to your father’s dig?’ Ramiz asked softly.
‘And we’re only halfway there,’ Salah replied blandly. ‘It’s a four-day trip. Nadia’s not likely to mention where the dig is, is she?’
‘Does she know? I don’t, not with any accuracy. Subtle form of abduction, brother? She’s very beautiful.’
‘Subtle form of interrogation. I want to know why she wants to see it.’
‘Ah.’ Ramiz pursed his lips. ‘Nadia recognized her. Supermodel? She would have a lot of connections among the wealthy.’
‘Got it in one,’ Salah said.
‘Could she be an innocent pawn?’
‘No. I tried that one. She’s hiding something.’
Even as he spoke he wondered why he had brought Desi to this house, where the least slip would expose the truth of this expedition. Was he tired of the deception, had he somehow accepted that she was innocent, that last night had taught him her real reason for coming? Or had he merely fallen victim to her wiles in spite of his best intentions?
‘The big mystery is, why has your father allowed it? Isn’t the site completely shut down to outsiders?’
Salah nodded. ‘I advised him to refuse. His sense of justice wouldn’t allow it. Desi’s family in Canada hosted me very generously every summer for years when I was a kid learning English. He couldn’t say no, even though we have to assume that whoever is behind it chose her for that very reason.’
‘So the desert is going to sweat the truth out of her?’
Salah nodded.
‘And what else?’ Ramiz asked.
Salah raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘What do you mean?’
‘There’s more going on between you than just a spy story, Salah. The air catches fire every time you look at her. What else are you trying to sweat out of her?’
‘I have an idea!’ Nadia said.
After a delicious cold lunch of various kinds of salad, Salah and Desi were making moves to go.
‘We have a very interesting site close to Qabila. Rock carvings, two thousand years old, Desi! If you stop the night with us, Salah, you can take Desi to see them this afternoon.’
Desi glanced at Salah. It was tempting, the thought of a comfortable bed and cool sheets and a shower in the morning. But she was unsure what such an offer of hospitality meant. Was this one of those moments when you were supposed to protest three times before accepting?
‘Thank you, that’s very kind,’ Desi said with a smile. ‘But it’s such a long trip, and I am really eager to get there as soon as possible.’
‘But if you leave now, you will not get to the site till nearly sunset, maybe even after dark,’ Nadia said. ‘You may as well stay here and go tomorrow morning. Anyway, the road is safer in daylight.’
A funny little silence fell over the table. Ramiz and Salah exchanged glances. Ramiz started to say something in Arabic, but Desi was already asking, ‘The road?’
‘Yes, in the dark, you know, you can hit blown sand before you see it. Salah is a very good driver, but when sand grabs your wheels, it can be very uncomfortable.’
‘What road would that be?’ Desi asked carefully.
Nadia smiled and waved vaguely with her hand. ‘The main road to Central Barakat, of course! I really don’t understand why—’
‘The dig is on the main road?’
‘No, didn’t you tell us once it’s an hour or two off piste, Salah? But the secret is knowing where to turn off!’
‘Really. A whole hour off the main road.’
‘Shokran, Nadia,’ Salah said. ‘But we’ll go on. I prefer to do the last leg under cover of darkness. Harder to track us, if anyone is trying.’
Chapter Fifteen
A FEW minutes later they were in the Land Cruiser again, heading down the valley.
‘So, are we going to continue the circular tour for another two days?’ Desi asked as soon as she was sure she could control herself. She had never been so angry in her life, mostly with herself. What a fool she had been! Dreaming dreams about a man who had already proven himself a selfish, faithless monster. A man, clearly, who was obsessed with honour because he had none.
‘Desi…’
‘Since your ancestors were faultless navigators, I assume the detour was planned. Did you mean me to get to the dig at all? Or was the great navigator planning to get lost and spend two weeks driving around in circles?’
‘I told you I would not let you discover the way, Desi.’
‘Five days? Was that much bluff really necessary?’
‘I have told you from the beginning that I am concerned about your motives. I thought after a few days in the desert you might tell me the truth.’
‘Your own particular brand of endurance test. Is that why you made love to me, too?’ Her heart convulsed so that she felt sick. ‘To try and break me down? Hoping for a pillow confession?’
‘I warned you there was no future for us.’
She began to laugh unhappily. ‘Oh, you’re as noble as they come! A true mountain warrior—what’s the code you once told me? Generosity, hospitality, bravery in battle, and a good lover? Oh, yes, everything’s there, except the generosity, the hospitality and the bravery! What a cowardly way to fight a battle against a woman! God, you make me sick!’
A cloud of sand billowed up around the car as Salah slammed on the brakes and pulled off the road under a cluster of date palms. He turned to her, his black eyes blazing.
‘What did you expect, Desi? You come to me with lies, but you want truth from me! I have to know why you came here, why you want to visit this place! My father could not say no to you, because I owe your family such a debt! Was it noble in you to take advantage of him in this way?’
‘I am not taking advantage of him! Why do you suspect me? Why won’t you believe me?’ she shouted.
‘Because you are lying to me. I know it. Do not deny it again, Desi, it makes you more of a liar!’
‘How can you make love to me at night and then in the day believe I could be a cheat?’
‘Because you are a cheat. You cannot be trusted. You are weak. This I learned ten years ago.’
Her jaw fell open. Her eyes blazed outrage at him.
‘Me! How dare you? I’m sick of this accusation, Salah! You’re ten years older now, isn’t it time you got a handle on what happened? All I did was love you, and if that’s a sin, well, I’ve paid for it in spades!
