CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY EIGHT – DODGING THE PATROL

Moments later, Caporelli and Pietro emerged from the underbrush, looking worse for wear but alive. "What happened?" Alessandro demanded as soon as they were close enough. Caporelli's face was grim. "Ran into a patrol. Had to take the long way around." Pietro nodded, his usual cocky demeanor subdued. "They're getting closer. We need to move fast if we want to make it to the boat." Without another word, the group set off towards the hidden cove where their escape vessel waited. The going was treacherous, the path little more than a narrow ledge hugging the cliffside. As they picked their way carefully along, the sound of helicopter blades suddenly filled the air. Joan's heart leapt into her throat as the sleek black shape of a police chopper appeared over the horizon. "Down!" Caporelli hissed, pulling them into the scant cover provided by an overhanging rock. They pressed themselves against the cliff face, hardly daring to breathe as the helicopter swooped low over the coastline.