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Dan kept his mouth closed. If this was how it ended, he was not going down screaming. His side still hurt from where the scythe had cut him, but he had no trouble ignoring that in face of a much larger looming danger.
“You two led me a merry chase. Clear across the country. But all good things must come to an end.” The Reaper pulled back the hammer.
An instant later, the wail of sirens split the night.
The Reaper took a step back.
Ben shrugged. “I did tell you the police were coming.”
“You didn’t have a chance. I watched—”
“Two steps ahead,” Ben said. “The only reason I’m still alive. All I had to do was send an emoji to my wife. She knew what to do.”
The Reaper snarled. “You son of—”
“You’re about to be caught and you don’t need two more murders on your rap sheet.”
The Reaper hesitated, then threw the gun down and raced through the kitchen toward the back door and flung it open.
Maria stood on the other side.
“What?”
“Good to see you again, asshole.” Maria grabbed the Reaper by the collar of the robe. “You caught me by surprise last time. Not again.” Her hand was taped. She wore brass knuckles.
And she slugged so hard the Reaper teetered backwards and crashed.
“You put your filthy hands on me,” Maria said, hovering over him. “Without consent. You tied me up and left me alone for days.”
“I—I—planned to come back. But—I had to chase them—my first priority—”
“Save it. I don’t want to hear any more of your BS. You hurt me. You used me. And most unforgivable of all—you took my phone.”
“It was nothing personal.”
“It seemed very personal to me!” she shouted, then kicked again for good measure. “How can you say it’s not personal? Because all women are just meat to you? To be used as you see fit?” Her voice spiked. “If I hadn’t gotten free, I’d be dead now.”
The voice was so soft as to be almost inaudible. “I let you escape.”
“What?”
“I didn’t leave you alone. I left you so anyone with half a brain could escape.”
“You’re saying you wanted me to get away?”
“I never wanted you in the first place.” The voice was still altered, but the mechanism must’ve been broken during the fight, because it squealed and crackled. “You got in the way while I searched the files. I knocked you out and put you in the trunk of my car. I used your face to get into your phone, then used your monitoring app to delete all the doorcam footage that showed me. I thought holding you would be enough to keep Pike out of my way. That turned out to be wrong. It made him more determined. So I had no reason to keep you any longer.”
They heard footsteps on the porch.
Ben took Maria’s arm and gently led her away. “Don’t let the cops see you violating this scumbag’s constitutional rights.”
“If you insist.”
“Besides, all this strenuous physical activity isn’t good for you.”
Dan’s eyes narrowed. What?
The front door slammed open and two police officers entered, guns unholstered and at the ready.
Christina was a few steps behind them.
Ben and Dan raised their hands. “We’re not armed. The guy in the Halloween costume is the killer.”
“Keep your hands up,” the lead cop said. “And keep your distance.” It seemed he wasn’t trusting anyone yet. And that was a smart move on his part.
Dan leaned toward Ben. “You really did signal Christina.”
“In fact, I did not have time.”
“You can thank me for this rescue,” Christina said.
“How did you know we’d end up in over our heads?”
“I’ve been with Ben for over thirty years now. I’ve detected a pattern.”
Ben wrapped his arms around her.
The cop looked at them, gun still out, obviously confused. “Could someone please explain this?”
“I can,” Ben said. “But first—wouldn’t we all like to know who the center of attention here is?”
Ben lowered himself beside the Reaper.
“Stay away from me,” the Reaper said, twisting from side to side.
“No way in hell.” With a sudden jerk, Ben ripped the mask off.
The Reaper was a woman.
“Zhang,” Ben whispered. “Thought so. FBI Special Agent Courtney Zhang.”
“Small wonder she was so suspicious of us. Tried to scare us off the case.”
No response from the Reaper.
“But her actual name is...?”
Ben stared at his phone, scrolling. “Exactly that. She really is in the FBI. Which might explain why she’s such a formidable fighter.”
Christina’s eyes widened. “This Reaper routine was an FBI assignment?”
“Don’t think so. An extracurricular activity, I’m betting. She’s probably on sabbatical right now or something like that.”
Dan leaned into Zhang’s face. “Why?”
Without the voice disguiser, her voice seemed thinner and much less frightening. “‘Behold, a pale horse....Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.’”
He recalled her using that phrase before. “And you’re in charge of the...cleansing?”
“America is a mess. I want to put us back on course. Put power back in the hands of true Americans.”
“Which would be what? People like you are tearing this nation apart.”
Zhang’s eyes flared. “You are such a tool. Do you believe everything the lamestream media tells you?”
“I believe this.” His entire body trembled. “You hurt my Maria. And now you’re going to pay for it.”