Page 41 of One Final Target

“He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots withfire. ‘Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!’ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Jodie closed the book, wishing she felt some revival in her soul. Tears fell, but not tears of illumination. She couldn’t stop the tears, but while she cried, she prayed, imagining her prayers as rocks she flung at the wall. They hit and bounced off, but she just kept praying. She hated the idea that it was foxhole prayer, but it was all she had.

All the guilt over the loss of her team came roaring back. In her mind she again saw the image stalking her: Tiny, bloody, looking at her accusingly.“You let us all down, Chief.”

Ian’s glare.“Why didn’t you just wait?”

The weight of grief and guilt made her knees waver.

When she heard the door open, she held her breath. Sam strode into the kitchen, covered in dirt and cobwebs.

He held up both thumbs. “We’re good.”

Relief rolled over Jodie like a tsunami. It was as if a two-ton weight of guilt pressing her down disappeared. Sam was safe. Maybe one stone had penetrated the wall and created a small crack. Jodie would take what she could get. She stepped forward and threw her arms around him, encircling his waist, burying her face in his shoulder, tears flowing. She felt Sam’s arms slide around her, felt him pat her back, and heard him whisper, “You’re safe. We’re all safe. It will be okay.”

For the first time in months, Jodie thought she could finally believe those words.

CHAPTER24

WHEN SAM, JODIE, AND SMILEYwalked around to the front of the house, police cars were everywhere, projecting a strong presence on the block. Gone was the tranquil neighborhood Sam and Smiley had driven into. The houses on either side of Collins’s house and the ones directly in front and behind were either evacuated or in the process of being evacuated. Police tape was strung around the perimeter; black-and-white police cars blocking the street served as anchors for some of the tape. Crowds gathered on the boundaries.

Sam wondered when the press would arrive. As if reading his mind, a news chopper flew overhead.

Down the street he saw a large black motor home with flashing lights on top and guessed it was the command post vehicle.

“Bomb squad isn’t here yet,” Jodie said.

From the perimeter near the big motor home, a man yelled, “Jodie!”

Everyone turned.

“That’s Uncle Mike,” Jodie said.

“Well, let’s go talk to him,” Smiley said.

Sam followed, adrenaline rush dissipating fast. He was tired, hungry, and for the first time in months he felt whole again. He’d faced a demon and conquered it. Somewhere in the battle to force himself to defuse the IED, it pinged in his brain: he had done all he could for Rick. The accident was not his fault. Rick’s death wasn’t his fault. A healing had started—he felt it.

The world looked new and different now. Sam was certain he could face anything.

Jodie slipped under the tape and her uncle grabbed her in a hug. Sam and Smiley slipped under as well.

When Mike let Jodie go, he faced Sam with fury in his eyes. “Just what do you think you were doing?”

“Excuse me?” Sam had to take a step back.

“You put this entire neighborhood at risk. Why didn’t you wait for the bomb squad?”

“I made a judgment call—”

“You made a reckless, stupid, against-orders call.”

“Hey, hey, enough,” Smiley intervened. “You need to calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down. He needlessly risked my niece’s life. Your life. I’ll file a formal complaint. You were told to stand down and wait.”

“Stop it.” Jodie stepped between Sam and her uncle. “He saved my life—again—and risked his own.”

Mike put his hands on his hips and stared at Jodie. “You andI have our own situation. You need to explain to me what you were doing here. You’re not on the job anymore. You had no business being in Collins’s house. As for him—” Mike directed his ire back to Sam—“I’ll wait for the professionals to give me the situation report. But he clearly violated a direct order.”

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