“You want the Broker dead,” John had said, “you’re going to have to get in line.”
Even he couldn’t have known at the time how long that line would be.
Karen. Catherine. Catalina. Clare. This was her doing.
Her going it alone is the best shot you have at getting the job done.
You’d have to know her to understand.
He had thought he had, and hadn’t come close.
The beauty and genius in this reversal, water to parched and desperate need, held enough payback to satisfy revenge for two.
Holden’s gaze traveled up and settled on the ceiling.
The same all-call would have gone to Julia, and she’d recognize it for what it was just as he had. But her phone was in pieces. It’d be a long while before she knew.
He reached for the room phone to dial upstairs directly but stopped and returned the receiver to its cradle and the envelope to the table. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
In four days the twins would rendezvous in Berlin.
There were as many possible motives for the Russians to arrange that meeting as there were threats. Their mother had made a lot of enemies. There were buyers who’d want her children, as they’d wanted her, if for no other reason than revenge.
“They’ll find you,” he’d told them. “And you’ll end up running hard. You could use an ally, a friend.”
Decisions fell into place, made by life, as life sometimes did.
He had time to take Baxter home to his mother’s care, which was better than anything a hospital had to offer. He had time to visit Frank, have a real visit, father and son.
He had time enough to return.
Some iteration of John and Julia would board that flight for Frankfurt, and he’d be right behind them. They might suspect, might even mark him, but he’d have them in his sights when they met the past. He’d have their backs.
The three of them together, they’d be damn near invincible.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
If you’re new to my books, thank you for being willing to take a chance on the unfamiliar! I truly hope you’ve enjoyed the read, and would love to hear from you if you have. If you’re already a fan or a reader back for another round, thank you for being part of this ongoing journey. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be able to share these new worlds with you.
I’m blessed beyond measure to be able to create fiction for a living. What many don’t know—mostly because I’m bad at remembering to mention it—is that there’s also a real-life component to the craft that includes a sizable amount of personal interaction and a whole lot of teaching others how to do what I do. So this here is me trying to make up for some of the forgetful times.
Fans, readers, and curiosity seekers who’d like more than what’s available on the taylorstevensbooks.com Web site can connect with me through:
• Regular e-mail, via the contact information found at taylorstevensbooks.com.
• The Taylor Stevens Fan Club Group on Facebook.
• E-mail drip from www.taylorstevensbooks.com/connect.php, where you’ll get monthly updates with the latest news, upcoming events, and details on where things are with each writing project, plus bi-monthly essays that include an insider’s look at publishing, thoughts on overcoming adversity, personal insights, and everything I’ve learned on this writing journey.
• Special insider access to video on patreon.com/taylorstevens.
• And, rarely, twitter @taylor_stevens and facebook.com/taylorstevens.
Aspiring authors looking to improve their craft can access everything I’ve learned about writing and storytelling through:
• E-mail drip at www.taylorstevensshow.com/connect.php.
• Weekly podcast at www.taylorstevensshow.com, where, together with friend and cohost Stephen Campbell, we solve real-life-listener writing issues, do in-depth line- and story-editing show-and-tell, and generally kick writing in the butt one word at a time.
• Patreon.com/taylorstevens, for Q&A and Hack the Craft writing tutorials.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing can be a long, solitary experience, but turning a manuscript into a book certainly isn’t. To that end, Liars’ Paradox would never have become what it is without the many hands that’ve helped carry it from its frustrated beginning to its polished end.
To my editor, Michaela Hamilton, thank you for believing in this story. To my agent, Anne Hawkins, I treasure your wisdom, experience, and guidance. To the many unsung heroes within Kensington Publishing who put so much effort in on my behalf, don’t think for a minute I’m unaware of all that goes on behind the scenes. You guys are rock stars.
To my friends, family, and children, who endure the strange hours and long disappearances that come with the writing process, thank you for your patience and also for sometimes cleaning the house. To the Muse, thank you doubly so for bringing stability to the chaos in ways that allow creativity to flourish. To my fans and readers, thank you for continuing to let me work at a job that doesn’t require getting out of pajamas. And to my Patreon supporters, you’ve turned love and encouragement into tangible, life-changing action and opened my world to possibilities I never thought existed. Thank you for believing in me.
Photo by Alyssa Skyes
About the Author
Taylor Stevens is a critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers including the breakout hit The Informationist. Best known for high-octane stories populated with fascinating characters in vivid boots-on-the-ground settings, her books have been optioned for film and published in over twenty languages. In addition to writing novels, Stevens shares extensively about the mechanics of storytelling, writing, overcoming adversity, and the details of her journey into publishing at www.taylorstevensbooks.com. She welcomes you to join her.
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