The Pure

the undergrowth, the wind. Uzi thought he could hear the bodyguard breathing; now that they had passed through the perimeter fence, he was walking much closer behind them. Leila drew her shawl tighter around her. ‘Where shall we go?’ she asked.
    Uzi’s ear began to itch. ‘Head over the road,’ said the Kol. ‘There’s a track that leads down to the waterfront.’
    Uzi turned to the bodyguard. ‘We’re going down to the ocean,’ he said casually.
    ‘For a short time,’ said the bodyguard.
    ‘Can’t you give us a bit of space? Some privacy?’
    The bodyguard made no response, remaining behind them as close as before. Uzi noticed that he had the safety-catch off. Leading Leila by the hand, Uzi crossed across the road and there, just as the Kol had said, was a rough dirt track winding down the side of the ridge. The rough grass and sand was monochrome in the moonlight.
    ‘How did you know about this?’ said Leila. ‘Have you been here before?’
    ‘I noticed it on the way here,’ Uzi replied. ‘Come on.’
    They scrambled down the track, supporting themselves on smooth-faced boulders and desiccated trees. Twice the bodyguard ordered them to slow down. But each time Uzi, prompted by the Kol, said that he needed to get down to the ocean.
    ‘So once this is all over, where shall we go to live?’ said Leila breathlessly as they neared the foot of the ridge. Only a few rows of houses, still warm from the heat of the day, lay between them and the sea. ‘Money will be no object.’
    ‘It would need to be somewhere obscure,’ said Uzi. ‘How about somewhere in Latin America? Do you speak Spanish?’
    ‘No,’ said Leila, ‘do you?’
    ‘No,’ said Uzi. Leila burst out laughing. ‘What?’ Uzi protested. ‘We can learn.’
    ‘I was thinking more of Jakarta, Bali, somewhere like that,’ said Leila. ‘It’s remote enough, and beautiful enough, for our purposes. And there are elements there loyal to Iran.’
    ‘I like that,’ said Uzi. ‘We could have a wooden villa on the ocean with hammocks. And a maid to make us Nasi Campur.’
    ‘Nasi Campur?’
    ‘An Indonesian national dish – rice with peanuts, vegetables, meat, eggs and shrimp flakes.’
    ‘How do you know that?’
    ‘I just know.’
    They weaved their way through the narrow streets approaching the seafront. Leila was pressing close to him, he could feel the weight of her against his arm, could smell the scent of her perfume on the night breeze, and an intense wave of love broke through him. And with it, an intense wave of uncertainty.
    ‘Uzi,’ said the Kol. ‘Forty minutes.’
    Finally they broke free of the houses, hurried across the road and stepped on to the soft sand. The beach was deserted. Far off, lights twinkled. Leila paused to remove her shoes, and Uzi went on ahead; she ran to catch him up and swung into his arms. Uzi took her hand and led her down to the sea. Now that there was nowhere for them to run, and nowhere for them to hide, the bodyguard hung back a little, his AK-47 cradled loosely in his arms.
    ‘Hurry,’ said the Kol suddenly. ‘There is a cove about a hundred metres down, over that outcrop of rock. Hurry.’
    ‘Why don’t we head for that cove?’ said Uzi. ‘There might be more privacy there.’
    ‘I can’t see a cove.’
    ‘Just down there. Look.’
    ‘There’s no privacy anyway,’ said Leila, ‘not with our friend here. Let’s just sit down here and watch the waves.’
    ‘No, come on.’
    ‘What’s going on?’
    ‘Nothing. Trust me.’
    Leading her by the hand, Uzi strode through the sand towards the cove. The bodyguard called out but Uzi didn’t stop. He heard the man cursing, scrambling after them, his weapon scraping against the rocks. The moon was clear and vivid, and the world was enchanted with shadow. The ocean could be heard breaking on the shore, each wave releasing secrets that had been locked up in the depths for centuries. Leila fell silent.
    Before long, they scrambled down into the cove. Here the sand was softer than before, the waves were less energetic, and tiny shells were scattered in their thousands. A crab scuttled across their path, taking refuge in a crack in the rock; a starfish lay pulsating in the darkness by the edge of the water. The bodyguard, seeing that they had come to a halt, swore loudly and took up a position in the rocks. Uzi made a calming gesture to him and looked out to sea, catching his breath. He was sweating. Leila stood beside him,