Nicole told him about her time with Saad Salim and the mysterious Arash. When she came to the confrontation by the pool, he was furious. But he caught himself before he vented. He’d played knight in shining armor before with Nicole, and it hadn’t worked out so well. So instead, he forced a laugh and a high five when she relayed how Salim had tumbled over the chairs.

“One out of three sales isn’t bad,” he said.

Nicole took his hand. “Well, here’s where it gets really interesting.” She described breakfast the next morning, the negotiation, and the shocking result.

“Ten million dollars? I mean, I love Alicia’s work. But ten million dollars?”

Nicole just laughed. “It’s crazy. It’s like he’d worked himself into a frenzy and was going to win no matter what. I don’t know if it was to prove something to himself or to me.”

“It was to you. Without a doubt. He’d been rebuffed, but he doesn’t lose. I’m guessing he still thinks he has a chance with you.”

Letting go of his hand, Nicole ran a finger under his chin. “Maybe he does. You should have seen the size of his yacht.”

“Yeah? Did you see the size of my Škoda? That monster has four doors and power steering.”

Nicole laughed. “You know our cuts are one million each.”

“And I’m sure the ramsad will thank us very much for our donation to the cause.”

They walked in silence for a while, enjoying the cool air and bustle around them. At one point they sat on a bench and watched the surfers doing their best to catch rides off the low waves.

“So what’s going on in that mad-scientist brain of yours?” Nicole asked.

“Same stuff that goes through it every day—just trying to take over the world.” Nir kept his eyes toward the Mediterranean.

Nicole smiled. “Seriously. What are you thinking about?”

He leaned forward so that his elbows rested on his knees. “Okay, I’ll tell you. But it will just add to my reputation as the worst buzzkill in the history of buzzkills.” He turned toward Jaffa, then toward Tel Aviv. “I’m just thinking that if the Iranians get their nuke, all this could be gone.”

Nicole laughed. “I’m sorry. What you just said is terrible, and I feel horrible for laughing. But you’re exactly right. You truly are the worst buzzkill in history.”

“I warned you. But you know how I go on and on about how we’re just slowing down their nuclear program instead of stopping it. This right here is what’s on my mind when I’m saying it.” Pointing toward Tel Aviv, he added, “That city right there will be the first to go. Well, maybe after Riyadh.”