Daniel Silva - The Messenger

They plunged down a steep hill, Gabriel leading the way, Mikhail a few yards behind. The road was narrow and bordered on both sides by a stone wall. Ahead of them, at the top of another hill, was the turnoff for Pointe Milou. Parked along the edge of the stone wall was a motorcycle, and sitting astride the saddle, wearing blue jeans and a tight-fitting shirt, was Rimona, her face concealed by a helmet and visor.

She flashed her headlamp twice, the signal that the road was clear. Gabriel and Mikhail took the corner at speed, leaning hard through the turn, and sped out onto the point. The sea opened before them, luminous in the moonlight. To their left rose the slope of a barren hillside; on their right stood a row of small cottages. A black dog emerged from the last cottage and barked savagely as they swept past.

At the next intersection was a kiosk of postboxes and a small unoccupied bus shelter. An approaching car rounded the corner too fast and strayed into Gabriel’s side of the road. He slowed and waited for it to pass, then opened the throttle again.

It was then he heard the voice of Rimona in his ear.

“We have a problem,” she said calmly.

Gabriel, as he made the turn, glanced over his shoulder and saw what it was. They were being followed by a battered blue Range Rover with Gendarmerie markings.

IN THE parking lot of Le Tetou, Yaakov was reaching for the door latch when he heard Rimona in his earpiece. He looked at Lavon and asked, “What the fuck is going on?”

It was Gabriel who told him.

THERE WERE two gendarmes in the Rover, one behind the wheel and a second, more senior-looking man in the passenger seat with a radio handset pressed to his lips. Gabriel resisted the temptation to turn around for a second look and kept his eyes straight ahead.

Just beyond the bus shelter, the road forked. Bin Shafiq’s villa lay to the right. Gabriel and Mikhail went left. A few seconds later they slowed and looked behind them.

The gendarmes had gone the other way.

Gabriel braked to a halt and debated what to do next. Were the gendarmes on a routine patrol, or were they responding to a call of some sort? Was it merely bad luck or something more? He was certain of only one thing. Ahmed bin Shafiq was within his grasp, and Gabriel wanted him dead.

He turned around, rode back to the fork, and looked toward the end of the point. The road was clear, and the gendarmes were nowhere in sight. He twisted the throttle and plunged forward through the darkness. When he arrived at the villa he found the security gate open and the Gendarmerie Range Rover parked in the drive. Ahmed bin Shafiq, the most dangerous terrorist in the world, was loading his suitcases into the back of his Subaru.

And the two French policemen were helping him!

Gabriel rode back to the spot where Mikhail was waiting and broke the news to the entire team simultaneously.

“Our friend is about to leave the island. And Zizi’s arranged a police escort.”

“Are we blown?” Mikhail asked.

“We have to assume that’s the case. Take Sarah and get over to Saline.”

“I’m afraid that’s no longer possible,” Lavon replied.

“What’s not possible?”

“We can’t get Sarah,” he said. “We’re losing her.”

A FIST crashed against the door three times. A tense voice shouted at her to come out. Sarah turned the latch and opened the door. Jean-Michel was standing outside in the passage, along with four of Zizi’s bodyguards. They seized her arms and pulled her back to the beach.

THE WHITE CABRIOLET came through the security gate and turned onto the road, followed by the police Rover. Fifteen seconds later the little convoy sped past Gabriel and Mikhail. The top of the convertible was still down. Bin Shafiq had both hands on the wheel, and his eyes were straight ahead.

Gabriel looked at Mikhail and spoke to the entire team simultaneously over the radio. “Evacuate to Saline now. Everyone . Leave me a boat, but get off the island.”

Then he set off after bin Shafiq and the gendarmes.

“YOU’RE HURTING ME.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Sarah, but we have to hurry.”

“For what? The main course?”

“There’s been a bomb threat. We’re leaving the island.”

“A bomb threat? Against who? Against what ?”

“Please don’t say another word, Miss Sarah. Just walk quickly.”

“I will, but let go of my arms. You’re hurting me!”

GABRIEL STAYED two hundred yards behind the Range Rover and rode with his headlamp doused. They sped through the village of Lorient, then Saint-Jean. As they raced along the edge of the bay he saw the sign for Le Tetou. He throttled down and peered into the parking lot, just as Zizi and the rest of his entourage were climbing into the Land Cruisers under the gaze of two more gendarmes. Sarah was sandwiched between Rafiq and Jean-Michel. There was nothing Gabriel could do now. Reluctantly he accelerated and set off after bin Shafiq.

The airport was now directly ahead of them. Without warning the two vehicles swerved into the service road and headed through an open security gate onto the tarmac. A turboprop was waiting at the end on the tarmac, engines running. Gabriel stopped on the shoulder of the road and watched as bin Shafiq, the woman, and the two gendarmes emerged from their vehicles.

The Saudi terrorist and the woman immediately boarded the plane, while the gendarmes loaded the bags into the storage compartment in the belly. Fifteen seconds after the cabin door closed, the plane lurched forward and swept down the runway. As it rose over the Baie de Saint-Jean, Zizi’s motorcade came roaring past in a black blur and started up the hill toward Gustavia.

IT WAS 8:40 when Mordecai and Oded spotted Mikhail and Rimona clambering down the dunes toward Saline beach. Two minutes later four more figures appeared. By 8:43 everyone was aboard the boats but Lavon.

“You heard him, Eli,” Yaakov shouted. “He wants everyone off the island.”

“I know,” Lavon said, “but I’m not leaving without him.”

Yaakov could see there was no point in arguing. A moment later the Zodiacs were bounding through the surf toward Sun Dancer . Lavon watched them melt into the darkness; then he turned and began pacing the water’s edge.

THE MOTORCADE snaked its way at high speed down the hill into Gustavia. Gabriel, following after them, could see Alexandra ablaze with light at the edge of the harbor. Two minutes later the Land Cruisers turned into the parking lot of the marina. Zizi’s bodyguards handled the disembarkation and loading process with the speed and precision of professionally trained men. Rescue was not an option. Gabriel saw Sarah only once-a flash of saffron wedged between two large dark figures-and a moment later they were seaborne once more, bound for the sanctuary of Alexandra . He had no choice but to turn and head to Saline, where Lavon was waiting for him. Gabriel sat morosely in the prow as they headed into the bay.

“Do you remember what I told you this afternoon, Gabriel?”

“I remember, Eli.”

“If you can only get one target tonight, make sure it’s Sarah. That’s what I told you.”

“I know, Eli.”

“Who made the mistake? Was it us? Or was it Sarah?”

“It doesn’t matter now.”

“No, it doesn’t. He’s going to kill her unless we can somehow get her back.”

“He won’t do it here. Not after involving the French police.”

“He’ll find a way. No one betrays Zizi and gets away with it. Zizi’s rules.”

“He’ll have to move her,” Gabriel said. “And, of course, he’ll want to know who she’s working for.”

“Which means we might have a very small window, depending on the methods Zizi is willing to use to get answers.”