Page 100 of One Final Target

“I DON’T CARE IF YOU’RE TIRED OF WAITING.Sit tight. I’ll be there.”

Jonah was angry with whoever was on the other side of the call. Jodie had an idea. The darkness had lifted somewhat, and the forest was visible. She glanced at her watch. It would be light soon. Back to her, Jonah stood still. Maybe collecting his thoughts. Quickly she scrambled to reposition herself.

She bent her legs and put her feet toward the door. She’d kick the door into him, hopefully knock him out and get free. Just as she got in position, she changed her mind. This was Uncle Jonah. She’d known him since she was eight. Even the realization that he killed her team did not make it easy for her to want to hurt him.

Jodie relaxed and sat back on the seat. He had to make the next move. She couldn’t even run because she wasn’t sure which direction to go.

Jonah didn’t open the door right away. He went to the back and opened the hatch. Jodie turned and saw a backpack there and some rope. He grabbed the rope, opened the backpack, and jammed it inside. The pack was stuffed full, and Jodie wondered what else was in there. Jonah slammed the hatch and walked around to Jodie’s door.

“Come on, get out. We have a ways to go.” He’d slung the pack over his shoulder. Jodie had no choice but to do what he said.

She climbed out of the car.

He looked at her cuffs. “It won’t do you any good. And I won’t take the time to put them back the way they should be.” He pointed to the road in front of the Jeep. “Walk.”

Jodie did as she was told and Jonah fell into step behind her. It was getting lighter now; she could make out the terrain and guessed they were behind Green Valley Lake.

“What do you mean, Tara and I ruined things?” she asked, not looking back.

“You can’t just be quiet, can you?”

“No, Uncle Jonah, I can’t. I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”

“Keep walking.”

“Or what? You’ll shoot me?” She stopped in the middle of the road and faced him.

“You should have died three months ago. I planned everything perfectly.” The words were frosty, not the words of a man she’d always loved.

“What did I do to you? Why...?” Jodie’s voice broke, and she swallowed, wanting to keep her composure. Now was not the time to be sentimental. Jonah certainly wasn’t. “What did four awesome officers and one great CI ever do to you?”

“It’s not about you, not about them. I made a point. I didn’t care about your team. You and Gus were the ones who were supposed to die. Gus deserved it for his own sins. As for you, Mike would have had to suffer through the kind of loss I’ve lived with.”

His face flushed and a tic started under his right eye. “For twenty-five years I’ve lived with Mike’s boot on my neck. The only way for me to cut him off at the knees was through you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I know you don’t. I’ve set up this finale to force Mike to face what he did to me and what it’s going to cost him.” He gestured with the gun. “Keep walking. Your boyfriend is waiting on the other end. I could shoot you and carry you, but I have other plans.”

He was taking her to Sam. Jodie started walking. She wanted to keep Jonah talking but wasn’t sure how. And shock about all the hatred he spewed toward Gus and Mike had her flustered. Then Jonah just began to speak.

“You think your uncle Mike is a saint, don’t you? Always the do-gooder, the by-the-book guy. Well, he’s not. He stabbed me in the back, ruined my life. It wasn’t fair. All these years of unfairness. I finally had enough when Jason died.”

“Mike had nothing to do with you being fired.”

“Is that what he told you? Did he ever tell you why I got fired?”

Jodie glanced back.

“He didn’t, did he? Because I took the fall for him. Him and Gus. The both of them pulled the rug out from under me. They did not have my back; they stabbed me square in the back.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t. They covered for each other. Mike raped the woman, not me.”

Jodie stopped, turned, and stared. “What did you say?”

Jonah’s face was red with anger. “Right. He’s a rapist. Him and Gus played dumb and let me take the rap. Cost me my career. If I hadn’t been fired, my whole life would have been different. Life for Jason would have been different. He was a good kid who didn’t deserve to die the way he did. What did Gus and Mike do for me? They cornered me about money.”

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