heaved up and wn with her breathing. ' has a knife.' The blade of his

  ife slid forward, passing through a patch of brilliant light. reflection

  skimmed along Rachel's cheek. Her lips began to uiver. ' one is real

  crazy,' EI-Kalaam said. ' takes our pretty g girl by the back of her

  hair' - he grabbed Rachel, jerked r head back. His thick lips were

  pulled back in a snarl -'and Is.' He peered down at her face. Light

  played over the lanes and valleys, turning her face patchy. 453 'Now he

  puts the edge of his knife under one breast.' Rachel flinched as the

  steel slid against her flesh. Breath whistled through her teeth. "And he

  says to her, "It's time I made you look like a man."' The blade was

  moving horizontally below Rachel's breast. Her eyes closed and she began

  to tremble. ' one and then the other.' Rachel began to sob. Tears

  flooded through her closed lids. Her head whipped back and forth against

  the high-backed chair. ',' she said. ''s that?' El-Kalaam said.

  "What's that?' ' she cried, her voice rising in pitch. ', no, nop "No,

  what?' Rachel's eyes snapped open. Tears dropped on to her dusky flesh,

  rolling down the contours of her chest. ', please.' '," El-Kalaam said.

  He kept the knife just where it was. ' we're getting somewhere.' That

  morning, Daina had asked Rubens if he would leave work early so that he

  could pick her up after the filming. ' need a night out,' she had told

  him, ' I want you there beside me.' The big midnight-blue Lincoln was

  waiting for her as she emerged from her trailer. Rubens' driver stood,

  holding the open door until she had stepped inside. She caught a glimpse

  of Alex, sitting on the passenger side in front, before Rubens pressed a

  stud, sending the mirrored, impact-resistant pla tic st1c panel up,

  cutting them off from the hired help. ' are you?' he said, kissing her.

  He kept hold of her hand. ',' she said with a slip of a smile. ''re

  almost through.

  Just another scene or two that Marion's not happy with and we'll wrap."

  "Good,' Rubens said just as if he did not get daily reports from Marion

  himself. They both knew the reality of it but they preferred this

  illusion. ' is George holding up?' ''ll make it through, I think, but

  he's got everyone 454 about this PLO thing he's involving himself in.

  Even's talked to him about it but it's done no good.' She A his hand. '

  me a drink, will you.' Insisted they go to Moonbeams, a chic two-storey

  rant in Malibu that, especially in summer, provided a y spectacular

  alternative to the chic establishments North Camden and North Canon

  drives in Beverly Hills. ma seemed distracted) as if her mind was far

  away. She @he palpable waves of energy that emanated from her, g outward

  in ever-widening circles until they enassed the entire restaurant. She

  was- dazzled by the of her power, felt attracted and repelled by it at

  once. one, from the maitre d' to the chef, made an appearance e table to

  ask if the food and drinks were as they should Consequently, she and

  Rubens spoke only a few words to other through the dinner. fterward,

  they went across the flagstone path to the ing lot.

