“We lost a huge contract. We lost one of our most valuable employees. Our computer guy is in custody because of the old couple he shot. You have any idea how hard it is to find a decent IT guy? You ruined a sweet gig our little company had. And worst of all, you pissed me off. I’ve stewed about you and your stupid meddling for months. And now I’m here for a little payback. Sort of my own little therapy, only a lot more fun.”

“So your plan has been to shoot me. Why bother my mother or blow up my girlfriend’s apartment?”

He stepped closer into the room. I was clear of the card table my brother used as a dining table. I calculated the distance between Jackson and me.

Jackson said, “The plan wasn’t to just shoot you. It was to screw up your life. And it’s gonna get worse. And there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.” He laughed.

This crazy son of a bitch enjoyed this. He didn’t want it to end anytime soon.

Now he was stuck between Natty and me. It had been a long, calculated shift. I don’t think this guy was used to facing multiple threats. Most people would take one look at him and decide to do what he said.

Jackson said, “I saw you poking around the girl’s apartment. I purposely taped the old match to the door so the cops would figure out it wasn’t just an accident. I was going to watch you squirm as you tried to figure out who would do this to you. What I didn’t expect was for the local cops to not investigate at all. I could’ve just used a military device, maybe some kind of electronically detonated IED. But I wanted someone to realize I put some effort into it.”

“All that effort because I cost you a little money?”

“My partner, Dave Allmand, told you to just walk away. He said he was doing you a favor. He wasn’t kidding. Aside from the money, you let a lot of potential terrorists return to society. I think that deserved some kind of answer. Maybe teach you to mind your own business.”

I snorted. “People have been trying to teach me that for years. What makes you think you could succeed?”

He smiled. “Because I’ve got a plan.”

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I had no real plan. This asshole was holding a gun on my brother and me. If I didn’t do something, one or both of us was going to be dead. And I was hoping my brother would pick up on the fact that I was maneuvering. But he didn’t. And I couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t like he’d ever had training in anything like this.