and slowly removing his gloves and adding them to the pile, he proceeded to the table with all the grace he could muster and took his seat. At that precise moment the maid entered the room carrying the tray loaded with Lamb kabobs and steaming rice. She took one look and almost dropped the tray.

“Ya Rob, My god, so handsome, a movie star!” she exclaimed trying to recover her poise and some how, at the same time, managing to place the tray on the table. “See sir? Just like I said. A young prince-a Hollywood star. He makes me wish I was Cinderella.”

“That will be enough out of you young lady. Remember, he is already spoken for. He is engaged to my daughter and the property of the Muhammad family. I will finish the serving. You can take the evening off now and go home to your mother. Make sure you give my regards to her and have a nice evening. Good night Summaya.” Fazzi said.

“Yes Summaya,” Joseph added, “Good night and thanks for unpacking and arranging my closet.”

Still a bit shaken but recovering his senses and his humor Fazzi said, “Yussef, next time, please give us some hint. I almost spilled our wine and she almost dropped our dinner on the floor. You must forgive Summaya, she is the daughter of an old friend of mine that served with me and died in The Lebanon. I more or less adopted her and her mother and at times she forgets herself and takes too many liberties.”

“She is sweet and a very good worker. We should treasure her, as good help is almost impossible to find these days. I like her very much. She does what I ask her to do and if I say not to do something she, unlike some people I know, listens to me. Next time perhaps you will listen to me when I say not to do something. If you had not got me the Tuxedoes, as I requested in the first place, I would not have been tempted to do this. It is all your fault.” He jested arranging himself at the table. “Spending your money on such foolishness.”

“Foolishness, maybe, but it was worth every cent.” Fazzi said as he poured out two glasses of wine and then raised his glass to Yussef and offered a toast, “to us and all our happy times to come.” To which the soldier added, “and to your boundless generosity which, though I may fight like hell against it-in my heart -I love both it and the giver.” They clicked glasses and sipped the wine. Fazzi then proceeded to serve out the food, placing it before them. The rising steam along with the perfumed smell of the ever so slightly charred lamb teased, titillated and tantalized their appetites as they started to eat.

“So how was your day? Anything important happen so far?” Joseph asked as he tore into the food.

“You know Yussef for all the years that Mary and I were living together, she rarely, if ever asked me that question. I like that you do. It shows you are interested in me and not just in our sexual escapades. I am going to have to get used to this. It is a new experience for me. Now let’s see, oh yes, do remember those two Syrians diplomats who you met here a while back?”

“You mean Allie Balbak and Hussain See. I seem to have forgotten his name..?”

“Hassan, Hassan Segour.” Fazzi corrected him. “You do have a good memory, habibi. Well they were here today again.”

“What did they want?” Joseph asked fearing what Allie might have reported to Fazzi and trying to cover his nervousness.

“I’m afraid that they were here to deliver some bad news to me. I am going to have to return to Syria in about two months on a family business visit. I may be gone for about a week. Those two men were here today to inform me that my brother passed away this past week and the family has asked me to come home and to go over his papers…”

“His papers! Aren’t you going to the burial? I should think you would want to attend.”

“No! That will not be possible as he is already buried. I will of course pay my respects at his grave when I’m there. I could have a memorial service for him here in Paterson, but that too, just does not seem to be the right thing to do. I hate to tell you this but you see we never did get along too well and.. My brother has always been jealous of me, as is the rest of the family. Anyway a special service would just be sort of hypocritical.”

“Jealous? I would think that they should be proud of you. Why would they be jealous?” asked Joseph.

