Dom shook his head. “Good Lord. So, she sold out a kid?”
“No, not initially,” Jonathan said. “At first, the targets were his parents, via their rebel friends. Somehow, she talked herself into believing that it would be bad guy versus bad guy. No harm, no foul. But when things went wrong, and Graham’s mom passed along the code to him, he became the target.”
“You mean Vincent’s mom.”
“Goddammit. Yes, right. Vincent’s mom. I mean, think about that — she knows he’s got this photographic memory, and she gives him this death sentence on purpose. While his dad was working with the FBI, his mom never had any intention of doing so.”
“So, either way, he was doomed.”
“Right. So Maryanne hired Security Solutions because she genuinely felt for the kid. She launched a footrace between the Russians and me to see who would get there first. That’s a lot of gaming with people’s lives.”
Dom took another pull of beer and leaned in closer. “I’m sensing something out of you that I don’t often see,” he said. “You’ve seen the world as a dark place for a long time, yet this incident seems to have surprised you.”
Jonathan waved that off. “No,” he said. “Not surprised. Disgusted.”
“So, why share this with me?”
“You’re a priest and a shrink.”
“Which I’ve been for a long time, and we don’t often have conversations like this.”
Jonathan sipped the Lagavulin. “I thought you should know,” he said. “You make the call whether or not to share the details with Gr — Vincent. I thought you should know.”
Dom nodded. “Okay.”
Jonathan checked the clock and thumbed the remote.
As the picture arrived from the ether, Dom said, “Is it true what I hear about Boxers? He’s got a girlfriend now?”
Jonathan smirked and made a rocking motion with his hand. “I’m not sure the G-word is appropriate, but Jolaine certainly has the hots for him.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Nothing happens without the constant, undying love of my wife, Joy. She is my strength, my beauty, my… joy.
You dear readers who have been with me from the beginning remember stories of my great pride in my son, Chris, who was barely eight years old when Nathan’s’s Run was published. Now he’s twenty-eight, and my pride in him continues to bloom. Way to go, kid.
Jolaine Cage made a generous donation to the Youth Quest Foundation to have a character named after her, and for that I am grateful. For the record, she bears no resemblance to the character who bears her name, yet I still feel compelled to apologize for what I put her through.
Lee Lofland, the proprietor of the wonderful Writers’ Police Academy, gave me a valuable lesson on how to steal a car. Thanks for that, Lee. Jolaine thanks you, too. (The fictional one, not the real one.)
Special thanks to Michelle Gagnon, who agreed to set aside her own very busy writing life to read an early draft of End Game and lend some well-needed advice. All along the way, my dear friends Art Taylor, Ellen Crosby, Alan Orloff, and Donna Andrews — collectively known as the Rumpi (ask them why when you see them) — have lent a guiding hand to the pile of pages that ultimately melded together into this book. Thank you all so much.
My team at Kensington is becoming more like family with every book. In Michaela Hamilton, I have the best, most supportive editor a writer could ask for, and none of that would be possible without the tireless work of publisher Laurie Parkin. Arthur Maisel is my production editor, Adeola Saul my publicist, and Alexandra Nicolajsen is my own Venice Alexander. She makes the computerized world work for me. They all work for Steve Zacharius, who has been a vocal supporter of mine from way back in the early days — long before I boarded the publishing vessel he runs so well.
Last, but never, ever least is my good friend and agent, Anne Hawkins. She’s the guiding hand of my career, and I’m honored that she does it with such charm and grace and ferocity. Thanks. (Yes, Anne, I’m working on the next manuscript! Jeez.)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JOHN GILSTRAP is the acclaimed author of High Treason, Damage Control, Threat Warning, Hostage Zero, No Mercy, Six Minutes to Freedom, Scott Free, Even Steven, At All Costs, and Nathan’s Run. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. An explosives safety expert and former firefighter, he holds a master’s degree from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia. Please visit him at www.johngilstrap.com.