“Pilar!” Hassam spoke harshly. The brunette whipped her head toward them, and Eva was momentarily stunned. Before her stood one of the most beautiful women she’d ever seen. Her golden skin was flawless, her eyes large and turned up at the corners. They were a clear grey-green that stood out like gemstones in her delicate face. Her long dark hair was thick and shining, and she wore it straight down her back, the sides pulled up in a series of complex braids.
“Oh! Hassam!” Pilar exclaimed, throwing herself into the huge man’s arms with a smile.
Eva watched the big, callous criminal melt as the tiny bundle of beauty hugged him and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“You are too exuberant, Pilar,” he admonished gently. “How many times must I tell you that others will think you have no sense and try to take advantage of you?”
The young woman sighed heavily. “Oh, Hassam, being happy doesn’t make me dumb, you know. Besides I’ll never meet anyone to take advantage of me because you won’t let me out of this crypt.” She then turned to Eva, “But, look, my brother has brought someone to me! You’re not going to take advantage of me, are you?” Pilar winked and smiled at Eva.
“Mrs. Martin,” Hassam began before Eva could respond to Pilar. “Allow me to introduce you to my sister, Pilar. Pilar, this is Mrs. Martin. Mrs. Owen Martin.”
Pilar’s smile faded and her brow crumpled. “Oh, Hassam, you didn’t,” she admonished.
Hassam scowled and looked down at the floor. “I did, and it was about time the filthy molester got what’s coming to him.”
Pilar looked quite pale now and Eva noticed her small hands were shaking. Eva herself felt somewhat ill. Owen had been with this woman, undoubtedly in the biblical sense. She was gorgeous and vivacious. She looked nothing like Eva. Was this what he really liked? If so, why would he ever bother with Eva? Unless Eva was simply serving some kind of role in his world of international intrigue. Maybe he’d needed a wife as some sort of cover? One thing for certain, no man who could have Pilar would be satisfied with Eva instead.
Pilar shoved at her brother with both of her hands flat against his chest. He towered at least a full twelve inches above her, but she didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by him.
“I cannot. Believe. You!” she shouted, punctuating each word with a shove.
“Pilar,” Hassam growled in warning.
“No! Don’t you dare ‘Pilar’ me you big brute! How many times have I told you to stay out of my business? Owen Martin was my business, and I don’t want it dredged up again. Why can you not respect that?”
Eva stood staring at the two siblings, stunned that the tiny Pilar would brave speaking to her enormous, international criminal of a brother like that. Eva waited for the hammer that was Hassam to come down, but instead she heard Hassam say, “I respect you, and I respect my duty to protect you. But in Monte Carlo I didn’t, and now you must suffer for it every day. Please let me try to make this right.”
“Oh, Hassam,” Pilar sighed. “You are such a good brother. But why can you not understand that it wasn’t your fault. It was just something that happened. It happens to people, they fall in love and aren’t loved back. You can’t protect me from life, my guardian. You must let me live it and I will learn and someday I will love someone else and he will love me too.”
Hassam just shook his head and shuffled his feet while Pilar finally turned to look at Eva.
“You must forgive us, Mrs. Martin. I am afraid that my brother has some very ill-conceived ideas of how to defend my honor. I am truly sorry that you have been brought here, but now I guess we must make the best of it.”
Eva just looked at the other woman wondering what “the best of it” could possibly mean. She certainly didn’t see how there was any good that would come out of this night.
“Pilar,” Hassam began, having regained his composure and his arrogance. “I am expecting Mrs. Martin’s husband at any time now. You must excuse me.”
“You will send for me when he arrives, Hassam?” It wasn’t really a question, but Eva could see that Pilar was trying to give Hassam the impression that she was asking rather than telling.
“I will consider your request,” he replied curtly.
“Very, well,” she responded. “Please leave Mrs. Martin here with me for now, we have things to discuss.”
Hassam grunted and turned on his heel to stride off down the hallway. Pilar placed her hand on Eva’s arm. “Please, Mrs. Martin, come inside and meet my friends and we will have some tea.”
