's.h.i.+t! ' Finn hollered as the front end of the catering truck smashed into the fire hydrant.

Folding his left arm over his face, he slammed against the steering wheel with a bruising intensity.

Beside him, Kate faired no better, the force of the collision propelling her against his outstretched right arm. Flung forward, a split-second later they boomeranged backward. Like a pair of crash dummies. Except they didn't have any airbags to cus.h.i.+on the impact.

His spine jangling, Finn turned towards Kate. 'You okay?'

'It's raining,' she murmured, a dazed look on her face. Then, an instant later, more lucid, she said, 'No, it's not raining. It's the hydrant.'

On the other side of the windscreen a fountain of water gushed skyward.

'The water main must have burst.'

Finn peered into the wing mirror; they'd had a lucky break. The Mercedes had overshot the turn. The bad guys would have to drive to the next block, turn left and come back around.

Meaning that he and Kate had thirty, maybe forty seconds to get the h.e.l.l out of there.

'We've got to bolt on the double quick. Those goons will be coming round the corner any second.' As he spoke, Finn searched the truck cab for a plastic bag. Finding one, he dumped the contents a half-eaten sandwich and a half-drunk bottle of c.o.ke and handed the empty sack to Kate. 'Put the notebook computer inside that. We need to keep it dry.'

Blasted by spewing water when he exited the truck, Finn slogged around the back end and swung the pa.s.senger door wide open. Ignoring his co-pilot's panic-stricken expression, he grabbed the plastic-covered computer off her lap and stuffed it into the waistband of his trousers. That done, he cinched a hand around Kate's upper arm and yanked her out of the truck. She swayed unsteadily on her high-heel shoes, water trickling down her face.

Finn quickly sized up his teetering companion. Five foot five, 115 pounds. Piece of cake.

Knowing she wouldn't like what he was about to do, Finn decided to forego getting a signed permission slip. In a big-a.s.s hurry, he shoved his left arm between Kate's legs, wrapped his right hand around her upper arm, and unceremoniously hefted her on to his shoulder. Turning towards the nearest house, he ran across the soggy front yard. There was no car in the driveway and he figured the happy homeowners were out for the night. Good.

No sooner did he make it to the driveway than Finn heard the roar of a powerful engine at the other end of the block.

The unfriendlies in the Mercedes.

Had to be.

Not planning to stick around long enough to find out, he sprinted down the driveway. A wooden privacy fence enclosed the back yard. Finn stopped at the gate and reached for the latch. If they could just get through the gate before Yes!

He noiselessly shut the gate. Peering through the wooden fence slats, he saw a black Mercedes G500 SUV pull up next to the demolished truck.

'Finn, what's hap'

'Shhh!'

Two men with drawn weapons jumped out of the Mercedes.

Time to hustle.

Pivoting on his heel, Finn headed towards the back fence, sidestepping a kid's swing. He opened the rear gate and quickly made his way into the alley. Kate started to squirm. Not ready to unload his cargo, he put a hand on her wiggling a.s.s. She instantly stilled.

Pa.s.senger subdued, he took off at a fast clip. The alley reeked of urine, rotting garbage and an unidentified dead something. It was a muggy night and the stench hung thickly in the air. As Finn continued down the alley, he heard the rumble of thunder. On the far horizon, like a broken neon sign, streaks of white lightning flickered on and off.

Please, G.o.d, no rain, he silently prayed. We're wet enough as it is.

Figuring they had enough of a lead, he came to a halt and set his pa.s.senger on her feet.

'How far away is Wisconsin Avenue?' he asked without preamble.

'Umm ' She glanced about. 'I'm guessing it's about a block and a half from here.' As she spoke, her lips trembled. 'We don't stand a chance, do we?'

Hearing the terrified hitch in Kate's voice, Finn mentally kicked himself. This was his mess, not hers. 'If you want to get out of this alive, we need to get a move on it. Capiche?'

She managed a shaky nod.

Thatta girl. Wisconsin Avenue on any given night was party town central, one of those streets where the beer flowed and the denizens flocked in drunken droves. The perfect place to fade into the crowd. He set a quick pace, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. As they neared the cross street, Finn heard the distinctive roar of a German-made V-8 engine.

Kate heard it as well. 'Oh, no!'

'Quick! Get behind that dumpster!' he hissed, placing a hand on Kate's shoulder as he shoved her towards a large metal receptacle. Right on her six, Finn crouched as close to Kate as humanly possible, wrapping his arms and legs around her backside. Attempting to make his six-foot-four frame as small as possible.

Twenty feet away, the Mercedes slowed, coming to a complete stop at the entrance of the alleyway. Finn heard the soft whhrr of an automatic window being lowered.

In front of him, Kate shook violently.