“Because I was the one that ‘got out’. Think about it for a moment or two. Coming from a rural family yourself, I am sure that you can appreciate how the rest of my family felt about my escaping that life. To them I was just the lazy boy who would not accept his family’s place in life and ran away leaving them to struggle. In the beginning I sent them money when I had it. Who knows what they did with it. My family still lives in a very remote rural section of the country. There are few if any telephones and a good road is unheard of. They seldom even go to the nearest big town, let alone the capital. I think I was the first in the family to even see a train, let alone ride on one. They still think radios are a tool of the devil. Anyway it has been decided that because I was so tied up here with the fund; that the earliest we could get together was in two months. By that time the fund should be well on its way and the money should have begun to flow. The two months will also give my family time to gather up his papers as well as time to recover somewhat from their loss. Then we can all sit down and be better able to make the decisions required with calmer heads.”

“I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Is there anything, anything at all that I can do? Perhaps you would you like me to go with you?” Joseph asked knowing that this would put him in more solid with Fazzi. “Having someone close to you at this time is important. Perhaps there is something I can do there to help; after all I am going to be a part of your family, one way or the other.”

“What about your job, the school and the army? Would you get in trouble if you were to drop everything and come with me?” Fazzi questioned hoping that he could find a diplomatic way out of having to take Yussef with him at this time. Maybe he could take him another time, one when he would not be so involved with the Jihad.

“Well I do have a little leave time coming, however for this, since it involves leaving the United States, I would have to make a special request for additional leave and I do not know if they will grant it as this is not for the death of a blood relative.” Joseph said, trying to leave himself a way out at least until he could talk to Agent Barns. “I could ask and see what happens. They might just make an exception.”

“Do you really think that they will? I do not, not to Syria. Not at this time. An American serviceman-it would be the end of your military career.”

“I’m not so sure of that but if they refused and you still wanted me to go, then that might be a problem. If you felt that you really needed me well there are other ways..”

“You mean you would.. No, Habibi, I could not ask you to do that. While I would love you to come to Syria with me, at this time I do have something more important for you to do right here. It is doing what I have been wanting to train you to do.”

“You want to train me???”

“Well ‘train’ might not be the right word. Groom, yes groom would be better. I have been trying to groom you to be my second in command, to take over for me if I should have to go out of the picture for a while. That is why I had you appointed as my representative and contact man between the fund and Worthington Investments. That is also why I want to officially adopt you. Like I was saying before, in two months the money should begin to roll in and I will need you here to see that everything is going well.” Fazzi explained. “Please agree to do this for me habibi.”

“If you think I will help you more by staying at home, so be it.”

“Great! I’m glad you agree to do this for me and have not insisted on accompanying me this time. If you had I might have been tempted to take you with me against my best interests and judgment. For now, I do not need you running up and down some mountains in the back woods of Syria where some hot blooded horny Bedouin might spot you, develop a craving for your blond body and decide to kidnap you for his tent slave.” Fazzi jested as Joseph laughed. “That’s really not so far fetched as it seems. Like I told you there are still lawless areas and plenty of brigands in my country. I should know because I was one and there are still people back there that think I still am one.”

They ate the rest of their dinner mostly in silence and Joseph was somehow able to keep from soiling the tux. After dinner they cleared the table and Joseph said he was afraid to press his luck any further, that he might soil the tux and was going up to change into something more comfortable. Fazzi asked if he wanted coffee in the library. “Why not bring it upstairs and we can have it in the master bedroom together?”

“Great idea! You go on up and I’ll join you. Get yourself comfortable. Put on the new pajamas I purchased for you. And look in the pocket. You will find a condom. I put it there to remind you what the Kabobs were for. Not that you would forget.” He smiled. “I won’t be too long. I just want to check out the house, lock up and bring up the portable coffee pot. It is going to be just the two of us alone tonight, and I don’t want anyone to disturb us.”

“The day that I need a condom to remind me to make love to you will be the day I will need more than kabobs.” Joseph laughed and went up to his room where he changed into the silk P.Js and laid down on his bed with the pajama top still unbuttoned, waiting for Fazzi to come in. Soon the odor of brewing coffee filled the air and then he heard Fazzi in their adjoining bathroom. Getting out of bed, he walked to the door, the silk ends of the pajama top flapping in the breeze. He opened the door and the Arab was standing by the sink dressed in a duplicate pair of P.Js finishing the brushing of his teeth. Joseph entered and placed his arms around him and kissed his ear lobe.

