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As the rain picked up, neither of them made a move to get into the car. In about a minute they were soaked, but they just stood there.

“I’m not sure I can live like that, Robie.”

“I’m not sure either. But I think we have to try.”

Reel glanced down at her pocket. She pulled out the Distinguished Intelligence Cross and looked at it.

“Did you ever in a million years think you would get one of these?”

“No.”

“We got this for killing a man.”

“We got this for doing our job.”

She dropped the medal back into her pocket and looked at him. “But this is not a job you walk away from.”

“There aren’t many who have.”

“I’d rather leave it all in the field.”

“From the look of the world right now, you might get your wish.”

She looked away. “When Gwen and Joe were alive I knew I had at least two people who would mourn me. Who were my friends. That was important to me.”

“Well, now you have me.”

She stared back at him. “Do I? Really?”

“Close your eyes,” he said.

“What?”

“Close your damn eyes.”

“Robie!”

“Just do it.”

She closed her eyes as the rain continued to fall.

A minute passed.

She finally reopened them.

Will Robie was still there.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Michelle, for taking care of everything else in the way only you can.

To Mitch Hoffman, for always seeing the trees and the forest.

To David Young, Jamie Raab, Sonya Cheuse, Lindsey Rose, Emi Battaglia, Tom Maciag, Maja Thomas, Martha Otis, Karen Torres, Anthony Goff, Bob Castillo, Michele McGonigle, and everyone at Grand Central Publishing, who support me every day.

To Aaron and Arleen Priest, Lucy Childs Baker, Lisa Erbach Vance, Nicole James, Frances Jalet-Miller, and John Richmond, for always having my back.

To Anthony Forbes Watson, Jeremy Trevathan, Maria Rejt, Trisha Jackson, Katie James, Natasha Harding, Aimee Roche, Lee Dibble, Sophie Portas, Stuart Dwyer, Stacey Hamilton, James Long, Anna Bond, Sarah Willcox, and Geoff Duffield at Pan Macmillan, for leading me to number one in the UK.

To Arabella Stein, Sandy Violette, and Caspian Dennis, for being so good at what you do.

To Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy, for continuing to astonish me with your audio performances.

To Steven Maat at Bruna, for keeping me at the top in Holland.

To Bob Schule, for always being there for me.

To Janet DiCarlo, James Gelder, Michael Gioffre, and Karin Meenan, I hope that you enjoyed your characters.

To Kristen, Natasha, and Lynette, for keeping me straight, true, and sane.

And to Roland Ottewell for another great copyediting job.

the hit

David Baldacci is a worldwide bestselling novelist. With his books published in over 45 different languages and in more than 80 countries, and with over 110 million copies in print, he is one of the world’s favourite storytellers. His family foundation, the Wish You Well Foundation, a non-profit organization, works to eliminate illiteracy across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at www.DavidBaldacci.com, and his foundation at www.WishYouWellFoundation.org, and to look into its programme to spread books across America at www.FeedingBodyandMind.com.

Critical acclaim for David Baldacci’s novels

‘Baldacci inhabits the skin of his creations – tripping us up with unexpected empathy and subtle identification’

Sunday Express

‘As expertly plotted as all Baldacci’s work’

Sunday Times

‘Baldacci cuts everyone’s grass – Grisham’s, Ludlum’s, even Patricia Cornwell’s – and more than gets away with it’

People

‘As usual, Baldacci delivers the goods in fine style, with thrills and spills aplenty’

Independent on Sunday

ALSO BY DAVID BALDACCI

The Camel Club series

The Camel Club

The Collectors

Stone Cold

Divine Justice

Hell’s Corner

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series

Split Second

Hour Game

Simple Genius

First Family

The Sixth Man

Shaw series

The Whole Truth

Deliver Us From Evil

John Puller series

Zero Day

The Forgotten

Will Robie series

The Innocent

Other novels

True Blue

Absolute Power

Total Control

The Winner

The Simple Truth

Saving Faith

Wish You Well

Last Man Standing

The Christmas Train

One Summer

First published 2013 by Grand Central Publishing, USA

This electronic edition published 2013 by Macmillan

an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

Basingstoke and Oxford

Associated companies throughout the world

www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-1-4472-3801-0 EPUB

Copyright © 2013 by Columbus Rose, Ltd.

The right of David Baldacci to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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