Better Off Dead: A Jack Reacher Novel Novels & Stories

“Sure. But I didn’t think you were leaving her again.” “She’s safe here. And if anything does happen, it will be on you.” Quickly heading back to the nearby hotel. Jack was sitting with his feet up on a desk reading a newspaper. He only puts it down when the door slams shut. “She’s awake?” He mutters, studying me. “How would you know?” “You left her side. That can only mean one of two things. She is awake or she is dead.” “What did you mean when you said death changes people?”

“Look, I got no beef with you people. Never seen any of you before, and I won’t have seen you after this either. Let’s just get along peacefully. What do you need? Drugs? Weapons? I’ve got contacts that take care of whatever ails you.” “I take it by that answer, this isn’t your first rodeo.” Sean’s barely hiding his snarl. “I’ll assume you know the drill. You talk, we listen. Give us what we want, you probably live. Screw with us, you definitely die. Painfully. Got it?” “Sure. Sure. Suppose we can do this without the chains?” “No.” Jack shakes his head, leaning casually against the cell wall, pointing to the overhead UV sanitizer lamps again. “Makes it easier to vacuum up the cremains.”

ᯓ★ BREAKING NEWS: 30-year-old Ginger Cadette, the owner of the Bar & Life passed away yesterday due to brain cancer. Her family kept her burial private. With hard work and persistence, she successfully started and ran Bar & Life. But when she discovered that she had brain cancer, the business was passed on to her twin brother, Carter Cadette.

“When he was pronounced dead, his finger tips were black and his tongue was shrunken.” Rio smiles. “It’s Adax. It’s a lethal drug, found only on the black market.” Rio says. “I am sorry to be the one to say this, but Jack was definitely murdered.” Even though I expected, I couldn’t control the chills that runs through my body as I grip my dad’s arm for strength. Someone killed Jack. “You don’t seem shocked, Mr. Park.” Rio notices. “You expected it to be murder?”

I didn't know how much time passed before my body started feeling lighter. When I opened my eyes, I was floating above everything. Had I escaped? Then I looked down. My body was still on the firewood pile. Bruised all over. Neck bent wrong. Head hanging limp like a broken doll. Good news—I'd escaped that village. Bad news—I was already dead. When I got home, Mom was knitting on the couch. Dad stood by the window, anxious. "It's getting late. Why isn't Kaia home yet? What did she say when she called?"

Independence Day, 9 PM “Alright, thank you, bro. Be extra careful.” Jack hangs up the phone. “They are at the last stage of airplane delivery,” Jack says, shifting from one foot to another. He looks a bit nervous for a veteran and an ex-mafia member who has seen blood and death first-hand. What will happen tonight is nothing compared to what he had experienced before. “Good,” Chris nods, his eyes still fixating on the book he is reading. Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch. His favorite.

The kind of expensive model that only rich kids could afford to drive to school, completely wasted on people who didn't know how to appreciate it. As soon as Damien turned on the engine, the radio blared to life. "Early this morning on the 27th, the search for a missing nationwide gangster has come to an end. The body of Jack Spencer has been recovered and identified, the cause of death being multiple stab wounds. The funeral will be held—" My hand shot out, turning the station to classic rock. I clenched my jaw. Fuck. My bodyguard was found? Not in the woods where I'd actually died—but in the river? Those fucks moved my body?!

I didn't kill Felix. Death was too merciful for him. As the wolfbane's poison rapidly coursed through his veins, his struggles gradually became weaker. In the end, Felix lay completely still on the floor. Only his eyes, full of fear and pleading, continued to frantically dart around. It was perfect. This was the state that I wanted Felix to be in—trapped within his shell of a body while remaining completely lucid. That way, he would be faced with his own hopelessness for the rest of his days.

Knowing that he was someone who barely showed such a face, they all knew he had some big news for them. "What is it?" an agent asked. "It's Tang Yazhu! Our best agent! I just heard the news from the Senior Elders! She's dead! She didn't survive!" After Geng Jun finished announcing, the place fell into a deep silence. As for Qiao Dong, his world shattered along with the silent cafeteria. "I told you, didn't I? No one can leave this place." Someone sighed, "So, not even our top agent could successfully execute this mission."

The General watches all this on his horse as he strokes the silver stubble beard on his face. “Death has come to you, Bloodsucker.” His voice confirms my doom. I didn’t think at first that I could actually die from Jack’s plan, but what if he tricked me? What if his plan all along was so that I could be delivered into the hands of General Ross? Jack is a deceptive alpha, and I think I have just fell prey to one of his many deceits. My strength is fleeting, and fear is filling up my heart. Is this how I am going to die?