The Alexander Cipher Page 0,126

hand towels, and tossed them one each. They wiped dry their faces and arms. Knox sat down and clamped his towel over his leg. “What happens now?” he asked.

“We wait,” said Nessim.

“For what?”

“Mr. al-Assyuti was in Sharm when you called. He’ll be here any minute.”

“This has nothing to do with the girl,” said Knox. “Let her go.”

“We wait for Mr. al-Assyuti,” said Nessim.

“Please,” begged Knox. “I let you and your men go in Tanta. You owe me. Let her go.”

But Nessim only shook his head. Knox closed his eyes, weary, frightened and dismayed. It galled him that al-Assyuti, of all men, would be the one to benefit. He would have no trouble hauling up the sarcophagus and lid from the mud and murk of the canal bed, and once he did, he would pry out the gemstones and melt down the gold, destroying forever one of the great finds of modern archaeology. And who could say that he wouldn’t get his hands on the rest of the Siwa treasure, too—him or Yusuf Abbas or the two of them together? The thought of such corrupt men turning so glorious a find to their own benefit made him feel physically ill. His whole life, Knox had searched for such objects—not for their intrinsic value but for the knowledge they brought with them. And yet, first by cutting the Gordian Knot, then by reversing the container truck into the canal, he had willfully played a part, just to give himself and Gaille a chance of life where there had seemed no chance at all. And it hadn’t even worked. Then he looked sideways at her sitting beside him, and he felt a certain peace, because he knew absolutely that if he had it to do over again, even knowing what he knew now, he wouldn’t hesitate. He took her hand again, interlaced fingers, and gave her a little squeeze of reassurance. She smiled and reciprocated, caressing his skin with her thumb.

Fifteen minutes passed before headlights sprang through the window. Knox’s heart accelerated. He glanced again at Gaille, who was looking as frightened as he felt. Footsteps grew loud; then Nessim opened the door, and Hassan al-Assyuti walked through, hands clasped behind his back. He looked bigger than Knox remembered. His eye and jaw were both puffy, and he grimaced as he moved, as though still feeling the beating he had taken.

“Let the girl go,” said Knox at once. “She knows nothing about this.”

Hassan smiled wolfishly, showing a flash of gold where previously there had only been white. “You’re a hard man to find, Mr. Knox. My men have been scouring all Egypt.”

“We had a deal,” said Knox. “I said I’d come to see you. You said you’d get a shipment out for me. I’m here. She’s the shipment. Keep your word. Get her out.”

“You don’t think you’ve breached the terms of that particular contract? You don’t think three vehicles filled with armed and hostile men allows me to—”

“Please,” said Knox. “I’m begging you. Do what you want with me, but let the girl go.”

“What? So she can walk straight out of here and sell her story to the press?”

“She won’t do that. Tell him, Gaille. Give him your word.”

“Fuck him,” said Gaille through chattering teeth. “I’m staying with you.”

Hassan barked out a laugh of mixed amusement and admiration. “You prefer looks to intelligence in your women, I see.”

“You won’t get away with this.”

“Get away with what?” shrugged Hassan. “All I’ve done so far is rescue you from a situation of extreme jeopardy. You should be thanking me. As for what I’m going to do next . . .”

“Yes?” asked Knox.

“You humiliated me in Sharm, Mr. Knox,” said Hassan, the tendons taut in his neck. “People have been laughing at me. At me, Mr. Knox. At me. I’m sure you appreciate that I can’t allow such things to go… unremedied.” He came a step closer, leaning down so that the tip of his nose was almost touching Knox’s, his breath sour in Knox’s nostrils. “It’s a simple matter of respect.”

“Respect!” snorted Knox. “You were raping a girl.”

Hassan’s eyes narrowed. He stood up once more, his fists clenched. Knox braced himself for a punch, but Hassan restrained himself and even managed a tight smile. “I’d almost given up hope of finding you,” he said. “But then, this afternoon, you called out of the blue. I thought it was a joke at first. I thought you were taunting me. You had to be aware, after all,