thought Isherwood.
FOUR THOUSAND MILES away, aboard
“What’s his problem?” Yaakov asked Lavon. “He actually did it! He’s put an agent inside Jihad Incorporated!”
“Yes,” said Lavon. “And one day he’ll have to get her out again.”
24.
ZIZI’S SECRET DESTINATION TURNED out to be the French island of Saint-Barthelemy. They arrived the following morning and dropped anchor off Gustavia, the island’s picturesque port and administrative capital. Sarah was finishing her workout when Nadia came into the gym, dressed in a flattering white bikini and sheer white beach dress.
“Why aren’t you ready?” she asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m taking you to Saline Beach -the greatest beach in the world.”
When Sarah hesitated, Nadia touched her arm affectionately. “Listen, Sarah, I know I haven’t been terribly friendly since you arrived, but we’re going to be spending a lot of time together now that you’re working for my father. We might as well be friends.”
Sarah made a show of thought. “I need ten minutes.”
“Five.” Nadia smiled warmly. “What do you expect? I’m my father’s daughter.”
Sarah went up to her cabin, showered quickly, and changed into a bathing suit and a sundress. She dropped a few things into her new beach bag, then went astern. Nadia was already aboard the launch, along with Rafiq al- Kamal and Jafar Sharuki. Jean-Michel was behind the wheel, checking the instrument panel.
“Just us?” Sarah asked as she climbed aboard and settled next to Nadia in the forward compartment.
“Rahimah might join us later,” Nadia said. “But to tell you the truth, I hope she doesn’t. I could use a break from her.”
Jean-Michel eased the boat away from
Jean-Michel guided the craft carefully through the gentle breakers and came to a stop a few yards from the shoreline. Rafiq and Sharuki leaped overboard into the shallow water and made their way to the prow. Nadia stood and slipped overboard into Rafiq’s powerful arms. “It’s the best part about having bodyguards,” she said. “You never have to get wet on the way to the beach.”
Sarah reluctantly climbed into the arms of Sharuki. A few seconds later she was deposited gently in the hard sand at the water’s edge. As Jean-Michel turned the launch around and headed back to
The two bodyguards made an outpost for themselves about twenty yards away. Nadia removed her beach dress and sat on her towel. Her long dark hair was combed straight back and shimmering with gel. She wore silver-tinted sunglasses, through which it was possible to see her wide liquid eyes. She glanced over her shoulder toward the bodyguards, then removed her top. Her breasts were heavy and beautifully formed. Her skin, after two weeks in the sun, was deeply tanned. Sarah sat down in one of the chairs and buried her feet in the sand.
“Do you like having them?” Sarah asked.
“The bodyguards?” Nadia shrugged. “When you’re the daughter of Zizi al-Bakari, bodyguards are a fact of life. Do you know how much I’m worth to a kidnapper or a terrorist?”
“Billions.”
“Exactly.” She reached into her beach bag and pulled out a pack of Virginia Slims. She lit one for herself and offered one to Sarah, who shook her head. “I don’t smoke on
“Cross my heart.” Sarah inclined her head toward the bodyguards. “What about them?”
“They wouldn’t
Nadia returned the cigarettes to her bag and exhaled smoke toward the cloudless blue sky. Sarah closed her eyes and turned her face to the sun. “You wouldn’t happen to have a bottle of very cold rose in there, would you?”
“I wish,” Nadia said. “Jean-Michel always manages to smuggle a little wine on board. I’m sure he’d give you a bottle or two if you asked nicely.”
“I’m afraid Jean-Michel wants to give me more than just wine.”
“Yes, he’s very attracted to you.” Nadia pushed her sunglasses onto her forehead and closed her eyes. “There’s a restaurant just behind the dunes. We can have a drink at the bar later if you like.”
“I didn’t realize you drank.”
“Not much, but I do love banana daiquiris on a day like today.”
“I thought your religion forbade it.”
Nadia waved her hand dismissively.
“You’re not religious?” Sarah asked.
“I love my faith, but I’m also a modern Saudi woman. We have two faces. When we are at home, we are obligated to keep it hidden behind a black veil. But in the West…”
“You can drink the occasional daiquiri and lie topless on the beach.”
“Exactly.”
“Does your father know?”
She nodded. “He wants me to be a true woman of the West but remain faithful to the tenets of Islam. I’ve told him that’s not possible, at least not in the strictest sense, and he respects that. I’m not a child, Sarah. I’m twenty- seven years old.”
She rolled onto her side and propped her head on her hand. “And how old are you?”
“Thirty-one,” Sarah said.
“Have you ever been married?”
Sarah shook her head. Her face was still turned to the sun, and her skin felt as though it was burning.
“You’re a beautiful girl,” Nadia said. “Why aren’t you married yet?”
“All the usual excuses,” she said. “First there was college, then my doctorate, then work. I suppose I’ve never had time for love.”
“No time for love? How sad.”
“It’s an American disease.”
Nadia lowered her sunglasses over her eyes and rolled onto her back.
“The sun is strong,” Sarah said. “You should cover up.”
“I never burn. It’s one of the good things about being a Saudi.” She reached out and lazily buried the end of
