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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

Olivia said, “Hello to all of you, and thank you. I looked for you as well as these two morons, didn’t see even a shadow. Ollie, that was an excellent shot.”

Lucy laughed. “I hate to admit I didn’t want to be a big bush as a disguise, but it worked.”

Mike shook hands with each of them. “Good job staying hidden. Thank you all.” He looked down at René. “You’re not looking so good, mate. All your plans, kidnapping Olivia, murdering without a bit of remorse, didn’t work out for you.”

René felt a raging mix of fury and pain. He wanted to smash that face above him. But he couldn’t raise his arm. He fell back, moaning.

Mike pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, handed it to René. “Press this against your shoulder, hard, to slow the bleeding. I don’t want you to bleed to death. I want you to spend the rest of your life in a French prison.”

Ruth said cheerfully, “Our only problem was the cold. I swear my fingers are still numb. Ollie suggested that all the bushes move closer together for warmth.”

Ollie said to Ruth, “Suck your fingers, that’s what I did. It works.” He knelt down beside René, looked at his wound, shook his head at him. “The bullet passed through. No reason to whine.”

Olivia didn’t know a laugh was lurking, but out it came. She wanted to kiss all of them. She walked to Mike and hugged him tight. He rubbed his cheek against her hair.

Davis said to Savich, “I called an ambulance for this French bozo.”

Lucy walked to Claude, went down on her haunches, jerked him onto his stomach, put her cuffs on him. She leaned down, whispered in his ear, “Didn’t work out well for you, either, did it, kidnapping Olivia?” She grinned up at Savich. “I think he called me a bitch.”

Savich looked at Olivia still standing close to Mike. “You know it isn’t over.”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, I know. I know.”

“I’m sorry, Olivia, very sorry.”

47

Mia

One Police Plaza

New York City

Friday morning

It was cold, a stiff wind blowing, but the plaza was packed with reporters and camera crews, and vans lined the street. Mia watched Alex Harrington, flanked by Pamela Barrett, his campaign manager, Cory Hughes, and his senior staffer, Miles Lombardy, and other staffers form a phalanx around him. He strode tall onto the makeshift stage set in front of the fourteen-story New York City Police Department headquarters, his shoulders back, his handsome face set in austere lines.