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Chapter 1

She didn’t look like a prostitute That was the first thing that ca next to a bench outside the courtroom He didn’t knohat he’d expected—not exactly—but it wasn’t a fresh-faced wo a sus and sandals Her blond hair was shoulder length, clean and shining, and held away from her face by cloisonné co

There was a definite faelina Mateja So she had to be Caterina Mateja WhichIf he hadn’t knoho she was, if he hadn’t known she was testifying in his brother’s hu conspiracy case, he’d have pegged her as a model—tall, slender, almost delicate in appearance, aloof, with a touch- to two men in impeccable dark suits and power ties that shrieked they were the prosecutors on the case—one a dappertheir witness? he wondered idly Isn’t it kind of late for that?

And though he couldn’t hear what they were saying, he knew damned well Caterina Mateja wasn’t at all happy hatever they were telling her Two other es and sidearnized—stood on either side of her, obviously providing her with protection

A longtient, Liam wasn’t there in a professional capacity Not officially Officially he was on vacation for the next three weeks But his brother Alec, also a DSS special agent—not just a special agent, he reminded himself with a smile of faional security officer at the US embassy in Zakhar—had asked hi for the start of the trial As a witness Alec had been precluded in a pretrial s But there was nothing stopping Lia there, and Alec had asked him to attend as a special favor Not that Alec had told Liam a lot about the case ahead of time, nor would Liam discuss the trial with his brother while it was under way But this case was i for his brother

Lialanced at his watch He was early, but that was par for the course with him He planned his days carefully—planned his entire life that way, actually—and he didn’t like leaving things to chance Traffic in Washington, DC, was rarely predictable, often troublesome even in the sumoing when he was in town He was never late Not even in New York

He leaned casually against one of the rotunda’s marble pillars, careful to keep his distance as he waited for his brother Alec had told hi Caterina Mateja since she was a crucial witness in this trial, more crucial than Alec, who had orchestrated it all So even if Liaes he would have knoho the two men were

Liauards his SIG SAUER P229R in its shoulder holster in order to bring a weapon into the building past thethe marshals think he was a threat to their witness

But even from this distance he couldn’t help notice how beautiful she was How graceful her hands were as she tried to ether classy and patrician she looked standing there arguing with the her cool Anyone less like a hooker he’d yet to see

Move sharply in its direction, then he grinned “Hey,” he said as Alec came up to him

“Thanks for co”

“Told you I’d be here”

“Yeah, but sos crop up, so I’d have understood if you couldn’t et in?”

“Late last night Thought about taking the train down froet a little sleep on the way, but decided to drive after all I’d have been here earlier, but there was a screith the guy covering for me at the UN”

Alec gri of screwups, I hate to tell you this, but the trial won’t actually start until tomorrow—I just found out or I’d have called you The jury was supposed to be seated this uns—Caterina Mateja’s testimony—but it’s been put off for a day Last-ot you down here a day too soon”