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December 26, 1968

Precious few of those first-generation leaders reh they held a special status in the coes Others died froovernment

The preift from the former Chairman

Tang needed to know for sure “There are no Confucian texts here? You are sure?”

The expert shook his head “This rooed of every one of theone”

Challenges to his plans see

Now this

He stared at what he held

And knew exactly who the watch had once belonged to

ELEVEN

CASSIOPEIA STEPPED AWAY FROM THE MAN LYING STILL ON THE floor and approached the doorway Finally, she was on the offensive, and she’d shoot anyone who came between herself and freedom

Carefully, she peered into the narrow hall Twohalf open Another door, a meter or so past on the other side, was closed The corridor ended in what looked like a brightly lit entrance hall

She stepped out

The walls were a dingy rose, the plaster ceiling in need of painting Definitely a house Some rental Surely out of the ith a convenient less room beneath a staircase

She wore the sao Her jacket had been taken the first day Interestingly, she still carried her wallet and passport Everything sh the thought ofacross her face made her stomach uneasy

She was careful with her steps, each one pressed lightly, the gun at her side, finger on the trigger

At the hall’s end she moved toward the front door, but the sound of a murmured voice halted her exit

She stopped and listened

So As if on a telephone She kept listening and confirmed only one voice She decided that she owed that SOB, too She’d already vented her anger on the s

She identified the location down another short corridor that ended at a partially shut door Before venturing that way she eased over to one of the s and glanced out, spotting nothing but trees and pasture They were somewhere in the countryside She’d been transported here tied in the trunk of a car, blindfolded She’d estiiven Antwerp’s location could place her anywhere in Belgium, Holland, or France

A dark-colored Toyota was parked out front She wondered if the keys were in the ignition or with one of her captors

The muffled voice continued to speak on the telephone

Might as well take advantage of the privacy they’d so conveniently arranged She needed to find out who these people worked for They could help lead her to Lev Sokolov’s oodness she’d thought ahead and done what she did, involving Cotton

Otherwise, she’d be dead and the boy lost forever

She stopped outside the door, keeping her gaze locked on the vertical strip of bright light escaping from the room on the other side

Soed at her memory

She had no idea how ive a damn Her nerves were frayed Her patience exhausted

She was tired, dirty, hungry, and pissed off

She gripped the gun, planted her left foot on the floor, and slaht heel into the wood

The door swung inward, s into the wall

She lunged forward and i on a cell phone

He showed not the slightest surprise at her entrance

Instead, he merely closed the phone and said, “About time”

She stared at the face, as if she’d seen a ghost

And in some ways, she had

MALONE HAD NEVER ACTUALLY HEARD THE WORD EUNUCH USED in a conversation before