Page 101 of One Final Target

He spit on the ground, then stepped forward, towering over Jodie, face twisted in hate and rage. “When Jason died, everything decent in this world died as far as I am concerned. He was the only good in this stinking world. I’m not going to play along anymore. Then Gus and Mike tried to squeeze me over money.They hadn’t caused me enough trouble over the years—they still wanted to ruin me.”

“They tried to help you. They loa—”

“They kept playing the good boys, the self-righteous ones.They didn’t care about me; they only cared about themselves. Yeah, I set the IED. I wanted them to pay. Gus with his life and Mike with you dead. It went wrong, but I’m going to fix it. Your uncle will pay. Your boyfriend added himself to the list. Your life is the price. Now keep walking.”

CHAPTER55

COLLINS STIRREDand Sam bent to secure the dazed man.

Collins was groggy at first. A trickle of blood ran down his chin. Sam clicked the cuffs on him, picked him up, and pushed him back to sit on the couch. He then did a quick survey of the cabin, walking around the room, keeping an eye on Collins. The back door in the kitchen opened out to a deck, with stairs leading into the forest.

“Tables turned, dude,” Sam said. He reached down again and grabbed the kid’s phone. It was now locked.

Sam held the phone up and looked at Collins. “You need to unlock this.”

Initially stunned, Collins gathered his wits about him quickly. “No. I won’t unlock the phone for you. My partner, as you callhim, is on the way. He’s got your girlfriend. You both will die as planned.”

“I know who your partner is. Jonah Bennett.”

“What?” Collins’s face was a study in surprise, but it faded fast. “Doesn’t matter if you know, I guess. He’s still smarter than you.”

“How’d you hook up with him?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Humor me.”

“I was a student aide in one of Jason’s classes. He came to me after Jason died. He wanted me to unlock his son’s computer.”

“Were you a friend of Jason’s?”

“Just from computer work. Jason loved computers; he didn’t have the same knack for them I do. He’d come to me and ask about how to do stuff. I unlocked the computer and then Jonah helped me sell my house, found me a great one, in a great neighborhood.” He smirked. “I got a lot of good intel there.”

Sam stared at the kid and tried to think. He claimed Jodie was already with Jonah. She trusted him; he might have talked her into going with him. Fear spiked in Sam.They would die as planned.What in the world was the plan? And how did Mike King fit into it? He kept his face neutral.

“If I’m not mistaken, I can call 911 even if this phone is locked.”

“You don’t know where you are.”

“Yeah, but GPS does.”

“Maybe I turned mine off.”

The boy’s face betrayed him. He hadn’t turned off the GPS.

Sam hit emergency and dialed 911. He got a dispatcher in San Bernardino and patiently explained what was happening. While it took longer than he liked, eventually the dispatcher got the message and the GPS signal. Help was on the way.

“Keep the line open,” she said.

“I have no intention of hanging up. Please, I need you to check on someone. Ask the responding officers where Jodie King is. I’m afraid she might be in trouble as well.”

The line stayed open while the dispatcher took care of his request. To Sam, it seemed an eternity, but finally a familiar voice came on the line.

“Sam, it’s Smiley. Glad you’re okay.”

“Me too. How’s Jodie?”

“I wish I had better news, buddy, but she’s missing. She and George were run into the mountain. She’s gone and George has been shot.”

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