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.My father was a real estate agent.What canI say? He was right.The three rules of real estate are location, location,location.I always wondered, what is the big fuss about? Why are we allfighting about land that has so little intrinsic value? If you want to fightabout something, you know, fight about the Gulf.Where there is gas.Wherethere is oil.Where there is wealth.To me, that made more sense."Page 41ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlBut, of course, the battle for the Holy Land has always been the hot-testhere in this place, on this land, in these hills, in this city even before wediscovered oil and gas.Why? I have never been able to explain it.But I havecome to believe that there's something supernatural at work here, Jonathan.Unseen forces are at work angels and demons, powers of darkness and light thatmove quietly and mysteriously, like the wind."You cannot see the wind, but you can see its effects.So it is with theseunseen forces battling for control of this land.They are real, and they arealive, and they are shaping events here, turning some men into heroes andothers into fanatics.And I believe they are locked in some kind of cosmic,winner-take-all battle that is yet to be decided.I don't pretend tounderstand it.But I believe it, because I live here, and I know this is not anormal place."And do not ask me how, but something inside of me tells me that good willtriumph over evil.That this oil deal is going to go through.That we aregoing to help people'become richer than theyve ever imagined.That we are going to help people seethe value of working together in a common market, for the sake of theirchildren, even if they and their parents and their parents' parents have beenat war for generations."Look at the French and the Germans.Look at the Japanese and the Koreans.They all used to hate each other.They fought wars of annihilation to wipeeach other off the face of the earth.And now they live in peace.Why can thePalestinians and Israelis not do that? There is no reason.And I have thisdream that the time to do it is now."Bennett had thought about that, then looked straight into Sa'id's eyes andasked, "And if we all die in the process of trying to make it work, what willyou say then?"McCoy had winced at Bennett's bluntness, but Sa'id did not blink at all."At least," he said, "I can say I died on the side of the angels."M_M_MThe motorcade was less than ten minutes from the palace.Sa'id gazed out the window at the conundrum that was Riyadh some of theworld's oldest and largest and most beautiful mosques stood along-side some ofthe world's sleekest and most expensive skyscrapers when something caught hiseye.It was coming in fast from the right.It was a huge truck, an oil tankerof some kind, running a red light and barreling through the intersectionahead.The lead car in Sa'id's motorcade tried to swerve, but it was too late.The sedan hit the side of the eighteen-wheeler at almost seventy miles anhour.The fireball that erupted could be seen and heard throughout the capitalas two more security cars plowed into the tanker right behind the first.Sa'id could feel the searing heat from the enormous explosion.For a momenthe was convinced he was going to die as well.The driver of their Rolls-RoycePage 42ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlslammed on the brakes and spun into a 180-degree turn as machine-gun fireerupted from all sides."Left, left, go left!" shouted Sa'id's lead bodyguard, but two vans suddenlypulled into the alley, cutting off their best way of escape.The driver again slammed on the brakes, sending Sa'id crashing into thepartition dividing the front and back seats and shattering the glass in theprocess."Emerald Palace, this is White Tiger we are under attack.""Say again, White Tiger?""I repeat, we are under attack two blocks south of the King Abdul AzizCentre.Requesting immediate backup and air-extraction team, over."But waiting for help to arrive wasn't a serious option, and they all knew it.Hooded men jumped from the vans and began charging them, firing machine gunsas they ran.Round after round smashed into the bullet-proof glass.The menwere less than twenty yards away and coming fast.Three Mercedes SUVs screeched to a stop nearby [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]