The Last Target Read Online Free Page A

if trying to look casual. It didn’t work. “Tell me about your nonprofit, Rachel.”
    “My nonprofit?” What could it have to do with any of this? “I just encourage people to write letters to the military stationed overseas. It’s hardly anything controversial.”
    “Have you had any problems with it? Any volunteers who’ve been acting strangely? Any members of the military who became obsessed with the person who was writing them? Any suspicious letters that came across your desk maybe?”
    “There are people who hate the military so therefore they hate us, too. They’ve sent some nasty letters and emails. Once we even had people picketing outside our office in Virginia Beach.”
    “Did you save any of that correspondence?”
    “All of it.”
    “I’ll need to see it.”
    “No problem.”
    “Anything else? Any other people who have acted suspiciously? Even something that might not seem important could be.”
    She searched her brain for something that should set off an alarm. Nothing emerged. Sure, she’d had volunteers who’d dropped the ball and hadn’t followed through with their commitment. Sure, there had even been a couple of romances develop after volunteers became pen pals with their assignments. But no one in particular stood out as suspicious.
    She sat up straight. No one in particular except…
    Jack leaned toward her. “What is it?”
    “I’m sure it’s nothing.” She leaned back into the couch and waved away the thought.
    “Why don’t you let me decide that.”
    She licked her lips, unsure of the wisdom in even mentioning her thought. Then she thought of Aidan. She had to keep him safe, and to do that Jack and his men needed to explore every possibility. “There is one man who’s on the board for the organization. He has a bit of an edge to him. But—”
    “What’s his name?”
    Her face flushed. “George Anderson.”
    Jack’s stony expression seemed to shift for a moment. As quickly as whatever emotion it was passed through his gaze, his intense look returned. “We’ll look into him, just to be safe.”
    Her world felt like it was spinning. Could George be behind these attacks? It didn’t seem possible. “He served with my husband as a Navy SEAL. After Andrew died, George made an effort to help me out around the house some—trimming trees, cleaning gutters, things like that. But what possible connection could he have with this list?”
    “Rachel…”
    The way Jack said her name made her realize that he was holding something back, trying to protect her. It was too late to feel safe now. “Just tell me, Jack. You don’t have to beat around the bush. I can handle it.”
    “Rachel, there’s a good chance that whoever shot you at the park today missed on purpose.”
    Her heart seemed to skip a beat. “Why would they do that?”
    “Maybe because they know you. Maybe because they couldn’t bring themselves to hurt you.”
    She shook her head. “That still doesn’t make any sense. I’m not following you…”
    “Nobody else survived an attempt on their life. Only you. There’s got to be a reason for that.”
    “Nobody I know would be affiliated with Apaka.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “I’m sure.” She sounded more confident than she felt.
    Jack sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Then maybe you know something. Maybe they want to keep you alive to get information that only you have.”
    “What information would I have? Information on how to write compelling letters to military personnel stationed overseas? How to potty-train a child? There’s nothing I know that they could possibly want.”
    Jack seemed to sense her rising anxiety. He placed his hand on her knee and waited until she made eye contact to speak. “I understand this is a lot to process, Rachel.”
    Rachel’s throat went dry and she stood. She only wanted to hug Aidan, to lock the door to their room and throw away the key. It seemed the only semblance of safety she could think of at the moment.
    But