“I really don’t know how to act now that I know of the death of your brother but, damn it, you smell and taste so good.” He whispered into his ear.

The Arab half turned his face and said, “Yussef please do not let my brother’s death bother you. We have not been close for years and years.” Then to prove it, he continued in jest “What you smell must be that new men’s cologne ‘Essence of Lamb Kabob Number 1’. I had a chemist conjure it up just for you. Does it do anything for you?”

“GRRrrrrr! That odor and these pajamas, they are both real sexy turn-ons.” growled the solider as he sank his mouth into the back of Fazzi’s neck and moved on to his broad shoulders sucking on the delectable meat and leaving red love marks along the way. “I see you got yourself a matching pair of these pajamas and I like that. These P.Js are so nice and soft that I don’t feel like I have anything on.” His hard cock grinding into the silk covered ass cheeks of the gasping man.

Fazzi dropped the toothbrush into the holder and moaning, he leaned back into Joseph’s embrace. His back pressing into Joseph’s exposed chest. He just sort of melted into the younger man. Looking down, Joseph saw the tented fly of the Arab burst open and his freed manhood leap out of its silk cocoon. Reaching down his fingers encircled the erect Arab cock. Catching some of silk material with his fingers he began rubbing his silk covered fingers lightly back and forth slowly over the Arab’s hard dark cock.

“Yussef, Yusssef,” Fazzi moaned over and over. “Ana Bahabek Kteer, habibi, Ana mabsoot, Ana mabsoot, I love you very much and I am so happy,” he kept repeating over and over in Arabic. I am your slave, your prisoner. A prisoner of our love. And then he spun around and grabbed his tormentor, pulling the hard tight blond body even closer to himself; he placed his lips on Joseph’s and kissed him deeply. Coming up for air he whispered, “I only hope you love me half as much as I love you.”

“How much more must I do to convince you of my feelings for you? Is there anything I can do or say to once and for all prove it to you?”

“Yussef, darling, I’m sorry, don’t be cross with me, but I just can not get it through my thick head that a young man like you could really love a old hag like me.”

“Fazzi I give up! I hate when you demean yourself like this. Look! Look into that mirror! What do you see? I don’t know what you see, but I see two lovers. Not an old man and a young man. Not a Muslim and a Christian! Just two lovers! If I wanted or needed ‘young’, I could be with someone like Dina tonight and every night. Or I could even call your daughter and be with her. But, I’m not there! See! I’m with you! I don’t even want to be there, I chose to be with you, I HAVE TO BE WITH YOU. And why do I have to be here? It is not because of your money. You know that I never wanted or asked you for anything. You want it all back? Take the car, the apartment over the garage, the clothes. Take everything, take all the shit, except don’t take yourself. That’s all I want! If you do not believe that, then I had better leave right now. I’m tired of having to prove my feelings for you. Good-bye. I’ll gather up my uniforms, pack up and I’ll hitch a ride back to the base.”

“NO! Stay!” he screamed holding onto Joseph’s pajama top and pulling it off his shoulders as the soldier turned to leave. “I need you and I will not permit you to leave me. Not now-not ever.” He said as he let the top fall to the floor. He grabbed onto the strong body and pleaded with him to stay.

“Don’t worry, there is little chance of my leaving you. I would not leave even if you threw me out.” He smirked as he again embraced Fazzi and kissed him. His lips kissing and moving along Fazzi’s jaw line up to the ear where he sucked and nibbled on the lobe. Fazzi threw his head backwards, allowing Joseph additional room to bury his hot mouth into the hollow of his throat. There he kissed and sucked on that vulnerable area while his fingers deftly undid the buttons of the silk pajama top letting it fall off Fazzi’s shoulders and float down to join his own top on the bathroom floor. Joseph’s lips continued to kiss while his tongue was leaving a new trail of wetness down the front of Arab’s hair covered chest arriving at the hard erect nipples. His hot tongue tip could feel the minute arousal bumps in the Arabs areoles, that dark brown circle of hypersensitive skin surrounding his nipples. Running his tongue around and around the nipple, he gently sucked the nipple in and ran his tongue tip over it. Moaning passionately Fazzi grabbed the back of Joseph’s head and pressed his face into his chest harder and harder.

