“Esh!” Efraim cried, clapping his hands as he jumped up. Everyone turned toward him, startled. Pointing at Nir, he said, “Natanz, you scruffy-faced mastermind! You want to Natanz them.”

Everyone got it immediately. Putting explosives into building materials, then selling them to the Iranians so that they themselves installed the bombs into their own nuclear facility was one of the most brilliant operations ever pulled off by the Mossad. And now here was the possibility of pulling off a sequel. The room was hyped.

“So how will we get explosives into the artwork without detection? And then how will we get the paintings on the boats?” asked Yaron, voicing the obvious questions.

“I’ve got some ideas. But I’m hoping, Yaron, that since you’re our explosives expert, you’ll help me think through the first part.”

“I’ll try, but I’m less an expert on making the bombs than I am at making them go off.”

Nir gave a dismissive wave. “Well, let’s sit and talk anyway. As for the distribution, I’m already working on it. Well, Nicole is.”

He settled back in his chair. “She met with Alicia in Texas last night, telling her that yours truly, a big-time jeweler with connections around the world, is interested in helping her sell her paintings to some very rich people with very big yachts. Of course, no mentions of future explosions will be made to Alicia. No commitments yet, but Nicole has her thinking.”

“Me’uleh! That’s our girl,” said Liora.

Nir knew both she and Dafna had a special place in their hearts for the lone Gentile representative on their team full of Jews.

Efraim stood. “Okay, this is all very cool stuff, but remember it’s not your priority at present. Put any spare time you might have on it, but right now your eyes are on Iran. We’ve got six weeks to get ready. Once that’s over and done with, you can give me what you’ve come up with, and I’ll take it to the ramsad.”

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

TWO WEEKS LATER

YAEL DIAMONDS, ANTWERP, BELGIUM—OCTOBER 27, 2020—14:40 / 2:40 P.M. CET

Squeezing the tweezers in his hand, Nir lifted a dark-green gemstone and placed it on a small, black-velvet pad.

“That one doesn’t look as bright as those other two,” said Nicole, leaning close to the table. “Is it a lesser-quality stone?”

Alicia Marcos was also examining the gemstones. “I don’t think so. The richness of this emerald is pretty remarkable. The others are glossier, more transparent, but… I don’t know. It’s like with the other two, God said, ‘I’m going to show you green.’ Then with this one, He leaned in and whispered, ‘Okay, now I’m really going to show you green.’”