Contents ( 44)
- DAUGHTER OF GOD
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- CONTENTS
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- EPILOGUE
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
“Rolf?” Braun said weakly. “Rolf, is that you?”
Engels turned from the stove and trained the .44 Magnum on the woman. He had begun to pull the trigger when Braun called out to him.
“Yes, Your Eminence,” Rolf said, relaxing the tension on the trigger.
“Rolf, hold your fire,” Braun said. “I’ll be killed if you don’t. Do you understand?”
Rolf looked down at Zoe with hatred in his eyes. He hated above all being kept from doing his job properly. “Yes, Your Eminence,” Rolf replied.
“And above all,” Braun said, “don’t harm the girl.”
The smell of gas grew intense in the kitchen. Morgen reached the doorway and paused as he tried to determine what was happening.
“Stand up,” Rolf said, looking at the woman on the floor. Zoe complied. Rolf stood behind her, holding the muzzle of the Magnum to her head.
“I want to see the cardinal,” Rolf announced. “Have him stand up so I know he’s all right or I’ll shoot the girl.”
Holding the revolver steady under Braun’s throat, Seth got to his feet, pulling his hostage up with him. Seth’s heart skipped when he saw Zoe across the kitchen standing in front of one of the largest men he had ever seen.
Rolf and Seth stared at each other. “We are either going to gas ourselves or blow this place up if we don’t act soon, Amerikaner,” Rolf said.
“It’s up to you,” Seth replied. “Let her go, and I let your precious cardinal go.”
Rolf smiled a broad evil grin. “You think I am dumb? You are wrong.”
Suddenly there was a clattering at the hallway door. Rolf Engels was lightning fast He looked over, saw a man he didn’t recognize, and in an instant, fired the Magnum. Morgen dropped to his face as the slug chewed into the wall behind him.
THIRTY-NINE
Rolf’s bullet missed Hans Morgen as he approached the kitchen door on his return from the conference room. The old priest dropped painfully to his knees holding Stratton’s Colt .45 and saying a prayer of thanks for deliverance from yet another bullet. Beyond the kitchen door, Braun was coughing and choking violently from the gas now. Morgen felt the love for his son at war with the sins the man had committed. There was no way to win this. Regardless of how the day ended, the pain in his heart would torture him the rest of his life. The dark realization nurtured a sudden reckless disregard for his own safety.
Seth Ridgeway’s voice echoed in the kitchen: “Look, Ralph, or whatever your name is, you’re going to kill your beloved cardinal if we don’t get out of here soon. Why don’t we continue our Mexican standoff outside and maybe get someone to switch off the gas at the main valve?”
“A Mexican vaht, you say?” Rolf asked.
“Never mind,” Seth shook his head. “We have to get out of here before we’re all killed.” Rolf shook his head.
“Okay,” Seth said, then coughed. “You stay here. We’re leaving.” Dragging Braun with him, Seth began to move toward the swinging doors through which Rolf had entered.