Dave turned to the wall Jay had pointed at and looked from photograph to photograph. Jay kept his eyes on Dave to watch for any hint of emotion as the man looked over his victims.
After a long pause, where Dave’s expression didn’t alter in the slightest, he turned back to Jay. “I kidnapped them all. Some of the first lot managed to commit suicide. Others died of starvation or cold. And you’re missing one. Amara Young was kidnapped by me when she was only three, though of course, I never killed her.”
Jay took the matter of fact words and let the disgust roll through him, then the same feeling he had had when Goldstein faced his conviction. The world would be less one monster today.
“I’m not going to ask why. I don’t care, but I will answer your need to know how I beat you.”
The others grumbled a moment, and Jay shot them all a glare then focused back on Dave. “I had noticed inconsistencies in your behaviors for a while, but the real first slip was the shooting at Mr. Haraby’s. If you had wanted to play the hero, you should have made sure the guards were either killed messily or not at all. Your perfect wound baffled the doctor. I see you don’t care how your failures gave me an in, but rather only on what I did to end up here. You really want to know? I did it by playing on your arrogance.”
Dave bared his teeth.
Jay smiled in a feral way and continued. “You believed you would win so completely that every time I played along and let you claim a win, you’d slip up. You purposefully turned the TV on for the broadcast of the explosion at Natchitoches, offering apologies for people I let you believe were dead. But even so, it took me a long time to truly believe it was you and you alone. I had hoped that someone with your promise would have turned your mind to better use.”
Dave breathed a laugh. “Ironically, I thought the same.”
“In the end, it was unavoidable. I let you drug me which allowed me to know each time you were about to make a big move. But your takedown isn't only my victory. It is down to all the people around you. Thanks to my tech whiz, your gains at hacking our systems were actually all intended. You felt like you were unraveling my net so that you wouldn’t notice me unraveling yours. I let you find Gary, I let you find and supposedly leave me friendless. I got Hector to take down Amara and free Stella. All by playing a game.”
“That game you’ve been obsessed with? Why did you take so long if you knew?”
“Because I needed you to be tied for life. I needed proof that you would never be able to escape. I know the loopholes in the law better than most.”
Dave shut his eyes. He felt like a man who had won the lottery on the same day he learned he was dying. All bitter-sweet and fractured.
Jay nodded to the others as Hector came forward. It was over.
***
“Just because you saved her life, doesn’t mean we owe you anything.”
Jay shook his head as Mr. Haraby shut the door to the hospital room with unnecessary force.
Ben gave him a sympathetic smile. “He’ll never say it, but he is grateful.”
“I only wanted to find out how she is and say goodbye.”
Ben heaved a sigh. “You saved her life, but I’m worried you were too late for her mind.”
Jay winced, nodded and left. Halfway down the hospital corridor, Ruby caught him up.
“We’ll watch over her Jay. She’s strong. With time, she’ll get past it.”
Jay gave her a tiny smile. “I hope so.”
“Where are you going to go?”
Jay shrugged. “I don’t know. I owe Gary three years of work so wherever he is, I guess.”
“Like having you around would help anyone to believe it is all me,” said Gary ruefully as they passed into the courtyard. “Though I am glad you remember your promise.”
Jay raised an eyebrow. “I tend to keep my words.”
“I don’t care where you go, just so long as you are out of sight. The public will hear nothing of Jayden Roe, got it?”
Jay half smiled. “Sure, Gary. Thanks for your help with Dave.”
Gary waved him off. “You have my number. I’ll be in touch within a month.”
Jay chuckled and then sighed. “Looks like I can go anywhere.”
“Not with all your debts, Jayden Roe.”
He turned to the husky voice and smiled at Keira as she pushed off the marble bench. “Ah, yes.”
Ruby only shook her head. “Well. I guess I’ll go. See you round, Jay.”
“See you, Ru.”
He watched her leave and felt an old wound heal. Reluctantly, he turned to Keira. “Am I being called in?”
She looked him over then breathed a laugh. “No. But you are going to be staying at one of our locations so we can keep an eye and have you on hand when the time comes.”
