Bes takes the wheel from Cec—which I now realize is why we’ve been going straight this entire time—and angles the boat swiftly along the curled tip of the port.
“Besides that woman from the museum—”
“Ingrid,” I supply.
“—who you should have killed, those weren’t God Men: they were the OVRA soldiers we told you about, back in Alexandria. Ingrid must’ve sent a telegram to Germany prior to hopping a seaplane here. Somehow, the God Men have been made aware of our movements and have requested Mussolini’s help.”
Regret sits in my stomach like a rock. “Do you think it was Pierre who told her?”
Bes shakes his head vehemently. “Not possible.”
I furrow my brow. “But you can’t know—”
“We can, and we do,” Cec cuts in.
I flinch; I’d forgotten he was there.
Frustration frays my nerves. “Loyalty is one thing, but I never expectedblindloyalty from either of you.”
They don’t respond.
I turn back to Bes, my anger rising although admittedly misdirected. “Why was Ailsa alone, anyway? Why weren’t you down there with her?”
His brow pinches, as if he feels the guilt as keenly as I do.Good, he should.
“The OVRA soldiers…” he starts to explain after a long pause. “They ambushed us while we were on our way back to the boat with the supplies. I managed to evade them, but Ailsa—” He shakes his head, cutting himself off.
“Why wouldn’t she just let them arrest her?” I wonder. “Why resist when she knew it would get her killed?”
“Would you have let the God Men arrest you? Capture you?” Bes asks. “These soldiers are no different than them.”
I suppose not.
Cec pipes up. “She couldn’t afford to get caught—none of us can. They would’ve tortured her for information, and then killed her when she didn’t break. This way, at least, the secrets she protected die with her.”
Bes shoots Cec a look, his cousin completely unaware of it.
Secrets she protected? What could be so important that she’d be willing to meet an untimely death rather than tell them what they want to know?
“What sort of information could she have to warranttorture?” I ask.
Jaw ticking, Bes refuses to answer, won’t even meet my eyes.
Cec chooses this moment to jest. As if someone he knew wasn’t just murdered. He must’ve heard the gunshots, heard the body hit the water, or, at the very least, followed along with our conversation and noted the lack of Ailsa’s presence…
“If we told you, we’d have to kill you.”
I glance back at him, not finding the usual grin on his face. “I’m starting to think that’s not hyperbole.”
“Have we done something to cause a lack of faith, Miss Hawkins?” Bes wonders.
I find his expression guarded. “No, but I’d like to understand why you’re lying to me. Faith doesn’t come naturally to me, Bes. Especially after all I’ve been through these past few days. It must be earned.”
His lips twitch up into a sad smile and then settle back into a line. “An admirable trait.” He grips the back of his neck. “Yes, wearelying to you, but none of the lies we tell will put you or the amulet in danger. Your trust in us will have to be affirmed in our actions rather than our words.”
“What’s so damned important you can’t tell me?”
He considers this. “Our lies are to protect other people.”
