And stopped short.

Just over ten inches from the cap.

It hung there for a moment, then dropped back into the base, a doughnut of acrid smoke billowing out around it. The mangled bolt gun fell after it and clattered onto the deck-even the machined steel of the pistol had been bent by the impact.

Komosa’s hands were a crushed and bloody mess as they slapped down on top of the broken pistol. That just left Chase.

Eyes watering from the smoke, Nina scrambled over to him. “Eddie! Oh, Jesus, Eddie! Are you okay?”

Face completely white, he very slowly and carefully moved his right hand between the rails to support his left wrist, then even more delicately slid both arms out. Nina clasped her hands over her mouth in horror when she saw his arm, a sharp spearhead of broken bone jutting through the mottled, purpled skin, trails of blood running from the wound.

He whispered something, but she couldn’t make it out. “Eddie, I’m here, I’m here,” she assured him, helping him support the injured arm. “What is it?”

He whispered again, just loudly enough for her to hear. “Now that’s… sorted… think I’ll… have a nap,” he said, before his eyes closed and his entire body went limp.

Nina kept hold of him, protecting his arm. “You do that,” she whispered, kissing his cheek.

She stayed like that until an emergency search team in yellow radiation suits finally found them in the hold.

Well,” said Chase as Nina helped him through the door, “it’s good to be home.”

“I thought you didn’t like this apartment,” she said mischievously.

“You know what? So long as you’re there, we could live in a fucking cave for all I care.”

“Yeah, right. As long as it’s a cave with cable, I bet. Oh, by the way…” She pointed at the coat hook behind the door.

Chase’s bruised face split into a delighted smile. “Oh, fucking awesome!” he cried on seeing the new black leather jacket hanging there. He kissed her. “Thank you. Pity I won’t be able to wear it for a while…” He held up his left arm, which was encased in a plaster cast and supported by a sling.

“It’ll be there when you need it.”

“Fantastic. Don’t suppose you got me a new Wildey as well?”

She smiled. “You don’t need to compensate for anything, Eddie.”

“Tchah!”

She laughed and guided him to the couch.

Six days had passed since they had been rescued from the Ocean Emperor-six days of hospital treatment and radiation exposure tests, all of which had been within safe limits… and six days of intensive questioning by Homeland Security and the FBI. The numerous agents finally convinced that they had stopped the bomb plot rather than been a part of it, Nina and Chase had at last been released.

From what they’d been told, the Swiss and Algerian governments had been contacted so that Yuen’s factory and the remains of the Tomb of Hercules could be investigated. The Botswanan government had also been contacted, partly so that the uranium mine could be sealed off prior to a U.N. examination-but also, to Nina’s and Chase’s intense relief, to see that the murder charges against them were dropped.

Also to Nina’s relief, Matt Trulli had been rescued. He had released the Wobblebug’s emergency beacon just before climbing out of the hatch, managing to don a life jacket as the submarine sank. After spending a couple of hours adrift in the Atlantic before a Coast Guard helicopter located him, the unconscious Australian had hypothermia to add to his cracked rib, but was expected to make a full recovery.

The only loose end was Sophia. After leaving the yacht, the tilt-rotor had landed on Staten Island close to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge so she could view the explosion from a safe distance-but once it became clear that the bomb wasn’t going to go off, the aircraft took off again and headed for JFK airport. When its unusual behavior and lack of a flight plan raised an alarm with air traffic control, it had hurriedly set down on an empty plot of land not far from JFK in the outer borough of Queens and been abandoned, its passengers fleeing. Two of them were later arrested in a stolen car, but of the others-including Sophia-there had been no sign.

She was now the subject of the biggest worldwide manhunt since Osama bin Laden. Engineering a plot to detonate a nuclear weapon in New York-and almost succeeding-had earned her the title of America’s Most Wanted.

Chase started to put his feet up on the glass coffee table, then thought better of it, giving Nina a look. She grinned. “No, go ahead. I’ll let you off. Y’know, just this once. Seeing as you saved New York and everything.”

He glanced down at his immobilized left arm. “Yeah, I should get a T-shirt made. ‘I saved New York and all I got was this lousy plaster cast’…”

Nina kissed him, then walked over to the kitchen area. “I’m sure you’ll get something more once all the secrecy clears. Do you want anything?”

“A pint’d be nice. Although I’ll settle for coffee if you don’t have one.”

“Coming right up,” Nina told him, taking a bag of coffee beans from the fridge.

“Speaking of secrecy, what’s going on with the Tomb of Hercules? Have they told you if you’ll be able to take credit for finding it?”

“I’d damn well better! Although I think it could take a while for everything to be sorted out.” She tipped the beans into the mill. “The Algerian government wants to take full control, for a start. I bet their eyes went kaching! like something from a Bugs Bunny cartoon when they heard there was a treasure trove worth billions of dollars inside their borders. The IHA might have its work cut out trying to persuade them to open up the site.”

“Well, at least you won’t have to deal with that.” Chase glanced back at her, uncertain. “Or will you?”

She gave him a smile as she started the grinder. “Not a chance. Right now? I’m on vacation. And so are you. And that’s an official IHA decision.”

“I like the sound of that.” He stretched out, and was about to put his feet up when somebody knocked on the apartment door. “Oh, buggeration. Never a moment’s peace.”

“I’ll get it,” Nina offered.

“Nah, it’s all right,” Chase told her as he stood. “I’ll get rid of ’em. You keep grinding them beans.” He padded across the living room and opened the door-

Sophia stood in the hallway, a gun in her hand.

Before Chase had a chance to react, she fired.

A metal dart stabbed into his chest. Gasping in pain, he pulled it out… only for his shaking hand to halt midmotion as the paralyzing toxin spread through his body. Spasming, he fell on his back, plaster cast clonking against the wooden floor, the dart still clutched in his raised hand.

Sophia tossed down the dart gun and pulled a black automatic from her jacket as she slammed the door behind her. “Hello, Eddie,” she said as she stepped over him. “And Nina! I can’t say it’s a pleasure to see you again… but it will be in a minute.” She pointed the gun at Nina, summoning her out from behind the kitchen counter.

Heart racing, Nina eyed the knife block as she passed it. “Don’t even think about it,” Sophia warned her, stepping closer.

“What’ve you done to Eddie?” Nina demanded, looking across at Chase.

“Don’t worry, he’s alive-for the next few minutes, at least. I wanted him to watch.”

Nina stepped into the center of the living room. “Watch what?”

Sophia walked towards her. “Watch you die, of course. God!” She stopped a few feet away and glanced scornfully around the apartment. “You have no idea how much I despise you, you vulgar little American bitch. I can understand why you’d have some kind of hero-worship love for Eddie, but what he sees in you, I have absolutely no idea. Even someone as low class as him deserves better.”

“I don’t love Eddie because he’s a hero,” Nina countered. “I love him for being the man he is. Not that you’d ever understand that.”