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Looking as unimpressed as she could hope, Zahir said, “That was when I believed you to be the culprit. I owed you some level of protection, regardless of how things ended between us.” He was an old-fashioned guy. He’d said so on more than one occasion. Zahir would not have sent Elsa to prison, unless she forced him to it. Her brother, on the other hand, was another matter. Being a man, being someone willing to trade on his sister’s former relationship, in Zahir’s eyes, Mr. Bosch was fair game.
“But Hans wasn’t going to do anything more.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Zahir looked intently at the other woman, as if weighing her veracity. Angele, for one, believed her or at least that Elsa believed what she’d said.
“Then, explain the blackmail letter Angele’s father received last week.”
“My father?” Angele asked in shock as Elsa’s perfectly painted mouth opened and closed like a landed carp.
Zahir returned his gaze to Angele. “Yes. Cemal came to me immediately with the demand.”
“Oh, stop harping.” Elsa frowned at him. “You make Hans sound like a criminal when he was just trying his luck.”
“I did not say it was Hans, Aziz.”
Elsa gasped and then glared at them both. “So, that’s it. You’ve tricked me into naming my brother and providing you with evidence against him.”
“Would you prefer to face the charges on your own?” Zahir asked pitilessly.
Once again, the other woman went pale, this time her hands shaking as she went for a sip of her white wine.
“No.”
“I thought not.”
“I could still go to the tabloids with my story.”
“You’ve tied all your money up in your productions company. You can’t afford to pay me back.”
“So sue me for the money, the story will be out there for all the world to see.”
“I have already released an official statement admitting a past liaison with you that I deeply regret along with the news that your brother will be tried for blackmail in my country.” He was speaking to Elsa, but looking at Angele, as if her reaction was the only one that mattered.
“That sounds like the smartest move you could make.” He’d shown her with news of the baby that in some cases transparency circumvented a media frenzy.
Once again Elsa did her carp impression and this time it was even less attractive than the last. “I…”
Zahir turned back to her. “Would do well to keep your media silence. Or you will pay the price for your poor judgment just as your brother must pay the price for his.”
“But that’s all it was, it was poor judgment. He can’t go to prison for that.”
“Poor judgment that leads to breaking the law also leads to jail.” Zahir shrugged and stood. “It is the way of things.”
He put his hand out to Angele. “Come, ya habibti.”
She stood without hesitation. She still had plenty of questions for Zahir, but they could wait for privacy. She turned to Elsa before leaving. “You have a choice right now.”
Elsa said nothing, but cocked her head as if inviting Angele to continue.
“Zahir forgave your betrayal and was willing to overlook even worse in his eyes because of your shared past. Don’t make him an enemy now.”
“Isn’t he already?”
“If he was, you would be on the plane with Hans right now.”