  Stray wisps of sand slid like ghostly serpents along black asphalt,

  evaporating like smoke. ,,They confronted a sea of cars, lit by a pair

  of blue-white high up on alu'rninium. stanchions. Great pallid moths

  tercd in the intense illumination and one lone damselfly, ng, slender

  body an iridescent blue-green, hovered nearby, ng itself on the host of

  smaller insects attracted by the rome glittered and all the colours of

  the cars, so carefully d, so expensively custom-painted, were reduced by

  the light to neutral tones without much differentiation. It ed to Daina

  a vision terrifying in its utter banality, a ous robotic landscape

  devoid of all aesthetics of life and felt, abruptly, as if she were on

  some alien world, that the she knew was merely a memory, spinning

  blindly one red million miles away. he gripped Rubens' arm, said, ''s

  get out of here.' She ght she could hear laughing voices floating on the

  still, id air, heavy and muffled like the sound of the surf, heels

  -clacking across the flagstone path they had come down; ay, the hiss of

  cars passing on the coast highway. ey were almost at the limo when Daina

  saw two figures 455

  Rachel looked at Heather through her tears. There was such sorrow

  there, such remorse that Heather was forced to look away. EI-Kalaam

  stood up. His knife blade was wet with Rachel's sweat and tears. For a

  moment he watched her eyes. ' minutes,' he said. ' want what I said to

  sink all the way in., Heather's legs were trembling and Rita had to use

  both hands to support her. ',' she said thickly. ''ve got to use the

  bathroom.' EI-Kalaam turned around. The light of triumph was in his

  fact. ' knew you had no guts. Where is your courage now? It seems I know

  you better than your own husband did.' He laughed, jerked his head

  towards the door. ' her, Rita. I don't want her stinking up the room.'

  Rita nodded, manhandled Heather towards the door. Partway there Heather

  stumbled. She went down on her hands and knees. ' at this,' Rita said. '

  can't even walk by herself.' She bent down, scooped her hands under

  Heather's armpits. As she did so Heather caught Rachel's eye. She gave

  the girl a hard look. Then Rita had pulled her to her feet and she was

  hustled out of the room. They went down the hall.

  As they came to the open doorway to the bathroom, they passed one of the

  cadre hurrying towards the hot box. He carried his MP40 at the ready and

  he seemed slightly out of breath. ' on,' Rita grated. ' gaping." She

  pushed Heather into the bathroom. ' have two minutes.' Heather went to

  the toilet, lifted her skirt, sat down. She could hear a commotion

  coming from the direction of the hot box: voices raised, weapons being

  clicked over to readiness. The noises grew louder. She heard the sound

  of running boot soles coming towards her. '!' It was EI-Kalaam's voice.

  ' quickly!' His face appeared at the doorway. He seemed enormous, framed

  in the bathroom entrance. He did not glance at Heather. ' is it?' ''s a

  fire some idiot started in the trash out back.' He went off down the

  hallway. ' on!' t -2 Rita turned her head towards Heather. at's all

  right,' Fessi said, so close to her she was startled. k after her.' He

  was grinning. I bet,' Rita said acidly.

  "I know just how you'll ita!'El-Kalaam's voice came again. o whatever

  you want,' she said as she pushed out the ay past him. ' keep her safe.

  We may need her.' She down the hall after EI-Kalaam. si came into the

  bathroom. The grin was stitched to his His eyes were locked on the

  juncture of Heather's legs -th the skirt. hat's going on out there?"

  Heather asked. , Ia, Ia.' Fessi's voice was thick. ' have we here?"

  moved the muzzle of his AKM forward until it slid beneath hem of

  Heather's skirt. Fessi's eyes were alight. His tongue e out, licked at

  his lips. Heather said nothing. The muzzle of the AKM disappeared, bing

  higher. ''s with Rachel?' Fessi's eyes blazed momentarily. ' ask the

  questions here. get the answers.' Heather watched him quietly. Fessi's

  eyes widened and he ok a step closer. His tongue came out and he licked

  his lips in. ' liked what he did to Rachel,' she said softly. Fessi e

  closer. ''d like to do the same thing to me, wouldn't UF Fessi was very

  close now. Heather stood up. Fessi swung e AKINI aside, put it down. He

  unholstered his -45 automatic, cked oil the safety. He reached out for

  her with his left hand. went beneath her skirt. The -45 came up, the

  muzzle against side of her head. ''t get any ideas,' he whispered. His

  mouth slid along edge of her cheek to her lips. Heather averted her

  face. His hand moved on her and she her lip, refusing to cry out.

  Slowly, she put her arms up, hands moving along his shoulders. His mouth

  crushed inst hers. Her lips opened under his. They kissed for a 'long e.

  The sounds of running boots, hoarse shouts, came from hallway.

