“That’s probably true,” Tim agreed, “but I’m going to get some good shots in.” That sentiment summed Tim up perfectly, Nate thought.
“Yeah, well until that day never comes, why don’t you two lovebirds come on in. We’ve got a card game going and the king’s man isn’t really on my level.” Shane was referring to Wally and his horrible poker skills.
“I’ll take your money,” Tim said.
“Doubtful.” It wasn’t. Tim was a card shark. “Nate, you in?”
“I’m game,” he said. “I’m also broke, so don’t expect to get rich off my lack of skill.” They all laughed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
They spent the late hours of the evening playing cards, drinking beer, and catching up on each other’s lives. Ana was a good sport about it all, and she sincerely liked these men the more time she spent around them. They seemed very close with one another, and there was a genuineness to their friendship that she found oddly compelling.
They all gave a brief rundown about what they had been up to for the last few years. Wally talked about leaving the British army after things hadn’t worked out with his wife. He was glad they didn’t have any kids to make the divorce even messier. He told them how he had signed on with a major insurance firm out of London and how he had run several kidnap and ransom cases, and if any of them were interested he could probably get them the inside track.
Shane told them about the UFC gyms he had opened, as well as the additional franchises. He talked ad nauseam about his boat, despite the general consensus being a fading lack of interest from the group. He didn’t have a special someone but rather several someones whowere special at different times. Ana had gotten a playboy vibe off him right away, and he’d proven her correct.
The wild red-bearded man Tim was much more amenable than he had been previously. She figured part of it was the private conversation that had transpired between him and Nate out on the deck, and part of it was the beer flowing through his veins. He was loud, boisterous, and jovial. He told them how he had also gotten a divorce and how he now spent his days training police, rich people, airsoft teams, basically anybody who would pay enough.
They were all tracking Nate’s story; he was the reason they were all here together. He talked about his studies and how if he managed to survive his dissertation, he was hoping for a teaching job at a university that would finance archaeological digs and provide him an opportunity to travel. Ana noted that there was no mention of a woman in his life.
They didn’t really know Ana, and so she told them a little bit about growing up as a Coptic Christian in Cairo. She described her childhood, spoke of her mother’s passing, and how she had grown close to her father. She told them about her studies, how she had come to be a geologist and why she specialized in hydrology, and about her job with the European Union. Then she talked about more recent events regarding her father, what he was like, the last time she had heard from him, and the report he had sent to her.
“I’m sorry about your father,” Nate said. “I really do hope we find him.”
It was a nice sentiment, though she was beginning to wonder more and more whether there was any hope of finding him alive. It was beginning to feel like not knowing was worse than finally just knowing, and the thought sickened her.
They also talked about the people they knew, with each of the men asking about a mutual acquaintance or telling the others who they had heard from. Shane mentioned a young man named Bobby who was apparently running for Congress, and they all appeared enthusiastic about the news. Several times she heard talk about Yemen and knew they had all been on a deployment there previously. But there was something else, something significant that had happened that affected all of them in a dramatic way, though Ana felt that asking would be inappropriate, so she said nothing.
At one point, they raised their drinks to fallen comrades. Initially Ana didn’t join in. She didn’t feel it was her place. Tim nudged her and said, “You too, sister,” and she obliged. She felt him and the rest of them warming up to her, and she found herself enjoying their company as well.
In particular, she felt herself really enjoying Nate’s presence. He was very attractive, in a rough-and-tumble sort of way. He obviously exercised regularly, and it showed in his muscular form. And the stories they shared fit with the display of violence she had witnessed in the Khan El Khalili. He was a rough man, but he was also a scholar. Ana had been attracted to him since she awoke in the hotel room, but she hadn’t realized she liked him until he’d given them the briefing hours earlier. He was so motivated, so captivated by the history and science of it all, like a little boy at Christmas.
As the card game died down, Shane and Wally went off to bed and Tim passed out on the sofa. It was just Ana and Nate, and they sat alone at the table talking about everything from their academic experiences and their shared love of art and history to friends and pop culture. The more they spoke, the more she was drawn to him. He may have had a tough side, but he was also kind and caring. And the way he had rescued her at the market with no regard for his own safety reminded her of a knight-errant from Arthurian legend, stories she had loved to readas a child. Wally had told her that Nate insisted that they help her in the event she was in danger. She was certain he could have found another way to get the hydrology report, but he chose to seek her out instead, and to protect her.
“So,” Ana said eventually as she sipped her beer, “from Green Beret to scholar. How does that happen?”
“Yeah, I’ll admit it’s a bit of a leap,” Nate agreed.
“A bit?” Ana asked, laughing.
“I guess I was always going to wind up as an archaeologist.”
“Why is that?” Ana was genuinely curious at the statement.
“Well, my dad is a professor,” he said.
“Of archaeology?”
“No.” Nate shook his head. “History. Classical history, mostly Greek and Roman.”
“And you chose to focus on the Middle East?”
Nate shrugged. “It made sense. It’s where the army sent me. They taught me Arabic. I’ve spent a significant portion of my adult life here. It would have seemed like a waste to throw it all away.”
“So why join the army at all?”
“It’s complicated,” Nate answered.
