BooksBarbecue
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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
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
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  42. 37.
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  44. 39.
  45. 40.
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  65. 60.
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  84. 79.
  85. 80.
  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

And now Joey’s phone, his business phone, has Zack’s cross-street photos on it.

And then the kid sends a selfie.

A selfie!

Joey is wondering, too, whether two people will be too much to handle in this little apartment. His victims have always been unsuspecting. Now he’ll be facing them. Will he do it? Will he follow through once he has his phone back? Or will one of them try to jump him?

And he’s thinking about that girlfriend, Emily. He has to admit, he’s been thinking about her instead of this loser Steve. And what Emily might offer, what it might be like to tie her up, as opposed to this short, nerdy guy.

Joey looks at his watch, and Zack is now officially a few minutes late.

He doesn’t take it seriously, this guy Zack, does he?

He pretends to sound scared. But he’s not. Not scared enough.

Joey dials his phone.

“Hello?”

“Where the fuck are you?”

“Still in the cab. Almost there, Joey.”

Joey!

How the fuck does he know his name? How did he figure out his name? It’s nowhere on the phone. Fuck. Does he know his last name? Does he know everything, this smart-aleck kid? Fuck. Fuck!

Okay. That’s it.

He puts the phone on speaker.

Zack can still be a witness.

“Zack, you’re too late.”

Zack hears the shots.

Followed by silence.

And then:

“Zack, you’re too late. And this girl I see, Emily? She’s next, Zack. And it won’t stop until you give me that phone. On my terms. On my schedule, Zack. On my schedule.”

The cab pulls suddenly to the curb.

The passenger door opens.

Zack struggles out of the cab.

Pukes on the sidewalk.

He’s shaky. Dizzy. The city is spinning around him. The city he loves. Spinning out of control.

Steve.

Oh my God. Steve.

He pukes again.

Straightens slowly. Blinks. Breathes. Tries to focus.

Steve knew about Emily. Zack had told him about her—smiling, excited at this turn his life was taking, sharing it with his oldest friend. Did he ever mention her last name to Steve? Or where she lived? He doesn’t think so but isn’t sure. So he doesn’t know what Joey could have gotten from Steve about Emily. Could have forced out of Steve.

Steve.

Emily.

Zack’s world is being sliced apart. Piece by piece. Photo by photo. Smile by smile.

Because of his own phone in an assassin’s hands.

Because of the diePhone in his pocket.

13.

13.

Emily’s at work. Sitting at her desk. It’s been busy. But when she stops and looks out the window for a moment, she notices she’s still smiling.