Jay laughed ruefully. “Back to prison then, it seems.”
“Not quite.”
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The Final Lie
Sneak Peek
The phones were ringing constantly. The voices of the people answering them all tight with tension added to the sounds of chaos. Seniors barked questions, their voices beginning to show the strain of the situation even with all their years of service. The newer agents jumped and spewed out answers, some visibly shaking.
Special Agent Tony Carrow snorted. Like we could forget at a moment like this.
“Hey, sir?”
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the eager tone and instead turned to face his latest partner. Since the death of his partner a year ago, the assistant director of the anti-terrorism unit had sent him a steady stream of new recruits, no matter how many times he said he did not want another right hand man.
New Agent Daniel Harper missed the glare entirely. His eyes were locked on the scene below where it was a complete chaos..
“Is there something you wanted, Agent Harper?”
Agent Harper shook himself, “Should you get down there?”
Tony raised an eyebrow, then ran a hand through his hair, the white strands of age mixing in with the blonde. “We’ve had seven bomb threats this week already, but yes, you seem to be right. They aren’t keeping calm.”
“That may have something to do with this.”
He took a quick glance at the report and cursed. “What the hell? Lead with this next time!”
Tony threw himself down the two stairs at a time, ignoring the tight pull and never absent pain from his still recovering thigh. He skidded to a halt before the huge crest of the organization he had served since leaving school.
“Everyone!” his voice the first in the room to show no anxiety of any kind.
All eyes turned at the call, relief visible in more than a few. Tony swallowed another curse. Being the one everyone thought could solve anything was a heavy burden and a status doomed to failure. One day, you were bound to fall short of such high expectations.
Ok. Let’s not make that today.
“Alright people, enough running around to their beat. We’re the ones running this show. Let’s remind them of it.”
A few smiles greeted his words, but they were still tense and many of the senior agents wore looks of mild disbelief. The report in his hands told him why. They had been tracking a terrorist cell for a
few months but to no avail. Trying to discover and arrest members and also to stop them before any plans could be carried out was harder than it had sounded.
It looked as if his preemptive move last week to take down a high-ranking member was now apt to backfire spectacularly. A member who had escaped their net had just been seen walking into the Smithsonian through a back entrance.
He looked at the expectant faces and resisted the urge to shake his head. The FBI was supposed to be like the old Roman legions. A single mind made out of multiple bodies. A unit of no personality, no individual thought, with a single goal. If it had ever been that, it must have been long before his time. Now his team was waiting on his commands with their insufficient training.
Tony Carrow took a deep breath, letting his sharp gaze fall on the people he wanted, picking them from the crowd.
“Agent Dawson, get your team into the security feed. I want to know where our target is at all times.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Agent Clark, take your team to the scene. We have men on the ground already. Get in touch and ensure a tight perimeter.
“Yes, sir.”
“Agent Luther, get in touch with our head. Let her know what has changed and the plan.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The rest of you, get on communications. I want to know if anything changes and I also want a count of who is at the Smithsonian today.”
As the people moved out, Daniel Harper sidelined closer. “And us, sir?”
Tony glanced at his sidelong. “We are going to find out why he changed targets.”
Agent Harper nodded, though a small crease had appeared between his brows. “Isn’t it possible that he realized the target was a setup?”
“Maybe, but I want to know how and why. Get to it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tony watched Agent Clark and his team leave with mild regret. Being right in the line of fire had once been his job. But a limping agent was not worth much in a gunfight. Now he was stuck here, promoted to Special Agent-in-Charge for acts of bravery, they had taken the one thing that made him feel like their war against terror was actually making progress.
“Don’t let it get you down. Just because you aren’t out there wearing body armor doesn’t mean you aren’t making a contribution.”
“Are you mocking me, rookie?”
Agent Harper flashed a small smile. “Not at all, sir.”
“Then get to work.”
