“I don’t give up that easily. My brother is rotting in that tyrant’s prison in Marasef.” Hassan’s eyes were flickering wildly in his taut face. “The others may give in, but I will not.” He gestured with the rifle. “Get away from that door.”
Daniel hesitated and then moved slowly to stand beside Zilah at the stall. He watched with narrowed eyes while Hassan edged sidewise until he was standing in front of the open stable door facing them.
Hassan smiled with satisfaction. “Now, come along, my pretty whore, we have a long way to go.”
Daniel took an impulsive step forward and then stopped as the barrel of the rifle lifted. “I’m going to kill you.” Daniel’s voice was deadly certain. “I hope you know that, Hassan. You’re building your own funeral pyre, stick by stick.”
“Am I?” A mocking smile touched Hassan’s lips again. “I seem to have drawn blood. Is it possible you feel something more than responsibility for the pretty lady? I’ve heard that some men form sentimental attachments to prostitutes on occasion, but I thought you were a man of discrimination.”
“Hassan…” Daniel grated warningly between set teeth.
“Did she tell you about the House of the Yellow Door?” Hassan taunted. “She wasn’t even a khadim, just a common wh-Take another step and I’ll put a bullet hole through the center of your forehead. I gather you didn’t know about the lady’s past.”
“I knew.”
Zilah felt a galvanic shock that was more traumatic than the one that had shaken her when she first saw Hassan. Her eyes flew to Daniel’s set face. He had known all along! But if that were true, why hadn’t he told her?
Hassan’s brow rose. “Yet still so protective? She must be very good. I’ll have to sample her myself while she’s in my…care.”
“Stick by stick,” Daniel repeated coldly. “And it will be very painful, Hassan.”
“But you won’t be around to light that pyre.” Hassan’s finger tightened on the trigger. “Will you, Seifert?”
“No!” Zilah took an impulsive step forward. “Don’t hurt him. I’m the one you want. Killing Daniel won’t help free your brother. If you won’t hurt him, I’ll come with you without a struggle.”
“Shut up, Zilah,” Daniel said hoarsely.
“See how eager she is to try a new man?” Hassan’s lips curved in a smug smile. “You’ll do anything I want, won’t you, pretty lady?”
“Yes, anything,” Zilah whispered. “Please, don’t kill him.”
Daniel’s face was drawn and haggard with pain. “For God’s sake, Zilah, can’t you see he’s just-”
There was a sudden blur of movement and the rifle went off.
“Daniel!” Zilah wasn’t even aware that she had screamed. But the bullet hadn’t hit Daniel. It had ricocheted off the post beside them. The blur of movement had been Pandora bolting through the door and grabbing the rifle. She was now hanging on to Hassan like a ferocious little mongoose on a cobra. Then Daniel was across the yards separating them, ripping the gun from Hassan’s grip with one hand and giving him a powerful karate blow on the neck with the other.
Hassan didn’t make a sound as he slumped to the ground.
It was all over. It had happened so fast, Zilah felt slightly dazed. Daniel was safe. She felt such a surge of thanksgiving that her knees were shaking. She slowly crossed to where Daniel was stripping off his belt. He flipped the unconscious Hassan over on his stomach. “Are you all right?” he asked curtly. “He didn’t hurt you before I got here?”
“No, I’m fine. I was here for only a few minutes with him. Before that I was in the stableyard with Pandora.” She turned to Pandora, who was picking herself up off the floor and brushing hay and sawdust off her jeans. “Why did you come back? Not that I wasn’t extremely glad to see you.”
Pandora shrugged. “I didn’t say good-bye to Oedipus. I couldn’t leave without doing that. Then I saw that slime”-she gestured to Hassan-“pointing his gun at you. So I jumped him.”
“And quite efficiently too,” Daniel said with a grin. “If you ever need a job, remind me to give you a first-class recommendation to Clancy Donahue.”
“You could have been killed,” Zilah said.
“I wasn’t,” Pandora said simply. “No use looking back at might-have-beens.”
It was almost as if it were Daniel speaking. Their philosophies were so similar. Practical, direct, honest.
Honest? Zilah felt an aftershock go through her as she remembered Daniel’s admission that he had known about her past. Known and not told her that he had known.
“When did you find out about the House of the Yellow Door?” she whispered.
He didn’t glance up from strapping Hassan’s hands behind his back with a belt. “When you had the fever,” he said absently. “You said something and I put Clancy through the third degree.”
“Clancy told you,” she repeated numbly. “Of course, Clancy knew everything. He was there.” She folded her arms across her breasts. She was suddenly shivering. When hope died, it did that to you, she thought dully. It turned the whole world into ice. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought it best not to.” He glanced up and saw the expression on her face. He suddenly stiffened warily. “It wasn’t important anyway.”
“Wasn’t it?” Her voice was strained. “I think it was. I think it was very important. If I’d known, I never would have pushed as I did last night. You must have been very embarrassed. I’m sorry I put you in that position.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Daniel said roughly. “You’re not making any sense.”
“I think we both know what I’m talking about.” Her voice broke. She mustn’t let go. She had to be strong. “I understood perfectly, Daniel. You don’t have to pretend any longer.”
“Pretend? Dammit, Zilah. I don’t even know what you’re hinting at.”
The tears were suddenly racing down her cheeks. “Stop it! Do you hear me? Stop it! I won’t be pitied.” She turned and was running out the door. “I don’t need it. I won’t be pit-” She couldn’t speak anymore. The sobs were shaking her body as she tore across the stableyard. She had to be alone. She had to go somewhere to hide, to lick her wounds and gain control again. She couldn’t face Daniel again until she did. Poor Daniel. He had been so kind. Why hadn’t she let well enough alone and not thrown herself at him last night? Now she had probably lost a friend as well as a lover. She climbed the fence and dropped down into the pasture. Then she was running wildly across the meadow toward the tamarisk trees and the poppy field that lay beyond.
Pandora turned away from the door. “She’s running across the pasture,” she said fiercely. “Why aren’t you going after her? She was crying, dammit.”
Daniel gave her a glance that was just as fierce. “Do you think I don’t want to? Am I supposed to leave Hassan for you to handle by yourself?”
“Is that all?” Pandora picked up the rifle from the floor, went back out into the stableyard, and fired four shots into the air in rapid succession. “That should bring someone running.” She turned and strode briskly back into the barn. She sat down cross-legged on the floor with the rifle barrel pressed to Hassan’s head. “Get going.”
Daniel stared at her in astonishment. Then a slow grin lit his face. “Well, I’ll be damned.” He stood up. “A recommendation. Anytime. You’re quite a woman, Pandora.”
She shook her head, her lips curving in a bittersweet smile. “I’m just a kid who doesn’t know what’s good for her. I have it on the best authority. Now, get going. Dancing Lady is already saddled.”
He gave her a half salute before crossing the stable and opening the stall gate. He led the mare to the double doors that led to the stableyard. He hesitated, not entirely sure that he should leave. Then he sighted two grooms running toward them across the stableyard and breathed a sigh of relief. Pandora should be perfectly safe now.