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Chapters (96)
  1. Cover
  2. Berkley titles by David Ricciardi
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. CHARACTER LIST
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. TWENTY-NINE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. FORTY
  47. FORTY-ONE
  48. FORTY-TWO
  49. FORTY-THREE
  50. FORTY-FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. FIFTY-THREE
  60. FIFTY-FOUR
  61. FIFTY-FIVE
  62. FIFTY-SIX
  63. FIFTY-SEVEN
  64. FIFTY-EIGHT
  65. FIFTY-NINE
  66. SIXTY
  67. SIXTY-ONE
  68. SIXTY-TWO
  69. SIXTY-THREE
  70. SIXTY-FOUR
  71. SIXTY-FIVE
  72. SIXTY-SIX
  73. SIXTY-SEVEN
  74. SIXTY-EIGHT
  75. SIXTY-NINE
  76. SEVENTY
  77. SEVENTY-ONE
  78. SEVENTY-TWO
  79. SEVENTY-THREE
  80. SEVENTY-FOUR
  81. SEVENTY-FIVE
  82. SEVENTY-SIX
  83. SEVENTY-SEVEN
  84. SEVENTY-EIGHT
  85. SEVENTY-NINE
  86. EIGHTY
  87. EIGHTY-ONE
  88. EIGHTY-TWO
  89. EIGHTY-THREE
  90. EIGHTY-FOUR
  91. EIGHTY-FIVE
  92. EIGHTY-SIX
  93. EIGHTY-SEVEN
  94. Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation
  95. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  96. What’s next onyour reading list?

He rotated his hips and kicked the man in the kneecap, driving his heel through the joint until the knee shattered and the goon went down, screaming in pain.

Leather Jacket was out of the fight, but the cat was out of the bag too. Jake wasn’t the easy target he’d pretended to be. Shaved Head looked at his friend lying on the ground in agony and decided that it was a condition he’d prefer to avoid, so he reached under his untucked shirt, came up with a snub nose revolver, put his finger on the trigger, and pointed it at Jake.

THIRTY-FOUR

JAKE HAD BEEN on the wrong side of guns before, and he knew there was a short window to act before the other side used the weapon to take control of the situation. He leapt forward, grabbed the man’s gun hand, and pushed it to the side.

But the thug was a thick block of muscle, with at least fifty pounds on Jake, and the snub nose revolver felt like it was clamped in a vise. The goon pulled the trigger, but the shot went into the woods. Jake used his other arm to launch three elbow strikes to the man’s temple.

The gunman staggered but held on to the weapon. He pulled the trigger a second time and the bullet ricocheted off the pavement.

The goon clamped his other hand over Jake’s and began to pry it away. There was no way Jake could hold on. The man was simply too strong.

Jake delivered a throat strike to the man’s Adam’s apple. It wasn’t a killing blow—but it was close. The man’s eyes went wide as he lurched forward, but the oxygen he needed to function wouldn’t come. Jake drove his knee up into the man’s groin several times until he dropped the weapon. A second later he collapsed on the ground, wheezing for air and writhing in pain.

Jake picked up the pistol and turned toward the ditch, looking for Athena.

But she was already out of the car and staring at the scene in the headlights of Jake’s car: him, the gun, and the two large men he’d so violently dispatched.

Her knees went weak and she collapsed.

Tires squealed as the two goons fled the scene.

Jake ran to her and gently lifted her head from the ground. A trickle of blood ran down her face.

“We need to leave now,” Jake said.