“Precisely. Every opportunity that presented itself, you would pick away at them. Shoot one man when he is off tending his horse. Gut another man when he is in the bushes relieving himself. Eventually, you would either kill them all or make life so miserable for them that they would leave on their own. Do you know how many who live in Iran are actually Persian?”

“I don’t,” Nir answered, thankful for the distraction.

“Less than two-thirds. So one in every three people in this country is a minority, and we are very much treated as minorities. Kurds, Baloch, Turkmen, Lurs, Arabs—this nation is filled with us. We Azeris are the largest of the minority groups with around sixteen percent of the population. And while we have no fight with most of the Persian people, who are good and decent, we passionately hate this evil regime running the country. Their Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are the ruffians who regularly attack our villages. While we would like nothing more than to kill the snake by cutting off its head, the ayatollahs are beyond our reach. So we will settle for shooting the man by the horses and gutting the man in the bushes.”

Nir nodded, understanding the man’s motivation. “So this is less about Nicole than about taking a shot at the regime.”

“Certainly. But we would also enjoy the opportunity to rescue a damsel in distress,” Isayev said with a wink.

Nir had been unsure about this man, but now he was seeing him in a different light. “Thank you. When you get the chance, please thank your people for me. However, for now, please make sure they stand down. I am the last person who should be saying this, but an armed assault is a last resort.”

Isayev laughed. “The viper tells the dog not to bite. Don’t worry, my friend. They are only gathering in case all the phone calls fail.”

“Speaking of…” Nir said, nodding toward Tzadik. He was coming their way.

“Glad to see you’re making friends, Tavor.”

“Just arranging for karaoke tonight when this is all done. You in?”

“You bet. I do a mean Vegas Elvis.”

Nir smiled. “Yeah, I want to get that picture out of my mind.”

“Walk with me,” Tzadik said. When they reached an isolated corner of the room, he spoke in a low tone. “Listen, I know this has been tough for you. Normally, I’d be telling you to go join your men in the other room and sit on your thumbs. But since I know you’ve got a little more invested in this, I’m going to read you in.”

“I appreciate that, Ha’mefaked.”

“But I’m not looking for approval or criticism. This is the plan, and this little meeting here is informational only. Understood?”

“Yes, Ha’mefaked.”