.

sent to the team, but she knew him. Gennie would never forget the set of his shoulders and the cocky way he walked. He paused at the open French doors outside the corridor, turned his head and made direct eye contact. Then he blew her a kiss.

      Bastard! She activated her mic. “I need backup. Kenneth Warrick is in the hall outside the bathrooms.”

      Leaving the auction tables, she took her Beretta from the holster and held it close to her side to avoid frightening the guests. At the entrance to the corridor, she glimpsed the door to the library closing.

      Before she could follow, a man grasped her left arm. She didn’t feel pain but the pressure alerted her to a strong grip. Acting on pure instinct, she broke free and whirled. Before she retaliated with a blow to his throat, gut and crotch, she stopped herself. “Mr. Murano,” she said.

      “Actually, it’s Dr. Murano, but I don’t like to stand on ceremony. Please call me Mitch.” He treated her to a close-up view of his twinkly white smile and the glittering fastener on his bolo tie. “You’re Gennie Fox, aren’t you? The general told me about you.”

      “Excuse me, sir.”

      “Surely, you can spare a few minutes. I’m fascinated by your insensitivity to pain. Does it affect the dexterity in your hands?”

      There was no polite way to end this conversation. “I can’t talk now.”

      With a pivot, she dashed down the corridor toward the closed library door. She was pleased to see that Zoey and one of the other guys had responded to her call for backup and joined her. To her chagrin, Murano was close behind them. Where the hell is Noah? Gennie wanted him to be there when she met Warrick. No time to wait.

      She tried the handle on the door. Of course, it was locked. She was reminded of when she had to break into the mountain cabin to rescue the fake hostage. Dropping to her knees, she picked the lock in seconds.

      Behind her, she heard Zoey talking into her mic. “We need backup at the library.”

      Gennie pushed the door open and raised her Beretta in both hands. The lights were on, illuminating the horror. She saw blood, so much blood. And then...

      “Noah!”

      He was exiting the library through a tall open window. His bloody handprint smeared the glass.