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Back Vortex Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. Epilogue
  57. Epilogue
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. About the Author
  60. Also by Catherine Coulter
  61. About the Publisher

He actually laughed. “Slow down, sweetheart, slow down. I’m okay. Let me be worried about you. They’ve come after you again, it was on the police band. Believe me, I didn’t expect them to. I thought I was protecting you by staying away. I was going to come to your house to get you after the first attack, but I found out you were okay, and they’d put you in a safe house. No way I could do better than that.” Mike paused, and his voice sounded tired. “And then today happened. I’m so sorry, Olivia; I was wrong to believe you were safe.”

“Come off it, Mike, if you blame yourself, you’re an idiot and I’ll have to hurt you when I see you again. I promise, I’m safe. Where are you?”

“I’m not going to tell you because you’ll want to join me, and believe me, that isn’t a good idea. I’m calling from a burner phone. Babe, these people aren’t fooling around. I’d no sooner gotten off the plane at Dulles and headed over to pick up my backpack when I realized I was being followed. I wasn’t armed, of course. I slipped out of the terminal through an employee exit and jumped behind a pile of luggage on one of those motorized carts. I saw them run out after me, but they didn’t find me.

“Here’s the deal. How did they know which flight I’d be on? Only the CIA knew I had the flash drive on me, so someone told them, just like someone knew about Hashem, and our mission, and that someone wanted me dead, the drive destroyed. I had to protect that flash drive, protect myself, and you were still in the hospital, sweetheart. No way was I going to involve you, even trying to set up a meet could be dangerous. I didn’t want to take any chances, not with you. What about Higgs and Andi? Are they all right?”

Olivia wanted to cry and scream at the same time, but her voice came out calm. “Andi finally got herself a minder after what happened to me today, and Higgs is in Halifax. Mike, you swear you’re all right?”

She could see him smiling his crooked smile that always charmed her and disarmed her at the same time. “Aren’t I always? You’ve told me several times I’m like a cat. I figure I’ve still got a half-dozen lives left. Olivia, you just got out of Walter Reed and now you rammed your RAV into a truck. Are you even over your concussion? Tell me you’re not injured, and don’t try to lie to me.”