“You lips are so hot I want to keep them there forever.” Moaned Fazzi.

He was not able to keep them there for long. When Joseph was able to free his head at last he moved it down, over the olive skin down to the belly button. Getting down on both knees and kneeling on the soft white rug he set to work kissing, sucking and working his tongue into the navel while his fingers reached into the silk waistband and gently lowering the pants until they too floated to the floor exposing the nude body with it’s hard 6″ piece of cut dick erect and sticking straight out from between two big low hanging balls. Fazzi could not believe it; Joseph, his Yussef, his knight, his master, was on his knees in front of him. Was Yussef changing roles with him? Here to fore Fazzi had always been the beggar. Now here was his master on his knees with his mouth licking the inside of his legs, his tongue probing around his balls; his lips touching his balls and…and.Allah Akbar OHHHHH god, his lips were opening and covering the Arab’s now stone like dick. He was holding the cut dick steady with one hand and probing the ass with the fingers of the other as he drove the tip of his tongue in and out of the cock head lips transporting the Syrian into paradise. Not taking the cock into his mouth he moved his lips back and forth, his teeth scraping the dick head and moving along the underside of the shaft, driving the Arab wild.

“Your teeth Yussseffffff your teeth are,,,,,, OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH shitttttttttttttttttttt yah Robbbb… Stop Yussefffffffff I can’t take it anymore PLEASE PLEASE fuck me!”

“No, not before you stop this old man shit. Promise me you will never ever demean yourself again like that in front of me.”

“Anything, anything you want, but fuck me. I don’t give a load of camel dung; I’m18 years old again when I’m with you.Fuck meeee ..and Joseph pulled him down on the floor with him. The two of them rolled around on the floor. Joseph produced the condom from the pocket of his pajama top and covered his big cock. Fazzi got to his knees straddling Joseph’s hard cock and lowered himself onto the soldier’s hard man meat. Joseph allowed him to ride his rampant cock as he reached for and held the Arab’s cut dick. Then Fazzi rode his dick with an abandonment that he had never shown before. Moaning, screaming and cursing in Arabic, words that Joseph had never heard before. Fazzi riding, like he was riding English style. Joseph laid there, his cock like the horn on a western saddle, only buried deep in the Arab’s man-cunt. The two of them fucking like mad. First Fazzi was on top then Joseph. Pumping, grinding and drilling into each other. First missionary style, then the Doggie style then a few styles that neither of them had ever seen or heard of and then back again to the missionary. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOm, they exploded—Joseph into Fazzzzzi’s mancunt and Fazzi over Joseph’s chest. They both soon collapsed exhausted onto each other on the bathroom floor..

After a while laying there spent and exhausted, Fazzi nudged Joseph and woke him. “My love regardless of what you may say my old bones are not used to sleeping on the hard floor, even if there is a nice soft rug here. It is not the magic carpet of the Arabian Nights Tales. What do you say we get into bed and I’ll serve you that coffee now?”

Joseph got up and helped Fazzi up. “You go and get the coffee ready. I’ll clean up here and the join you in bed. We can have coffee there and then I have to get some sleep as I teach an early class in the morning. By the way I have cleared one day next week for you to come and give a lecture on the Syrian view of the 1948 war with the Zionists. You had said you wanted to correct some of the faulty history that has been presented.”

“You mean that they are going to let me present the Arab side!” Fazzi said not believing it to be true.

