Chapter 40

Emily recounts how Peter McCann discovered Michael’s computer history was booby-trapped, leaving only a fleeting half-second screen of gibberish. Concluding Michael had gone into the Deep Web, Peter chased information about hidden sites and a rumored government search engine that could find them. He wanted Westwood to confirm or deny its existence and help him access it.

Reacher presses Lydia and Emily on whether Peter mentioned Mother’s Rest or “two hundred deaths.” They have heard neither, revealing Peter had shielded them from details. Chang quietly signals urgency, and she and Reacher confer: Hackett’s allies may have traced their call. They decide the family can’t be left alone and consider taking them out immediately.

As they debate, a car arrives. Reacher sprints to the bedroom, finds a Colt Python with six rounds, and positions himself to counter the entry. Black-clad gunmen with suppressed Ruger P-85s breach the front and circle through the yard.

Reacher holds fire to avoid endangering Chang and the Lairs. The attackers push Chang into view with a gun to her head. Reacher abandons the shot, hides the Python by the hallway baseboard, and steps into the living room, effectively conceding to the hostage standoff.