Page 100 of Lethal Game

"I don't believe you."

"I'm telling you the truth. He shot me three years ago. Why would I help him?"

"I have a better question. Why did you kill my father?"

She paled at his words. "I didn't. That was Novikov. He shot us both."

"You're lying, Stephanie. You were working for Novikov. You took my father to that motel alone. That's why you maneuvered Patrick and me into riding together that day. And when you got to the motel, you shot my dad." He saw the truth in her eyes even if she couldn't say it. "How could you do that?" he asked in bewilderment. "We were friends. You were my partner. We had each other's back. I saved your life."

"I saved yours, too," she reminded him.

"Why did you kill my father?" When she didn't answer, he added, "You know, you're not getting out of this, Stephanie. You used your badge to access a restricted floor. You kidnapped the vice president and were at least partly responsible for the death of a Secret Service agent. And you were here with Novikov. The proof is irrefutable, so start talking. I want to know what happened three years ago."

"Novikov forced me to kill your father. I didn’t want to, but it was him or me."

Finally, a confession!

"Was Novikov even in the motel room with my dad? Tell me the truth. You owe me that much."

She stared back at him, and then she said, "No, he wasn't atthe motel, but two of his men were next door. I shot your father, but your dad got off one shot before he collapsed."

"My father shot you?" he asked in shock. "It wasn't Novikov? But my dad's gun wasn't at the scene."

After the shots were fired, one of Novikov's men came in and took our guns, so no one would know we'd shot each other. Novikov needed me to stay free of suspicion. And he needed your father to die because he had been a thorn in his side for thirty years."

"Did my father know you were working for Novikov?"

"He guessed it when we got to the motel. He looked right at me and said you're the mole. Then I pulled the trigger."

He shuddered at the image of his father knowing the truth and then being killed. He wanted to put his hands around Stephanie's neck and stop her from talking, stop her from breathing.

He paced around in a small circle, trying to get a grip on his emotions. Then he said, "What about Patrick? Was he working with you, too?"

"No. Patrick was getting suspicious, though. Afterward, he asked me a lot of questions. I had to make him look like the possible mole. No one completely bought the rumors I planted, but he became ostracized and siloed, and eventually, he retired. I thought I was done with him until a few days ago when he started poking his nose into what was going on. I was afraid he would get to you and put doubts in your head about me."

Her words made him realize another truth. "It was you who set up the shooting at the park, wasn't it? You sent a gunman to take out Patrick. I wasn't the target, was I?"

"To be honest, it would have been fine if you were both hit, but the money was paid on Patrick. We didn't know you were there until it was over."

"How long were you working for Novikov?"

"I started a few months before we became partners," she admitted.

"You worked for him the entire time we were partners?" That fact blew him away. "I talked to you about Novikov, about my father's longtime quest to bring him in. I shared information with you my father gave me. You betrayed me long before you killed my dad." He'd thought he was too cynical to ever be surprised by someone's criminality, but this one was hard to stomach. He had really misjudged her.

"You never told me anything I could use. I didn't intend to betray you, Jason, but when your father got close to finding Novikov before the courthouse bombing, I was ordered to take him out, and I couldn't say no. Novikov owned me. He had paid off my gambling and credit card debts. He had blackmail that could destroy my career, so we made a deal. I could do my job, but when he needed me, I had to follow his orders."

"It wasn't just my father who died three years ago. Lots of other people in the courthouse died or were injured. How could you live with yourself?"

"People die all the time," she said harshly. "I lost my parents when I was a kid, an aunt when I was sixteen, and my best friend at twenty. Safety is an illusion. You can't worry about other people. You can only worry about yourself. I grew up knowing I had to take care of myself. I had to be a survivor, and that's what I am."

"A survivor who kills people for money."

"Like I said, I do what I have to do, and I made my deal with the devil a long time ago. But I have paid a price, Jason. I'll never be the same physically after your father's shot affected my spine."

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? I'm glad he shot you. I'm just sorry he didn't kill you."

She flinched at his harsh words. "Is that what you're going to do now?"

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