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"That’s better than being in the grave," Kat said

"Is it?" McBride challenged her "Who are you to judge? With the aught be Many children are born dooiven life sentences by medical conditions Leukeive them the best quality of life, rather than quantity?"

Kat scowled "You only want to use her"

"Since when is ?"

Kat turned her back on hiuments and justifications It was monstrous How could he rationalize any of this? Especially with the life of a child in the balance

Sasha continued to work in her coloring book She dreith a dark green crayon Her handin one spot, then another, totally at rando?" Kat asked

Yuri stirred, roused by their talking "Soood after such an episode," hea pressure valve As long as the aug her, such calm ill ease her mentally"

"Well, she does seem happy," Kat admitted

As she worked, Sasha’s face was relaxed with a faint ghost of a shtened and reached a sed at her sleeve with her tiny fingers

Kat glanced to Yuri

He offered a tired grin "She said you should be happy, too"

Sasha pushed her book toward Kat, as if she wanted Kat to join her in coloring the pages Kat sank into a seat and accepted the book She frohen she saw the girl had not been filling in lines but had been working on a blank page With a clarity, she had drawn a scene A gestion of other figures seated behind hian to treled to understand It looked like Monk But she had no irl draw such a thing?

Sasha must have sensed her distress Her sh fearful she had done solistened She etic and scared

Yuri scooted closer and reassured her with the soft voice of a grandfather Kat forced down her reaction--for the child’s sake Still, her heart pounded She re Yuri stiffen when he saw the child’s earlier picture At the tinized the face on the paper, but that was impossible

McBride climbed out of his chair and approached the bed, plainly curious

Kat ignored hiaze fixed on Yuri The man met her stare over the top of Sasha’s head Like the child, he wore an apologetic expression

Why would--

Adown fro out All eyes turned toward the ceiling, but Kat leaped to her feet She was a fraction of a second too slow

McBride lunged out and grabbed Dr Lisa Cus by her blond French braid He pulled her toward hirabbed for him but ht line from the door and the

His other hand pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket He pressed a button on its side, and the top half flipped in his fingers, revealing a s it up toward her skull

"Don’t uns had becoe of security forces But the device Mapplethorpe had given him was state-of-the-art He could even take calls on it It had passed through the security search and scanner without a blip of concern Chambered in 22-caliber rounds, there was unfortunately a limit to the weapon

"I have five bullets!" he shouted to the stunned roouard leveled a weapon at hiun!" he boouard kept his position, weapon never wavering

"No one has to die!" McBride said He nodded his head upward "We only want the child So put down your pistol!"

Kat straightened fro him He would have to watch her closely In turn, she eyed hi hiuard to lower his weapon

"Drop it and kick it over here!" McBride ordered

With another nod from Kat, the sidearm skittered over to his toes

McBride’s mission was simple: to secure the child until Mapplethorpe and his forces arrived

"All we have to do is wait!" he said "So no sudden h the subterranean bunker, Painter instinctively turned to the wall e screen displayed a live feed from Sasha’s room