This guy is one of the new arrivals, Vance thought. I counted three of them. So that means two others are down here as well. Those first guys were the pros, but this kid barely knows which end of an Uzi to hold.
"Do they know you came back here?" He rattled the barrel of the Uzi around in his mouth, just to keep him focused.
Again he nodded, even more terrified.
Okay, he thought, we're going to have to make this a short chat.
"Are there hostages down here?"
Again the man nodded.
"How many?"
He just shrugged, clearly having no idea.
Well, Vance thought, maybe it's time to get this show on the road.
He slowly removed the barrel, then ripped off a portion of the kaffiyeh lying on the floor, balled it, and stuffed it into his mouth. Next he tore off a longer strip and tied it around his head, securing the gag. The eyes were still terrified.