And with that simple request, Eva walked forward and followed Owen’s former flame into her boudoir.
Chapter Eleven
Paris — 3:51 9 September
Owen prodded his two captives along the darkened corridors until they came to a dimly lit passage. “Ah,” he said cheekily, “I assume we’re getting closer?”
Sharif grunted, and Owen knew he’d hit it in one. He looked around the space where the dark hallway he’d just been in met the better-lit one to the right. After a minute or so of searching he found what he was looking for, the lens of a very small camera set inside the eye socket of an ancient skull mortared high in the wall. It blinked regularly every twelve seconds.
He tucked the gun in his left hand into the waistband of his pants, then turned the gun in his right hand around to grasp the barrel and aimed the butt at the camera lens. With one sharp thwack he broke the skull’s eye socket and the camera’s lens. He pulled the small camera out, wrenching it free of the wires that connected it to the security system running throughout the tunnels.
Tossing the camera remains on the floor, he crushed them under his boot heel. Next, he turned to Sharif and Tariq, his gun still held butt out in his hand. “Sorry about this,” he said.
“You still need us!” Sharif barked out quickly. “We can show you how to get in. Can’t we Tariq? We know where all the other cameras are and how the alarm gets tripped. You’ll never figure it out without our help.”
Owen scratched his head and flashed the two men an apologetic look. “Yeah, mate, I’m awful torn up about it, but there’s no way for me to bring you further. I’ll make it quick though. You’ve been charming. I’ll see myself to the door, shall I?”
Tariq glared at him, and Sharif’s eyes narrowed. Voice dripping with ice Owen said, “On your knees, now!”
Both men dropped to their knees and laced their hands behind their necks, heads bowed. Tariq started softly chanting a prayer while Sharif screwed his eyes shut. Owen could see his shoulders trembling. Owen walked behind them muttering, “It’s too easy.” He stood behind Hassam’s minions and quickly knocked each with the butt of his gun, watching as they slumped to the floor.
“Gentlemen, it’s always less messy to disable than to kill. Not as much paperwork.” Owen said, as he looked down at the unconscious bodies.
Owen then walked back to the hole where he’d removed the surveillance camera. He looked at the wires, quickly ascertaining by color which set of wires ran to the system source. He was surprised to find it traveled down the lit corridor. Had security here been his purview he would have used the lighting as a decoy away from the main hub of the compound. But apparently Hassam wasn’t so clever.
“It’s all right, love,” Owen whispered to the abandoned hallway as he started walking. “I’m on my way.”
• • •
After Eva was led into Pilar’s suite, she was shocked to find a bevy of women, some wearing hijabs, and others with their heads uncovered. Most of the women were Middle Eastern, but Eva guessed at least a couple of them were European. They were all reading and chatting and generally looked to be happy and enjoying themselves.
“Come in, please,” Pilar said warmly. “These are my friends, the wives and sisters of Hassam’s men. He only hires men who can bring a woman with them so that I will have companionship. You see he isn’t the monster of a man that you might think. He has always provided the very best for all of his family and especially for me, after what
happened,” she trailed off.
Eva stood, the center of the entire room’s attention, not sure what to say in response. Pilar cleared her throat then said quietly, “Would you all excuse us, please?”
The other women filed out into an adjacent room leaving Eva and Pilar facing each other awkwardly.
“I am so sorry that you have been brought here against your will, Mrs. Martin,” Pilar said as she gestured to a sofa.
Eva sat, while Pilar took a nearby armchair. Eva noted that the entire room was decorated in much the same fashion as the hallway outside. Rich tapestries, lots of warm colors, and bright lighting. “It’s not your fault that I’m here, Miss … ” Eva began.
“Pilar, please.”
“All right, Pilar. I realize that you didn’t ask your brother to do this. And really, if my husband were a better man,” Eva’s voice cracked at this point and she swallowed against the ache sitting in her heart. “If he hadn’t done some of the things he’s done, none of us would be here. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s probably his.”
