I reached the end of the street and turned right. There they were, about twelve meters away. The Japanese guy had his left side to me. He was talking to the American. The American was facing me, an un...
I noted he had no place to conceal a weapon or transmitter. I wondered whether the attire had been chosen deliberately, to reassure me. Dox liked to play the hick, and a lot of people bought the act,...
Gradually our surroundings became more residential. We passed wide, open doorways. These I checked automatically, but they offered no danger, only miscellaneous domestic scenes: four elderly women abs...
But denial . . . well, you know what they say about denial. Ben nodded, seeing where this was going now, not wanting to show what he really thought of it. It has no survival value.
When you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you.
Traversed
After our split, I wanted to believe that whatever had been between us was unique, that it could never happen again. Because if it was exceptional, it must be an exception, maybe even the exception th...
The mindfulness he spoke of was called nen in Japanese—an acknowledgment, an appreciation, of the importance of small things. The things that make living more worthwhile. And that, in my work, make it...
She looked at me. You’re an assassin, aren’t you? When there are rumors the government has someone on the payroll, they’re talking about you, right? I let out a long exhalation. Something like that. T...
Maybe. You can’t retire. I paused. When I spoke, my voice was quiet, not much more than a whisper. I hope you’re not saying you might interfere. He didn’t flinch. There would be no need for me to inte...
It’s a science. There are people out there who are experts at getting others to do tomorrow what was unthinkable today.
Immediately the sounds of the street below grew detached, distant, the meaningless echoes of urban voices whose urgent notes reached but held no sway over the park-like necropolis within. From where I...
I squeezed her hips, then ran my hands up and over the curve of her ribs to her breasts. Her nipples were hard under the wet fabric of her dress. Her body radiated heat. I heard myself groan. It sound...
I shifted my head slightly. The corners of our mouths brushed together. I felt her breath on my cheek. Then we were kissing. Her mouth was warm and soft. Our tongues entwined and simultaneously I thou...
He wiped his brow. So. Consider this state of affairs from Yamaoto’s perspective. He understands that, with the immune system suppressed, there must eventually be a catastrophic failure of the host. T...
Of eternity.
Why are the most painful memories also the sweetest; why does the sweetness always draw us back no matter how long the pain might have kept us away beforehand? I don’t know,
The insult was calculated. Whether this guy was an amateur or a professional, he would perceive himself as the latter, and would now be invested in proving it to me. Interrogators call the technique e...
The feeling was a bit odd under the circumstances, but I was glad to be back at the Old Imperial. Windowless and low-ceilinged, dark and subdued, intimate despite its spaciousness, the bar has an air...
The Nigerians were gauntleting the entranceway. They bowed obsequiously low for Murakami and breathed Irasshaimase in unison. The one on the right spoke into his lapel mike. We walked down the steps....