“Yes I will see to it that they do. But you must be ready to defend your point of view. And I must warn you that there are many in the class that are well versed in the information and will be looking to ripe apart your view of history and try to prove you wrong. So you better have facts and figures ready.”

“I will be ready, just make sure they are not carrying loaded weapons.” Fazzi said half in jest as he went into the bedroom to make the coffee.

“Don’t worry I will be there to protect you from getting too beat up. You do not have to do this you know. I know it’s asking a lot of you.”

“Just to even the odds a bit, would you mind if I asked the Syrian embassy for a helper to accompany me for protection?”

“You will not need protection from us as long as you conduct yourself as the gentleman I know you are. However, you can ask Allie if you want. Hassan seams to be a bit of a hot head and might cause a fist fight, which might be entertaining but would add nothing to Syrian/American relations.” Joseph smiled.

“Allie, if he is available, was the one I was thinking of. You are right about Hassan. I don’t know why they continue to send people like him on embassy duty.” Fazzi said as he poured out the coffee.

They had their coffee and talked a bit more about what and how he would teach the class. Then when both of them had finished the coffee they fell asleep in Fazzi’s bed. The next morning Fazzi woke up to find that Joseph had already washed, dressed and left for his base. He found a note that his lover left for him telling him that since he was sleeping so peacefully, he just could not wake him up to say good bye and that he would call later.

After leaving the estate Joseph called Barns and reported that he had important news for him.

“Don’t tell it to me now. I’m going to your base today. I have some information for you also.” Bill told him.

“Good I have an early class to teach. I can meet you after that in the PX at about 1030 hours. I don’t have to be back till 1400. Will that be enough time? Is that OK with you?”

“Sounds good to me, see you then.” Barns said and hung up.

At 1032 hours Joseph walked into the PX and found Bill waiting for him. “I was just about to order some coffee, let me treat you to a container. We can take it with us in the car.” Bill said, and the two of them took their containers and got into Bill’s car. Bill drove the car to a deserted area of the base. When he found a spot that appealed to him, he pulled over and said, “Let’s walk!”

Taking the containers and walking about 30 feet from the car, Bill stopped looked all around and seeing they were alone said, “OK who’s going to go first.”

“You do Bill. You look like the cat that swallowed the canary and as I already know what I have, I’m curious to hear your information.”

“Ok Joseph. Grab your socks this is going to floor you. Our friend and your benefactor, Col. Fazzi Muhammad has been promoted and as of a few days ago was appointed the head of all intelligence operations for Europe, Africa and the western hemisphere. In other words he is the headman now. All covert actions are under his direction. There won’t be an agent anywhere in the world that will be able to operate or function without his knowing about it.”

“How and who the hell told you that? Are you positive?” Joseph said nearly spilling his coffee over himself.

“I can’t tell you who and for your own safety it is best that you don’t know. But it is true I saw a copy of the orders appointing him. They were issued only Saturday. They are genuine and there is no doubt about it.” Barns said. “We have this from some of our most trusted counter spies and undercover agents in the field as well as another reliable source. You friend Fazzi is now the most dangerous man in the world. We want you to know this and I have been ordered to offer you a chance to get out of there. As a ‘civilian’ I can no longer order you to stay, as I can no longer guarantee your safety. If you were a regular FBI agent I would, but you don’t have the training or the obligation to stay. I can see to it that you are safely removed and that you are given a completely new life.”

“Thanks Bill, but I’m not a civilian. This is army as well as FBI..and if it pleases you or not I would like to stay. I’m staying and that settles it. Anything else?”

“No, except that you must promise me that the next time I order you out– you will obey me without question.”

“Agreed! Now my information and now that I know what you just told me-it all fits together. This past weekend Fazzi was in Deerborn overnight on some business. When he came back he had a meeting with two Syrian diplomats. One of them was the one that removed the bug from my car. They left before I arrived. Last night at dinner Fazzi told me that he is returning to Syria in two months..” And Joseph filled him in on everything that Fazzi told him.

