That boy was gone. He’d never really existed at all.
“I didn’t have a choice,” he said. “I wanted to grab Michael right away—but I didn’t know where he was. I knew I couldn’t go snooping with all of you around. That meant I needed to disappear in order for my plan to work. Then the snowstorm closed the roads, and I realized I couldn’t drive away from here.”
The air seemed thinner somehow, the room closing in.
“Why’d you leave the jump drive in your hand for me to find?” she asked.
“That . . . well, that was a mistake.” His face twisted. “After I’d taken the serum, I remembered I had that jump drive on me still. I reached into my pocket to get rid of it, but it was too late. Theserum took effect, and I was out. I figured it would come back to bite me.”
“And your cell phone?” Jason asked. “Did you mean to leave it in the shed?”
“That was on purpose,” JJ said. “I thought it would look more realistic if I left it there, like I’d been caught by surprise. That’s why I gave myself some bruises also. I wanted it to look real.”
Olive’s pulse hammered. “So now what? You kill us, grab Michael, and walk away?”
“That about summarizes it.” JJ shrugged. “Sorry it has to end this way. But a job is a job, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
He didn’t sound sorry.
“Waka, waka, waka,” Mitzi muttered, making the classic sound from Pac-Man.
“What about them?” Jason nodded at Rachel and Bradford, who’d been surprisingly quiet as they listened to the conversation around them. “Aren’t they your friends?”
JJ glanced at them and shrugged again. “Never met those two before. Winterlight probably sent them as a backup.”
“In case you botched the job,” Bradford muttered. “You clearly have no idea what you’re doing. We should bring him in.”
“Oh, no one’s probably mentioned that there’s a large reward to be given to the person who does bring Michael in,” JJ said. “They won’t be getting it.”
“We’ll see about that,” Bradford muttered.
“I’m not the one tied up in the middle of the room.” JJ flashed a smile.
Olive’s mind raced. Everything she thought she knew—JJ’s death, Michael’s presence, even Rex’s orders—shifted like snow underfoot.
She glanced toward Jason. His eyes met hers, steady but guarded.
How do we get out of this?her look asked.
His expression gave the only answer he could.We’ll figure it out. But not yet.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
JJ’s gundidn’t waver as he aimed it at them. “To start with, you’re going to hand over Michael. Now.”
Rex’s voice stayed measured, a shade too calm. “You’re really going to kill all of us, JJ? You know I have other agents besides the ones here. They’ll find you.”
“Then I guess I’ll have other problems on my hands after this. I’ll deal with them later.” JJ flicked his gaze toward Michael. “Get up.”
Michael hesitated, glancing at Olive. “You can’t?—”
“Do it,” Rex ordered.
Olive jerked her gaze toward Rex, her eyes widening. “Rex?—”
“Do it,” he repeated, his tone firm.
