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“Tell me what I want to know”

He’d thoroughly investigated Jin Zhao and knew that he was not a Party member, not associated with any Party activities, and often spoke disparagingly about the governularly on a local watch list, and he’d been warned several ti had acted as protector onan arrest, but that had been conditioned on cooperation

Zhao pushed hi”

The soldier slammed a fist into Zhao’s jaw Another found the chest A third blow crashed down on the man’s skull

Zhao collapsed

Blood seeped from his half-opened mouth

Two teeth were spit out

A kick to the stos brought tight to his body

A few minutes later Jin Zhao lapsed into an unconsciousness froe protected all that he knew, but a search of his house and office revealed enough docuo, men had drilled for brine and found oil And while Jin Zhao lay on the floor, begging for help, screa that his head exploded with pain—

“Telland I will call the doctor You can receive care No s”

He saw the hope of truth in the older man’s eyes

“Has Lev Sokolov found the marker?”

Zhao’s head nodded yes

At first slowly, then quickly

TWENTY-TWO

ANTWERP

9:05 PM

CASSIOPEIA HUSTLED DOWN THE STREET SEARCHING FOR A place to hide Threeher since she’d left the hotel Her left aron la, surrounded by balled paper

Redbrick buildings and a

shed houses surrounded her, all guarding a maze of empty cobbled streets She rushed past a quiet square, the three men fifty meters behind No one else could be seen She could not allow the Sokolov’s son

“Over here,” she heard a voice say

Across the street stood Cotton Malone

“I got your e,” Cotton said “I’m here”

He aving her toward him

She ran, but when she one

The three men kept pace

“Here”

She stared down a narrow lane Cotton was fiftyher forward

“Cassiopeia, you’rea mistake”

She turned

Henrik Thorvaldsen appeared

“You can’t help him,” he said

“I have the lamp”

“Don’t trust hione Her eyes searched the street and buildings The threefor her to come

She ran

Cassiopeia awoke

She was lying on the park bench Daylight had waned, the sky now the color of faded ink She’d been asleep awhile She glanced back, past the tree trunk The Toyota reht She shook the grogginess froun lay beneath her shirt The dreaered in her mind

Don’t trust him, Thorvaldsen had said

Cotton?

He was the only other person there

She was a good thirty-mond Museu She tried to force her e, but she couldn’t Viktor Tomas’ appearance had unnerved her

Was that who Henrik was referring to?