Page 35 of Croatia Collateral

The man who’d issued the challenge said, “Alone.”

Dax turned to Fearghas. “You may return to the hotel.”

Fearghas nodded.

Dax took off between the two men in black jackets. Fearghas walked away in the opposite direction. He passed her and turned at the next street, supposedly heading for Pile Gate and their hotel.

As soon as he was out of sight of the men escorting Dax, Fearghas spoke. “Evan is with his escort.”

“Roger,” Dmytro’s voice filled Giva’s ears. “Sasha?”

“Witnessed the pickup,” Giva said. “Will follow at a distance.” She pushed away from the wall and, as casually as she could, walked down the street in the direction the two men were taking Dax.

Two blocks ahead, they turned down a narrow street.

Once they rounded the corner, out of her line of sight, her heartbeat kicked up, and her pace increased to just short of jogging. When she reached the corner, her heart lodged in her throat. She didn’t see any of the three large men.

They had disappeared.

“I lost them,” Giva reported.

“I lost the German and the Italian,” Peter said into Giva’s earbuds. “They rounded a corner and just disappeared.”

“Same,” Giva said, looking around for any sign of the three men or any other sentries standing guard in front of a door or from a perch overhead. Her gaze swept the rooftops for people and the eaves for cameras. When she saw neither, she swung her backpack from her shoulders, found the flashlight and switched it on, shining it toward the stone walkway.

Nothing.

She walked further along the narrow alley, shining the light at the ground and then her breath lodged in her throat.

A faint glow appeared on one of the stones. A few feet further, another glowing smear appeared.

Giva released the breath she’d held and followed. The trail continued another ten yards, where the glowing smears abruptly ended in front of a stone wall. She walked to the end of the structure, where it abutted against another building made of stone and wood.

Footsteps echoed on the stone walls nearby.

Giva turned off the flashlight, ducked her head and walked away from the sound of footsteps.

Though she kept moving in the opposite direction, the footsteps grew louder.

Her pulse raced as she increased her pace.

The footsteps behind her quickened.

Giva turned a corner and sprinted to the next alley, turned right and slammed into a wall of a man’s chest.

When hands came out to grab her, she went into a defensive crouch, blocked his attempt to grab her and shoved her palm into his face, hitting his nose.

The man grunted and swung a meaty arm.

She ducked and threw herself around him.

A foot jutted out, catching her ankle.

Giva pitched forward and staggered a few steps before she regained her balance.

Not soon enough.

Arms wrapped around her like iron bands and clamped her against a wall of a chest.

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