Pilar leaned forward and placed her hand on Eva’s knee. “No, Mrs. Martin, no. You must not blame your husband. My brother is eaten up with guilt; he refuses to understand what really happened.”
“Which is?” Eva asked, looking the other woman in the eye for the first time since they’d been introduced.
Pilar sighed. “Two years ago I was twenty-two years old and very adventurous I guess you would say. I had grown tired of living with my mother and sisters, tired of the restrictions placed on me, and very tired of having nothing to do but be paraded in front of a ceaseless string of potential husbands.”
Eva nodded in understanding.
“My father passed away many years ago and so Hassam is the head of the family. He was not often at home with us, but he always made sure we were well provided for and that we were protected and honored as we should be.” Pilar stood and began to pace the room as she spoke.
“When my mother told Hassam that I was causing her trouble and inflicting my dissatisfaction on the whole household, he decided to take me with him for a while. He thought that traveling and seeing some of the world would make me appreciate my home and family more.”
Eva smiled. “Sounds very much like the same sorts of problems young people and their families have all over the world.”
“Yes, I do not think my unhappiness was unique, but my family is very old fashioned and it was somewhat unusual to take a young unmarried woman out into the world as Hassam did. He was very good to me, and allowed me to have a great deal of freedom. I did not have to wear the hijab, and I was allowed to go shopping, sightseeing, and even to dance clubs whenever I wanted. We went to all sorts of different cities as Hassam did his work, and as long as I had the security men with me I was free to entertain myself in most ways.”
“And did you enjoy it all?” Eva asked, taken up with the story now.
“Oh, yes,” Pilar said somewhat wistfully. “I loved every minute. It was just what I had been craving. The things I saw and learned, Mrs. Martin, were so amazing. Art and science in museums, books about politics and romance, buildings that soared as high as an eagle can fly, and places of worship that were thousands of years old.”
Eva smiled again at the wistful look on the other woman’s face. “What happened, Pilar?” she asked quietly.
Pilar sighed. “We had been in Monte Carlo for several weeks. Hassam was working on something very delicate and he was often away. I was allowed to go to the casinos as long as I didn’t place any bets, and I had found a favorite that I often went to in order to watch the gambling and eat the delicious food. Usually one of Hassam’s men and his wife went with me, but on one particular night the wife was feeling unwell, so only the security staff went with me. I knew the waitresses at the restaurant well, so I had people to speak with, and I did love to watch the games from the restaurant’s balcony.
“As I watched on this night I noticed one particular man. He was European, but so lovely — blond hair and tall. He smiled so brilliantly, and there was a confidence in him that I have not seen in another man except for my brother.”
Pilar looked apologetically at Eva, and Eva knew that this was where the tale would get painful. She gritted her teeth and nodded, indicating Pilar should continue.
“I was very surprised when the man I watched seemed to notice me as well. He looked up and smiled several times, then held up the dice, kissed them, and threw them. I wanted to be those dice, Mrs. Martin. Do you understand? He made a simple gesture, and I wanted him the way a woman should only want her husband.”
Eva nodded again, only too aware of her husband’s effect on women.
“A few minutes later the man left the casino floor and I figured that I would never see him again. Imagine my surprise then when he was suddenly standing at my table asking if he could sit with me. My security men were just about to take him away but I told them ‘no’ and agreed to let him sit with me.”
Eva took a deep breath, not knowing if she could continue to hear this tale. Her heart was already shredded, and now she could feel a burning pain, like acid poured on a fresh wound. But, her curiosity hadn’t been squelched, and no matter how much it hurt, she had to know the whole thing — every heart-wrenching, tear-inducing detail.
Pilar was still walking around the room, avoiding looking Eva in the eye as much as possible.
“When he sat down, he told me that his name was Owen and that he was a musician, playing a show at the casino’s theatre. We talked for a long time, and he asked about where I was from and what I liked to do. He was very kind and I was so flattered by his attention. Finally, he asked if I would like to go up to his room for a drink. I told him that I didn’t drink. He said, ‘that’s good because I’m not really interested in drinking with you, love.’”
