“You’re full of shit,” Ray said and Collin turned the gun toward Ray and pulled the trigger.
The shot was huge and booming in the quiet room and Ray spun and went down, his gun clattering to the ground and sliding under a desk, Mel screaming. Jaxon crouched reflexively and brought his gun up again. Collin quickly turned the weapon back to the women.
“That’s a warning,” he said. “One more outburst and I’ll finish these two off right now. Put the weapon down.”
Jaxon lowered the gun again and slowly stood. Ray writhed on the floor as blood leaked out of his wounded shoulder. At least he wasn’t fatally hit. Mel clung to Gil who held her slightly behind him.
“On the floor, Jaxon.”
He knelt and put his gun on the floor by his feet.
“Kick it away.”
Jaxon kicked it with his foot and it slid a few feet from him. Collin did not move.
“What do you want with me?” Jaxon said.
“What do you think I want? I want you to die. Apparently my little scavenger hunt was not as deadly as I had hoped. At least for you. So now you leave me little choice but to deal with you here and now.”
“Then deal with me and leave these others out of it. Their only crime is they know me. Let them go.”
“No.”
“Let them go, Collin.”
The voice came from the open door and Collin’s face fell briefly and then he grew angry. Robert Fanucci stood in the door, a gun pointed at his stepbrother.
“Let them go, Collin. We can figure this out without all this bloodshed.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Collin said, his calm composure ruptured by the unexpected entrance of his stepbrother.
“I knew something must be up when I woke groggy and hung over. You drugged me.”
“I needed you out of the way.”
“I see that. But it wasn’t hard to figure out when I put two and two together. All that time off the last few weeks. You disappearing while I was visiting. The multiple requests for access to surveillance equipment and camera usage. Why?”
“Why do you think, brother? To give those who hurt Danielle a little payback.”
“That’s not the way it works. You know that.”
“Oh, that’s right. The brother who doesn’t even care enough for his own stepdaughter to avenge her death. I don’t think you even cried when she took her life. Well, I did. She was the world to me!”
“I know you cared about her. Of course I wept. I just never showed it. You were the best uncle a girl could have, but this is way beyond anything a loving relative should display. You need to stop.”
“Bullshit! And I was more than just a good uncle. I was her father. And you let them take her from me.”
Jaxon watched Fanucci’s mouth drop open and the wheels turn behind his eyes. He couldn’t seem to work out what he had just heard.
“That’s impossible. Why would you lie? You can’t be her father. David Newsome is.”
“You’re a fool,” Collin spat. “You’re gullible and an idiot, and I can’t believe I’ve called you brother all these years. You never knew, did you?”
“Knew what?” The gun wavered in Fanucci’s hand slightly and Jaxon saw his edge slipping away.
“Me and Renee. We had a thing. She loved me even though she was married to that idiot, Newsome. We were in love and she was going to leave him, then she got pregnant. She got pregnant with Danielle, my daughter, and everything changed. She wouldn’t leave him and refused to admit Danielle was mine. But I knew. I knew. You could see it in her eyes. Danielle was my daughter and no one else’s.”
Jaxon watched Fanucci work this out and he could see the truth surfacing there.
“Then you came along,” Collin said. “After the asshole died, you came along and took everything from me. You took her, made her yours while I was in the Philippines. I returned home to find you married to the woman I loved and you calling yourself the father of my daughter.”
“I never knew,” Fanucci said in shock.
“Then you couldn’t even protect her. They teased and bullied my little girl and you let them. You killed her just as if you pulled the trigger yourself. Both of them. You let my loves wither away and die. You son-of-a-bitch.”
Fanucci stood there. The shock on his face complete.
The gun in his hand sagged as the strength left him and he leaned against the wall, unable to hold himself up. A man whose whole life had been a lie had just told him his family was not what they seemed. His whole world had changed in a blink of an eye and he couldn’t absorb it all.
“That’s right, brother. Take that all in. You weak piece of shit.”
Collin turned the gun toward his brother and as Fanucci realized he was about to die, he did the only thing his reflexes allowed. He fired his weapon at the man he no longer knew.
Collin spun backwards and his gun fired wildly, hitting the ceiling.
Jaxon dove to the floor for his weapon as Mel screamed again. Snatching the gun up, Jaxon rolled up to a kneeling position and fired his weapon into the reeling Collin Williamsen, hitting him in the chest, and slamming his body back against the wall.
As silence returned to the room, Jaxon watched Collin’s eyes roll back into his skull and his body sink to the floor. Jaxon sprang to Vick’s side and pulled the blindfold and gag from her head. She saw Collin on the floor. She sagged into Jaxon’s arms and wept.
“I’ve got you,” he said, rocking her there in his arms. “I’ve got you.”
EPILOGUE
Bethany stood in front of the grave and wept.
The marker for Danielle Newsome was a little weathered and worn, but the picture of her set in the stone was clear and bright and one that Bethany had never seen. It was from a school play. She had been the lead and she looked so happy playing the part of someone who was not her.
