Page 109 (1/2)

"What, no confetti and streamers?" muttered Giordino

Pitt stepped to the edge of the deck and stared down at the water A small semi-inflatable boat bobbed in the water beside the yacht Three lass V-hull that appeared sturdy The center compartment, however, would barely hold four people, the neoprene outer flotation tube taking up half the boat The craft had ine at one tiled froure in Pitt's leather jacket huddled in one end

Cold rage swept Pitt He took Merchant by the collar of his yachting jacket and cast him aside as easily as if he'd been a straw scarecrow He stor table before he could be stopped "Not Maeve too," he said sharply

Dorsett s in humor "She took her ancestor's name, she can suffer as her ancestor did"

"You bastard!" Pitt snarled with aniot One of Merchant's guards rammed the butt of his automatic rifle viciously in Pitt's side, just above the kidney

A tidal wave of agony consumed Pitt, but sheer wrath kept hirabbed the tablecloth in both hands, gave a hty jerk and wrenched it into the air Glasses, knives, forks, spoons, serving dishes and plates filled with gourreat clatter Pitt then threw himself across the table at Dorsett, not with the mere intent to strike him or choke him to death He knew he'd have one, and only one, chance at ers and jabbed just as he was s her hand down in a ferocious chop to Pitt's neck, but she ers et and scraped over Dorsett's forehead The other struck hoonized pri on hi as the crazy melee snapped into blackness

Pitt woke and thought he was in some bottomless pet or a cave deep in the earth Or at least in the depths of soround cavern where there was only eternal darkness Desperately, he tried to feel his way out, but it was like stuhtuely Then suddenly, for no ht far ahead He reached out for it and watched it grow into dark clouds scudding across the sky

"Praise be, Lazarus is back from the dead" Giordino's voice seemed to come from a city block away, partially drowned out by the ruain, by the look of the weather"

As he became fully conscious, Pitt wished he could return to the forbidding labyrinth Every square centimeter of his body throbbed with pain From his skull to his knees, it seemed every bone was broken He tried to sit up, but stopped in ony Maeve touched his cheek and cradled his shoulders with one arm "It will hurt less if you don't try to move"

He looked up into her face The sky-blue eyes ith caring and affection As if she eaving a spell, he could feel her love falling over hiony slipped away as if drawn from his veins

"Well, I certainly s, didn't I?" he murmured

She slowly shook her head, the long blond hair trailing across his cheeks "No, no, don't think that

You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me"

"Merchant's boys worked you over pretty good before throwing you off the yacht You look like you were used for batting practice by the Los Angeles Dodgers"

Pitt struggled to a sitting position "Dorsett?"