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of the holster under his arm as he walked toward them. ‘You’re dead on time,’ he said with a faint grin. He glanced at McIntyre’s hand. ‘What happened?’
    ‘He got frisky,’ said Alexa. McIntyre glowered at her.
    Schmidt raised his eyebrows. His expression indicated that a man would have to be mad to attempt any such thing around her. His gaze ran over her figure briefly. ‘You look good,’ he said quietly.
    ‘Thanks,’ said Alexa.
    The Hunters behind Schmidt shifted slightly. She glanced impassively at their troubled expressions.
    She had long been aware of the rumors that circulated about her in the upper echelons of the Crovir Councils and the Order. She was a cold and calculating bitch without feelings. She would just as soon kill you as look at you. She wasn’t a team player. She ate raw meat and drank the blood of her lovers.The gossip was wild and fanciful. Some of it was true.
    Alexa knew she had bruised many egos over the centuries. She was faster, stronger, and deadlier than any Hunter working for the Order today, and was without a doubt the best covert agent the First Council had had access to in the last three hundred years. She thought this without pride or pleasure. It was a simple fact. She was also the only Crovir operative who had yet to suffer a death.
    Fifteen minutes later, she watched the Learjet taxi along the runway. She turned and walked back to the Jeep. McIntyre would be taken to Europe to face the charges against him in a Crovir court. The evidence was damning. She knew what the outcome would be; she had carried out enough executions for the Crovir First Council to know they did not forgive easily.
    She had just made it onto Interstate Fifteen when her cell phone rang.
    Alexa looked at the display with narrowed eyes. She knew the number well. She took the call.
    ‘Hi, Alexa? We need to talk,’ said Dimitri Reznak without preamble.
    She was silent for several seconds. ‘Where are you?’ she finally said.
    ‘I’m in Europe,’ said Reznak. ‘I’ll be in LA tonight.’
    She frowned at the underlying tension in his voice. ‘Where do you want to meet?’

    Four hours later, she drove into a parking lot at Los Angeles International Airport. After returning the Jeep to the rental company’s local office, she made her way to one of the terminal’s executive lounges. She settled down with a cup of coffee and a paper while she waited for Reznak.
    A shadow soon fell across her. Alexa looked up.
    ‘Hello,’ said the tall, trim man before her. Her gaze flickered over the stranger’s expensive suit, manicured hands, and Rolex watch. A second man, undoubtedly his business associate, stood next to him.
    ‘Would you like some company?’ asked the first man with an easy, confident smile.
    ‘No,’ she replied.
    He inhaled sharply at her blunt tone.
    His friend stiffened. ‘Hey, I’m sure we can—’ started the stranger with an amicable expression.
    Alexa placed her cup down carefully on the table and glanced around the lounge. Shy of taking a Sig out and shooting the two men, she was going to have to make it inherently clear why it would be a bad idea to associate with her.
    ‘The tan line on the fourth finger of your left hand indicates that you were on a holiday with your wife in the last month,’ she said, staring steadily at the first man. ‘Your wedding ring is in the right breast pocket of your suit.’
    She ignored his startled gasp and turned to his business partner. ‘As for you, I’m sure your friend here would like to know why you’re sleeping with his wife.’
    The second man’s jaw sagged open. ‘How the hell did you—’
    ‘Barry?’ said the first man in a stunned voice, turning to look at his associate.
    Alexa picked up her cup and leaned back in her seat. ‘You have the same scratch marks on your overnight cases from her diamond ring,’ she said, her gaze scanning the paper once more. ‘And you both smell like her.’
    She tuned out the heated voices