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She peered over the edge at the water below. “You couldn’t have picked a different movie? One with a less ambiguous ending?”

“I thought it worked,” he said, glancing back at the guards.

“We don’t even know if they lived after they jumped.”

“We don’t know they died, either.”

“There’re rocks down there.”

“Try to miss them.”

She took a step back. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“Do you trust me?”

She hesitated, then grasped his outstretched hand. “Yes.”

A gunshot rang out as they leaped.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

When Adrian saw Sam Fargo and the woman jumping from the cliff, he was close to ordering Ilya to shoot them. Had it not been for the crowd around him, he would have. The majority of guests had found their way to the glass balcony and were leaning over, watching as Fargo surfaced, then swam toward the woman, who was struggling from the weight of her dress.

Just when Adrian was hopeful she’d drown, Fargo pulled her free, and she was able to take a deep breath.

One of the guards raised his gun, ready to take a shot.

“Witnesses,” Adrian said to Ilya under his breath.

“Hold your fire,” Ilya radioed.

Adrian turned back to his guests, smiling broadly as he raised his hands. “I hope you’ve enjoyed our extra entertainment!”

The guests hesitated, their gazes straying out to the water as a motorboat sped in and plucked the two from the sea. Laughter rippled through the crowd. Someone signaled the ensemble to start playing, and within minutes they turned back to their gaming.

Relieved, Adrian told Ilya to meet him upstairs in ten minutes, then made a leisurely circle around the tables, stopping to talk, making sure to appear amused at the recent turn of events.

By the time Adrian arrived in his office, Ilya had the video surveillance ready for viewing. He pulled out his chair and sat. “Tell me it’s not as bad as we think.”

“He didn’t get into the safe,” Ilya said.

“What did he get into?”

“I’ll let you see for yourself . . .” He started the video.

Adrian watched, furious at how quickly this Sam Fargo had gotten past his guards, and into his office, by picking the lock. “What do we know about this man?” he asked Ilya, who stood behind him.

“Not a lot. He bought two tickets originating from a computer in the U.S. But seeing this and knowing what my guard observed the night he rescued our hostages, it’s clear he’s had military training.”

Adrian replayed the video, trying to determine the man’s purpose. He was definitely searching for something. “What about the woman? What do we know about her?”

“Remi Longstreet. Other than another American, nothing that we’ve been able to find.”

“Except that she made fools of all of us. She was your prisoner for two days. How is it you didn’t know she spoke Greek?”

“As far as we knew, she only spoke English. The man with her translated everything. Even so, we took precautions.”

“Precautions? What’s that supposed to mean?”


Tags: Clive Cussler Fargo Adventures Thriller