“You do realize he calls everyone ‘love,’ right?” Eva snapped — then was almost immediately embarrassed by her snarkiness.
Pilar dropped her head and looked down at the floor. “I do now, yes, but I was very young then.”
Eva gave her a little half-smile and said, “Of course. Please go on.”
“Well, I wasn’t sure exactly what he was referring to, but of course, I had a general idea, and Mrs. Martin … I wanted to go to his hotel room with him. Very badly.” She gave Eva a significant look to indicate her meaning.
“I explained to him that my security guards would never allow me to accompany him alone. He then told me that he was very good at ‘working around roadblocks.’ I guess I should have realized then that he was something other than what he said.”
“Oh, Pilar dear, don’t feel badly for that,” Eva huffed. “I went and married him and never had a clue. He’s very good at fooling women I’m afraid.”
Pilar smiled sadly, and continued. “Well, to make the story shorter, he was able to, how do you say? Give my guards the slip, and he took me upstairs to his room.”
Now Eva was really sure she didn’t want to hear the next part, but it was like staring at a car wreck, no matter how horrible it was she couldn’t turn away.
“Mrs. Martin, I do not wish to hurt you any more than I already have. I spent several hours with Owen — alone with him, in his room. But I want you to know that he was good to me. He never pressed me to do anything I didn’t want to. I made the decisions myself, and I did it because he was a wonderful man, and I loved the way I felt with him.”
Eva gave a little coughing choke, finding it increasingly difficult to keep her tears at bay.
“He was very concerned when he, um, when he discovered that I had not had a lover before?”
Oh good God. Eva felt her face flaming.
“None of that mattered to me, Mrs. Martin. The only thing that caused me pain was when he realized that I was not one of Hassam’s operatives.”
Eva looked at her quizzically.
“You see he approached me in the first place because he thought that I was involved in Hassam’s business. He didn�
�t know how we were related, he thought that maybe I was Hassam’s lover or his wife. He discovered I was Hassam’s sister while we talked at dinner that first night, but he still thought I was involved in the business. That is why he took me to his room. That is why he went to bed with me. He was trying to get information. That is what tore at my heart.”
Eva felt her eyes tear up. But now it wasn’t due to feeling her own pain as much as feeling Pilar’s. She could imagine this lovely young woman so innocent to the world’s seamier ways, being initiated into something that should have been so special, only to discover that it meant nothing, that she meant nothing.
“Oh, Owen,” she whispered to herself, “How could you?”
She shook her head and bit her lip to get her tears under control. “How did you find out that he only wanted to use you for information?” she asked.
“Well, we saw each other two more times after that, and I thought some of his questions were odd, but I was so entranced by him that I didn’t worry about it. Then, the day we planned our fourth time together Hassam caught us.”
Eva made a hissing sound as she sucked in her breath.
“We had met at the beach and were walking along the boardwalk holding hands when Hassam came driving down a street that ended at the boardwalk. He saw us and leapt out of his car shouting all sorts of terrible, fearsome things at me. For me to be seen in public without my guards was very wrong, and I knew this but didn’t care.
“Once Hassam had let go of his anger some he actually looked at Owen and realized who he was.”
“Wouldn’t have wanted to be Owen right then,” muttered Eva.
“Owen didn’t seem to fear Hassam at all, but Hassam was so angry, Mrs. Martin. I have never seen him so angry. He took his gun out and threatened Owen. Owen stayed very calm and answered his questions. He answered them honestly I think, and so I found out that he didn’t really have feelings for me, he just thought I was useful in some way. Once he understood from Hassam that I was not in the business and that he had actually been defiling Hassam’s younger sister, he was very sorry, and I believed him. Finally, Hassam said that death was too easy for Owen and let him go. I have known Hassam wanted revenge, but I didn’t imagine he’d been waiting for an opportunity like this for two whole years.”
Love, Lies, and British Spies Page 8