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“I pushed him into the lake. J. P. was one of us. He knew the risks. She’s a civilian, and that crosses a line for me. It’s too cold-blooded. If you want her dead, you do it.”

Isaac clenched his teeth and snatched the gun from Sampson’s hand. He’d never been angrier. Was it really that hard to get good help these days? His insubordination at such a critical point was unbelievable. He lifted the gun to her head and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Click.

Nothing happened. He tried again, with no result.

“What’s wrong with this gun?” he asked Sampson.

Someone stepped out of the shadows of an adjoining room. “I think we’ve got enough.”

“We sure do,” another voice said as Candace Kim stepped into the light.

Isaac froze in shock, unable to believe his eyes. “W-wait,” he stammered. “This isnotwhat it looks like.”

“It’s not?” She folded her hands against her chest. “Then what is it, Isaac?”

“I’ve been set up…entrapped.” He pointed at Sampson. “Glen Sampson tricked me. He asked me to come down here. Said he had a criminal in his custody. He said he was in trouble. I didn’t know why he had her here. He’s the one you want.”

“So, you just decided to kill her for him?” Candace asked.

“I thought she was an enemy of the state.”

“The conversation we just recorded isn’t going to support that, Isaac.”

A couple of armed officers stepped into sight from behind her. “Put the gun down, sir,” the taller one said. “It doesn’t work.”

Isaac immediately set the gun on the floor, holding up his hands. “Look, let’s discuss this like rational people. I’m a director at the NSA. This is a matter of national security. You need to listen to me.”

“Step away from the gun, sir, and keep your hands where we can see them,” the officer said calmly.

He stepped back, watching incredulously as Sampson removed the towel, gag, and blindfold on Sinclair’s wife.

“You set me up?” he accused Sampson. “You were in on this?”

To his astonishment, Sampson laughed and pulled off the mask. Older, but still recognizable after fourteen years, Ethan Sinclair stood before him.

Isaac staggered backward, clutching his heart, and stumbled into the arms of one of the officers who’d maneuvered behind him. The policeman yanked his arms behind him, and the cool metal of handcuffs encircled his wrists. Another officer frisked him as if he were a common criminal.

“You traitor!” Isaac screamed at Ethan. “You set me up. This will never hold up in a court of law.”

Ethan walked over and stood right in front of him, his eyes flashing fire. “Isaac Remington. TherealGlen Sampson has already turned on you and is providing fascinating detail on what you and your insiders have been up to for the past fourteen years. He really wants to save his hide, so he’s dealing. In case you didn’t know, the one good thing about Glen Sampson is that he’s an analyst by training. He has kept meticulous records on all your activities. You’re going down for the murder of J. P. Lando, the attempted kidnapping of my daughter, the kidnapping and attempted murder of my wife, and a slew of other crimes, including treason and major national security violations. It’s my sincere pleasure to inform you, you’re finished at the NSA forever. I hope you get everything you deserve in prison.”

With that, Ethan turned his back on Isaac and bent down to kiss his wife. Just then Sinclair’s brat of a daughter and a bunch of other kids piled into the house, cheering, hugging, and swarming the woman and Sinclair with hugs and high fives.

“This is a setup,” Isaac screamed as the officers hauled him out of the house and into the cool November air. “Do you know who I am?”

As the officers ignored him, he began to shriek. One of the officers held the top of his head and guided him into the back of a patrol car that had appeared in front of the house. “You can’t do this,” he shouted, his voice hoarse. “I’m an important government official. I want my lawyer.”

He was still shouting in panicked frenzy from the back of the patrol car, so he didn’t see Candace Kim smile from the house’s window as she watched the vehicle pull away.

Chapter Forty-Six

ANGEL SINCLAIR

My mom and dad were alive, and Isaac Remington and his henchmen had been unmasked and locked away.

I’d never been happier in my life, even if I hadn’t had a minute to celebrate it.