"I'm Hansen," the man said, raising the pistol. "I though you might like to know." It was almost an apology. He hesitated an instant then squeezed the trigger. The Professional: Three shots were pumped into Mike Locken, leaving him nearly crippled and forcing him into early retirement. Months of torturous therapy enabled Locken to walk again. But every idle hour fueled his fury. The Assignment: Now the Service wants Locken back for one more assignment: Protect an exiled African leader who is targeted by three assassins - all masters of their grisly trade. The Bait: Hansen is one of the three. And for Mike Locken this is a chance for revenge - an opportunity to prove who is the deadliest among...The Killer Elite.

Book by Rostand, Robert

Working freelance in perilous times, Locken is approached by the most infamous body broker of the Cold War, a specialist in getting people out from behind the Iron Curtain... for a fat price. His newest hush-hush client is Vadim Kirovin, once head of a vicious Soviet security police unit targeting defectors, now arrested and imprisoned in a sanitarium.Hastily pulling together a team of Cold War black-ops vets, including Lili, a lady from Locken's past, Kirovin is delivered near the Russian border in Hungary. And the race is on. From Budapest toward temporary sanctuary in Rome, Locken and team trying to outguess and outrun smart and powerful pursuers. With a surprise awaiting Locken in Rome—Kirovin's own former ace assassin, a lady never i.d.'d known only as Borla.