The Pure

closed, pulled his R9 out of his waistband and laid it on the table. Then he collapsed into an armchair and drank the rest of his beer. The flat was completely bare; no personal belongings whatsoever, just furniture. Avner got him a glass of water but he waved it away.
    ‘Thanks for coming,’ said Avner, smiling as if it were his birthday. ‘I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. I’ve got some news.’
    ‘Go on.’
    ‘It’s arrived.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘The money, my brother. It’s arrived.’
    Uzi felt a wave of coolness come over him, then heat, then the world seemed to constrict then expand. ‘All of it?’
    ‘Every last dollar. Check your account online when you get back. We’re rich men, my brother. Rich men.’
    Uzi got to his feet, suddenly lightheaded, and before he knew it he and Avner were embracing. Then he was back in his chair. The whole world felt like a different place. Don’t forget who you are. Believe.
    ‘The important thing,’ said Avner, ‘is to keep it together. We’ve got the money. So far, so good, but we need to get the fuck out of here. As soon as the information appears online, the Office will be after us.’
    ‘When will it break?’
    ‘Tonight.’
    ‘That soon?’
    ‘Our sponsors didn’t want to wait. The election is getting close.’
    Uzi looked around. ‘That would explain this.’
    Avner grinned. ‘I’ve cleared everything out. I was going to suggest meeting in a bar, but I think we should play it safe. My plane leaves in six hours.’
    There was a pause. Gradually Uzi’s emotions stopped cartwheeling and settled into a gentle buzz.
    ‘So,’ he said at last, ‘this is your last night. You’re really ready to go?’
    Avner nodded towards the door, where a shoulder-bag lay under a coat. ‘Take a look at this,’ he said, tossing a small green passport casually on the table. Uzi picked it up. ‘German?’ he said.
    ‘Jawohl, mein Herr. Where I’m headed Germans are always welcome.’
    ‘Don’t tell me where you’re headed.’
    ‘I wasn’t about to.’
    ‘This is good work,’ said Uzi, examining the photograph closely. ‘Top-level document, no?’
    ‘One of the perks of being an Office jobsworth. When you want to disappear, you can.’
    ‘So this is it,’ said Uzi, giving the passport back. ‘The death of Avner Golan. The end of a chapter. Any final words?’
    ‘Money,’ said Avner, ‘that’s my final word.’
    ‘Profound.’
    ‘You’re now looking at Franz Gruber,’ said Avner. ‘I think it has a nice ring to it, don’t you? Franz Gruber.’
    ‘I like it,’ Uzi replied. ‘It sticks in the throat.’
    ‘WikiLeaks are gearing up for the big splash in Israel,’ said Avner. ‘Everything’s in place. Tomorrow you’ll be front-page news, coming out against the PM, spilling the beans on Cinnamon. This is it, this is really it.’ He took a swig of beer then leaned closer. ‘Uzi, my brother, there’s still time. Nothing’s set in stone. Why don’t you consider . . .’
    ‘Forget it,’ said Uzi abruptly. ‘I’ve got a good thing going in London and I’m not going to leave it behind. The Office hasn’t managed to find me so far, and I’ve been leaking enough jumbo to make me a prime target. If they could have got to me, they would have done it already. Trust me, I’m under the radar.’
    ‘You can’t live the rest of your life like this.’
    ‘I’m not afraid. If anything should happen to me, Liberty will spread the word to the CIA and the media. Overnight, Israel will find themselves with another embarrassing crisis on their hands. It will only make things worse for them.’
    ‘Unless they silence Liberty.’
    ‘They wouldn’t silence Liberty. They couldn’t.’
    Something in Uzi’s tone of voice made Avner recoil.
    ‘You’re fucking her, aren’t you?’ he said.
    Uzi shrugged.
    ‘Just tell me you’re not in love,’ sighed Avner. ‘Tell me you haven’t completely lost it.’
    ‘You know what?’ said Uzi, draining his bottle of beer. ‘I think I am in love. I think I am, and it feels fucking great. You should try it some time, you know?’
    ‘What’s wrong with you? Have you lost your mind? You sound like a teenage girl,’ said Avner. ‘Liberty’s one of the biggest players in the city.’
    ‘She wants to get out of this business. We both do.’
    ‘Get out?’
    ‘Yeah, cash in and go somewhere quiet. Start again.’
    ‘Bonnie and Clyde, huh.’
    ‘Liberty wants to do one final job. I don’t