Bethany remembered how all the other kids had made fun of the play. Nobody who was anybody went to the three performances, but it must not have mattered to Danielle. She still smiled and probably did her best. Bethany wished she could go back in time and see that play. Maybe things would have been different.
She knelt next to the marker and looked at the picture she held in her hand one more time. It was a little worn, but Danielle’s face remained untouched. It had been through a lot. She leaned it up against the tombstone, put the flowers she had bought next to it, and stood. Glancing at the fresh grave next to her, she felt a shiver run through her body. She tried not to feel anything negative toward the man who had put her through hell, but it was difficult standing in the presence of Danielle’s father. Even if he was dead.
She felt someone next to her and was surprised to see the man who had saved her life standing right there.
Jaxon Jennings stood tall and strong, yet she could see a sadness in his eyes and knew a little about what he was feeling. She had read the story of him and Collin Williamsen in the papers and had felt sympathy toward his plight. She and Jaxon shared a common mistake in their lives and would forever be connected by it.
He turned to her and smiled. She reached out her hand and he took it in his as they stood quietly over the father and daughter whose lives had so tragically ended. The pain was immense for Bethany, but she knew it would ease with time.
She stood holding the hand of the man who had saved her life and let the healing begin.
* * *
IT’S OVER, and I know you’re dying for more. Don’t worry, the next in the Jaxon Jennings’ Series is right here. Father Figure is available now at Amazon and most online ebook sellers. Also, a new Jaxon Jennings’ Novel will be hitting the stores before you can blink and if you want to be one of the first to know when it goes live, follow me on my FaceBook Page, or even better, be one of The Heard and sign up for my email newsletter here. Awesome stuff awaits.
COOL STUFF! If you just can’t wait for the next novel, check out Richard’s other exciting Books Here. “It’s 3:30 a.m. What are you dreaming
?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard C Hale has worn many hats in his lifetime including Greens Keeper, Bartender, Musician, Respiratory Therapist, and veteran Air Traffic Controller. You can usually find him controlling Air Traffic over the skies of the Southeastern U.S. where he lives with his wife and children.
Drop by his website and give him a shout. He’d love to hear from you.
http://www.richardchaleauthor.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to thank my wonderful wife and family. If not for their continued support, I may never have had the courage to continue on the journey. They inspire me in everything they do and my life would be incomplete without them. Thank you.
GeoCaching is catching on rapidly throughout the world and with new caches being hidden every day, it is an activity with endless possibility. Though many aspects of the GeoCaching world depicted in the novel are accurate, I have taken certain liberties to maintain the story and entertain. Any inaccuracies are solely my error and should not reflect on the GeoCaching community. They are a bunch of enthusiastic and fun individuals who are passionate about the hunt and I thank them for their wisdom and insight. If you would like more information about the real-world treasure hunt that is GeoCaching, please visit their website at:
http://www.geocaching.com/
Praise for the Thrillers
of Richard C Hale
Frozen Past
“Hale captures emotion, seemingly effortlessly, and in turn this created reactions from me. During this read, I experienced a spectrum of emotion - anger, fear, and heartbreak to name a few. I even found myself “talking” to the characters more than once. When an author can elicit these reactions, I consider this a true talent”
~ Carolyn Arnold, Author of the bestseller Ties That Bind
“Mr. Hale’s first thriller, NEAR DEATH, was an excellent debut novel but with FROZEN PAST, he’s bounded to a new level of mystery and suspense. Don’t let this one pass you by.”
~ Chuck Barrett, Amazon Best-selling Author of The Toymaker
“What a ride! Richard does a great job of keeping the reader intrigued and constantly guessing. This was my first read of this author, it won’t be the last.”
“In his second book, Mr. Hale has a winner”
“My body felt shell shocked from the thrilling tension the author was able to convey in his highly charged writing. From beginning to end, Mr. Hale was able to keep me on the edge of my seat wondering what the demented, psychopathic serial killer was going to do next. I must say, this killer is one of the creepiest I’ve read about.”
Near Death
“NEAR DEATH is a fast-paced, romance-laced, thought-provoking, and highly entertaining novel with an intriguing premise.”
~ Author Lisette Brodey
“Blew me away! An approach I never saw coming. Well Done!!! I can’t wait to read your next book.”
~ Author Fred Paxton
“As I read the book, I couldn’t help but think about a movie and who would play each part. I envisioned Matt Damon as Jake and Paul Giamatti as Bodey. What a fantastic read. I highly recommend it”
~ Ryan Krohn Author of OUR BELOVED RED
“Richard hooked me, pulled me in and kept me reading till the very end!”
“It was a romp that I finished in a couple of days, and I enjoyed almost every page.”
“Wow, what an awesome read. I have not come across a book I could not put down like this since “The Firm” or “A Time to Kill.” The subject and storyline is very thought provoking, and the twist and turns of the story catch you off guard.”
Books and Short Stories by Richard C Hale
Near Death
Near Sighted
Frozen Past
Cache 72
Father Figure
Blank - Season 1
Short Stories
The Camera
Flash Mob
The Sandbar
Cache 72 (A Jaxon Jennings' Detective Mystery Thriller Series, Book 2) Page 23