Ice Cold Kill
Page 31
Daria rested a palm on his chest.
They stood a moment. The rest of the army base was bustling but Belhadj had chosen this alley with care. They had the space to themselves. But that wouldn’t last forever.
Khalid Belhadj thought about it long and hard, then stepped in and kissed her. She kissed him back.
He studied her a moment and allowed himself a quick, wistful smile.
“Well then … good-bye.”
Daria nodded.
They pivoted, Belhadj nearer the alley entrance, Daria nearer the car. They stepped away from each other, both walking backward.
They smiled. Then they turned after ten paces. Just like duelists.
Acknowledgments
I am forever thankful for the tremendous help of the following Oregon Health Authority officials: Dr. Grant Higginson, M.D., MPH, former state health officer and deputy administrator, Public Health Division; Dr. Michael Skeels, Ph.D., MPH, director of the Oregon State Public Health laboratory; and Dr. Katrina Hedberg, M.D., MPH, state epidemiologist and chief science officer, Public Health Division.
Also, my gratitude goes to everybody at St. Martin’s Press for their faith in this project. To my editor, Keith Kahla, for his unparalleled understanding of how to make a story better. And for my agent, Janet Reid of FinePrint Lit, for blazing the trail.
Also by Dana Haynes
Crashers
Breaking Point
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DANA HAYNES, author of the acclaimed thrillers Crashers and Breaking Point, spent more than twenty years as a journalist and editor at several newspapers in Oregon. In addition to writing novels, he’s currently the communications director for the mayor of Portland, Oregon, where he lives.
Visit the author’s Web site at www.dana-haynes.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ICE COLD KILL. Copyright © 2013 by Dana Haynes. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover photo illustration by Steve Gardener; buildings and street © Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Haynes, Dana.
Ice cold kill / Dana Haynes.—First edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-250-00963-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-02602-6 (e-book)
1. Women—Fiction. 2. Terrorism—Prevention—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3558.A84875I26 2013
813'.54—dc23
2012040101
eISBN 9781250026026
First Edition: March 2013