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. Excellency? Wait.One by one the Ishies and journalists turned to see what His Excellency waswatching.Which was why most of the newsfeeds ended up featuring the face ofSenator Liz Elsing when the first bomb exploded.It was nothing spectacular, just a rattling crump and a burst of static thatdrizzled snow across a dozen different camera screens. What was that? The accent was English, the speaker a crookbacked little manwith bad hair and worse dress sense.Raf shrugged. Sword of God, I imagine. His gaze as it took in thejournalists was cool, almost amused.He smiled sourly and flicked blond hairback from the shades he wore to keep flashguns at bay. This is Iskandryia,Page 124ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlbombs happen. What about the extradition? The man from C3N refused to let go of hisquestion. What about it.?Raf was being watched by the Senator, who was being watched by about a thirdof the press corps, mostly those from American channels.All of them looked anxious, torn between chasing down the distant bomb andsticking with the news happening in front of them. You accept the need for a trial? If a Grand Jury so decides, said Raf. And where would this trial be, if the Grand Jury so decides. The speaker was Austrian, the humour heavy. Iskandryia, said Raf. However, I will not be a judge. He paused to letthem consider that. And the rules of evidence will be those used by TheHague. And the judges? Three, Raf said. French, German, and American. He was selecting thenationalities as he went along.Raf wondered if any of themrealized that.And if the Grand Jury did decide Hamzah had a case to answer,then they d automatically become his judges.Though Raf didn t think he dmention that fact just then. Excuse me. Raf touched his earbead and took a call, nodding rapidly. Ihave to go, he told the crowd. My men have found a second bomb outside achildren s home in Karmous. Pushing Hamzah slightly, Raf steered theindustrialist towards the waiting Bentley and saw the man from C3N materializebeside him, persistent as a shadow. Will you be acting as prosecutor?Raf turned back and smiled in admiration.There was a lot to recommend sheerbloody-mindedness when it came to a job. No, he said. One of the judges will be chosen as prosecuting judge.And I won t be actingfor the defence either.She will. Raf jerked his thumb backward andheard Zara gasp.Which was around the point the second EMP bomb exploded, followed by a thirdand a fourth, so those watching newsfeeds in other countries never knew ifZara s shock was at being named defender or the fact that El Iskandryia hadbegun to shut down around her. Boss. Bodyguards closed in on both sides, obviously anxious but stillfunctioning. We ve got to get you back inside.Overhead, bright stars blossomed between clouds as the lights of the citybegan to flicker, its sodium halo fading from orange through palest yellow toperfect night.Somewhere far distant a dog began to bark.CHAPTER 41___________26th October I shouldn t be here, said Zara,  you know that.Here was Raf s bedroom, with its domed roof and high windows, naked babiesstaring down from the painted ceiling and the air rich with the scent oforchids.A newly cut bunch stood in a Lalique vase beside the bed.WhereKhartoum had found tiger orchids, Raf couldn t begin to imagine.A smallervase was thick with lilies and a silver bowl on his glass-topped dressingtable contained potpourri.Neither flowers nor bowl had been there when theyfinally fell asleep.But Raf s smile was at the memory of warm skin and the smell of lapsangsuchong, mixed with something citrus, labelled for anAmerican/Japanese designer and bottled in Frankfurt.The tiny scent flask wason his dressing table along with the rest of Zara s cosmetics.And, actually, that hadn t been there either.Page 125ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Maybe I m the one who should be somewhere else, said Raf and Zara smiled,rolling over with a linen sheet tucked around her.The night before she d haddarkness to hide behind and only a candle flame to let them see each other.Now the sun streamed in through high windows, turning the white marble floorto a sheet of glistening ice, and the sea breeze tasted of iodine.Outside,the whole city was silent, with Rue Riyad Pasha devoid of cars.Or at least ofcars that moved. Let it go, said Raf, giving the sheet a small tug.Zara shook her head. Please, he said and so she did, at least partly.Letting him unwrap hershoulders to reveal full breasts and the start of a soft stomach.Her skin washoney, her nipples dark walnut.The rest she kept hidden, one hand holding hermodesty in place. Marry me, Raf said.She pulled a face and grinned, but her smile died the second she realizedRaf s suggestion was serious. Last night you wanted to have me arrested. That was last night.Zara nodded [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]