He watched the younger man settle behind a computer and felt his lips twitch. Usually, these new bloods that kept foisting on him didn’t last long. Agent Harper’s only fault was that he seemed not to understand the time and place for certain things. But unlike the others, his enthusiasm did not lead to reckless behavior and his obedience was genuine rather than grudgingly forked out. He was quick to spot patterns and had a remarkable memory for names and faces.
Tony turned to the other monitors scattered around and looked over the security feeds from inside the buildings. People milled about aimlessly, unaware that they might be living the last few moments of their lives. A father was shaking a finger at his son after scooping the young child back over the barrier. A mother sat in an alcove with a nursing infant. University students laughed and spoke, all the sounds of life silenced in the grey wash footage.
Tony felt his hands begin to clench and forced them to relax. He was well-practiced in displaying no emotions of a calm, cool-headed leader, but inside, he felt everything those around him were showing. His fears for all the strangers on the screens around him were like a choking vine. If they couldn’t get to the target first and disarm him, many innocent lives would be lost.
“He’s been spotted. An officer is tailing him now,” Agent Dawson called out, not looking up from his three screens. Two were streaming an endless array of programming that put Tony in mind of the Matrix, but the last had singled out a target to follow from camera to camera.
“Good. Remind him not to be spotted. Our team should be there soon. Once they get there, begin to calmly extract the civilians. Any mundane excuse will do.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tony watched the target for a moment longer. Everything, from the man’s clothes to the set, concealed the look on his face that spoke of evil to come. It was a look one came to recognize quite early on in this line of work.
Feeling his anxiety rise, he turned to another monitor. Staring at the man would not make him any less likely to kill. Outside the building, he watched Agent Clark and his team arrive. No sirens, no fanfare to frighten the public. They drove round back and Tony released some of the tension in his chest. Civilians would begin being moved and his agents would slowly act to herd the man to an unpopulated area where he could hopefully be taken down cleanly.
Agent Harper made a noise from behind him and Tony turned in time to watch the young man turn pale. His blue eyes locked on his screen with mute horror.
Tony marched to his partner’s side and bent over the chair. On the screen were multiple open windows, lists, maps, and aerial stills.
“What is it?” he demanded.
“I think I know why he changed target.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering, Agent Harper stood with his hands shaking. “Agent Dawson, find a school group. Class trip. Give their location to Agent Clark. He needs to get them out of there now.”
Tony gripped Harper’s shoulders and spun him to face him. “Tell me what you know.”
“The president's daughter is in there.”
Tony felt the ground tilt and collapsed half sitting on the edge of Agent Harper’s desk. No wonder their bait had fallen flat.
He snatched up a comms unit. “Agent Clark?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Have you found them?”
“We’re entering now, sir.”
“Shoot him on sight.”
There was a pause of static, then another “Yes sir.”
Hearing Agent Dawson swear, Tony looked over in time to see the image of the target enter the frame where a teacher was guiding a class. Tony teached for the screen as if he could do something from here. On the opposite side of the image, they saw a shadow move into place and raise a gun.
The image shook and faded. A moment later, the sound of an explosion silenced the fearful murmurs and curses. They had failed.
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Lawson & Abernathy Series
Special Agent Of FBI Brenda Lawson and Homicide Detective Mack Abernathy
Give No Chance
Everyone fears him. Too bad there’s someone that doesn’t.
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Illusive Times
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Illusive Trust
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Lily Campbell is a #1 Amazon Bestseller Author, topping many Amazon charts on multiple occasions. Her books are available on many of the major retailers, with exceptions to books enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, including iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and most notably, Amazon.
Lily is a lover of all things mystery-related. She grew up watching mystery shows and learned that the truths are generally those you least expect. She’s married to a man who’s much less fascinated by murder mysteries. With a fascination of serial killers, family gatherings can get awkward due to her love of discussing such topics—often at the dinner table.
Since young, Lily has been an avid writer, getting awards as far back as elementary for her amazing writing skills. She has a knack for making stories suspenseful and getting that shocking twist. Her stories will keep you up reading late at night, guessing whodunit until the very last page.
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Jayden Roe Mystery 02-The Final Lie Page 22