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Sarason's fingers were a centimeter (less than half an inch) away froun

"Then the joke's on theoing to the United States"

"No matter," Pitt said with quiet reserve "You won't be around to spend it"

Hidden by a knee crossed over one leg, Sarason's fingers er from his boot He reckoned that Pitt's injuries would slow any reaction ti a snap, wildly aimed shot If he missed with the first bullet, Samson well knew that despite Pitt's painful injuries there wouldn't be a chance to fire the second He hesitated as his ineered a diversion He looked over at Aer Julio was of no use to him

"You are the one who doesn't have long to live," he said "The Mexicanthe treasure will have heard your shots and will co in here any minute to cut you down"

Pitt shrugged "They must be on siesta or they'd have been here by now"

"If we all attacked him at the same time," Sarason said as conversationally as if they were all seated around a dining table, "he ht kill two or even three of us before the survivor killed him"

Pitt's expression turned cold and remote "The question is, ill be the survivor?"

Amaru did not care ould live or die His darkto lose His hatred for the e fueled by the ony Without a word, he launched himself at Pitt

In a , reaching out for Pitt's gun hand The shot took the Peruvian in the chest and through a lung, the report co crack The ie man, but Amaru was a force beyond hirunt as the air was forced fro hi backward toward the river

A groan burst from Pitt's lips as his cracked ribs protested the collision in a burst of pain He desperately spun around, throwing off A him aside

He brought the butt of the Colt down on his assailant's head, but stopped short of a second blohen he spotted the two healthy guards going for their weapons at the edge of his vision

Through his pain, Pitt's hand instinctively held steady on the Colt His next bullet dropped the grotesque one eyed guard with a quick shot to the neck He ignored the blind Julio and shot the re henchman in the center of his chest

Pitt heard Loren's screa as if it were far off in the distance Too late he saw Sarason pointing the derringer at hied behind his mind and moved a fraction slow

He saw the fire from the muzzle and felt a terrible hammer blow in his left shoulder before he heard the blast It flung hi in the water with A after hi a disabled fox The current caught hirabbed desperately at the bottoe