Never Say Die Read Online Free PDF Page A

kept gazing down at the river, as though hypnotized by something she saw in the muddy depths. He moved across the terrace toward her, weaving past empty tables and chairs, and eased up beside her at the railing. He marveled at the way her hair seemed to reflect the red and gold sparks of sunset.
    "Nice view," he said.
    She glanced at him. One look, utterly uninterested, was all she gave him. Then she turned away.
    He set his beer on the railing. "Thought I'd check back with you. See if you'd changed your mind about that drink."
    She stared stubbornly at the water.
    "I know how it is in a foreign city. No one to share your frustrations. I thought you might be feeling a little—"
    "Give me a break," she said, and walked away.
    He must be losing his touch, he thought. He snatched up his beer and followed her. Pointedly ignoring him, she strolled along the edge of the terrace, every so often flicking her hair off her face. She had a cute swing to her walk, just a little too frisky to be considered graceful.
    "I think we should have dinner," he said, keeping pace. "And maybe a little conversation."
    "About what?"
    "Oh, we could start off with the weather. Move on to politics. Religion. My family, your family."
    "I assume this is all leading up to something?"
    "Well, yeah."
    "Let me guess. An invitation to your room?"
    "Is that what you think I'm trying to do?" he asked in a hurt voice. "Pick you up?"
    "Aren't you?" she said. Then she turned and once again walked away.
    This time he didn't follow her. He didn't see the point. Leaning back against the rail, he sipped his beer and watched her climb the steps to the dining terrace. There, she sat down at a table and retreated behind a menu. It was too late for tea and too early for supper. Except for a dozen boisterous Italians sitting at a nearby table, the terrace was empty. He lingered there a while, finishing off the beer, wondering what his next approach should be. Wondering if anything would work. She was a tough nut to crack, surprisingly fierce for a dame who barely came up to his shoulder. A mouse with teeth.
    He needed another beer. And a new strategy. He'd think of it in a minute.
    He headed up the steps, back to the bar. As he crossed the dining terrace, he couldn't help a backward glance at the woman. Those few seconds of inattention almost caused him to collide with a well-dressed Thai man moving in the opposite direction. Guy murmured an automatic apology. The other man didn't answer; he walked right on past, his gaze fixed on something ahead.
    Guy took about two steps before some inner alarm went off in his head. It was pure instinct, the soldier's premonition of disaster. It had to do with the eyes of the man who'd just passed by.
    He'd seen that look of deadly calm once before, in the eyes of a Vietnamese. They had brushed shoulders as Guy was leaving a popular Da Nang nightclub. For a split second their gazes had locked. Even now, years later, Guy still remembered the chill he'd felt looking into that man's eyes. Two minutes later, as Guy had stood waiting in the street for his buddies, a bomb ripped apart the building. Seventeen Americans had been killed.
    Now, with a growing sense of alarm, he watched the Thai stop and survey his surroundings. The man seemed to spot what he was looking for and headed toward the dining terrace. Only two of the tables were occupied. The Italians sat at one, Willy Maitland at the other. At the edge of the terrace, the Thai paused and reached into his jacket.
    Reflexively, Guy took a few steps forward. Even before his eyes registered the danger, his body was already reacting. Something glittered in the man's hand, an object that caught the bloodied glare of sunset. Only then could Guy rationally acknowledge what his instincts had warned him was about to happen.
    He screamed, "Willy! Watch out!"
    Then he launched himself at the assassin.
    ----
Chapter Two

     
    At the sound of the man's shout, Willy lowered her menu and turned. To her