The jeweled box and its contents flew out of Braun’s hands and scattered on the kitchen floor as the cardinal landed heavily and lay very still on the black-and-white tiles.

It was silent fen: an instant save for Seth’s heavy breathing and the vigorous bubbling of a stew that needed to be stirred.

Then Rolf Engels burst into the kitchen. He raised the Magnum to shoot when, suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw another person, this one with a gun leveled at the cook. Years of military and bodyguard experience had equipped Rolf to make instant assessments. He decided quickly that the woman with the gun was a secondary target to the man who stood over the cardinal. It didn’t much matter to him if she shot the cook. Engels was hired to protect the cardinal at all costs.

So Engels returned the Magnum’s aim toward the man, centered the sights so the slug would hit him in the small of the back. Rolf had seen the power of the .44 Magnum. He had once fired one at the rear of a fleeing car. The slug had passed through the trunk, through the person in the backseat, through the driver, through the dashboard, and into the engine compartment, with enough force to stall the engine. At the very least, this man’s spinal cord would be shattered, his heart pulverized, and the entire front of his chest ripped away with the insides exposed. He squeezed the trigger.

Just then, Seth bent over to gather the box and its contents, and the .44 Magnum’s slug passed through the space his chest had occupied just instants before.

“Get down, Zoe!” Seth yelled when he heard the Magnum’s cannonlike report He dropped to his knees next to Braun as a second shot boomed through the kitchen. Somewhere behind him Seth heard a hiss, and moments later smelled natural gas.

“Turn off the stove, Heinrich!” Rolf cursed at himself. His second shot had smashed into the pastry ovens and had undoubtedly shattered a gas valve or pipe. Rolf looked over and saw that Heinrich was still huddled on the floor next to the woman. The former mountain trooper hurdled the counter and turned off the gas under the stew pot, almost ripping the cowling from the stove and throwing the hot stew on the floor.

Zoe saw the huge man vault over the counter and as she crouched on the floor, pointed her revolver at him and pulled the trigger. When nothing happened, she felt like crying.

Braun began to stir. Seth pulled the revolver from his waistband and knelt beside the fallen cardinal.

“You’re taking orders from me, understand?” Seth growled as he stuck the muzzle of the revolver under Braun’s chin. Braun nodded.

“Good,” Seth said grimly. “Now tell your man to hold his fire. If he shoots Zoe, you’re dead.”

Seth waited a moment and then jammed the revolver muzzle harshly into the cardinal’s throat. ‘Tell him or I’ll blow your fucking head off!”