Freedom Does Matter (Mercenaries Book 2) by Tony Lavely Read Free Book Online Page B

focused on her food from that point and allowed him to describe the two previous visits he’d made there, both with family.
     
    After lunch, Haleef drove them along El Gaish Road past the lovely, modern looking, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the New Library of Alexandria. Beckie looked at the angled disk shape, covered with skylights, and pulled her phone to check the time. With a sigh of regret, she wished they could stop, but shook her head. Kevin reached over the seat to pat her shoulder. “Maybe coming back,” he said.
    The rest of the drive was intended to teach her some lesson, Beckie thought. The first hour and a bit, the road headed south of west, but once she’d passed the Marina at El Alamein, it turned more northerly; the sun shone through the tall windshield and eventually dropped low enough that even her sunglasses didn’t help all that much. Several times she favored Kevin with a dirty look, but he blithely ignored her. Ten minutes from their arrival, bluffs to the west hid the sun’s final gasp as it set.
     
    Once they’d checked in, Beckie decided to stay in her room for dinner; she invited Kevin—“Please bring a nice Chardonnay”—and Haleef, who both chose to join her. During the meal, Haleef suggested they join him the next day when he planned to drive into the Qattara Depression to continue his research into the land his grandfather and al-Kassis were negotiating for.
    “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way,” Beckie said, “but one of our team thought the smart thing might be to bargain for less land, not more, and try to parlay that into higher reparations in return.”
    Haleef laughed. “I expect that was Mr. Hamilton. He said the same to me after making his own travel.” With a shrug, he set down his fork. “And he may be correct. Certainly, I have found no outcroppings that would imply a valuable deposit of mineral, or a hint of an oil reserve of any size.”
    “So, what is there?”
    “Besides the sand and hamada, you mean?” He chuckled and said, “There may be salt in marketable quantities, and I believe I have found a place where water may be found. Either of those would require development, and the return might not justify that expense, no matter what my grandfather or Sheikh al-Kassis would like to believe.”
    Beckie finished her glass of wine and set it down. “I don’t suppose you’d plan your trip around those places.”
    This brought the first guffaw she’d heard since entering the country. Haleef quickly regained control; as he did, he said, “With your forgiveness…” He snickered again. “I fear not. Grandfather asked me not even to return to those places until the talks are complete.” He touched his cell phone. “He fears technology as much as he uses it.”
    She nodded. “So, what will you show us?”
    “A territory I haven’t seen yet, so… I don’t know. I have small expectations.” He set down his water and rose. “After the drive today, I’m beat, I think you say. Thanks for an enjoyable day, and evening. Shall we meet about… Well, I will have breakfast before sunrise, which is far too early— ”
    “Why? If we all eat then, we’ll get a good start. If your grandfather is right about how far we’ll have to go?”
    “She’s right, Haleef. And we won’t spend all the hot hours walking around,” Kevin said with a laugh.
    “I don’t know about that, but I’ll make sure the water can is full.”
    When the door closed, Kevin offered more wine, and while he poured, said, “How does this all sound to you?”
    “All? All what? Haleef, his opinions—”
    “Yeah. Start with his opinions. I haven’t listened too closely during the meetings, but I don’t recall him saying very much.”
    “That’s right. I was surprised that Ms Al Sahaf acted for Al Hosni, because I thought there would be no better way for Haleef to move up in the tribe…”
    “Unless he intends to return to London.”
    “I suppose,” Beckie said finally. She