Bidding War — Warren Murphy; Richard Sapir

THE ART OF THE DEAL

Budget cuts are every administrator's nightmare, but CURE's own Dr. Harold Smith has a real whopper. A battle over bullion prompts Chiun to seek better pastures, and he's dragging Remo along.

Word spreads like wildfire: the fabled assassins of the House of Sinanju are hiring out to the highest bidder. While the desperate Dr. Smith is panicking big-time, rogue nations are trying to beat out, burn down and bump off the competition -- before the highest bid gets the goods.

It's a seller's market for the lethal duo, and their success is assured -- if there's anything left of the planet after the bidding war.