Tightening his arms around her torso, Finn silently urged her to keep calm. To stay motionless. His every sense directed towards the idling Mercedes, he listened to the steady purr of the vehicle's powerful engine.

Long seconds pa.s.sed before the SUV continued down the street.

Doing a fair imitation of a deflated inner tube, Kate slumped against him. If not for the fact that he still had his arms wrapped around her, she would've toppled over.

'Come on. We need to get clear of the alley before the bad guys make the return trip.'

Grabbing Kate by the upper arm, Finn hauled her upright. Neither spoke as they rushed to the street corner.

A few moments later, they reached Wisconsin Avenue, the pavements teeming with pedestrians. Finn steered Kate towards a rowdy bunch of males, many of whom had Greek letters emblazoned on their T-s.h.i.+rts. Shouldering his way into the middle of the pack, he hoped the frat boys were too drunk to wonder how or why a soaking wet middle-aged couple had suddenly appeared in their midst.

Kate clutched her bag to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, clearly unnerved by the crude language and loud-mouth jostling.

'Don't worry,' Finn whispered in her ear, his nose b.u.mping against her cheek. 'These guys are harmless.' The real danger was the congested traffic on Wisconsin Avenue. The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds in the Mercedes had only to lower a tinted window, take aim and fire. Target eliminated. Since the Seven had proved that they'd stop at nothing to retrieve the Montsegur Medallion, Finn figured their henchmen would first take out Kate. Him, they'd keep alive. At least until they had their d.a.m.ned gold pendant.

Without warning, Finn yanked Kate away from the frat boys. 'Time to cross the street,' he said, jutting his chin at the nearby crossing.

To his surprise, Kate vehemently shook her head. 'The quickest route to my townhouse is down Wisconsin Avenue to the ca.n.a.l. It's only six blocks away.'

'Maybe so, but I'm starting to get a hinky feeling about all this.'

Like we're walking right into a trap.

12.

'Quite frankly, I don't care how you feel. I need to go home.'

Determined to escape the terror of the last few minutes Those men in the Mercedes wanted to apprehend them. Or worse! Kate continued down Wisconsin Avenue. Ignoring Finn's muttered expletive, she limped gracelessly, hobbled by her four-inch-high heels. Breathe deeply. Mind over matter. This, too, shall pa.s.s.

Finn manacled her elbow in a powerful, one-handed grip. 'I don't think you comprehend the seriousness of our situation. The unfriendlies are still on the prowl.' In commando mode, he constantly surveyed the environs, his gaze ricocheting from person to street to pa.s.sing vehicle.

'These being the same unfriendlies who incited the aforementioned hinkiness.'

'Can the sarcasm, will ya? The guys in the Mercedes have not called it quits. They are gunnin' for us.'

Taking exception to his rough tone, Kate pulled her elbow free from his grasp. 'Just because I gave you a ride earlier, it doesn't mean that I'm along for the ride. I'm through playing GI Jane.'

'News flash, Baby Jane: this isn't a game.'

'As I am well aware.'

The deeply etched lines on his face relaxed marginally. 'Okay. Just so we're on the same page.' Not breaking stride, Finn shrugged out of his ruined Savile Row jacket and draped it over her shoulders. 'Here. You need this more than I do. You're shaking like a leaf.'

The usual effect of terror, I believe. Although, for some inexplicable reason, she was as frightened of Finn McGuire as she was of the thugs in the Mercedes. Totally unpredictable, he'd transformed from Mr Nice Guy into a battle-ready war fighter with an intimidating take-no-prisoners mentality.

At the corner of Blues Alley, Kate gestured to the narrow pa.s.sage tucked between a tight hedge of red-brick buildings. 'The alleyway is the quickest route to the ca.n.a.l towpath,' she informed him, sidestepping the queue of music aficionados waiting to get inside the famous jazz supper club.

Scowling, Finn scrutinized each and every patron. 'How far are we from your pad?'

'My house is two blocks away.'

While she routinely used Blues Alley as a short-cut and had trained herself to ignore the scurrying rats and occasional homeless huddle, Finn, his head methodically swivelling from side to side, scanned each and every shadow. Presumably making instantaneous threat a.s.sessments.

A few minutes later, they approached the towpath. Kate picked up the pace. Like a wooden lock on the historic ca.n.a.l, the floodgate of relief slowly creaked open inside her. Almost there.

'I'm the green brick house at the end of the row.'

'There's no paved street in front of these houses,' Finn muttered. 'Where the h.e.l.l do you park?'

'There's a public garage on Wisconsin Avenue.'

Craning his neck, he peered back in that direction. 'But that's two blocks from here.'

