Into the Night(85)

“How did you know about Curtis Zale? Your program?”

He laughed, the rumble shaking her. “I knew there was a killer here. Had to be, but I didn’t know where he was hiding his victims. Not until I got a little help.”

Had she just seen movement in the SUV? The door was open. Yes, yes, she thought Bowen was moving on the inside.

“Help,” Macey repeated. “You mean help...from Wesley Kaiser?” Because she knew he had to be part of this mess.

“No, actually, I don’t mean him at all. My help came from someone else entirely.” He laughed. “But I’ll never tell.”

Fuck him. He’d made the mistake of easing his hold and the dumbass hadn’t even realized...

Macey spun toward him and the chunk of sharp metal that she’d palmed right before he’d yanked her out of the SUV? She swiped that makeshift weapon at him, and it sliced across his hands.

“Blood on my fucking hands!” Jonah yelled.

“Yeah, there’s plenty of that.” Then she hit him again. Only this time, she drove that metal at his stomach. She twisted it, jerked it up and—

His fist slammed into her face.

Macey didn’t let that stop her. She stabbed him again, and he was screaming and yelling and—

“You’ll want—” Bowen’s voice growled “—to get the fuck away from her now.”

Jonah stilled.

Macey didn’t. She kept a grip on her makeshift weapon and rushed back toward Bowen’s voice, thinking she needed to protect him—

But there was enough starlight for her to see the gun he gripped in his hand. Metal was still in his chest, and that terrified her, but Bowen was on his feet. And his weapon was aimed at the wolf who’d been among them all along.

Only Jonah started to laugh. Again. “You used the Haddox trick!” He sounded...impressed? “The Doctor stayed alive because he didn’t take Macey’s knife out of him. He would have bled to death if he had. Haddox waited and got a friend to stitch him up. Did you know that, Mace? Another doc at the hospital stitched him up that night and never said a word to anyone. But don’t worry, that fellow is on my list, too.”

“Stop,” she ordered.

He didn’t. “You used the Haddox trick,” Jonah said again. “Keep the metal in...and you can live longer. Take it out...you’re dead. You bleed, bleed, bleed. And that metal—it’s in you far deeper than that knife was in Haddox. I can tell. It’s so deep I bet...I bet you’re a dead man walking. You don’t even know...”

“Where is Zack Douglas?” Macey demanded.

“At the ranger station. Just like I said. He really did find me.”

Goose bumps were all over her arms. “What did you do to him?”

“He should have noticed all those hikers were making a pattern. If he’d noticed sooner, lives would have been saved.” Jonah’s bloody hands were at his sides. “I figured he deserved what he got.”

“You staged your abduction from the museum,” Bowen snarled.

“No!” A roar from Jonah. “That fucking twit Wesley did that! He came to me for help! No one else at the FBI would give him the time of day. He came to me—we worked on that fucking program together! And then...then he didn’t like the results. He was trying to stop me. Hit me with the hammer...tied me up... His mistake. I got away. And he’ll be next.”

“No,” Bowen rasped. “You will be.”

Jonah laughed at those words. “Are you gonna do it? Right in front of her? Kill me in cold blood? I gave you the chance, over and over, to prove you were the better agent. You failed every single time. Now you won’t even be the better man. You’ll shoot in cold blood, hitting an unarmed man. The same way you hit an unarmed man when you killed Arnold Shaw, right? I mean, hey, I read the file, I could see the bullshit. You planted that knife on him, didn’t you? And that poor desperate victim on the scene, she was so grateful she lied for you.”

“Get on your knees...and put your hands up,” Bowen barked but his voice was sounding weak.

Macey moved closer to him, her shoulder brushing against his arm. “Let me take the gun,” she whispered to Bowen.

“See!” Jonah yelled. “She wants the gun because she knows you’ll shoot to kill! Macey won’t! Macey isn’t like you!”

Bowen’s body trembled harder. He staggered and she thought he was going to fall. Her left arm flew around his waist as she tried to steady him.

“It’s true, Mace!” Jonah called out. “That night in the dark alley, Bowen shot an unarmed man. He covered up the crime, and he’s been doing it for years.”

“Give me the gun, Bowen,” Macey said, voice stronger.

His head turned. His eyes gleamed in the darkness. “Want to...protect you...”

She could feel his blood soaking the side of her body. He was hurt so badly. Too badly. Macey swallowed. “You’ve always protected me.” It’s my turn to protect you. “Give me the gun.”

“It’s because she knows what you are now. You’re done, Bowen! Done! Dead man walking...”

Bowen still gripped the gun.

Jonah had bent to his knees, but his hands...his hands were inching toward the coat he wore. Was that a park ranger’s coat?