Quinton Mann is CIA through and through. Mark Vincent is WBIS for life. There is no way they could end up as anything other than adversaries -- and yet, Quinn takes Mark out to dinner on his birthday -- the one no one is supposed to know about -- and gives him one hell of a present in the restaurant's restroom. Mark, not to be outdone, has decided to escalate this game, because it has to be a game, right? There's no way it can be anything else.<br><br>But as the game continues, as Quinn shows up to a WBIS funeral, as a friend of Mark’s penetrates the CIA computer network to get information on Quinn, as Mark breaks into Quinn's house and gives Quinn a very interesting encounter, both Quinn and Mark realize that this is becoming the most real thing in their lives.<br><br>Can they find a way to do their jobs and keep this surprising, intriguing connection?

Houseboat on the Nile

“There was a man who decided that living in the city was too dangerous, so he moved his wife and little girl to an estate whose backyard was the Hudson River.”


“Oh, this takes place in New York?”


“Yeah.” I smiled, able to hear again my father’s brother talking about the currents of the river near Bear Mountain. “The little girl had those fat, blonde sausage curls, and blue, blue eyes. She looked like one of those child stars of the thirties, you get the picture?”


“Yes, I see, Mark.” There was laughter in his voice, but I pretended not to notice.


“Well, one day, this beat-up old mongrel wandered into the yard. The mother nearly had a heart attack, certain it was going to eat her baby, but the little girl fell in love with the dog, and begged and pleaded to keep him, and the dad allowed it.


Chapter 78