15
As they got closer, Talia squinted at a pin affixed to one of their lapels. It depicted the Star of David encircled in a ring of woven leaves with thin wings angling downward. Her mouth dropped open. Yamam, she thought. The Special Police Unit. What are counter-terrorism agents doing at my door? She slid deeper beneath the cement staircase.
One said to the other, “Go around back.”
“What for? Her flat is on the third floor. What do you think she’s going to do, jump or something?”
They both began to ascend the staircase.
Talia looked at them from underneath, then followed the sounds of their hard-soled shoes across each step. When they were on the next level, she peeked out at the street. With her car blocked she scanned in all directions to find an alternate escape.
“Ha-matzav khar
