“Yes, he did. We had reconciled—at least partly. When he was near the end, I told him … what I could. I’m not sure he understood it all, but he did know that his grandson and daughter were alive and well. Ah, but Amira, how I wish you had come to me for help, back then. Why did you go to the Frenchman instead? And what went wrong?”

She told him as much as she dared. Even now, she feared igniting a vendetta against Ali, a fight that Malik could only lose. She settled for describing the murder in Alexandria, including the circumstances that led up to it. “I couldn’t live with him after that. But I just couldn’t leave, either—he would have hunted me down. Then Philippe came up with this idea.”

“It must have been brilliant, seeing that it got him killed.” “Please, Brother, don’t be sarcastic. Just listen for a while.”

She told the story of Philippe’s help and heroism. When she had finished, Malik sat quiet for a moment, reflexively rubbing the empty sleeve. “This makes a difference—a great difference,” he said at last. “I had come to hate Philippe. Now I see that … well, what can I say?”

“No need to say anything, Brother. How could you have known?”

“As for Ali, I knew about his preferences, of course. Such things can’t be kept totally secret. But of this killing—nothing, not even a whisper. I’m glad to know of it—it may be useful someday. But right now, we need to deal with the present.” He leaned forward. “Listen carefully, Baby Sister: You can’t hide much longer. Ali knows that you and Karim are alive. He’s known it for some time. And all that time, he’s been searching for you, quietly but very persistently.” He smiled grimly. “I haven’t been much help to him, I’m afraid. I have certain … contacts in his camp—Jabr was one of them, before he came under suspicion and I had to get him out—and I’ve been able to feed Ali false clues now and then. But it’s only a matter of time until he finds you, just as I did. The question is, what will he do then?”

“You’re asking me?” “Yes.”

“I don’t know. For years, I assumed he’d take Karim and have me killed. Or maybe drag me back to al-Remal to be tried for stealing his son—I thought that was what Ryan was doing. But to tell the truth, I don’t know. It’s all gone on for so long.”

“Do you think he would settle for having Karim back?” “I won’t give him back. Never.”

“Karim is almost a grown man, Little Sister,” said Malik gently. “Before long, he’ll go where he wants.”