Manhunt (Michael Bennett 10.50)

Then she was gone.

Chapter 34

Three nights after Temir Marat was killed, I sat in the only safe place I knew in the entire world. In my living room with Mary Catherine, nine of my kids, and my grandfather.

Mary Catherine was snuggled in next to me on the couch, with Chrissy and Shawna tucked in on the other side of me. The older kids all sat on the carpet as we watched the Jets on Thursday Night Football. It was a game against the Dolphins in Miami and every camera shot between commercials showed people walking along the beach in shorts. It just didn’t feel right to a New Yorker.

Before the game, I had watched the news, where everyone was reporting the attack on the parade as just another terror incident. They went on to say the terrorist was shot by “authorities.” Reporters made it a point to say the suspect acted alone.

That seemed to put an end to the terror attack that had rocked the city. Even Ricky said, “So you solved another one, huh, Dad?”

“Solve isn’t the word I’d use. We cleared the case. That’ll have to do.”

Eddie said, “It’s got people on their guard now.”

I smiled. “For now, but people forget. Always. It’s got to be one of the fundamental laws of the universe.”

Mary Catherine said, “You really think the attack will be forgotten?”

“Not totally, but no one will think twice about next year’s parade. That’s how these things always go. People talk about never forgetting, but they forget remarkably fast. The Freedom Tower is a good reminder, but you have to be in lower Manhattan to see it.”

Shawna looked up at me. “We’ll still go to the parade next year, won’t we?”

Jane chimed in. “We have to, otherwise the terrorists win.”

I didn’t know if she was serious or joking.

Shawna still stared up at me. “Can we go?”

I smiled. “Of course we’ll go. That’s our thing. Your mom loved it. In a way, we’re honoring her memory. St. Patrick’s and Macy’s are two parades we won’t ever miss.”

There were smiles and cheers all around. Mary Catherine hugged me, then kissed me on the lips.

About the Authors

James Patterson has written more bestsellers and created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today. He lives in Florida with his family.

James O. Born is an award-winning crime and science fiction novelist as well as a career law enforcement agent. A native Floridian, he still lives in the Sunshine State.

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Stuck between two cartels in a desperate, bloody struggle for territory, Michael Bennett is on everyone’s hit list.

A New York City cop as seasoned as Michael Bennett thinks that nothing can catch him off guard. But then a gorgeous, wealthy woman from South America posing as a photographer lures Bennett into a trap unlike anything he’s ever seen—nearly costing him his life. It’s up to Bennett to discover the true identity of his adversary before the ambush engulfs him.

Read on for a sneak peek at the upcoming

Michael Bennett novel,

AMBUSH

Chapter 1

I watched the eight-story apartment building on 161st, about half a block from Melrose Avenue. Nothing special about it. Old window air-conditioning units dotted the facade, but the place had a certain charm. Of course, over years of surveillance in unsavory neighborhoods of New York City, I’ve learned to adjust my expectations.