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Back Die Next
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.
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  38. 33.
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  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

He’s even thinking of explaining it to Emily. But not here, not now, not yet.

When should he pull the diePhone data down from the Cloud?

As soon as he and Emily are somewhere safe?

As soon as he tells the police about Steve?

Or as soon as he picks out a new phone at the Apple store. ’Cause silly me, I dropped my old one in my coffee.

19.

19.

Joey Richter exits the GreenGirl coffee shop.

A little after Zack.

Not feeling free.

Not just yet.

He can tell the smart-alecky kid likes the neatness of it. The symmetry. Both phones dead in the coffee. Hell, even Joey appreciates the neatness of it. And the fact that the kid has trusted him with this deal—well, that still amazes him, makes him feel good.

But the kid doesn’t understand how it’s not really neat just yet.

He falls in behind Zack and Emily.

He sees Zack turn a couple of times to look for him. But Joey’s a pro; he knows how to avoid being seen. Until he’s ready to be seen.

He loves the deal Zack silently offered. He really appreciates it. Very clever. A good attempt. It seemed like it took care of all the problems for both of them. But unfortunately, it didn’t.

It’s loose ends. It’s Hit Man 101. He can’t have them walking around. Just can’t risk it, plain and simple.

Zack thought he could solve it with his cleverness. But Zack doesn’t understand that some things are bigger than cleverness. Have bigger consequences.

When they get close to Zack’s apartment, on a narrow side street with almost no pedestrian traffic, Joey catches up with them. Draws alongside them without their noticing.

“Hey, Zack.”

Zack and Emily turn.

Joey is pleased to see the happy, upbeat, smart-alecky expression finally leave Zack’s eyes.

“One last thing,” says Joey, drawing the Glock from under his trench coat, smiling.

One last thing. Get it, Zack?

See, Zack, I can be clever too.

Joey calmly levels the gun.

Emily screams.

Zack closes his eyes to fate.

A fate he managed to deter…

For a little while…

But no more.

A chaos of images, a compression of time…

Places, faces, moments, collapsing together, uncontrolled…

The mind’s Cloud, storing all memories, unleashing them now…

“Drop it.”

A voice from elsewhere, stern, commanding, some place outside but deep within, because all the imagery as instructed suddenly drops away, swept aside in some final accounting…some final moment of memory, turning liquid, melting, cascading…

“Drop it!” the voice booms at them. Comes from confusingly close by. “Drop it! Now!”

Detective Lopez is only a few feet behind Joey, his own gun out, with a much leaner partner approaching from the front, gun also drawn.

In seconds, Lopez is behind Joey, his gun against Joey’s back.

A moment later, Joey is spread-eagled, hands cuffed.