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n Giordino yanked the broken door inward, sending it crashing to the floor The security guards were too surprised to offer resistance, as they were pulled into the roo into the e automatic pistols

"En el piso, rápida the up the bedsheets They quickly disaruards

Five minutes later, Pitt, with Claus and Hilda behind and Giordino bringing up the rear, passed through the entrance of the unguarded gate in the fence and scurried across the street that was packed with athe still-burning street sweeper, before slipping into the shadows unnoticed

38

They had a long way to go The hangars at the end of the isthmus airstrip were over a mile across the facility from the Lowenhardts' prison quarters Besides a satellite photo of the facility for a guide, they now had the assistance of the scientists, ere familiar with the layout of the streets

Claus Lowenhardt fell back to talk softly to Giordino "Is your friend truly in control of our situation?"

"Let's just say that Dirk is a man of infinite resource who could talk or extricate himself out of almost any aard situation"

"You trust him" It was a statement more than a question

"With my life I've known him for almost forty years and he hasn't failed me yet"

"Is he an intelligence agent?"

"Hardly" Giordino could not suppress a soft laugh "Dirk is a ineer He's special projects director for the National Underwater and Marine Agency I'm his second in command"

"God help us!" Lowenhardt hly trained undercover CIA agents, I would have never come with you and risked my wife's life"

"Your lives couldn't be in the hands of a better man," Giordino assured him, his voice low and hard as concrete

Pittto stay in the shadoay frohts on the roofs of the buildings It was not an easy journey The facility was brightly lit frohts had been installed on every building, along every street to discourage anyone fro to escape Because of the abundance of illuh binoculars rather than his nightscope, continually checking for evidence of guards lurking in the shadows

"The streets seem unusually empty of patrols," he murmured