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Finally a man opened the main door and slowly limped Onto the road, stopped a few paces away and faced him

The stranger was tall, with intensely green eyes that never flickered and yet ignored the dozen gunbarrels poking through s and doorways in his direction The eyes locked on A and wavy, skin weathered a deep copper frohtly bushy eyebroith firrin-all lent the masculine but not quite handsome face a deceptive look of humorous detachment, with only a trace of cold hardness

There was a cut in one cheek that oozed blood and a wound on one thigh that was heavily bandaged under the slashed fabric

The shape ht have been lean under the bulky, out-of place ski suit, but Ammar could not e a clear assess loosely beneath one sleeve of the ski jacket

Three seconds were all Ammar needed to read this devilthree seconds to knoas facing a dangerous er words of Spanish stored there "Can we talk?" Yes, that would do for openers

"Podemos hablar?" he shouted

The suggestion of a grin widened into a casual smile "Porque no?"

Ammar translated that as Why not? "Hacer capitular usted?"

"Why don't we cut the crap?" Pitt said suddenly in English "Your Spanish is worse thanto surrender"

Ammar was too much a pro not to recover immediately, yet he was confounded by the fact that his adversary wore expensive skiing clothes instead of battle gear The first possibility that crossed his mind was CIA

"May I ask your name?"

"Dirk Pitt"

"I am Suleiman Aziz Ammar ,

"I don't really give a damn who you are," Pitt said coldly

"As you wish, Mr Pitt," Ahtly "You by chance related to Senator George Pitt?"