*
COLONEL Ibrahim did not look happy. Neither did the dark-spectacled, black-bearded man in the expensive grey suit. Ali sat in a red armchair in the mezzanine coffee lounge sucking mango juice through a brightly striped straw. He too wore sunglasses, gold-tinted Oakley Monster Dogs from the hotel shop. He also wore a grey Adidas cap, two brightly coloured woven friendship bands round his wrist and a silver chain round his neck.
''I see you've been shopping,'' Colonel Ibrahim said acidly.
''I needed new stuff.'' Ali glanced through the floor-to-ceiling tinted window. ''All mine is ruined after weeks in a bag. I got some swimming stuff too. Thought I'd hit the pool later. Do I have to order dinner in my room or can I use one of these restaurants?''
''You can go back to the streets of Baghdad if you like,'' said Colonel Ibrahim sharply. ''You're supposed to be inconspicuous, you know? Unnoticed. A fifteen year old living in a suite is one thing. A fifteen year old swanning round the hotel spending money like it's going out of fashion is something different.''
Grey-Suit cleared his throat. ''You sure he's the right boy for us, Colonel Radwan?''
''Yes, I'm sure,'' snapped the Colonel, ''But you,'' He shot at Ali, ''Keep your head down.'' He gestured at the bearded man beside him. ''Dr Seif is the Head of the Security Service. He thinks this operation is madness. He thinks I have made a mistake. He wants to return you to Baghdad and find someone else.'' He looked steadily into the boy's eyes. ''Have I made a mistake, Ali? Tell me now if I have.''
''I've never been in a hotel before,'' said Ali, acutely and unexpectedly embarrassed by his own unprofessional behaviour. ''I got carried away. I'm sorry.''
''You have to be more careful,'' said Dr Seif, ''Or we will have to re-house you.''
''No,'' said Ali. ''No.'' He hung his head. ''I'm sorry. I didn't think.''
''If you don't think,'' said Dr Seif more gently, ''You will die. It is that simple and that serious. These people do not mess about, Ali, and they won't give a damn that you're only a kid.''
''This is not a game,'' added the Colonel. ''You're not playing James Bond, you're doing it for real.''
Ali removed the Monster Dogs. ''I'm doing it for my sister,'' he said. ''Nothing else.''
''Fine,'' said Dr Seif, gesturing to a waiter for another mango juice. ''We will move her as soon as she's stable. In the meantime, you start basic training tomorrow. Enjoy your freedom while you can because once training starts, you'll wish you were back on the streets of Rusafa.''
He wasn't wrong.
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