04 The Edge of Darkness Read Free Page A

ground.
    Oh, great! Double the fun. That’s all I need
.
    Murphy also glimpsed a shadowy form lurking at the entrance to the first barrel.
Could it be …? A
moment later, the familiar cackling laugh of Methuselah confirmed his suspicions.
    “This will be fun to watch, Murphy!”
    Murphy was not going to allow Methuselah to distract him. The two Asians looked like professionals. Fast, confident, deadly. And out to do him some serious harm.
    The man from behind was almost upon him.
Divide and conquer
, thought Murphy. He turned and ran in the same direction that the barrel was rolling, rising quickly up the side. As Murphy felt himselfstarting to lose the battle against gravity, he shoved backward as hard as he could. All of Murphy’s one hundred and ninety-five pounds dropped down on the man in brown and drove his head hard into the thick wood.
    One down
, thought Murphy. The fall knocked his backpack and impact case out of his hands, and they began to tumble on the floor with the unconscious Asian. Murphy had just regained his shaky footing when the impact case ricocheted into his midsection, knocking the wind out of him. He fell again, gasping for breath and struggling unsuccessfully to get to his feet.
    The assassin in black leaped over his unconscious partner and landed a kick on Murphy’s shoulder. Murphy rolled with the blow, still trying to catch his breath. He scrambled to his feet just as the assassin sprang through the air, kicking Murphy in the chest, and again knocking him to the floor.
    “Bravo! Bravo!” shouted Methuselah with a laugh.
    Murphy knew that he could hold his own if he could ever catch his breath and get his feet under him. His aptly named impact case kept rolling against his body, making it difficult to get up.
    The man in black came in for a third attack, aimed at Murphy’s head. Instinctively Murphy grabbed the impact case and swung it in front of him, knocking the assassin off balance. He went down on his back next to Murphy. Murphy brought his elbow down as hard as he could on the side of the Asian’s head. Murphy finally rose to his feet. It was all over except for the tumbling of two bodies, one backpack, and an impact case.
    He gathered up the backpack and Laser, and stumbled out of the last barrel. He looked back at the two bodies tumbling over and over like rag dolls in a washing machine. Methuselah had disappeared.

THREE
    “I THINK WE NEED to make a toast to Mr. Bartholomew. He has selected another wonderful location for our meeting place. Cape Town is always beautiful this time of year.”
    “Hear, hear!” said Sir William Merton, the oldest member of the Seven. “I couldn’t agree with you more, General Li. It’s much warmer than China this time of year, wouldn’t you say?”
    The portly English cleric lifted his wineglass high as he slouched on a lawn chair like a white-collared sea lion. He was physically repulsive but quite brilliant.
    Everyone lifted their glasses. General Li gave a slight bow, his powerful frame hidden by his finely tailored suit. His manner wasunfailingly gracious and polite, but there was something cruel and relentless in his eyes.
    Ganesh Shesha cleared his throat. The bright sun had turned his usual cold stare into a squint. His gray hair was deeply contrasted by his dark skin and hatchet nose. Massive corruption and shrewd manipulation had enabled his rise to prominence in India’s Parliament.
    “Most beautiful. Although India is not very far away, this is my first visit to South Africa.” Shesha looked out across the harbor and pointed. “That island in the distance. Do people live there?”
    Jakoba Werner smiled. Her blond hair was tied back in a bun. In fact, no one in attendance could ever remember seeing her with her hair down. She was half laughing as she responded, her curt tone and German accent punctuating each word. “That is Robben Island, the home of a maximum security prison. It is no longer in use and has now become a tourist