Destiny

FORTY-THREE

Marcus worked from early morning through lunch at the university library. Jacob Kogen had a full day of teaching and wasn’t expected in the office until later in the afternoon, if then. Marcus keyed in notes on his laptop, shut down and went to Cafez, anxious to speak with Bahir. His grandson said the old man was still not well.

On the way to his hotel, Marcus put in a call to Mama Davis. “How are you?” he asked.

“I’m fit as a fiddle. How are you, Paul? I’ve been so worried about you.”

“I’m well, Mama Davis. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. I had a nice visit from your friend, Alicia Quincy. She’s such a delightful girl. And she’s so thoughtful. She brought me some of that dark Ghirardelli chocolate I like so much.”

“You need to remember your blood sugar, okay? Are they checking your sugar levels regularly?”

“Oh Lord, yes. Paul, have you found anything in the Bible you can share with me? I was telling Larry Foster about you. He’s a veteran of World War II. He’s eighty-seven and has a nice head of silver hair. His wife died seven years ago. Larry was in Germany during the aftermath of the war, too. He told me some fascinating stories about the liberation and the trials that followed. He’s looking forward to hearing your Jerusalem stories. Now, my scientist grandson, what have you found?”

“I’ve found things that I don’t really understand. I do believe that science and the teachings in the Bible can co-exist and complement each other. What I’m saying is I’ve seen things here that have opened my eyes to…”

“To what, Paul?”

“To a universal blueprint that’s designed far beyond anything we can understand. We, mankind, seem to be the thing regularly out of balance in the harmony of design; and, yet, we’re given so many chances to get it right.”

“Remember, it’s the journey and willingness to follow a godly path. I pray every night for you, Paul. Is your work done over there?”

“No…not yet. It’s just beginning. Well, get some rest, Mama Davis. I love you, and I’ll see you as soon as I can.”

Marcus opened the door to his hotel room. He could sense something was different. The room appeared as he’d left it. He set his laptop on the table and checked the phone for messages. The light wasn’t blinking.

“Nice to see you again, Paul.”

Marcus turned around at the same instant Layla Koury stepped from the bathroom. She wore a thick, white terry-cloth robe. No shoes, her hair damp. She combed her wet hair. “I hope you don’t mind that I used your shower. The hot water in mine was not working well. The hotel staff can’t fix it until tomorrow, and they don’t have another vacant room. There are few things I hate more than taking a cold shower.”

“How’d you get in here?”

She smiled and stepped into the room. “That’s not important. What’s important is what can happen between lonely travelers.” She stepped closer to Marcus, untied the robe and let it drop to the floor. Layla was totally nude.

Marcus said nothing. Her beauty was breathtaking, tanned olive skin, erect breasts and shapely hips. She moistened her full lips and stepped closer. Marcus could smell the scent of lavender soap on her skin. She touched his chest with one hand. He felt the heat from her palm against the scar on his chest. She used the index finger from her other hand to trace across his cheekbone and softly touch his lips. She then pressed a finger to her lips and slid both hands around his waist pulling her body tight against his. She stood on her toes and brought her lips to his mouth. Her sexuality was intoxicating.

“Who sent you?” Marcus asked, breaking from her kiss, the warm taste of her lips and tongue in his mouth.

“I told you. I’m lonely. I find you incredibly attractive. I’m not subtle when I find something I like and think that person will enjoy what I can offer.”

“Offerings usually come with strings attached. I like making my own decisions about a relationship—”

“Who’s looking for a relationship? Not me. Not you, too. What does mind-blowing sex have to do with a relationship anyway?” She smiled and ran her finger across his crotch. “Maybe you should listen to your body. It’s speaking volumes right now.”

Marcus caught her hand and lifted it. “Put the robe back on and tell me what you really want.”

She looked at him in disbelief, her eyes taking in his words as if he spoke a dead language. She bent over to pick up the robe taking her time before turning around to Marcus. She slipped on the robe. “You have no idea what you missed.”

“Yes I do, and it’s more than an idea. You didn’t break into my room for sex. You came here for a less superficial reason. So why don’t you tell me what you want?”

She licked her lips and folded her arms across her breasts. “Okay, can we sit down?”

Marcus gestured toward one of the chairs in the room. He sat in another one and waited for her to speak. “Paul, I’m in a position to present you with a great deal of money for your services.”

“What services?”

“I represent clients who are prepared to offer someone with your encryption skills a king’s ransom if he or she can analyze coding that they believe will be infiltrating some of the state’s computers and compromising them.”

“What state? What computers?”

“Iran. As you no doubt are aware, Iran has a legitimate right, like any nation to provide clean fuel, electricity to its people. Our country is rapidly moving forward with construction of nuclear power plants, but there have been setbacks as other nations seek to disable the systems that control the power networks — the computers.”

“Who sent you?”

“My overture to you comes from the highest authority.”

“Then you can tell the highest authority to go to hell. I’m not interested.”

She smiled, looked down at her long nails and met his eyes. “I’m in a position to offer you ten million dollars. Five million upon the agreement and the balance when you consult and add defense mechanisms to prevent a cyber-worm attack. The money will be in U.S. currency and wired into an account you set up in the Caymans.”

“Like I said, you can take my message to the top.”

“That’s an unfortunate initial decision. Perhaps you need more time to consider the offer. We will be back in touch with you soon. I hope you will reconsider. We’re not asking you to build a nuclear bomb. We’re simply looking for you to prevent a cyber-attack, an attack that will further delay Iran from having what America and so many other nations have — the option and the right to include nuclear power in its grid. I will leave now.”

She went into the bathroom and returned wearing a cobalt blue dress. Slinging her purse onto her shoulder, she stepped to the door. As she opened it, Layla turned to Marcus. “What’s it worth to you, Paul, to have the two Americans released from Tehran. It would be a shame to have two people so young die in the hands of an executioner, their necks snapped at the end of a very painful rope. Our courts will sentence them to life in prison or to die for crimes of espionage. Maybe that will help you with your decision. Think again. We’ll need your answer in the morning. Have a good night, Paul.”