The Nostradamus File Read Online Free PDF Page B

a bedroom and a combined kitchen and living area. A back porch looked out over a garden and a small, natural pool shaded by oaks. No one was there.
    Books and papers were scattered about the living area. Drawers had been pulled out and dumped on the floor. There was a broken vase by the door, knocked off a side table.
    "Seems like someone is always one step ahead of us," Nick said.
    Selena looked out the window. "There's a car coming."
    An old Citroen 2CV came up the drive, trailing blue smoke. The wheels crunched on the rock. They watched it from the living room.
    "Maybe the bad guys missed something," Nick said.
    "I don't think the Mafia would drive around in something like that," she said.
    "You're a car snob. Maybe it's all they could find."
    The Citroen parked next to their rented Renault. A woman got out of the car. She was dressed in a purple, flowery print dress that bagged loosely around her body. A bandana was wrapped around hennaed hair damaged by too many trips to the beauty parlor. She was around fifty, plump, with swarthy skin. She wore white plastic sandals. She reached inside the car and brought out a basket. Nick could see spray bottles sticking out and a roll of paper towels. He put his pistol away.
    "Cleaning lady, looks like." He stepped out on the porch with Selena.
    "Bonjour, Madame ," Selena said.
    "Bonjour ." The woman reached inside the basket and took out a Swedish machine pistol and pointed it at them. "Get on your knees," she said in English. "Now."
    Selena looked at Nick. "I don't think she's here to clean."
    Another car pulled into the drive, this one a black Mercedes. "That the right kind of car?" Nick said to Selena.
    "Shut up," the cleaning lady said. "Put your hands up. Get on your knees or I shoot."
    They got on their knees, hands in the air. The Mercedes stopped. Two men got out of the car. One was tall and thin, one short and squat. They wore casual clothes that looked expensive. Guns came out, pointed at Nick and Selena.
    "They're armed," the woman said. "The man has a shoulder holster."
    The tall one spoke. "Take out your weapons and put them on the ground. Be very careful. Do it slowly."
    He's American , Nick thought. From somewhere on the East Coast.
    "Selena, do as he says. Remember how we did it in Mali."
    "Shut up. Take out the guns. Two fingers."
    Nick took out his new SIG-Sauer, holding it by the butt between his thumb and finger. He laid it on the porch. Selena did the same.
    "Very good. Get up. Keep your hands in the air."
    They stood, slowly.
    "Kick the guns away."
    They kicked them off the porch. The cleaning lady lowered the barrel of her gun and moved behind the others. The two men stepped onto the porch. Short Man had plastic ties in one hand, his pistol in the other.
    "Turn around," the tall one said. "Put your hands behind you."
    They turned. Short Man stepped close.
    Selena moved first. She whirled and knocked the gun from his hand. It went off, sending a flock of birds shrieking into the sky. She slammed the edge of her rigid palm against his neck, harder than she'd meant. Something broke.
    Tall Man hadn't expected trouble. He froze for an instant. It was enough.
    Nick swept the gun away with a quick crossing motion of his hands and moved in. The pistol fired into the ground. He drove his knuckled fist into Tall Man's throat, a killing blow to the larynx. The cleaning lady brought up her gun. The man clutched at his throat, trying to breathe. His face went purple. Nick pushed him off the porch into the cleaning lady as she fired, using him for a shield. The bullets hit him in the back. The woman fell backward with both men on top of her. Nick reached past the dead man and slammed his fist into her face, brought his hand up and struck down across the bridge of her nose. It shattered. She screamed curses at him, trying to bring her gun to bear, firing into the air. He hit her again, a hammer blow. She fell silent.
    On the porch, the second man lay dead. Nick got to his