“Countersurveillance.”
“We have a different word for it.”
“Yes,” said Sarah. “I remember.”
At once, a black SUV drew to the curb. A young man in a khaki vest climbed out of the passenger seat and opened the rear door.
“Get in,” said Mikhail.
“Where are we going?”
Mikhail said nothing. Sarah climbed into the backseat and watched a Number 5 bus slide past her blacked-out window. It didn’t matter where they were going, she thought. It was going to be a very long ride.
7
Tel Aviv–Netanya
“Couldn’t Gabriel havefound someone else to bring me in?”
“I volunteered.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to avoid another awkward scene.”
Sarah gazed out her window. They were driving through the heart of Israel’s version of Silicon Valley. Shiny new office buildings lined both sides of the flawless highway. In the space of a few years, Israel had traded its socialist past for a dynamic economy driven by the technology sector. Much of that innovation went directly to the military and the security services, giving Israel a decided edge over its Middle East adversaries. Even Sarah’s former colleagues at the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center used to marvel at the high-tech prowess of the Office and Intelligence Unit 8200, Israel’s electronic eavesdropping and cyberwarfare service.
“So the nasty rumor is true, after all.”
“What nasty rumor is that?”
“The one about you and that pretty French woman getting married. Forgive me, but her name slips my mind.”
“Natalie.”
“Nice,” said Sarah.
“She is.”
“Still practicing medicine?”
“Not exactly.”
“What does she do now?”
With his silence, Mikhail confirmed Sarah’s suspicion that the pretty French doctor was employed by the Office. Sarah’s memory of Natalie, while clouded by jealousy, was of a darkly exotic-looking woman who could easily pass for an Arab.
“I suppose there are fewer complications that way. It’s much easier when husband and wife are employed by the same service.”
“That isn’t the only reason we—”
“Let’s not do this, Mikhail. I haven’t thought about it in a long time.”
“How long?”
“At least a week.”
They slid beneath Highway 5, the secure road linking the Coastal Plain with Ariel, the Jewish settlement block deep inside the West Bank. The junction was known as the Glilot Interchange. Beyond it was a shopping center with a multiplex movie theater. There was also another new office complex, partially concealed by thick trees. Sarah supposed it was the headquarters of yet another Israeli tech titan.
