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Chapters (82)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. Praise for Blood in the Water
  81. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  82. Newsletter Sign-up

She kicked him again in the ribs and he coughed out blood. “You don’t know me well enough to call me that,” she said. With the dexterity of a seasoned professional, she grabbed one of his wrists and slapped a cuff tight to it. He grunted in pain, and that gave her some satisfaction. She pulled his other wrist behind his back and snapped on the other cuff. Then she grabbed him by the front of his jacket. “Get up,” she ordered. He struggled to his feet, favoring his right side as she leaned him against a stack of rebar.

His face was a mess, his nose twisted, but his tattooed eyes had cleared and they stared at her with a malice she had seen before. She supposed it matched her own toward him.

The tactical team was there now, assault rifles out, body armor bulging, eyes vigilant. And as they regarded the scene—Carpio bloodied and cuffed and cowed—a few of them tittered.

“Nice job, Special Agent,” one of them said. “Looks like we didn’t need the heavy artillery, all we needed was a pissed-off chick with a badge.” Several of the others laughed.

It was intended less as a compliment to her than as an insult to her prisoner. And it was clear that the slight had landed effectively. Carpio’s bloodied face twisted in uncontrollable rage.

“You will all pay!” he screamed. “You will pay for what you have done to my people!”

One of the tactical guys shook his head. “Shit, he actually talks like that, huh?”

Kit nodded. “He does.” She stepped forward, so that her face was less than a foot in front of Carpio’s. “Sorry to spoil your plans, Vincente.”

And then a strange thing happened. Carpio smiled.

“Don’t worry, Special Agent,” he said through a heavy accent. “You have not spoiled my plans. I can’t be stopped. You should know that by now.”

There was something about the look on his face that sent a fresh wave of rage and hatred through her. It was like she was losing her son all over again—as though no matter what she did to push back the tide of grief she had fought for half a decade, human trash like Carpio could bring it back, like a tsunami that washed away the emotional fortifications she had constructed to protect herself.

Before she realized what was happening, she brought her knee up hard and fast between Carpio’s legs. His cheeks plumed and his face went a dark shade of purple. His right leg buckled, and he crumpled to the ground at her feet with a loud groan.

One of the tactical officers behind her laughed. “Jesus, Special Agent. Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

FIVE

Friday, January 18

“Special Agent Steele, welcome to FMC Devens.”