  458 459 Then, slowly, Heather moved her hands down his body. Fessi

  gasped. His eyelids fluttered and the gun wavered in the air. @Heather

  curled her right hand into a fist, lashed out at Fessi's crotch. The

  small man let out a howl, doubled over. The -45 fired, bucked in his

  hand. His face was white. His knees buckled. Heather snatched the -45

  out of his hand but he managed to slap it away. It skidded across the

  tile to the other side of the bathroom. He was unbending now, reaching

  for her. He was cursing her low on his breath. Heather reached over him,

  took hold of the AKM. She raised the machine pistol, slammed the butt

  end down on to the base of his neck. Fessi let out a sigh, collapsed.

  Carefully she stepped over him. She went to the open doorway to the

  hall. The sounds were louder now, shouts and calls. Then she heard the

  pop-pop-pop of gunfire from outside the villa. She stuck her head out

  into the hallway. It was chaos in the living room, terrorists running

  towards the front door. She could see none of the other hostages. She

  could hear Elkalaam's familiar voice raised as he gave orders. She went

  back down the hall towards the hot box. She crouched along the wall, her

  finger on the trigger of the AKM. She kept her eyes on the half-open

  door to the far room. It loomed closer and closer. A fierce beam of

  light from inside the room stretched across the floor of the hall,

  obliquely up the opposite wall. just outside the doorway she paused,

  listening. But the sounds from the rest of the villa made it impossible

  to hear anything from inside. For an instant, she closed her eyes. She

  took a deep breath. When her eyes opened again, they were fixed on the

  bar of illumination on the wall. Her lips moved as she silently counted

  to herself. On '' she leaped forward. She banged open the door with her

  left shoulder. She was crouching, the butt of the machine pistol hard

  against her hipbone. She swung the barrel around in a brief arc.

  She saw Rachel bound to the 460 e saw shadows, no other person. I e from

  out of the shadows and she jumped, tumbled, to one side. Bullets sprayed

  in her wake, tearing up the n floor. Plaster chips whizzed by her

  shoulder. The came up and she fired into the darkness: one burst,

  .three. ere came a harsh cry and she saw the top of a head. A staggered

  out from the shadows. It pitched forward into rsh glare from the one

  unshaded lamp. Blood glistened, ng. The body fell heavily at her feet.

  It was Malaguez. n the hall came Fessi, staggering, the -45 clutched in

  d. ather stood over Malaguez, looking down. ssi came on, one hand

  between his legs. He lurched it the wall, back out into the middle of

  the hall. ather turned to Rachel. ' you all right?' hel nodded her

  tear-streaked face and Heather went to essi, gritting his teeth and

  sweating, appeared in the door- ' the room. His gun came up, aiming at

  Heather's back. ook out!' Rachel cried. he -45 went off. Heather was

  already turning. The bullet cd into the wall close to her left shoulder,

  spun her d. She fell to her knees. Fessi, grinning, lowered the I to

  shoot again. eather pulled the trigger on the AKM. It bucked in her

  spewing bullets. Fessi's body was sliunined backward so he bounced off

  the wall. Blood splattered them all. He utstretched. cather tried to

  shoot again but the AKM had jammed. threw it froin her disgustedly,

  picked up Fessi's -45. She ed back to Rachel, began to untie her. he

  attack's begun,' the girl said. She stood up, took ther's hand. ' told

  you my father would not leave us.' eather looked around the

  blood-streaked room. ' on. PS go.' ',,hey went out of the hot box and

  into the hallway. They immediately confronted by one of the cadre.

  He lifted his 461 machine pistol. Heather shot him through the chest.

  He reeled backward, his arms out-flung. He crashed to the floor, his

  head lolling. Heather pulled Rachel down the hall. Past the bathroorq

  there was a closed door on the opposite side of the hall. Heather opened

  the door. It was a bedroom. There was no one inside. She pushed Rachel

  into the room, followed her. She shut the door and locked it. Across the

  room, the window had been blocked off as it had in the hot box by the

  bed being turned on its side. ' you can help me get this away from the

  window?, Rachel nodded. Together they began to work the huge fourposter

  out from the wall. They sweated as they worked, straining at the weight.

