Annie patiently waiting for Alea to start talking, she knew the young girl was frightened and she guessed it was because of the bruises and more than likely from Alea's husband, Tamir. Another round of tea was order this time with small sandwiches.
"I missed lunch today." Annie nibbling on a sandwich and watching the traffic outside the café.
"I don't think I have even eaten today." Alea was starting to talk, "I'm glad I found you."
"Sure. Something is wrong Alea, I can tell by how watchful you are."
"I can't take it anymore. You know some Arabic women are second class, at total mercy of their husbands. If you marry a good man it can be heaven but I'm not that fortunate."
"I saw the bruising. Maybe I can help." Annie gently touching her forearm.
"I don't know if you can." Pulling at her sleeve to cover the black, purple and blue markings.
"Try me. I can be very resourceful." Annie encouraging her to talk.
"I know things I shouldn't. Evil things." She stopped and once more became silent.
Annie watching her, turning over in her mind how to approach the delicate conversation and how much she was willing to reveal to Alea. They had spoken in English at the compound and her intuition to pursue the background of her English hoping to put Alea more at ease with her.
"Your English is very good. Would you like to continue in English - makes our conversation more private."
"That would be good." Alea smiling at Annie.
"So tell me, where did you learn English?"
"I went to boarding school in Buckinghamshire, England for six years. My grandmother is from Kent - Gillingham to be exact and I have spent time there with her."
"Happy memories in England humm... Do you have other British relatives?"
"An aunt and some cousins. All living in Kent. Yes, that was about the best time of my life."
"I don't mean to get personal but how old are you?" Annie was sensing she was still very young and longing to go to England.
"I'm nineteen. Still in my teens and feel like I'm in my forties." Alea said with a slight chuckle.
"You married young."
"It was an arranged marriage by my father just before he died. I'm descended from some mighty Persian prince and my Iranian side of the family wants to keep the blood line going. My grandmother's first husband was from the same blood line that's way my mother's marriage was also an arranged one. Some stupid fancy about regaining the throne of Iran."
"So Tamir Sarraf is from that same line."
"Yes, a distant cousin. My soul purpose on earth is to have children." She was fairly annoyed at the idea. "Being seventeen and still a minor I had no say. My grandmother wanted to send me to America but she couldn't get it arranged fast enough."
"Now what?"
"Anna I don't know if you can help me or not but I need to get out of Morocco... Maybe to France and then on to Kent and my family there."
"I may be able to help you but I need some more information. You said that you knew things, evil things." Annie wants to know how much she knew about her brother and his terrorist actives.
Alea again fell silent. She was trying to decide how much she could trust Anna and thinking this was her last ditch chance to get out. Bowing her head, believing she had nothing to lose but all to gain.
"Have you ever heard of Groupe Islamique?"
"I have. A terrorist group based here in Morocco. What about them?" Annie was stunned at her bringing up the name of the group. Could this still be a ploy to keep Annie busy while waiting for Abdoul to arrive? Annie wasn't sure but remained to find out more, after all this was part of her mission.
"Perhaps if you get me to the French Embassy and I can get safe passage to France, I will tell all I know."
"How much do you know?"
"Locations and numbers." Alea's face had turned to stone, the sweetness was draining, and "My brother Abdoul is leading part of the group." She was now betraying her flesh and blood and it was causing immense anguish.
"I can't image how hard that is for you." Annie touching her folded hands. "I know someone and your escape will not be through France but directly to the UK. I have some connections." Annie was hoping Eyal had reached the safe house by now and she was going to call him.
"Anna, tell me something."
"Sure."
"You are not with The Louvre Museum are you?" Alea studying Annie's face.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because I gave you some misinformation the other night about several of our paintings and you didn't correct me. I think it is a cover for something - MI6 or Mossad."
"Let's just say I have some very strong connections and you have become a protected person. Your information is important and I promise you, England will be your destination. Now I have to make a call." Annie smiling as she dialed Eyal's number.
"Hey Neshama, I'm just now coming into the train station." Eyal's voice sounded delighted to hear from Annie.
"Hi Antonio, this is Anna Marie Rousseau and I'm here in Marrakech. If I can have some of your valuable time, I need your help."
"Tell me all you can." Eyal knowing something wasn't right.
"I have a young lady with me that needs to get to England. Is there someplace we can meet?" Annie was trying to give Eyal's enough info without giving too much away in front of Alea.
"Abdoul's sister?"
"That's right."
"I'll have to call you back - Rita is on her way into the train station. Watch out she is a bitch on two legs." Eyal disconnected quickly.
He hung-up before Annie could tell him that Rita had been recalled to Spain and probably at the station to leave Marrakech. Picking up the tab and reaching for money she saw Alea looking at something in the passageway of the station.
"See something?"
"Yeah, one of my husband's men standing near the ticket counter. I guess they know I'm missing."
Annie putting money on the table, "Come on, we have to find another way out of here. Stay close." Annie leading them thru the back kitchen and into a long enclosed alleyway. There were dumpsters and smelly food pouring over the sides and a few rats having their afternoon meal. Annie was looking for a back door to a clothing shop, someplace they could hide or change their looks. Both women were looking very western.
