Page 152 of False Flag

Imagine what she could do to Laskin.

It was with a great deal of satisfaction that he watched Osborne pick up the inhaler, place it in his mouth, and depress the canister while inhaling deeply.

Osborne frowned when nothing happened.

“I think you need to shake it first.”

The man tried again, to no avail.

Teague laughed. “Oh right. That one doesn’t have the toxin in it. I just wanted to watch you try to kill yourself. It’s incredible to know that a man who has everything a human could ever want or imagine can sink so low as to have more reason to choose death over life. You could have used your wealth and time on this earth to make the world a better place for—quite literally—a billion people. But instead, you made life worse for—quite literally again—billions of people. You are a failure in every way that matters. Universally loathed. A laughingstock. And soon, whether by your hand or others’, you’ll be dead, and the world will be better for it. Today, you’ve had the day you deserve. I’m glad I got to witness it. But at some point, when thinking of this moment no longer brings me joy, I will simply never think of you again.”

Teague left through the french doors that opened onto a wide veranda and looked out over the Salish Sea. It was a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest. The very best day he’d had since the winter evening he’d HALO jumped into a frigid lake on the Olympic Peninsula.

Chapter Fifty-Six

Staci kept her phone camera fixed on Beau as she slowly backed away. He looked feral, which he no doubt was. He’d killed Gerard, snapping his neck as easily as a child activated a glow stick.

He took a step toward her, looming. His massive size even scarier now that he’d crossed a threshold she hadn’t imagined.

She held up a hand. “Don’t come any closer.”

“What are you going to do if I do? There’s no one here but us. No one to hear you scream.”

“I’m not the enemy, Beau. I never have been.” She nodded toward Gerard’s body. “He’s the one who’s been lying to you.”

“But you saw what I did.”

She could tell him that everyone saw it, but didn’t think that would help her situation.

A tear slid down her cheek. “Please Beau, if you ever loved me, don’t do this. I’m not the enemy. I’m not the one who sent you to prison.” Again, she nodded toward Gerard. “I loved you.”

“You said you were going to shoot me in the balls.”

“That was you? At my door?”

“I just wanted to talk.”

“You tried to break into my room while I was sleeping.”

“I just…I just wanted to talk to you. Lloyd…he got me thinking. About Gerard. But it didn’t make sense. And then Jake was in the way. But I got Osborne to get rid of him.”

“There was a full week between Jake leaving and you trying to break into my room. Why didn’t you try to talk to me at any point before then?”

“Because of the biotoxin. I didn’t know about it until I listened to the podcast. But then…well, things I overheard Riley talking about with Gerard made a different kind of sense. I wanted to talk to you, without Riley or Gerard knowing.”

“Knocking would have been more effective.”

“You wouldn’t have opened the door.”

This was true.

She inched backward as he spoke, slowly increasing the distance between them. Her gaze darted around as she looked for something, anything to defend herself. The gun was in her backpack. Unreachable before Beau would launch an attack.

Then she saw it, but to get it, she’d have to move closer to Beau, not away.

“I don’t want to kill you, Staci.”

“Then just…don’t?”