“She’s dying to feel loved. It’s your ticket to ride.”
“That’s a pretty hip comment.”
“I have my moments.”
Sam took a minute to work it around in his mind. Then said, “I understand the Daddy thing. But it places a huge obstacle in my path.”
“You need to let that go. It’s not as big an issue as you think. It helped convince her the best way to earn her father’s respect and love is to excel at what he does.”
“What, kill people?”
“Yes.”
“She’s seeking his approval.”
“Exactly.”
“And will he approve?”
“I can’t answer that or any question about how Creed might react to a given situation. And I say this after studying him for twenty years.”
“He’s a true psychopath, isn’t he?”
“No. His assistant, Callie Carpenter’s a true psychopath.”
“I know about that from personal experience. She nearly killed me once.”
“If she wanted to kill you, you’d be dead.”
“Creed stepped in.”
“He saved your life?”
“Yeah. Twice, in fact. But it doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“He only saved my life after kidnapping and mentally torturing me.”
“So you still want revenge.”
“I’d give ten years of my life to make him suffer a day. Until you happened along, my best shot was forcing him to know Rachel and I were underground together, beyond his reach. But I have a sinking feeling he might be pleased when he finds she’s stuck in a bunker for a few months or years.”
“You may be right about that.”
“But she’s supposed to be his girlfriend.”
“Yes, but Creed’s in a category unto himself.”
“And Kimberly?”
“She’s a different breed altogether. A cold-blooded killer, but completely predictable. At least, for now.”
“How would this work?”
“I can arrange murder-for-hire contracts that will come directly to you, and you can farm them out through Kimberly, and another lady who works for me, Hailey Brimstone.”
“Brimstone? Are you for real?”
“You’ve met her.”
“I don’t think so.”
Doc Howard pressed a button on his cell phone. “Lou? I’m with Sam. Can you bring Hailey in here?”
When the guy named Lou showed up with Hailey, Sam did a double-take, because Hailey Brimstone looked exactly like Sam’s wife, Rachel.
“I didn’t dream it,” Sam said. “She was here, in my room when I was half-conscious.”
“That’s right,” Doc Howard said. Then he introduced them and told Hailey he was retiring, but said Sam would continue to provide her with work, if she was interested.
She was.
Sam watched every movement Hailey made while she was in the room. When she left, he said, “Creed recruited her to mess with my head?”
“Yes.”
“I am definitely in. Tell me about the contracts.”
“They’ll pay twice what you need to compensate Hailey and Kimberly for their work. You can use the balance to fund your courtship with Kimberly.”
“Do we plan to tell Creed what we’ve done to his daughter?”
“That’s up to you. But the longer it continues, the sweeter the revenge. You’re manipulating her into the family business, so to speak. Though Creed is unpredictable, it’s likely he’ll be devastated to learn his daughter has turned into a murderer. If you really want to punish him you could possibly get her to commit terrorist acts. And imagine how he’ll feel when he learns Sam Case is coupling his daughter!”
“Coupling?”
“I’m old. Screwing her.”
“We say fuck.”
“Of course you do. Screwing isn’t vulgar enough. Very well, you’ll be fucking Donovan Creed’s daughter, and she’ll be killing for you. Could there possibly be a better revenge?”
“Killing Callie Carpenter would sweeten the pot.”
“You’ve got enough on your plate with this.”
“You haven’t said what you want from me.”
“You’ll earn your keep.”
“What will I have to do?”
“More than two things, less than six.”
“Are they legal?”
“What do you think?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m in.”
“I thought you might be.”
“Can I ask you why you did this to Kimberly? I thought you were Creed’s friend.”
“In the business we share, the concept of right and wrong is blurry, and lines are often crossed. It’s wise to give Donovan Creed a reason not to kill you. I recently had power over him, then I lost it. I always like to have something in reserve. His daughter is one of his weaknesses.”
“He’s got others?”
“Yes.”
“Such as?”
“Your wife, Rachel.”
“What’s Kimberly’s deepest, darkest secret?”
“She suffers from vaginismus.”
“What’s that?”
Doc Howard spent the next thirty minutes explaining vaginismus, and the effect it’s had on Kimberly.
Sam ended the conversation saying, “It’s a slam dunk!”
Doc Howard said, “What is?”
“Using Kimberly to punish Creed.”
48.
Present Day, Present Time.
Sam pulls into the parking lot of the bowling alley, and waits.
Within seconds, Doc Howard calls and says, “To start things off, I want the Bin Laden death photos.”
“ What?”
“You heard me.”
“How the hell-?”
“Sam? The government keeps the most valuable documents, photographs, paintings, patents, and other