"Here, in here Alea." Annie had found a door partly open to a boutique selling Moroccan style attire. "We need to bend in more and I need to cover my hair."
"Funny, I'm trying to escape this life style and we are running to it." Alea was calm and a little joking.
"Women in jeans tend to stand out around here, especially a blond one."
Rolling up the pants legs on their jeans, they found long skirts, and head scarves. Annie had to get a pretty tunic with long sleeves to cover her arms and Alea show her how to cover all her hair with the scarf. There was large rose-tinted glasses that Alea got to try to hid as much of her face as she could. They were now ready to step out into the train station
"Are we going to leave the station?" Alea was asking Annie.
"Not until I talk with Antonio again. There is safety in numbers and this is a large station, we'll try to get lost." Annie looking for any signs of trouble when she saw Eyal with Rita. He had his hand tightly around her left arm and walking fast out of the station. She had seen the same expression on his face before and it was not the one of love and admiration, more like assassination. Well she did blow his cover. Annie wanted to follow but not with Alea in tow. They need to find someplace to settle in and wait.
"How about a movie, there is a little theater in the old section." Alea being as watchful as Annie.
"No, I like a more open area." Annie looking around. "Like a book store."
"There is one near the front entrance." Alea pointing in the direction of the book store.
"Perfect. On our way."
A nice comfortable reading room awaited Alea and Annie with large chairs and a view of the front entrance. Annie settled for a corner chair with a French magazine and Alea took a chair nearer the door where she could also keep watch on the entrance. Annie pleased with how calm Alea remained all the while aware of Tamir Sarraf's men looking for her. Checking her watch, she had no idea how long Eyal would be gone or what he was going to do with Rita but she knew he was pissed.
Eyal: Walking fast through the train station with his hand tight around Rita's arm, almost cutting off the blood flow to her hand, he was in a hurry to get her out of there before any chance meeting with Annie. She was chatting endless about him man handling her until Eyal had all he was going to take, "Shut your freaking mouth now or so help me god I will send you to never-never land and you know I will do it."
Reaching the black Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, Rita stopped, "Where are you taking me? That is Abdoul's car."
"I know and we are going for a ride." Eyal opening the passenger's door, sitting Rita in the seat and quick with zip ties bonded her hands and fastened them to the assist handle above the door. Walking around the front of the car, keeping his eyes on her until he reached the driver's side door and quickly looking for any other out-of-the-way trouble. Sliding in and starting the car, looking over at her, "I told you to keep your mouth shut, so now Rita damn to hell obey me."
Driving the car out of the parking lot and turning east and then south to pick up Route Chemin Tertiaire and turning west out of the city. On the twenty minute drive, Eyal pulled his cell out to place a call to Arthur.
"Hi boss, we have a bit of trouble. Rita Venegas, the Interpol agent pulled the unthinkable and burned me out to our target. I have her with me now and need an escort to get her to Spain. She is on some unknown vendetta and we need the loose cannon out of Morocco." Eyal was not going to hurt Rita but was for damn sure getting rid of her. "On our way to the airport." Eyal listened for a while longer, "Got it and thanks." He disconnected and looked straight ahead not wanting any further discussions with Rita for fear of losing his well known temper.
Rita look at the back seat to see Abdoul-Haziz Eman in a reclining position with his head resting on a decorative pillow and his eyes closed. He was slightly covered in a light weight throw and gave the appearance of taking a nap.
"He is dead isn't he?"
"Yeah. Thanks to you."
"What do you mean thanks to me." Rita was trying to talk to Eyal without making him more irate.
"You know damn good and well what I'm talking about. I was sitting next to Abdoul when you made your call. Rita how in the shit could you do that."
"I didn't know you were with him."
"Why make the call in the first place. What the f-ck were you jealous? Damn it Rita I should have never screwed you in the first place. You are a real bitch."
"Come on Eyal we had something between us."
"Never Rita you are married, there could never be anything but sex." Eyal took a deep breath, "You knew by my mire presents I was working on a mission why in the f-ck blow it?
"Because you got me pulled off of my case. Shit Eyal why did you do that." Rita was back to shouting at him.
"It wasn't me but that doesn't make any difference now. You just screwed up royalty. Doubt seriously you are going to keep you job after this. My superiors are not happy at all with your idiotic move."
"Who in the shit are your superiors? You're not with Mossad anymore."
"None of your f-cking business. Rita I hope to god I never lay my eyes on you again. You are an extremely dangerous woman. Now just shut up before I get really mad and hurt you."
Eyal parked the car in long-term parking at the Marrakech-Menara Airport purposefully as it would be days before anyone discovered the dead man in the back of the car. Eyal keeping both Rita's hands tied behind her back, he walked her into the main terminal and to the Air Nostrum ticket counter to wait for his contact. Not a word spoken between them as they waited. Soon a young American man resembling a Rambo type that could take out an army of men show up to escort Rita Venegas to Madrid on a non-stop flight. Rita is promptly escorted once and for always out of Eyal's life. Now his attention can to turn to Annie.