him.
“Are you listening?” he said quietly.
“Yes,” she gasped.
He gave her the instructions.
She mumbled, “And if we do this, Willa goes free? And you won’t… you won’t tell?”
“I give you my word.”
“That’s all? How can I trust you? I don’t even know who you are.”
“You do know me.”
“I… do?” she said haltingly.
“Hell yes you do. I’m your worst nightmare. And you wanta know why?” Jane didn’t answer. He said, “Because you two were my worst nightmare.”
“Are you her father?” Jane said in a hollow tone.
“The clock starts now,” said Quarry. “So you better get a move on. It’s not like you and the man can just hop in a cab. Ain’t all that power just something special right now? Move as fast as a dead cow.” He clicked off, threw the phone across the room, and sat back exhausted. Then he grabbed the poker, seared the end in the fire, rolled up his sleeve, and burned the last line into his arm. The mark was now complete. The pain was awful. It didn’t get easier with each burn, it got worse. And yet he didn’t make a sound, didn’t grimace, didn’t cry. He just stared at the picture of Tippi while he was doing it.
And felt nothing. Just like his little girl felt. Nothing. Because of them.
Then he quickly left the room and the fire behind. There was a lot to do before they came. The adrenaline was really flowing.
Back in Georgetown, Jane dropped the phone and raced out of the ladies’ room.
The clock was indeed ticking.
CHAPTER 72
SEAN AND MICHELLE had packed up the SUV and were saying goodbye to her father and brother.
She hugged them and said, “I’ll call soon, Dad. And I’ll come and stay with you. We can—”
“Get to know each other again?”
“Yeah.”
As they were walking to the door Frank said, “Oh, I almost forgot. A package came for Sean earlier today. I have it in the living room.”
He left and came back a minute later with a small cardboard box. When Sean saw who it was from, he exclaimed, “My two-star bud came through again. More AWOL binders.”
“AWOL binders?” said Bobby.
“A case we’re working,” explained Michelle.
They headed out to the SUV. “I’ll go through the binders, Sean, while you drive. That’ll save time, which we don’t have a lot of.”
“Thanks, Michelle,” he said earnestly. “That’s very nice.”
“Nice has nothing to do with it. You get carsick when you read. I don’t want you puking in my truck.”
Bobby smiled. “Now that’s my little sister.”
They drove off and headed through town toward the highway. Michelle opened the box and took out the first binder.