CHAPTER 26
Paris, France
At the sight of the number on his cell phone, the man looked out through the dingy window at the Arc de Triomphe and held his breath. The brief message from Elise Courville contained joyous words.
The man looked at himself in the mirror as he loosened his custom-tailored Italian tie. He resembled any other European banker.
Unlike most of his followers, the Algerian’s face was clean-shaven and his hands were manicured. He exercised his thirty-year-old body past maintenance and musculature to the point of near-exhaustion daily. Punishing himself in everything he did was simply his way.
The Algerian removed his suit and gently folded it over an old plastic chair in the dilapidated room.
He slipped a threadbare garment over his head and pulled out his prayer mat.
As soon as he began the first rak’ah of his five-times-daily Salah, he could almost feel the gracious and sweet air of Allah’s breath entering his body.
He begged forgiveness for his many transgressions on his way to the first chapter of a new life—a life controlled by Him, and Him alone. By Saturday morning, the confluence of anger and hatred would be put to rest, bringing an end to his current torment.
But there was much to be done before he could step onto his future path. The pig, the whore, and the infidel must begin their painful journeys to hell. One by one, they would all pay for their shameful sins.