Page 74 of Deadly Forever

“And he’s the one who tried to break into our system,” James said, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced at Peter. “Maverick said it felt as if it was someone who had some computer training but no real world experience. That would fit Jacob to a tee.”

“I had no idea he did that,” Kaspar said. “He was interested in you right from the start, though, and that was before I told him you showed up at the school. When he heard private investigators killed Nate, he wanted to know more about you. He did tons of research, and you guys were all over the news so he had no shortage of stories to go through. It’s that curiosity thing again.”

“Well, he sounds like a real peach,” James intoned, wrinkling his nose. “Where is he now? Is he in the hotel room?”

Kaspar shook his head. “He’s gone.”

“Don’t lie to me,” James said. “We’ll find him. We’re going to search your room no matter what.”

“I’m not lying,” Kaspar said. “He left this morning. He said he would handle you guys himself and he was done with me. He didn’t need me any longer.” Kaspar snorted, his eyes taking on a far-off quality. “In fact, I’m going to bet he’s the one who made sure you could find me here. He wanted your attention on me so he could make his getaway.”

“Is that what he’s doing?” James asked. “Is he running?”

Kaspar shrugged. “He said he was going to handle you first. That’s all that I know. He said he was going to go to your office and make you pay. He was angry because you messed with his plans.”

James stilled, anxiety coursing through him. “He was going to go to my office? When? Today?”

“I have no idea.”

James licked his lips as he swiveled, his mind busy. “If Jacob really did make it so we could more easily discover his father, that means he was planning this takedown as a distraction all along.”

“It also means he’s probably already at the office,” Peter pointed out.

“And so is Mandy,” James said, his heart shredding. “Son of a … !”

“YOU’RE JACOB Kaspar?” Mandy worked overtime to control her rising panic.

“I am,” Jacob confirmed, his odd gray eyes more dead than alive. “And you must be Amanda Avery-Hardy. I have to say, the pictures on the internet don’t do you justice.”

“I guess I’ll have to lodge a complaint with Google,” Mandy said dryly.

“I would,” Jacob shot back. “Of course, you won’t be alive long enough to do that.”

Mandy’s heart rolled at his cold words. She’d been through so many terrifying situations, though, that she refused to let Jacob frighten her into making an awful mistake. “What are you even doing here? Shouldn’t you be running with your father?”

“I’m sure my father is already in custody,” Jacob said, clasping his hands behind his back as he wandered through the office. He seemed keen to explore, almost relaxed, but Mandy didn’t buy that for a second. “I made sure that people would know where he was. I wanted him to be discovered.”

“Wow, what a great son,” Mandy mocked. “I’ll bet he buys you a terrific Christmas present this year.”

“I don’t really care what he thinks,” Jacob said, glancing into James’ office. “I see you’re alone. That’s probably good for what I have planned.”

Mandy stilled. Alone? Where did Maverick go? Was he hiding under the desk? Still, the fact that Jacob believed she was on her own was probably a good thing. The problem was, Mandy couldn’t really picture Maverick as her saving grace. He didn’t have the balls to take on a sociopathic youth. She would have to handle this situation on her own.

“And what do you have planned?” Mandy was proud that her voice belied no fear. It was strong and steady.

“I’m going to kill you and put you on display for your husband to find,” Jacob replied, not missing a beat. “I figure if you’re naked and ripped to shreds, that will put him off his game. Then I’m going to play with him for a bit before I do the same to him.”

Mandy was shocked by his blasé tone. “Do you really think you’ll be able to get the better of James?”

“I’ve been doing research on you since that day at the mall,” Jacob answered. “It seems that your husband is very good at his job, but you’re apparently his weakness. I get being good at your job. I get being a professional. What I don’t get is emotional weakness. That … baffles me.”

“I’m guessing a lot of things baffle you,” Mandy said. “You seemed to be confused in general.”

“Is this your way of talking me down?” Jacob asked, shifting so he was facing Mandy. “Are you trying to enrage me so I’ll attack and you’ll have a shot at catching me off guard? That’s what you did with Lance Pritchard, right? He was caught off guard by your actions and you somehow managed to kill him.”

“He was drunk, too.”

“Ah, well, that makes sense,” Jacob said. “You’ll find I’m not prone to dramatic outbursts. You won’t be able to catch me off guard.”