Chapter Ninety-Five
immediately called Nana in Washington. Either she wasn't there, or she was still mad at me and wasn't picking up the phone. Damn it. Answer the phone, Nana. I frantically called again, but there was still no answer. Pick up, pick up! Damn it - pick up the phone! Sweat had begun to coat my neck and forehead. This was my darkest nightmare, my worst fear come true. What could I do from out here? I called Sampson and told him to rush over to my house, then get back to me immediately. He didn't question me for a second. 'I'm sending a squad car now. It will be there in minutes. I'll be right behind it. I'll get back to you, Alex,' he said. I sat in the car and anxiously waited for Sampson's call. My head was spinning with all kinds of terrible thoughts and images. There was nothing I could do - not for Jamilla, if she was in trouble; not for my own family back in Washington. I thought about the Mastermind and the way he'd operated in the past. There were always dramatic taunts and barbs - and then, when I least expected it, he would act; he would make a strike to the heart. When I least expected it. Action, not words. Horrible murders. He knew I hadn't returned to Washington; did he know for sure that I was in San Francisco? I couldn't focus as much as I needed to. Was it possible that he was
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right here on Jamilla's street? Was the killer watching me now? He had shown that he was smart enough to follow me and not be seen. Did he want a showdown? The cell phone rang again. My heart jumped in my chest. I rumbled with the buttons. 'Cross,' I said. 'Everybody's okay, Alex. I'm at the house with Nana and the kids. They're safe and sound. They're with me now.' I shut my eyes and sighed with relief.'Put her on,'I told Sampson. 'Don't take no for an answer from her. I need to talk to Nana about what we're going to do next.'
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