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Chapters (97)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. 1.
  6. 2.
  7. 3.
  8. 4.
  9. 5.
  10. 6.
  11. 7.
  12. 8.
  13. 9.
  14. 10.
  15. 11.
  16. 12.
  17. 13.
  18. 14.
  19. 15.
  20. 16.
  21. 17.
  22. 18.
  23. 19.
  24. SIX MONTHS LATER
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  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
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  86. 81.
  87. 82.
  88. 83.
  89. 84.
  90. 85.
  91. 86.
  92. 87.
  93. SIX MORE MONTHS LATER
  94. 88.
  95. 89.
  96. Discover More
  97. About the Author

Is Zack hatching some plan? Fuck. Maybe Joey should have taken Steve out already. But if he did, he’d never get to Zack.

Is Zack arranging a meeting? No, that would be pretty dumb of Zack. He wouldn’t want to risk dragging his innocent friend Steve into this. Maybe he’s just apologizing for not being at the coffee shop. Or maybe Zack is asking his friend for help without telling him why.

Watching Steve smiling and texting is making Joey nervous. He feels time ticking. He feels some unknown action coming from Zack. He needs—he’s itchy for—some parallel action of his own.

But how’s Joey going to get around the problem of Zack not bringing the phone to any meeting he sets up—knowing Joey would probably just kill him right there, or shortly afterward, once Zack gives him back the phone.

Suddenly Joey has an idea.

Suddenly he knows what to do with Steve. Don’t kill him right here and send a photo. That would scare Zack off forever. His friend would be dead. He would run to the police. Zack would have no choice.

No, Joey has a better idea, and it goes against everything he’s done in his professional life for the past year. It will be a big departure. But this threat to his livelihood and his freedom is a good enough reason to do it.

A huge part of his profession, the biggest part arguably, is making dead sure—so to speak—that there are no witnesses.

The photos are the only witnesses. Silent, trustworthy, unquestionable.

But maybe now it’s time for an actual witness.

One witness.

Zack.

Watching his friend Steve die. Right in front of his eyes.

That would be highly motivating, wouldn’t it?

That would get Joey’s phone back, pronto. Screaming, trembling, blithering, blathering, vomiting, crying, helpless, Zack would give it back right there. Or retrieve it real quick if he did actually hide it.

Even if Zack simply witnesses the live threat to Steve, without Joey even pulling the trigger, that might be enough. Zack would hand it over. Do anything to prevent his friend dying in front of him.

And Joey would take the phone and shoot them both.

Steve first so Zack could see it and feel crummy and responsible, for a few seconds anyway.

Yeah, Zack as a witness.

That’s a lot of power Joey could bring to bear on the situation. Psychological firepower.

Because seeing a photo is one thing. Seeing it happen for real is quite another.

11.

11.

Dude—obviously I got your email. Phone swap? Only you, Z-man, only you!

All right, thinks Zack. A text from Steve! A communication from the previous world.

How much to tell him? How much to explain? How much help to ask for? And what help exactly could his pal Steve provide? Design a nice website for an assassin, in exchange for the assassin letting Zack go?