  Beyond the locked door, they could hear the sounds of gunfire coming

  stronger, more distinct. Abruptly, the sounds of raised voices very

  close. The bed gave a bit. Pounding on the door. The bed gave more. '

  on!' Heather cried. ' on! Push!' Rachel put her shoulder to the other

  side of the bed. Gunshots from beyond the door; bullets whining into the

  room. They ducked, continued to heave. The bed slid away from the

  window. It left a rather narrow gap. Heather stopped pushing. ' right,'

  she said. ' on. There's enough room for you." "But not for you,' Rachel

  said. She continued to push. Now it was she who said: ' on!' Shots came

  again and they both ducked behind the edge of the bed. Heather reached

  out, pulled Rachel towards her. ' on now!' she shouted. ''s no timev ','

  Rachel said. ' won't leave you.' Her face was determined. ', come on,

  we've only got a little more to go.' She put her shoulder back to the

  bed. Her brow wrinkled with the effort. Heather stared at her for a

  moment. Shots came again and she pushed, too. The bed squeaked along the

  floor. The lock on the door shattered with the next barrage of machine

  pistol fire. ', Rachew Heather screamed. The door burst open. scrambled

  behind the bed.

  She raised the wide leaped up on to the windowsill. '!' she cried, out.

  on!' Heather said. There was some desperation in her She turned towards

  the doorway. ''m coming.' I jumped out just as Heather sighted down the

  barrel -45. A figure leaped through the open doorway.

  She gunfire. Fabric churned close beside her. The thunk- unk of bullets

  hitting close. She squeezed the trigger, the oncoming figure. re was a

  scream but the figure came on. It was Rita..ed out again. Heather could

  see her lips drawn back the whiteness of her teeth. There was a bluffed

  splash son. One side of her head. ther turned, squeezed herself behind

  the bed. She led for the windowsill, almost dropped the -45. Then were

  hands - Rachel's hands - helping her up. as she made the ledge, she saw

  the muzzle of an MP40 around the edge of the bed. me on!' Rachel begged.

  "Oh, pleasev's bloody face loomed. Her hair was splashed with red.

  muzzle of the machine pistol aimed at Heather's head. er fired again and

  Rita's head jerked away. The barrel MP40 lifted into the air, spraying

  the ceiling with ther turned away. She jumped. Now she and Rachel

  crouched by the side of the house. Gunfire came from all d them. Here

  and there, they caught a glimpse of a g figure. ather pulled at Rachel.

  They got as far as the first set of s when a wave of gunfire forced them

  down on to their chs. They lay still for a time, panting. ere was blood

  on the ground and more than one dead Now they could see the assault

  force, a combination of i commandos and American Marines. The first wave

  had the villa and were already inside; the gunfire attested to r aps a

  half dozen commandos were crouching on their of the front doorway. A

  tall square-shouldered Israeli with 462 463 the hooked nose of an

  eagle's beak was commanding thent. At his command, they raced inside.

  Rachel was absorbed by the course of the assault. Something caught at

  Heather's ,. There was movement at the same window out of which she and

  Rachel had made their escape. Two men were wrestling in the open space,

  just inside the ledge. Heather turned to look. It was El-Kalaam and one

  of the Israeli soldiers. As she lei watched, El-Kalaam's hand broke away

  from the hold the other had on it. The edge of the terrorist's hand came

  down on the side of the Israeli's neck. The man grimaced in pain but

  continued to fight. He thrust a knee up into El-Kalaam's midsection. The

  bearded man drove his forefinger downward in a vicious arc. The commando

  howled and bucked upw, ird as El-Kalaam's finger punctured his eye

  socket. El-Kalaam, battered him again, threw him aside. He made a grab

  for the barrel of a machine pistol but now gunfire peppered the top of

  the window frame. El-Kalaam ducked, gave one more heave at the MP40. It

 

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