Page 95 of One Final Target

Sam took a deep breath, slid off the couch onto his knees, then sat where his hands could reach the key, spreading his long legs out in front of him. It was difficult but not impossible to unlock the cuffs this way. Sam had worked through so many dexterity exercises while he rehabbed his hand, unlocking the cuffs would not be as difficult as Collins thought. The problem was how tight the cuffs were. There was going to be pain and blood. He sure couldn’t ask for help. Collins watched him, chuckling and mocking.

After a bit, dropping and picking up the key several times,sweat beading on his brow, Sam got the left hand free and brought his hands around in front to undo the right cuff.

The smirk left Collins’s face. He stepped back and raised his weapon. “Fine. Try anything and you’re dead. And if you think you can get the drop on me, just remember, we know where your mother lives.”

Sam froze for a second. He wasn’t going to let the little creep get the better of him. He removed the right cuff and then held the handcuffs in one hand, palming the key and resting his left arm on his knees, stretching his cramped back muscles for a moment. He tossed the cuffs toward Collins’s feet, wondering if the kid would try to put them on him again. If he did, he’d have to get close and put down the gun.

“You have nothing to fear from me.”

“I’m not afraid of you. And I’m not afraid to shoot you.”

Sam nodded.

“The bathroom is there.” Collins pointed. He made no effort to pick the cuffs up.

Sam stood, stretched again, and went into the small room and closed the door. He slid the key into his back pocket, in case, then looked around. There was no way out, no windows. No weapons, not even soap or toilet paper. Only a dirty towel on the lone towel ring.

He saw his reflection in the mirror. He’d cut his head. Dried blood was all over the side of his face. He rinsed off as best he could, wincing when he cleaned the cut above his eyebrow. There was nothing to cover it or clean it with. His wrists were sore and bleeding as well. Stretching his shoulders again, he flushed the toilet so Collins would believe he’d done what he said he had to.

For a minute he stared in the mirror and wondered what heshould do. He had no doubt that he could take Collins, but did he want to? He wanted to know who Collins was working with. Even more so because Collins had the nerve to threaten his mother. Sam saw red.

He’d hold his temper. The guy was obviously waiting for his partner. Sam needed to find out who the partner was and then he’d figure out how to end this.

He prayed for strength and wisdom, then went back out to face the armed kid and make plans to take both Collins and his partner into custody.

CHAPTER52

BRUCE SMILEY ARRIVEDwith three more deputies. One deputy went down into the canyon behind Sam’s house to look around. He came back with a smashed phone.

George’s expression was grim. “Yeah, it’s his.”

Jodie showed a second deputy the motion light.

“If they disconnected it,” she said, “we might get prints off of it.”

“Bag it,” Smiley said, jowly face wrinkled with worry. Jodie could tell he valued Sam as a colleague and a friend.

“The only thing I think we have working in our favor is that you two came up here to check on Sam and found him gone,” Smiley said, sipping coffee from a travel mug.

“What do you mean?” Jodie asked.

“Think: If they wanted him dead, they would have just killedhim and left the body. It’s obvious they got the drop on him. They took him away—I’m guessing because they want something or someone, probably you. I’m sure Sam is alive somewhere. We must find out where fast.” He sighed and held Jodie’s gaze.

Jodie felt the truth hit her hard. They took Sam because of her.

“Your uncle is on his way. I gave him George’s address. Go there, wait for him, and wait for a call. This revolves around you, Jodie. This guy is most likely going to call you.”

“Or woman,” Jodie corrected. “If it is Tara.”

“Okay, whoever. Just remember, when you get the call, you are not alone in this. As soon as my deputies finish their canvass here, I’ll send one to George’s as well.”

Jodie nodded. What Smiley said made sense. He had the what happened down: Tara and Collins took Sam in order to lure her somewhere. Why?

Hope burned in her chest. Sam was alive—she refused to believe any different.Oh, Lord, I need my balance back. I need a clear head. What am I not seeing?

George and Jodie climbed back in his truck. Other than the prong from the Taser and the phone, there were no other clues about what had happened to Sam. Jodie grabbed her phone and saw it was now halfway charged and there was a message waiting from Estella. She put the phone to her ear and played the message.

“Jodie, my goodness, Baker to Vegas was so long ago. And I thought it was all resolved. It was Jonah—he lost an outrageous amount of money at the craps table. Gus was concerned, but he said you told him all was well.”

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