That came as a surprise to all of us.
After Atlanta, the first part of our plan was done. We had enough to bury him. Amy’s “death” ensured she was safe from any further retribution.
All we needed was his real name.
It was my turn. I needed to push him to use what he had against me. Control my own explosion.
While we knew Heather and Sadie were a weak spot for Amy, we weren’t as confident about where he’d hit me. So I had to play along until he showed his hand.
The road trip was my own version of instability. I knew Coach Mitch was my best shot at discovering who Mr. Smith really was, and we could finally play that card now that we had the proof against him.
I needed to poke at Mitch, and I knew meeting with Andrew Marshall would send Mr. Smith over the edge, since he’s always believed there was a small chance I had the politician in my back pocket.
It lit the match for the bomb he had ready for me.
Or so he thought.
“Any word on Smith’s whereabouts now?” Amy asks, pulling me from my own thoughts.
Devon is tapping away on his laptop. “Nothing confirmed. The Connollys will deal with him their own way, which means I don’t believe we’ll find any identifiable body parts.”
I cringe at his words. It’s the least of what he deserves after everything Mr. Smith’s done, but Devon knew I would struggle with being the one who hand-delivered him to his fate.
But it had gotten to the point where it was him or us.
“I can say this now that it’s over, but there were a few moments when I thought he got the best of me,” I say quietly.
Devon lets out a groan. “Yeah, Fake Lucca threw me. I never saw where that was headed.”
“Wish we could have pulled her out in time,” I say.
Amy leans close and squeezes my arm. “We would have if we’d had any idea that’s what he was planning. But she’s his last victim.”
I nod and try to take some comfort in that. “Did you figure out how deep Ryan is involved?”
Devon looks up from his laptop. I’ve put off asking this because I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer. After Devon planted the info on Amy in James’s parents’ house, he flew to Virginia, where Mr. Smith lived. While Mr. Smith was following me into that bank, Devon was hacking into his personal computer. Once Devon knew where to look, the floodgates were opened and he was able to discover every facet of his business.
“His only involvement was what we already knew. Smith used his services over the years. As Ryan’s business increased, so did Smith’s interest in him. I believe he intended to take over Ryan’s business, just as he had said to you. From what I’ve gathered so far—and it will be a while before I’ve gone through everything—Ryan knew him from those previous transactions but wasn’t privy to the scope and breadth of Smith’s organization.”
Amy sits up in her chair, her eyes darting between Devon and me. “Then why was Smith giving him the info on his own business?”
Devon shrugs. “Not really sure. I’m guessing Smith had his reasons for doing that, but short of asking Ryan, we may never know.”
“Well, then I guess we’ll never know,” I say.
Amy lets out a laugh. “Seriously? You’re not going to ask him?”
I can’t help the grimace that takes over my face. “I can’t ask him!”
“Sure, you can,” Devon says, his focus once again back on the laptop.
“What would be the point? The job is finished. And I’m on the straight and narrow from here on out. No more illegal activities for me.”
Amy rolls her eyes. “Going straight doesn’t mean you have to be finished with him. He’s morally gray, you’re morally gray. Plus he’s superhot and probably great in bed.”
“I give her three months before she’s calling me and saying, ‘Devon, so there’s this job . . . ’？” His high-pitched impression of my voice has me laughing as I roll my eyes.
“I give her one month,” Amy says.
I throw a couch pillow at both of them.
We stay in the cabin another three days while Devon digs through the rest of Mr. Smith’s files he copied from his computer. But this time away from the real world can’t last forever.
“Okay, ladies, I’m out,” Devon says, loaded down with his backpack and bag. His car is already packed with his equipment. He’s the first one to leave, and Amy and I take turns giving him hugs, but I’m the only one who follows him out to the porch.