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“Power? Jesus Christ. It’s a legend, Jeremy.” Her voice carried an edge that surprised even her. The adrenaline coursing through her was a bitter taste on the back of her tongue. “It’s not real. There’s no such thing as The Shadow Stalker, and you have no power.”
His lips curled into a snarl. She’d struck a nerve.
“You don’t believe there’s power in fear? Just ask Connelly Davis.” Jeremy’s smile returned, and she could see the glint of madness in his eyes. “Oh, right. You can’t. But he’d tell you there’s so much power in making others feel just how small and helpless they are. He got rich doing it. We’re a lot alike, me and him. He just expresses his dark side in a more... ah, socially acceptable way. I am truly sorry he has to die. I admire him.”
He prowled closer.
She held her ground, refusing to let him see her fear. “You and Connelly are nothing alike. He can distinguish between reality and fiction.”
A fierce anger blazed in his eyes, but something else flickered beneath the surface. Doubt? Fear? She couldn’t tell, but she knew for sure he was underestimating her. He saw her as a victim, as prey. He didn’t think she was a fighter.
He was wrong.
She took a step toward him. “And fear isn’t powerful. It’s weak. You’re weak.”
Something dark and dangerous moved behind his eyes. “Brave words.” He jabbed a finger toward her as he moved closer. “But you’re scared. I can smell it on you.”
“Being brave isn’t about being fearless. Fear keeps you alive. Connelly taught me that.”
“Let’s see how long that fear keeps you alive now,” he said, reaching behind him and pulling out a wicked-looking knife. The blade glinted menacingly in the dim light as he twisted it in his hand with the undeniable proficiency of a practiced killer.
Veronica could feel every beat of her heart, each thump echoing inside her head, but she took another step toward him, her eyes locked on the small aircraft towbar hanging on the wall just a few steps in front of him.
“Sure,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady. “Come and get me.”
His laughter was a harsh, grating sound that bounced off the walls and echoed back to her. He lunged forward, but she was already moving. She stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the knife blade, and caught his arm in a lock exactly as Connelly had taught her during all of those hours of Judo lessons. In one smooth, seamless move, she used his own momentum against him and flipped him onto his back. He landed on the floor with a crack of his head against the concrete.
But he didn’t stay down.
She grabbed the towbar off the wall and swung it at his head as he struggled to his feet. The heavy bar made a sickening thud as it connected with his skull. She hit him again and again, and he slumped to the ground with a choked groan. He lay still, unconscious but breathing. His knife skidded across the hangar floor and came to rest at Veronica’s feet. She kicked it away and held the towbar ready in case he tried to get up again.
He didn’t.
But there wasn’t any time for relief.
Connelly was still missing, and the clock was ticking.
She tied Jeremy up, though judging by the blood leaking out of his glassy eyes, he’d sustained serious brain damage and wasn’t going anywhere except to maybe meet his maker.
Good riddance, she thought and grabbed his phone. The timer was still ticking down. She jumped on the tug, pulling the plane free of the hangar.
Once she was airborne, she set Jeremy’s phone on the plane’s console so she could see the clock and then called Ash from her own phone.
“Where are you?” Ash barked.
She ignored him. “Jeremy Firestone’s here.”
“What? Where’s here?”
“Hangar four at Sierra Skyfields. You’ll find him tied up with a cracked skull. He attacked me. I defended myself.”
“What?” Ash said again, anger and surprise warring in that one word.
“Did Jeremy have any more of Connelly’s books? Other than the one he stole from me?”
The line simmered with silent annoyance for several seconds.
“Ash!” she shouted. “Connelly’s running out of time.” She looked at Jeremy’s phone. Under four hours now. “I need a clue. I need… something. I don’t know. What books did Jeremy have?”
