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Table of Contents   Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty Twenty-One Twenty-Two Twenty-Three Twenty-Four Twenty-Five Twenty-Six Twenty-Seven Twenty-Eight Twenty-Nine Thirty Thirty-One Thirty-Two Thirty-Three Thirty-Four Thirty-Five Thirty-Six Thirty-Seven Thirty-Eight Thirty-Nine Forty Forty-One Forty-Two Forty-Three Forty-Four Forty-Five Forty-Six Forty-Seven Forty-Eight Forty-Nine Fifty Fifty-One Fifty-Two Fifty-Three Fifty-Four Fifty-Five Fifty-Six Fifty-Seven Fifty-Eight Fifty-Nine Sixty Sixty-One Sixty-Two Sixty-Three Sixty-Four Sixty-Five Sixty-Six Sixty-Seven Sixty-Eight Sixty-Nine Seventy Seventy-One Seventy-Two Seventy-Three Seventy-Four Seventy-Five Seventy-Six Seventy-Seven Seventy-Eight Seventy-Nine Eighty Eighty-One Eighty-Two Eighty-Three Eighty-Four Eighty-Five Eighty-Six Eighty-Seven Eighty-Eight Eighty-Nine Ninety Ninety-One Ninety-Two Ninety-Three Ninety-Four Ninety-Five Ninety-Six Ninety-Seven Ninety-Eight Ninety-Nine One Hundred One Hundred One One Hundred Two One Hundred Three One Hundred Four One Hundred Five One Hundred Six One Hundred Seven One Hundred Eight One Hundred Nine One Hundred Ten One Hundred Eleven One Hundred Twelve Discover More About the Authors   Navigation      Table of Contents               The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Copyright © 2023 by James Patterson Cover design by Gregg Kulick Cover art © Getty Images Cover copyright © 2023 by Hachette Book Group, Inc. Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights. Little, Brown and Company Hachette Book Group 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104littlebrown.comfacebook.com/LittleBrownandCompanytwitter.com/LittleBrown First ebook edition: January 2023 Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher. The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to hachettespeakersbureau.com or call (866) 376-6591. ISBN 9780316405492 E3-20221110-DA-NF-ORI       For Jack P. Go, Badgers! Go, Brown Bears! —J.P.  For the Lupica boys, Christopher and Alex and Zach. The best seat for watching pro football has always been with them. —M.L.      What’s coming next from James Patterson? Get on the list to find out about coming titles, deals, contests, appearances, and more! The official James Patterson newsletter.     One  ALONE ON HIS BOAT and half drunk, the Golden Gate Bridge off to his left and Alcatraz dead ahead, Joe Wolf started to sing about having left his heart in San Francisco. Then he suddenly threw back his head and laughed, remembering the last time he’d belted out the song, with his second wife out here on The Sea Wolf, both of them knowing the marriage was over. “What heart?” she’d said. Oh, he had heart, all right, and brains and balls to go with it. How did she think he ended up with his own football team and his own newspaper—by winning the goddamn lottery? He apologized to nobody, not even for the deals he’d had to cut to get what he wanted, especially when he felt, as he did tonight, as if he owned the whole city. Did he have secrets? Who the hell didn’t have secrets? And regrets. He never talked about his biggest secret, but his biggest regret was his family. It was the way his three sons had turned out, the way they’d disappointed him. His fault? Or theirs? Then there was his only daughter. She was the best of them, the rising star of the family. Only she’d turned her back on him. And in that way became the biggest disappointment of all. “I’m not like the rest of you!” she’d said the last time they fought. Was that fight earlier this year or last year? There were so many he’d lost track. But that was when she told him she was walking away for good, and she meant it this time. No, he thought. You were supposed to be better. He drank Grey Goose out of the bottle. The good stuff. But worth it because he was. Hardly any wind tonight, though. No other boats anywhere in sight, just the smell of the water and the occasional screech of California gulls, the night shining with starlight—bright enough, Joe Wolf thought, to light Wolves Stadium. His stadium, even if it was too old now, the way they said he was. He raised the bottle to his lips, realized it was empty, was about to go below and open another one when he heard a noise behind him. Turned and saw who was standing there. Shit. Had to have been hiding below when Joe boarded. “You?” Joe Wolf said. “Me.” “What the hell do you want?” “To ask you a question.” “So ask.” “Simple question, really.” “From you or him?” “It doesn’t really matter.” “Then get to it already,” Joe Wolf said. “I’m not getting any younger.” “Did you think we’d wait forever for you to give up?” “That’s it? You came all the way out here to ask me a question you should already know the answer to?” “Pretty much.” The boat had been at rest, rocking gently, the night suddenly still except for the lap of the water against the hull, the gulls having gone silent. Joe Wolf turned toward the wheel now, ready to start the diesel back up and head back, his evening shot just like that. “I’ll give up when I’m dead.” Suddenly the voice was right behind him.