“No,” I said, shrinking away. I didn’t like any of this. I just wanted to go home.
“He hurt you. This is your chance to hurt him back.” Luther pressed the sledgehammer handle into my bound hands. I swung at Luther, but again I was too slow, missing by a mile. Luther shook his head, taking the hammer away.
“Your loss.”
Then he went to Mr. K again. He was doing something to him with a knife.
Oh God.
The Guinea Worm.
Luther managed to get it going, and set them both so they turned by themselves. He had to stand right next to Mr. K and keep waving smelling salts in front of him, because Dalton kept passing out.
After a long time, the smelling salts stopped working.
Luther sat down next to me, throwing the ammonia vial across the floor.
“For a legend, he was a real disappointment,” Luther said. Then he turned to me. “I hope you don’t turn out to be a disappointment, Jack.”
Then I was on my back, Luther over me, pressing his lips to my forehead.
“I’ll be seeing you,” he whispered. “Soon.”
He pushed something into my hand. Dalton’s phone.
A moment later, he was gone.
Epilogue
He has waited for a while now.
Waited for the right moment.
The perfect time.
While he waited, he watched. And planned.
There was much planning.
Broken bones take time to heal. He wants Jack to be at her best.
It was actually a good thing to wait, because now Jack is having a baby.
The baby excites Luther. Jack has always been a fighter. Now she’ll have even more to fight for. Even more to live for.
He’s waited a long time.
He can wait a little longer.
Seven months, two weeks, and four days longer.
That’s two days before Jack’s due date.
Luther knows, because he found a nurse who worked for Jack’s ob-gyn. He took the nurse to a nice, quiet spot, and she told him everything he wanted to know.
So he’ll wait a bit longer.
Wait, and watch, and plan.
Wait until Jack’s leg heals.
Wait until she’s ready to have her baby.
That’s when he will begin their game.
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank everyone at D&G, especially Jane Dystel, Miriam Goderich, and Lauren Abramo.
The Amazon crew for their exceptional work, including Alex Carr, Stephanie Derouin, Terry Goodman, Victoria Griffith, Nader Kabbani, Jason Kuykendall, Brian Mitchell, Jeff Tollefson, Phil Finch, and Sarah Tomashek.
Blake Crouch, for too many things to mention.
Carl Graves, my brother from another mother.
My friends in high places, Barry Eisler, Tess Gerritsen, Heather Graham, Henry Perez, Kayla Perrin, Ann Voss Peterson, James Rollins, Marcus Sakey, Jeff Strand, Rob Walker, and F. Paul Wilson.
Talon Konrath, for tip-toeing around Dad when he was writing.
Maria Konrath, my everything. This book is for you, babe. But you wanna know a secret? They’re all for you. I love you today.
And especially the fans, for the kind words, the email, the reviews, the support, and the boundless enthusiasm for this series. You’re the reason I keep writing.
Author Biography
Photo credit: Maria Konrath
J.A. Konrath is the author of seven novels in the Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels thriller series, including Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Fuzzy Navel, Cherry Bomb, and now Shaken. Writing under the name Jack Kilborn, he is the author of the horror novels Afraid, Trapped, and Endurance. He also writes sci-fi under the name Joe Kimball, whose novels are set in 2054 Chicago and feature Jack Daniels’s grandson as the hero. To date, Konrath has sold over 100,000 e-books and has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek. The author of more than seventy published short stories, he is the recipient of numerous writing awards and has seen his books published in eleven languages. He is currently at work on the final Jack Daniels novel, Stirred, co-written with Blake Crouch. You can visit him at JAKonrath.com.
J.A. Konrath’s Works Available on Kindle
Whiskey Sour
Bloody Mary
Rusty Nail
Dirty Martini
Fuzzy Navel
Cherry Bomb
Afraid
Origin
The List
Disturb
Shot of Tequila
55 Proof (Short Story Omnibus)
Jack Daniels Stories (Collected Stories)
Crime Stories (Collected Stories)
Horror Stories (Collected Stories)
Truck Stop
Suckers by J.A. Konrath and Jeff Strand
Planter’s Punch by J.A. Konrath and Tom Schreck
Serial Uncut by Blake Crouch and Jack Kilborn
Floaters by J.A. Konrath and Henry Perez
Dumb Jokes & Vulgar Poems
Endurance
Trapped
Shaken
Draculas by J.A. Konrath, Blake Crouch, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson
Banana Hammock
Shaken (Jacqueline Jack Daniels Mysteries) [Plus Bonus Content] Page 39