“No qualms?” He shook his head slowly. “Killing takes its toll, too, but I’m afraid killing is our only recourse. We have to kill the monsters before they kill us. And not with boots on the ground, as you Americans like to say, because that only gives the terrorists another moral victory when we invade their territory. The killing has to take place in the shadows, where no one can see it. We have to hunt them down ruthlessly. We have to terrorize them.” He looked at her again. “Welcome to our war, Sarah. You are now a true citizen of the night.”

“Thanks to you, I’ve been a citizen of the night for several months now.”

There was a knock at the door. It was Yaakov.

“I think he’s ready to talk.”

“You’re sure?”

Yaakov nodded.

“Give him ten more minutes,” Gabriel said. “Then bring him to me.”

They bore him carefully up the stairs and deposited him, still blindfolded and with his hands bound behind his back, in his designated seat. He made no protest, requested nothing, and revealed no sign of any fear. Indeed, he seemed to Gabriel like a martyr heroically waiting for the executioner’s ax to fall. It had been dark in the cellar; now, in the proper light, Gabriel could see his skin was covered in dark blotches. After allowing several minutes to elapse, he reached across the table and removed the blindfold. The Egyptian squinted in the sudden light, then opened his eyes slowly and glared malevolently at Gabriel across the divide.

“Where am I?”

“You are in a great deal of trouble.”

“Why have you kidnapped me?”

“No one has kidnapped you. You have been taken into custody.”

“By whom? For what reason?”

“By the Americans. And we both know the reason.”

“If I am in the hands of the Americans, then why are you here?”

“Because, obviously, I was the one who told them about you.”

“So much for your assurances about protecting me.”

“Those assurances were nullified the moment it became clear that you lied to me.”

“I did no such thing.”

“Really?”

“I told you everything I knew about the plot. If you and your British friends had acted more quickly, you might have been able to prevent it.” The Egyptian appraised him silently for a moment. “I enjoyed reading about your checkered past in the newspapers, Mr. Allon. I had no idea I was dealing with such an important man that night in Amsterdam.”

Gabriel placed a file on the table and slid it across the divide so that it came to rest in front of Ibrahim. The Egyptian looked down at it for a long moment, then lifted his gaze once more to Gabriel.

“Where did you get this?”

“Where do you think?”

He managed a superior smile. “The Americans, the Jews, and the Egyptian secret police: the unholy trinity. And you wonder why you are loathed by the Arabs.”