A sliver of light flashed in Rapp’s peripheral vision, suggesting that the sun had risen sufficiently to beam directly on the makeshift blackout shade covering the cave entrance. The girl had fallen asleep a while back and was slumped in the dirt, moaning quietly as she navigated a dream that didn’t sound much better than her reality.

Now just over twelve hours since Rapp’s arrival, the party outside had gone more or less silent. The few cries that occasionally rose up sounded as though they were motivated more by terror and suffering than bloodlust or ecstatic vision. All were weak and most ended in uncontrolled coughing fits. Still, no one had ventured to the cave entrance to seek help from their messiah. Incredible. They were still more afraid of Gideon Auma than they were of what was happening to them. Maybe they thought it was a punishment he had brought down on them for some unknown transgression? Or that they were on their last, painful journey to paradise?

“Get up,” Rapp said as he pushed himself to his feet. Auma did as he was told, face blank, eyes wandering around his familiar surroundings. By the look of him, he’d spent the night trying to make sense of what was happening. He’d almost certainly thought that the purpose of the ajali was just to create confusion—to provide cover for their departure after Rapp got what he wanted.

And that would have been the smart move. In fact, it was the move that Rapp would have made only a few years ago. The mole was the mission, and the job was to complete the mission in the most efficient way possible. All other considerations were irrelevant.

The more gray hair he got, though, the more relevant those other considerations became. While he hadn’t had the power to completely shut down ISIS, the Taliban, or al-Qaeda, that possibility existed here. He’d seen what Auma and his followers were capable of. What they’d done. And that made it hard to ignore that he had a shot at stopping them. Not winning a skirmish. Not taking out a few high-level leaders who would be immediately replaced. Not stemming the flow of blood but shutting it off forever. A first in what had been a sometimes frustrating career.

“What’s happened?” Auma mumbled as he moved to the middle of the cave and awaited further instructions. There had likely been similar ceremonies in the past and this wouldn’t be what they sounded like when they finally died down. He knew something was wrong.

“A deal’s a deal,” Rapp said, ignoring the man’s question. “Let’s go.”

He kept Auma in front of him as they exited into the sunny clearing. The girl leapt to her feet and followed, eager to prove her continued value. Not ideal, but it was easier to let her do what she wanted than to convince her otherwise.