“Yes it all fits. By the way Fazzi has no brother. Never had. He was born and raised in Damascus not a small backwoods village. Something big is about to go down and it will happen in about 2 months.”

“Just as a feeler, I asked Fazzi if he wanted me to go with him to visit Syria. He said no, not at this time. Perhaps in the future, but for now he wanted me to take over the operation of the fund. I think I could get him to take me along if I press him. What do you think?”

“It’s a hard call. There are several options. Let’s give you a lesson in agent tactics. First we consider the possibilities. Number one: Insist on going and he just might dump you. That would leave us without you in the picture. Something we don’t want just yet. Number two: He might just take you and make sure that you find out nothing. In which case nothing has been gained. On the other hand, if you went and found out what was going on, he could dispose of you very easily over there. There would be no way for us to protect you.” He said rubbing his chin in contemplation. “You see how the process works, always consider your options. After a few years of doing this, if you survive, it comes automatic. The answer to the question?–No, you stay here. It’s too risky. This way you do what he wants and are there tomorrow to gather more information in the future.”

Bill, are you thinking of stopping him?”

“By stopping, if you mean killing him, no not yet. We may have to do that in the future, but for now the answer is no. For now our job is to find out what the hell is going on. If we stop him, they may just put someone else in his place and then we will have to start all over again. Maybe the next guy would be smarter and harder to spy on. No we won’t eliminate him just yet. We would love to be able to keep him alive and gather all the information we can out of him. That is why we need you there. You are the only one who has been able to get this close to the headman. It is still hard to believe that he really trusts you and even wants to adopt you as his son. He may even entice you into working for them.

“There is no way I would or could do that!”

“Not even if we wanted you too?” Bill asked. “If we ordered you to; you would follow orders, no questions asked. And Since you will be the one closest to him when the time comes-do you think you could handle it?”

“You mean kill him?” Joseph said, “I really don’t know. Maybe if I felt killing him was the only way. That’s what the army pays me for-isn’t it?”

“Yes but that is in war, in battle. This would be in cold blood! Are you sure you want to continue with this? I may have to ask you to execute him. Do you think you could handle it? I’m not going to ask you again.”

“I said I’ll stay and don’t worry about me. I’ll do my duty.”

I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your staying on. When I filled in my boss, he checked with the big boss and they both insisted that I offer you the opportunity to get out. The president agreed and said that he wanted you to know how much he appreciated what you are doing. He again said, even if you pulled out now, he still wants to meet you. He said he wants you to be careful. He said it was my head if anything were to happen to you before he had the chance to shake your hand himself. I also want to thank you and tell you that we could never have got this far without you.”

“You can stop the sales pitch.. I already re-enlisted.” Joseph said. “Can you just give me some idea how you found out about Fazzi’s new job?”

“Aside from information from our own agents, we were shown the evidence by the Mossad. How they came up with it and the coded cablegram I don’t know?” Bill told him. “They have had a direct interest in Fazzi since his days in Lebanon. When he moved to the United States, they informed us and showed us the file they had amassed on him and told us they were going to continue tracking him and that they would keep us up to date and informed. They also promised not to kill him on American soil. So far they have kept their word. Once he leaves the U.S., well that’s another story. If you were to go with him they might kill the both of you seeing as they don’t know you are one of the good guys. If they had to kill you in the process of getting him, well that’s collateral damage. While they are very good at what they do, they always put the mission above all else. They have to, there’s too much at stake for them. With us this whole thing sometimes gets to be a little game. For them, the game is deadly and failure could mean the death of family, friends and their country.”

“Do they know I’m working for you?”

“No they do not know our undercover agents and we don’t know theirs. The fewer people who know the agents the better off we all are. We just have an agreement to try to check with each other before either of us takes any action in situations like these. So far this mutual assistance has worked and I’m told that they plan to keep their part of the agreement as we intend to keep ours. But you and I both know that things could change overnight.”

– To Be Continued… –