“We’re big boys, darlin’,” Zeke assured her. “We got through it, and got our revenge, at least on the guys who held us.”
“That was after they showed us the video of your dead body,” Raoul explained, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed down his emotion. “We couldn’t risk escaping all the time we thought you were still alive, or they would have taken it out on you. Once they showed us that fucking video, the effect of which I’ll never forget, we figured there was nothing left for us to lose.” He ran his hand possessively down the curve of her face. “We had lost our reason for living because we were stupid enough to fall for their cheap trick. Our training was better than that. We never should have believed second-hand evidence like that.”
“One damned thing that idiot Pool was right about was our being too close to you to be objective,” Zeke explained. “Anyone else and we would most likely have seen through the ruse.”
“They did something similar with me.” Cantara froze at the memory.
“What did they do, honey?” Zeke asked.
“They showed me a picture of the two of you, naked, bloodied and apparently dead.” A series of shudders shook her body. “I died with you that day because I had nothing left to live for.”
“Probably taken in the cell where they kept us while we were asleep,” Raoul replied.
“Tell us what happened to you, from the beginning,” Zeke said.
“Unlike you, I didn’t realize things weren’t going according to plan. Until…well, until they took me, not to meet with the separatists, but to a private house. I was taken into a small room, given some tea, and told to wait.” Cantara stared at the lake without seeing it, reliving her version of hell. “I started to get anxious when I was kept waiting for too long, and when I realized I’d been locked in. Then, eventually, Salim came into the room, which is when I knew I’d been duped and I wasn’t there to broker peace. You were right to say they’d never let a woman get involved.” She shook her head. “Salim always gave me the creeps. He played the role of the bookish researcher, always in his brother’s shadow—”
“His brother being your husband, Jordan,” Zeke clarified.
“Right. Jordan was the accredited academic. No one thought Salim was his intellectual equal because he never gave them any reason to think that way. He crept about like a wraith, always seeming to turn up wherever I happened to be, as though he was spying on me. I was polite, but tried never to be alone with him. It was the way he looked at me that really freaked me out. But when I mentioned it to Jordan he just laughed and said I was imagining things. Salim was his brother. It was only natural that he would watch over me when Jordan wasn’t around, and that he only wanted to protect me.”
“I’m guessing Salim was the leader of the separatist group you were trying to talk to,” Zeke said.
“Right.” Cantara replied, scowling. “And he was the one who encouraged my brothers to join them, then sent them on a suicide mission. He was very proud of that fact and told me good, loyal Palestinians had a duty to stand up for their country.”
“And die for it,” Raoul muttered through clenched teeth.
“He seemed to think I would be grateful,” Cantara explained, puffing out her cheeks indignantly.
“He went to considerable trouble to get you alone,” Zeke said. “I’m almost afraid to ask what he wanted.”
“What he wanted was me,” she replied, shuddering. “He said he had always known we were supposed to be together and didn’t blame me for trying to interfere in men’s business. He said grief must have warped my mind and he had a duty to look after me. It was what Jordan would have wanted him to do.”
“Oh, baby!” Raoul held her a little tighter. “The man sounds as though he was deluded.”
“And dangerous,” Zeke added, massaging the instep of her left foot, his expression thunderous.
“I told him I’d made a mistake and needed to leave, which was when his personality underwent a complete change. He was no longer the meek, eager to please little man I remembered. He turned into a maniac, throwing things around the room, ranting about my head having been turned by the Americans and Israelis and not knowing who I was anymore. I was scared, I’ll admit that much—”
“Of course you were,” Raoul said soothingly.
“Then it was like someone turned a switch and he was calm again. He offered me food, which I refused, and that angered him. He locked me in the cellar then and I must have been there…well, certainly overnight, and it was some time into the next day before he opened the door.”
“Did you see anyone else?” Zeke asked.
“Not at that time, but people came and went later on.”
“Did you recognize any of them?” Raoul asked. “Pool and Hassan will be interested, but we can think about that later. Go on with your story, darlin’.”
“He came in the next day and asked if I had come to my senses. I basically told him to get lost, which is when he hit me for the first time.” She shook her head. “I was clinging to the hope that you guys would be on my tail, and that rescue was at hand. I can’t tell you how desperate I felt when he took great pleasure in telling me you were both dead. I knew I wasn’t supposed to react to the mention of your name, Raoul, but I guess I’m not a very good actress. He actually laughed, the bastard enjoyed my despondency, and told me I would always be let down if I put my faith in Americans.”