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Back Balance of Power Save as PDF
Chapters (53)
  1. BALANCE OF POWER
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. About The Creators
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY

The dead man's blood was cooling on the back of Aideen's neck and she used the sleeve of her black shirt to wipe it off. She felt sick as she walked away. Not because the man had died; he'd been ready enough to kill her. What bothered her was that neither the general nor the major general had had a hand in the event that brought Op-Center into this situation in the first place, the murder of Martha Mackall. To the contrary. These people had killed the men behind the murder. The crime for which they were being hunted was having orchestrated a coup against a NATO ally-a coup that, ironically, a majority of the people in Spain might have supported had it been put to a vote.

Martha was wrong, Aideen thought miserably. There are no rules. There's only chaos.

Aideen and Ferdinand started off after Amadori. Aideen was in the lead, Ferdinand a few paces behind her. Aideen checked the gun she'd retrieved. The safety was switched off. That bastard of a major general had been ready to shoot her in the back.

The corridor ahead was empty. They heard a shot and quickened their pace. Aideen wondered if someone else-possibly María?-had found Amadori. The trail of blood continued around the corner. They followed it, stopping short as they entered the hallway leading past the music room. They saw General Amadori standing there with a gun in his white-gloved hand. The gun was being held to someone's head. It took a moment for Aideen to realize who the general was holding in front of him.

It was Father Norberto. And at his feet was another man lying faceup. He wasn't moving.

It was Darrell McCaskey.

FORTY-SIX

Tuesday, 12:24 p.m.

Madrid, Spain

When Father Norberto had entered the courtyard outside the palace, he didn't believe the soldiers were going to hurt him. He could see it in their eyes, hear it in their voices.

He had no such illusions about this man, the one who had just shot the American in the back. The officer had a gun pressed under his jaw and was holding his hair tightly with the other hand. The man was bleeding. He did not have the time or disposition to talk.

"Where is the major general?" Amadori shouted.

Aideen dropped the major general's goggles and gun and kicked them into the hallway. "He's dead. Now let the priest go."

"A woman?" Amadori yelled. "Damn you, who is making war on me? Show yourself now!"

"Let the padre go. General Amadori," Aideen said. "Release him and you can have me."