Kate made no comment; she lived in one of the city's most charming neighbourhoods and considered the two blocks a paltry price to pay. Situated a few feet from the C&O Ca.n.a.l, the row of diminutive nineteenth-century townhouses was a far cry from the residence she'd shared with her ex-husband, a six-bedroom palatial mini-mansion in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

While modest, it was her sanctuary.

Immediately following her son's death and subsequent divorce, she moved into a drab, nondescript high-rise apartment building on Connecticut Avenue. Where, on several occasions, blindsided by grief, she barely got through her front door before she collapsed in the hallway, amidst the corrugated towers of unpacked cardboard boxes. One night she actually stayed there, curled on the parquet floor, until dawn.

The recent move to the little terraced house was her attempt to get on with her life; to move past the heartache of having lost a child. And having been betrayed by the man she once loved.

So far, she'd not had a whole lot of success 'moving on'. Truth be told, there was a decided sameness to her days. Every Monday and Thursday she went to Safeway for groceries. On Fridays she did her banking. And every Sat.u.r.day she went to Georgetown Video to check out the new arrivals. Lately, she'd found herself fantasizing about leading a different sort of life.

Given what she'd just been through, sitting with a bowl of b.u.t.tered popcorn on her lumpy sofa suddenly had a whole new appeal.

When they reached the black wrought-iron railing at her front steps, Kate quickly turned to Finn and said, 'Thank you for escorting '

'I need to perform a security check of the premises,' he rudely interjected, bulldozing right over her prepared speech.

'Under no circ.u.mstances are you coming inside my house.' That was an intrusion she couldn't tolerate, the thought of him roaming inside her house, her sanctuary, more than she could bear. 'This, Sergeant McGuire, is where we part company and go our separate ways.'

For several drawn-out seconds, he stared intently at her. Caught in a silent battle of wills, Kate held her ground. No easy feat given the ferocity of Finn McGuire's brown-eyed stare.

To her surprise, Finn blinked. An instant later, he shook his head, surrendering the field.

'Look. Kate. I'm sorry.' The mea culpa was issued in short, choppy sentences. His signature speech pattern. 'I never meant to involve you in this mess.'

'Apology accepted,' she mumbled, too weary to hold a grudge. She was moments from retreating inside her house and slamming the door on this horrible night. Dead bolt and chain latch a given.

Extending a hand towards her face, Finn brushed the pad of his thumb against her lips. 'You got a clot of dried blood in the corner of your mouth.'

'Somewhere between the crash and the foot race, I must have bitten my lip,' she said when Finn showed her the blood on his thumb. 'I was scared as a ninny. Although I'm not exactly sure what a ninny is. I only know that when the Mercedes drove past the alley, I thought ' Kate self-consciously broke off in mid-babble, unnerved by the intimacy of his touch.

Earlier, at the Pentagon, when he had unexpectedly hopped into her Toyota, Kate had been convinced that there wasn't a hint of a spark between them. Now she wasn't so sure. Granted, it'd been a long time since she'd been with a man, but she definitely felt something when Finn touched her lip.

'Make sure you disinfect that cut with some rubbing alcohol.'

'Yes, I ... I will.' She unzipped her handbag and rummaged for her keys. 'That's strange. I can't seem to find my ' She glanced up, surprised to see her key ring dangling from Finn's middle finger.

'I lifted them from your bag when we first arrived at the emba.s.sy.'

The confession, uttered without a trace of recrimination, stunned her. From the onset, he'd been using her.

'You mean that you stole them from me.' She s.n.a.t.c.hed the key ring off his finger. s.e.xual spark be d.a.m.ned. 'Goodnight, Sergeant.'

'See you around, Kate.'

She gave him a tight parting smile before ascending the front steps. About to insert the key in the door lock, Kate belatedly realized that she still had Finn's suit jacket draped around her shoulders.

So much for a graceful exit.

'Finn! Wait!' She dashed down the steps, hurrying to catch up with him. 'I forgot to give you '

A blinding flash of light accompanied by a sonic boom! was the only warning Kate had before being violently hurled several feet into the air, lifted off her feet by a powerful explosion.

In a peripheral blur, she glimpsed a huge fireball shoot heavenward, emanating from her house. The destructive force of the blast thrust a length of wrought iron over the towpath and pelted the ca.n.a.l with brick chunks and shards of gla.s.s. And heaved wooden trim at nearby trees.

Who? Why? My G.o.d, how?

Kate gasped. It took her breath away. No breath knocked out of her. She'd seen it. Heard it. And painfully felt it. But still couldn't believe it. A gas main blew. Or perhaps an unventilated propane tank exploded. Something plausible, albeit shocking, just occurred. It couldn't have been something so improbable, so horrific, as a detonated bomb. But even as she tried to rationalize what had happened, coloured lights began to swirl nightmarishly and fuse in front of her eyes, only to expand into a dark void.