“The hell he was.” Raoul growled.
“You mean he arranged for her to be taken,” Zeke said, “so he could…”
“We do know he was closely associated with the extremist group that Cantara went off to have talks with. In fact, our information is he’s the one that got her hot-headed brothers to join that group when her parents and his brother were killed by that bomb.”
“And got them killed in the name of the glorious cause as well,” Zeke snarled.
“Right.” Hassan rubbed his chin. “We underestimated this guy, gentlemen. We knew about him, of course, but he played the role of the subservient little brother so convincingly that we never realized what a devious little bastard he actually was.”
“Was?” Raoul queried.
“He blew his own brains out when we raided his house.” Hassan shrugged. “Just as well he did because we think the first bullet was intended for your wife, Washington, only we got to him before he could use it. He intended to take them both out in his twisted version of a lovers’ tryst.”
“Christ, what a fucking mess!” Raoul dropped his head into his splayed hands and shook it from side to side.
“That about sums it up,” Hassan said. “This guy, Salim, heard Cantara wanted to parlay with his buddies, and took matters into his own hands. He must have found out from Levi that you were her backup and that she was married to you, Washington. Now, we have to assume that Salim wanted to show Cantara the error of her ways and persuade her to marry him instead, so they could breed lots of little Palestinians loyal to the cause. We know this because we found a locked room in his house plastered with pictures of her, taken when she was married, but obviously without her knowledge. He’d built a shrine to her, so we’re guessing he wanted it all to be pure and perfect between them.”
Zeke snorted. “Yeah, like Cantara would play along with that.”
“Which is probably why he turned to violence, which would explain the skull fracture,” Agent Parker said. “From what we’ve subsequently learned, he was a bit of a sociopath, meek and mild on the surface, as cold and hard as ice beneath it all. Except when it came to Cantara. Everyone has an Achilles heel, and she was his. He’d probably decided she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted her, but when she rejected him, he couldn’t handle it and the cruel side of his nature surfaced.”
“Are you absolutely sure he’s dead?” Raoul asked in a murderous tone.
“Yeah, he’s six foot under,” Parker replied.
“Pity,” Zeke muttered, a chilling cast to his expression.
“So why didn’t they take us both out when they had the chance?” Raoul asked. “That would have resolved the problem of Cantara already having a husband. They were expecting us and had the drop on us. They could have done it easy with a long-range rifle.”
“We think Salim had to do some horse trading with his buddies. He got to whisk Cantara away but they got to keep you two. Two prize Green Berets to use for propaganda purposes. That must have been a pretty compelling reason to give Cantara over to Salim. Unfortunately, you selfishly spoiled their party before they could capitalize on their gain.”
“It’s just fucking crazy enough to make sense,” Raoul said to Zeke after several moments of tense silence. He could certainly understand why a man would get fixated with Cantara. “But why keep her in a cellar, half-starved?”
“That’s what we’re hoping your wife will be able to tell us, when she regains her memory. She might have information about people who visited Salim that will be useful to us.”
“You’re assuming she will regain her memory,” Zeke pointed out.
“We sure as hell hope so,” Pool replied. He had been very quiet during this exchange. Unusually so. Raoul wondered why.
“She only wanted to bring the warring factions together. She was no threat to anyone. We knew a lot of people wouldn’t appreciate her intervention,” Raoul said. “But we never figured some sick fuck would lock her away to satisfy his crazy obsession.” He ran both hands through his hair. “Still, all that matters for now is that she’s coming home. What do we know about her condition?”
It was Agent Parker who answered. “I won’t sugar coat this,” he said. “She had a severe skull fracture, probably caused by that fall you saw on video.”
The muscle in Raoul’s jaw flexed and hardened. “You think that caused her amnesia?”
Parker shrugged. “It’s possible. Or it could be she was so traumatized that her mind closed down. I’ve seen it happen before. It’s a natural defense mechanism.”
“Yet she remembers our names,” Zeke pointed out.
“She wasn’t traumatized by you guys.” Parker looked uncomfortable. “She was in a bad way physically when they picked her up. They’ve been concentrating on rehydrating her and getting some liquid nutrition into her. She’s being sedated for the flight back here. Once she’s here, we’ll get her the best of care and talk to her when she’s in a fit state to be interviewed.”
“Ain’t gonna happen,” Raoul replied decisively. “She’s coming home with us.”
“Now hang on just one goddamned minute,” Pool said. “We can give her the best of everything.”
Raoul glowered at him. “You’ve already done more than enough. We are no longer soldiers, so you don’t get to give us orders. Cantara is my wife. My responsibility.” He fixed each man in turn with a steely look. “Discussion closed.”
“Just as hot-headed as ever,” Pool muttered. “But let me remind you that your wife was on official US government business when she was taken. She needs to be debriefed.”
“She will be,” Raoul said, glowering right back at the man he still blamed for Cantara’s capture. “When she’s well enough.”
“You’re on thin ice, Pool,” Zeke added. “And in no position to lay down the law.”