Chapter 13 - Rosa Came Back
For one impossible second, every armed man in the cemetery stared at the eight-year-old girl.
Thomas felt fury rise so quickly it made the bullet wound in his side disappear.
"Rosa. Get down."
She did not move.
"Where is your mother?"
"She went to find Mr. Price. I got out of the car."
"Why?"
Rosa's chin trembled.
"Because you keep going places and getting shot."
Even Jacques laughed.
"There is the Rousseau blood. Bad judgment with excellent timing."
Thomas took one step sideways, putting his body between Rosa and the gun.
Jacques tightened his grip on Father Lucien.
"This is perfect."
"No," Thomas said. "This is the last mistake you make."
Jacques pointed the gun toward Rosa.
That was his mistake.
Father Lucien dropped suddenly, pulling Jacques's arm down.
Thomas charged.
The gun fired into the tomb wall.
Thomas hit Jacques hard enough to drive both men into the wet gravel.
They fought without elegance.
No choreography.
Elbows. Knees. Blood. Breath.
Jacques drove a thumb into Thomas's wound.
Thomas nearly blacked out.
"You are dying anyway," Jacques hissed.
Thomas head-butted him.
"Not today."
Jacques reached for the fallen gun.
Rosa kicked it.
The weapon slid beneath a crypt ledge.
Thomas stared at her.
"I told you to get down."
"You also told me you were coming back."
Federal agents rushed around the tomb.
"Hands! Hands where we can see them!"
Jacques froze.
Thomas rolled away and raised both hands.
Price arrived seconds later with Maya behind him.
Maya saw Rosa and nearly exploded.
"Rosa Williams!"
Rosa winced.
"I'm in trouble."
"You have no idea."
Maya hugged her so tightly Rosa squeaked.
Thomas leaned against Celeste's tomb.
Price handcuffed Jacques.
"Jacques Baptiste, you are under arrest for conspiracy, kidnapping, obstruction, murder-"
Jacques laughed.
"You think this ends with me?"
Price paused.
Jacques looked at Thomas.
"Landry has the contingency file. If I go down, everything goes public. Every murder Thomas ever ordered. Every politician. Every cop. Every judge."
Thomas's face did not change.
"Good."
Jacques blinked.
"What?"
Thomas looked at Price.
"Take all of it."
Jacques stared.
"You would burn your own empire?"
Thomas looked toward Rosa.
"It should have burned years ago."
Then Maya's phone rang.
Nina Caldwell.
Maya answered.
Nina did not say hello.
"Judge Landry just issued an emergency order sealing every port record and authorizing the seizure of WNOH's servers."
Price swore.
"He cannot do that."
"He just did. And there is more."
"What?"
Nina's voice shook.
"Superintendent Pike is moving tactical police toward the federal evidence room. They are going to take the ledger."
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