Targets of Revenge (53 page)

Sandor had a look at the pictures. Lilli with friends, Lilli as a young girl, and Lilli with an attractive older woman he assumed was her mother. For a moment he thought of his own mother, then decided to let that go.

He turned away and checked the kitchen, which was so tight he could hardly move without bumping into a wall or a cabinet. The refrigerator was emptier than his, which was saying something. The bathroom was even smaller than the kitchen, but it was neat and clean and full of shelves holding every sort of cream, cosmetic and lotion.

He went back to the living room and picked up one of the photos. It was unmistakably Lilli as a teenager, which was not all that long ago. She was standing on a beach someplace with a big smile that was framed by her long, windblown hair.

There was no reason for her to die,
Sandor told himself. Too many people die for the wrong reasons. Some, like Lilli, die for no reason at all. He had another look at the photo, then carefully replaced the picture on the shelf, as if it were important that it be placed in the same spot he found it.

He stood there for a moment, looking around one last time, bearing witness to all that remained of the existence of Lilli Mindlovitch. Then he knew there was nothing more for him to do, that it was time to leave. He headed for the door but stopped and went back to the living room. He picked up one of the more recent photographs,
deciding he would keep that one, telling himself it would be fine. There was no one left who would care.

As he turned to leave with the photograph in hand, he pulled out his cell and dialed Sternlich. “Hey Bill,” he said. “Let’s go get that drink.”

THE END

ALSO BY JEFFREY S. STEPHENS

Targets of Deception

Targets of Opportunity

Gallery Books

A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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New York, NY 10020
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 by Jeffrey S. Stephens

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Gallery Books hardcover edition February 2013

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Stephens, Jeffrey S.

Targets of revenge: a novel / by Jeffrey S. Stephens.

p. cm.

1. Intelligence officers — Fiction. I. Title.

PS3619.T47676T375 2013

813'.6—dc23

2012022211

ISBN 978-1-4516-8872-6

ISBN 978-1-4516-8873-3 (ebook)