Pearce got to his feet and put himself between the two men. He pushed Rasul back.
‘Who the fuck are you?’ Rasul asked. ‘And what makes you think you can fucking touch me?’
He swung at Pearce, who dodged the blow and grabbed the man’s left hand. He twisted Rasul’s fingers into a pressure hold and Rasul yelped and held his other hand up in submission.
‘I don’t want to hurt you,’ Pearce said. ‘I saw the whole thing. He was defending himself.’
Rasul’s anger dissipated and Pearce released him.
‘You listen to a stranger,’ Ziad remarked, getting to his feet. ‘But you won’t even hear me out. After all we’ve been through, you go straight to your fists.’
Rasul looked around sheepishly. ‘Enjoying the show?’ he asked, and the coffee shop patrons all looked away immediately.
Ziad picked up the fallen table and the two men sitting at it pulled it close. ‘Let me buy you a drink,’ he said.
‘Balash, habibi,’ one of them said. Don’t trouble yourself, friend.
Ziad turned to face Rasul, whose face burned with angry humiliation.
‘So, what happened?’
‘That’s how you should have started,’ Ziad said.
‘Don’t push your luck, Ziad,’ Rasul cautioned.
‘I’m sorry. I’m a little shaken after being kicked half to death. Let’s have a drink and I’ll tell you what happened. My new friend can back me up.’ Ziad indicated Pearce. ‘He was there and saw the whole thing.’
Rasul glared at Pearce.
‘He’s a quick man, and good with his hands,’ Ziad said.
‘Sorry about . . .’ Pearce looked pointedly at Rasul’s left hand, which was cradled in his right.
‘He’s ready to step in,’ Ziad continued, ‘and he’s brave and smart. Come on. Let’s sit and I’ll tell you everything.’
Like a tamed beast, Rasul allowed himself to be steered towards their table, and took the seat opposite Pearce.
‘Where the hell is the waiter?’ he asked fiercely, before Ziad started to recount the day’s events.
Two hours later, Rasul was back-slapping Pearce like an old friend. He’d been impressed by Pearce’s tales of military service and offered his respect when Pearce told him the reason he’d quit the army: too much time spent in the Middle East fighting his Muslim brothers. It wasn’t true, but as he’d suspected, the lie bought him currency with Rasul and the handful of men nearby who were going to great lengths to pretend they weren’t eavesdropping.
They were all friends now. Rasul had forgiven Ziad and cursed the ancestors of his sister’s aggressive boyfriend. Ziad said he’d only gone to Essi’s office to talk to her and had been the victim of an unprovoked attack. That much was true, but Pearce doubted the man had only been there to talk to his ex-girlfriend.
‘Amr, my friend,’ Rasul said, ‘what kind of work would you be prepared to do?’
Pearce shrugged. ‘I need money.’
‘There are some people in Delridge who’ve put the word out they’ve come into some product. Product we believe may have been stolen from us.’
Ziad looked surprised by the revelation.
‘Some of our friends are going to talk to these people and see if we can get our product back,’ Rasul said.
‘What product?’ Pearce asked.
‘Do you really want to know?’ Rasul responded. ‘A courier gets paid to collect packages, not find out what’s inside them.’
‘And if they won’t give the product back?’
‘What does anyone do when they catch a thief?’
Pearce nodded slowly. ‘Guns?’
‘Of course. That a problem?’
‘No,’ Pearce assured Rasul. He knew from years of undercover work that criminals and terrorists were some of the most trusting people in the world. Their confidence stemmed from the belief no one would be stupid enough to risk the retribution that would follow betrayal. Infiltrating the periphery of clandestine organizations was often surprisingly simple. Getting beyond the status of cannon fodder or foot soldier was another matter. But despite his experience, Pearce was surprised at the speed with which Rasul had accepted him and drawn him into a criminal enterprise. He suspected it was because Rasul was expecting a high body count. As an untested newcomer, Pearce had no doubt he’d be on the front line of whatever they had planned.
‘No problem at all,’ Pearce said.
He was on the inside.
He just had to stay alive long enough to make the most of it.