LITMIR.BIZ

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landed with a thud, but before Mitch could attack, his legs started to buckle. He wondered about it for a second, but then looked down and noticed the handle of the knife buried deep in his midsection.

      Staggering back, he shifted to remove the blade, only Kruger swiftly jumped to his feet. He lunged at Mitch, grabbed the knife and drove upward with it, a vicious smile on his face.

      As he struggled to stay upright, Mitch hit the wall behind him, which kept him on his feet for only a second as his legs finally gave out and he slumped to the ground.

      Kruger bent toward him then, intent on finishing the job.

      He tried to raise the hand that still held his gun, but his body refused to cooperate. Kruger didn’t have to worry about him. It would only be a short amount of time before he was dead. He could tell from the way all the warmth in his body pooled at his center, trying to keep his vital organs functioning. It was a futile effort. He sensed the growing trail of heat down the middle of his body from the blood escaping him.

      Kruger stopped suddenly and shot a quick glance up the side street. With a look of fear etched on his face, he bolted away and out into one of the bigger thoroughfares.

      He had to let Aidan know what was happening, Mitch thought, fumbling for the cell phone at his belt—only, his fingers seemed inflexible. Thick and useless.

      A moment later, a shadow passed before his eyes and suddenly Dani appeared, kneeling beside him.

      “Oh god, Mitch. God, no,” she said, slipping an arm around his upper body and cradling him close.

      “Dani…be…safe,” he somehow managed to say and found the strength to pick up the hand holding the gun. He placed it over hers, where it rested at his midsection, trying to stem the flow of blood. He pressed the gun into her hand.

      “Take it. Stay safe…love you.” The words were interspersed with his rough, pain-filled breaths.

      Dani stroked his cheek, wet with her tears. “Hold on, love. I’m going to get help.”

      “No…time. Be…careful,” he warned her, worried that Kruger would come back to rid himself of Dani as well. He suspected she had likely witnessed all or part of the attack. Kruger would want to leave no witnesses behind.

      Dani bent her head, dropped a kiss on his forehead and then another on his lips. “I love you, Mitch. Please, just stay with me a little longer. I’m calling for help.”

      A second later, she instructed over her cell phone. “This is Sparrow. I need medical assistance…”

      “Mitch?”

      He seemed surprised when Dani repeated his name. “Are you okay?”

      “When did you find out Kruger’s location?” he asked, apparently shaking off whatever had been troubling him.

      The question came out of left field and threw her. “What? Why are you asking—”

      “SNAKE. It’s got to be them behind this. I think that we’ll eventually find all the dots connect these attacks to them.”

      Dani shrugged. “It may seem that way—”

      “May seem that way?” Mitch challenged and shot up off his chair. He paced back and forth before facing her and raking a hand through his hair in frustration. “What kind of proof do you need?”

      Proof? She had it every time she looked into a mirror, and so did Mitch. They both bore the scars from the crime organization’s attacks, but the other deaths might be just sheer coincidence.

      “Why single out the Lazlo Group? Unless it was because you were all getting too close to SNAKE’s operations, only…”

      “Only what?” he challenged.

      “These kills. The latest MO indicates there’s more to it. These are personal. A challenge. But how can we determine the motive when we don’t know who really runs the syndicate these days now that Max Dumont is dead?”

      “So the Sparrow didn’t even come close to completing her mission?” He placed his hands on his hips and glared at her, egging her on.

      Dani refused to take the bait. She rose from her chair and walked to stand before him. Looking up at his greater height, she said, “I didn’t complete my mission because I let my personal feelings get in the way. I’m not going to do that again, Mitch, so you can stop goading me.”

      His shoulders slumped and he released a tired sigh. “I’m sorry. It’s just that—”

      “You need defenses. I understand. I need them, too.”

      She shocked him with her confession almost as much as she surprised herself. She hadn’t meant to admit that she needed to protect herself from the feelings she still had for him. But maybe it was better that it was all out in the open. That both of them were aware of it so as to avoid problems.

      When he didn’t say anything else, she said, “It’s time for a break. I need some air.”

      “Then let’s roll,” he said and suddenly became all-action guy. He shut down his computer, packed it and the portable hard drive into a small bag that he tossed over his shoulder.

      Following his lead, she stowed the DVDs and her laptop in a stylish leather knapsack—her one concession to fashion—and made sure that when she slipped it on she still had easy access to the Glock in the holster at the small of her back.

      She watched as Mitch checked the same, but then he slipped another PDA from his bag and walked to the table, which was now devoid of any telltale items. Only the fruit basket and typical hotel paraphernalia rested there.

      Mitch slipped the second PDA under the table and pressed upward, apparently adhering it to the underside. “This will broadcast the video signals via a satellite connection to one of the Lazlo servers. We’ll be able to access the recorded videos or live feeds from our PDAs or any PC. That way we’ll know if the area’s been compromised.”

      “Sounds good. What about the exterior sector?”

      “We should stay out until dark. It’ll be easier to plant the cameras then.”

      “So we familiarize ourselves with the area—”

      “And grab dinner. I’m hungry,” he said.

      She smiled, plucked a pear from the basket and tossed it to him. “It’s too early to eat dinner in Rome. This should tide you over for a few hours.”

      He caught the pear and grinned. “You’re a hard taskmaster, Sparrow.”

      “I’m glad you figured that out, Agent Lama. Makes life easier for both of us.”

      The grin on his face slowly faded and he took a step closer, reached up and cupped her cheek, the action achingly familiar.

      In low bedroom tones, he said, “I suspect life with you could never be easy.”

      She inched her chin up defiantly. “Are you so sure about that, or are you too afraid to find out?”

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