No One Lives Forever

still on for tonight? I think we ought to lay low for a while. At least until this is all over.'

Even as he said the words, he knew what all over meant. Charboneau would be dead and his living torment would be worse. His new partner lived in Cuiaba, way too close for comfort.

Phillips had no doubt Charboneau was deadly, but at least the man had a certain civility. He knew the game of manipulation and how to play it, a much more tolerable bullet to the head. But the man on the phone wasn't encumbered by courtesy of any kind. Phillips had traded his seat in the frying pan for one in the fires of hell.

The silence on the phone made him swallow, hard. He waited for the man's answer.

'I have no interest in what you think, Doctor.' A sickening throaty chuckle sent chills along the doctor's skin. 'I've got Delacorte and his friend under surveillance. Focus on your end and you'll have nothing to worry about. Give my regards to your lovely wife.'

The line went dead, but the man's threat came across loud and clear. Fear gripped the doctor's throat, the strain amassing to overload. If he made a mistake now, his family would pay the price. He knew he was in a no-win scenario.

But if presented with an opportunity to be free of all this, would he be man enough to take that chance?

Hard to tell how many tailed them. After comparing notes from earlier in the day, Christian and Jasmine knew it had to be more than one or two guys. Whenever they got a fix on a face, the target would blend into the crowd and they assumed someone new took his place. They had to start all over again, searching the crowds for familiar faces from place to place. No doubt about it, whoever pulled surveillance over the last few days knew what they were doing.

But would their surveillance setup handle what Christian had planned?

Leaving the hotel once again, he walked with Jasmine, a repeat of their first night in Cuiaba, out for dinner. They strolled down the main drag in front of the hotel as if they had the whole evening and weren't in a rush. Nearing a busy intersection, the light changed. Dressed in dark attire to blend in, they stood on the street corner amidst other pedestrians. Christian stared straight ahead but directed his comment to Jasmine on the sly.

'You know what to do?'

'Yeah, I'll meet you as agreed, but keep in mind .. .' She glanced toward him, issuing a personal challenge he knew would come. '. .. if one of us doesn't make it, I'm going it alone.'

One of us? Christian smirked at the implication. Obviously, Jasmine planned not to fail.

'Don't you worry about me.' He grinned. 'We'll see who gets there first.'

As the light changed, Christian took off left against traffic and Jasmine went straight, hiding within the crowd. Being shorter and with dark hair, she would blend in. He dodged traffic and picked up his pace after crossing the street, then immediately ducked into a crowded restaurant with dim lighting. He had seen the cafe earlier on his walk from the Macumba store. With only furtive glances over his shoulder, he quickened his steps as he pushed through the dinner crowd, careful not to make a scene.

Catching the eye of a waitress, he asked as he kept moving, 'You got a back way out?'

Christian followed where the young woman pointed and skipped through a hallway by the kitchen and out the back. Now he faced an alley, dark and murky. To his right, it led to traffic. To the left, it looked like a dead end, branching off in another direction. He didn't want to make a mistake and get boxed in. He jogged toward traffic and hailed a cab. No hesitation.

'Just drive,' he ordered after slipping inside the taxi.

Crouching low in the backseat, he turned to catch a glimpse of a man running out of the alley, dressed like a local in nondescript casual clothes. The guy looked both ways, unsure which way to go. His frustration showed. Christian smiled and turned to face forward, staying low so he wouldn't make a good target.

He hoped Jasmine had the same kind of luck ... only not as quick.

After riding in the cab for nearly twenty minutes, he gave the cabbie directions to drop him six blocks from the sidewalk cafe they had coffee earlier in the day. They were to meet on the southeast corner. He kept to the shadows, avoiding storefronts and street lamps. He walked the block and ducked into alleyways and side streets to make sure he hadn't been followed. Now he sat on a concrete step leading to a subterranean basement of an older hotel. His head barely visible, he craned his neck to keep an eye out for Jasmine.

Just when he thought he'd won the challenge, and began to worry that she'd gotten into trouble, a red Fiat Grande Punto pulled to the curb near him. The windows were tinted. He couldn't see the driver. Christian tensed. His hand reached for the Glock 19 and pulled it from the holster when the passenger side window rolled down.

'What took you so long? I got bored waiting, so I grabbed us some wheels. You like?' Not waiting for an answer, Jasmine demanded, 'Hurry up. Get in. We ride in style.'

The woman was certifiably nuts. She would get them arrested yet. Holstering his weapon, Christian shook his head and darted for the car. Hell, he had carryon luggage bigger than this damned Fiat.

At six-four, Christian had trouble getting into many vehicles. He yanked open the passenger door and shoved into the tight seat. Not wanting to call attention to the stolen Fiat, he didn't have a choice but to make it quick. He crammed into the front, his knees practically to his chin. Once inside, his head bumped the ceiling as he fidgeted to adjust the seat.

Jasmine couldn't hide her amusement.

'You see? Big is not always better.' The words were out of her mouth before she had time to think. 'On second thought, forget I said that.'

'You did this on purpose,' he complained, folded into the future piece of scrap metal like a glassy- eyed sardine. Jasmine didn't say a word. Her grin said it all.

Using only running lights for the last few miles, Jasmine drove the red Fiat with both hands on the wheel, using the curves in the road and the dense treeline to mask their approach to Genotech Labs. Without a full moon, the night closed in on Christian, pitch-black. The pale lights cast eerie shadows onto the road and the thick vegetation along it, playing tricks on the eyes. An animal darting into their path would cause serious damage. His companion leaned forward, peering through the windshield, searching the darkness for man and beast.

'We won't get much closer. I don't want to risk being heard. Sound carries out here,' she reminded him. 'I'm pulling over if I can find a good spot. We can walk the rest of the way.'

'Works for me.' Out of reflex, Christian reached for the gun in his holster. His elbow hit the door panel. 'There's a dirt road to the right up here, just before the last bend. I remember it from our taxi ride.'

He pointed, and Jasmine pulled onto the shoulder. The change in terrain caused the vehicle to lurch right and take a hard bump. Christian rammed his head into the ceiling.

'Hey, watch it.' He ducked and shoved a hand onto the dash. 'I'd like to make it out of this tin can in one piece . . . and without a brain tumor.'

'Sorry.' She pretended to care, but the smirk on her face told him otherwise. 'You know, technically, you can't get a brain tumor from a little bump on the head,' she mumbled loud enough for him to hear. 'A concussion perhaps. Or maybe a little head-trauma-induced brain bleed.'

Christian gritted his teeth and stared straight ahead, cursing himself for the lack of foresight to bring earplugs.

Jasmine followed a narrow dirt trail until she was satisfied the vehicle wouldn't be seen from the