The Thief and the Dogs

"As you can see," Tarzan said for her with a smile, "She's all light, like her name."

"I'm fine," she said. "And you? You look very healthy. Only what's wrong with your eyes? They remind me of how you used to look when you were angry."

"What do you mean?" he said with a grin.

"I don't know, it's hard to describe. Your eyes turn a sort of red and your lips start twitching!"

Said laughed. Then, with a touch of sadness, he said, "I suppose your friend will be coming soon to take you back?"

"Oh, he's dead drunk," she said, shaking her head, tossing the hair from her eyes.

"In any case, you're tied to him."

"Would you like me," she said with a sly smile, "to bury him in the sand?"

"No, not tonight. We'll meet again later.

I'm told he's a real catch," he added, with a look of interest that did not escape her.

"He sure is. We'll go in his car to the Martyour's Tomb. He likes open spaces."

So he likes open spaces. Over near the Martyour's Tomb.

Her eyelashes fluttered, showing a pretty confusion that increased as her gaze met his. "You see," she said with a pout, "You never think of me."

"It's not true," he said, "You're very dear to me."

"You're only thinking about that poor fish."

Said smiled, "He forms a part of my thinking of you."

"I'll be ruined if they find out," she said with sudden seriousness. "His father's an influential man and he comes from a powerful family. Do you need money?"

"What I really need is a car," he said, standing up. "Try to be completely natural with him," he went on, gently pinching one of her cheeks. "Nothing will happen to frighten you and no one will suspect you. I'm not a kid. When this is done we'll see a lot more of each other than you ever thought possible."

SIX

He knew this stretch of ground. Avoiding the road next the barracks he set out across the desert to reach the Martyour's Tomb in the shortest time possible, heading for it as if he had a compass built into his head. As soon as he saw the tomb's big dome in the starlight he began looking for the spot where the car would be tucked away.

Walking round the tomb, he scanned the ground as sharply as he could, but it was only when he reached its southern wall that the shape at a little distance became visible. He made for it without another thought, keeping his head low, crouching as he came closer to the car, until he could hear through the silence the sounds of love being made in whispers.

There'll be terror, now, he told himself, in the middle of pleasure, and joy will suddenly vanish but it's no fault of yours: chaos and confusion envelop us all like the vault of the sky. Didn't Rauf Ilwan used to say that our intentions were good, but we lacked order or discipline?

The breathing inside the car had turned to panting.

Almost crawling on his hands and knees, Said crept up until he could touch the door handle.

He tightened his grip on the handle, and yanked open the door, shouting "Don't move."

Two people cried out in shocked surprise and a pair of heads stared at him in terror. He waved the gun and said, "Don't move or I'll shoot. Get out."

"I beg you —," said Nur's voice.

Another voice, throaty, as if strained through sand and gravel, said, "What — what is it you want, please?"

"Get out."

Nur threw herself out of the car, grasping her clothes in one hand, followed by the young man, who stumbled as he struggled to insert his feet in his trousers. Said thrust the gun so menacingly close that the young man began to plead. "No.

No. Please don't shoot," he said almost tearfully.

"The money." Said growled.

"In my jacket. In the car."

Said shoved Nur back to the car. "You get in."

Groaning with pain, she climbed in, "Please let me go, for God's sake let me go," she stammered.

"Give me the jacket." He snatched it from her, removed the wallet and threw the jacket in the man's face. "You have exactly one minute to save your skin." While the young man bolted off in the dark like a comet, Said flung himself into the driver's seat, switched on the engine and the car shot forward with a roar.

"I was really scared," Nur said as she dressed, "as if I hadn't really been expecting you."

"Let's have a drink," he said as soon as they reached the road, still hurtling forward.

She handed him a bottle and he took a swig.

He handed it back to her and she did the same.

"Poor man, his knees were shaking," she said.

"You're very kind hearted. As for me, I don't particularly like factory owners."

"You don't like anybody, that's a fact," she said, sitting up and looking ahead. Said didn't feel like trying to charm her and said nothing.

"They'll see me with you!" she squealed when she saw that the car was approaching Abassiyya. The same thought had occurred to him, too, so he turned off into a side street that led towards Darrasa and drove a little slower.

"I went to Tarzan's café to get a gun and try to arrange something with an old friend, a taxi driver. But now look how luck has sent me this car!"

"Don't you think I'm always useful?"