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“About Ballard He wasn’t killed He’s not dead”
“So where is he?”
She pointed to the bed “Right there That’s Chris Ballard”
“Why should we believe you?” said Rogers
“She already lied about being adopted” Myers looked around nervously “And there’s so else”
“What?” asked Knox
“Davis has a gun”
Rogers said, “I’ve seen her use it She saved my life”
Myers dropped her voice to a whisper “That’s not what I un on her now I saw her put it in her robe pocket before we left the house”
Puller and Knox instantly rose and pulled their weapons while Rogers looked on
They glided over to the bathroom door, one on either side of it
The bullet hit an inch above Puller’s head He dropped to the floor and rolled as another shot shattered the lalass cut her face
Myers turned and fired again This shot found its mark as the bullet slammed into the forehead of the old man He slumped over, dead Another shot ricocheted off a metal lamppost and burned a tunnel across Puller’s left forearm
Rogers threw a chair at Myers, but it un at his head
The next instant the bathroo Her first shot hit Myers in the shoulder and Myers’s gun fell to the floor The second shot hit My
ers in the neck
That was the kill shot
Myers screa enough blood that she would only have seconds left to live
She looked at Davis, who still had her pistol aimed at her, then dropped to the floor, convulsively twitched once, and lay still
Puller, Knox, and Rogers stared at Davis, their guns pointed at her head Davis slowly lowered her pistol
“What the hell just happened?” exclai?”
“Because she wanted to kill all of you,” said Davis
Puller said, “But why? We offered her a deal”
“She wasn’t interested in a deal”
“Why not?” demanded Knox
“Because she’s Claire Jericho’s daughter,” replied Davis
Chapter
69
KNOX AND PULLER had triaged each other using supplies from Puller’s duffel The wound on Puller’s arotten it under control Knox’s cheek was bandaged where the glass had cut it
Rogers stood over Myers’s body
Davis sat down in a chair “Did she tell you I was lying?”
Puller nodded “And that you had a gun We thought you’d gone in there to get it out and then ambush us”
“No, I just really had to pee But I didn’t know that Myers was ar I pretty h”
Knox looked at the dead man in the bed “She said this was the real Ballard Why did she kill him?”
“Because he’s not the real Ballard Like I told you, he’s dead”
“How are you so sure?” asked Puller “Did someone tell you?”
“Josh brought me on to play the part of companion to Ballard The real Ballard He kneell, he kneas used to skirting the rules just like him”