The Game Trilogy (97 page)

Rebecca slowly holstered her pistol, then picked up the flask and mugs before heading off down the spiral staircase.

When she reached the roof at the foot of the mast she took out her phone. A shiny, silvery thing with a glass touch screen.

He answered on the first ring.

‘Is it over?’

‘Yes …’

‘And?’

‘Much as we thought.’

‘Are you okay, Becca? I mean, considering …?’

‘I’m okay, Manga. Surprisingly okay, actually … Better than I have been for ages.’

‘Good to hear it.’

‘How is he?’

‘Mad as hell, and badly bruised across the chest, but he’ll survive. People like HP always survive. He’s with Nora. I still don’t understand how you dared to shoot. I mean, the buckle and the Kevlar casing were no bigger than the palm of your hand …’

A short distance away she could hear voices, radios crackling, keys jangling. She jumped nimbly onto the next roof, opened a small door and disappeared into a dark stairwell.

‘So what do we do now?’

‘You can do what you like, Becca. Go back to your old life, meet someone new, have kids, and live to be a hundred …’

A moment later he added:

‘Unless you’d rather do something else entirely … Something that would really make a difference. You decide … Red or black?’

‘Nothing’s ever going to be the same, is it?’ she said.

‘Is that really so wrong, Becca?’

‘Maybe not …’

She took a deep breath.

‘Look, Manga … I should probably call you Farook … What is your name these days?’

She could hear him laughing, far away.

‘What do you think of … Game Master?’

Cover Design: Greg Tabor

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Copyright © 2013 by Anders de la Motte.
Translation copyright © 2013 by Neil Smith.

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EPub Edition © NOVEMBER 2013 ISBN: 9781443417440

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, by agreement with the Salomonsson Agency.

FIRST CANADIAN EDITION

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication information is available upon request

ISBN 978-1-44341-742-6

WEB 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ANDERS DE LA MOTTE has worked as a police officer and as the director of security at one of the world’s largest IT companies. His debut novel, Game, received the First Book Award from the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy and has sold more than 100,000 copies in Sweden alone. The breathtaking Game Trilogy, which continues in
Buzz
and
Bubble
, will be published in more than 25 countries and adapted for film. Visit him on Facebook, or on Twitter @AndersdelaMotte.

INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM FOR THE GAME TRILOGY

“The exciting first in a thriller trilogy…. Relentless pacing leads to a stunning finale.”

—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“A taut thriller that will leave the reader excited for the next book in the series.”

—KIRKUS REVIEWS

“Entertaining and breathless…. Pure entertainment.”

—LITTERATURSIDEN.DK (Denmark)

“Brilliant and fast-paced…. Destined to be an international success.”

—CHI (Italy)

“Having read Game, you will put aside Mankell and Larsson.”

—POLSKA DZIENNIK tÓDZKI (Poland)

“Skillfully constructed, very suspenseful and incessantly astonishing.”

—SYDSVENSKAN (Sweden)

“A modern thriller that beats all the classic crime stories.”

—MLADá FRONTA DNES (Czech Republic)

“Once you’ve picked up this breathtaking novel you won’t be able to put it down…. Incredibly fascinating reading.”

—AGM MAGAZIN (Germany)

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