I dove for the gun as Tharpe tumbled over the table to get it. We met on the hard tile floor. Each of us had a hand on the gun. We tried to find the right leverage to pry it from the other man’s hands. We rolled on the floor, bumping into the boxes in the wall and the legs of the table. Each bruise made me angrier and angrier.

I was hoping Katie would help me. All she had to do was push the heavy box off the table onto Tharpe’s face. Instead, she stepped forward and started to collect the contents of the box for herself. I managed to gain a hold of the gun and struggled to my feet as Tharpe was hanging on as hard as he could.

He had a weight advantage on me and used it well. He twisted hard and jerked me into the wall of safety-deposit boxes. But no Marine was going to get the better of me. I raised my knee and caught him hard in the abdomen, driving him back. Then his fingers tangled in mine near the gun and he pulled it back before smacking it against my temple.

I quickly regained my bearings, and as soon as I did, the gun discharged. In the enclosed space it was like being next to a thunderclap. My brain scrambled for a second.

I let go with my left hand and threw a punch hard into his face. He staggered back.

The smell of the gunpowder hung in the smoky air and stung my eyes.

That was when I saw Katie. On the ground. The blood pumping out of a wound in her chest. I couldn’t help myself, and let go of the gun. I dropped to my knee to try and stop the blood pumping out through the hole in her leather jacket. It pooled on her chest.

Tharpe wasted no time grabbing the gun, sack of money, and notebook. He slipped out of the room instantly.

Katie tried to say something. It might’ve been “I’m sorry,” but maybe I was imagining it. No real sound came out. Within moments, I felt her body go still underneath my hand and I knew she was dead.

I heard shouting in the hallway as Tharpe tried to get past the security guard. That’s when a shot was fired.

This plan had gone completely to shit.

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

SURROUNDED BY THE gray walls, I felt my anger rise. I didn’t care if Katie Stahl was the mastermind or criminal conspirator. Someone else was going to pay for all of this shit. Right now, the only target I saw was Mike Tharpe.

I stood up and took one more look at poor Katie. Then I noticed the piece of paper with the room code written on it next to her. I plucked it off the floor and raced out of the small room.