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Back Angels of Vengeance
Chapters (68)
  1. Blurb
  2. CONTENTS
  3. Dedication
  4. CHARACTER LIST
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. TWO MONTHS LATER
  60. ONE YEAR LATER
  61. TWO YEARS LATER
  62. FOUR YEARS LATER
  63. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  64. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  65. Also by John Birmingham
  66. ALSO BY JOHN BIRMINGHAM
  67. Copyright
  68. Cover

Seeing his chance, the Chief of Staff closed in, putting his arm around the other man’s shoulder, creating a small conspiratorial air between them in the midst of the roaring reception.

‘Oh, I hear you, Henry. I hear you . . . Which brings me to the happy topic of what you can do to help us give the worthless cocksucker a kick in the ass. Because if he ever moves his operation from Texas up here to Seattle, my friend, you can kiss goodbye to any government work anywhere in this country.’

Cesky’s expression was grim enough that Culver knew he’d hit home.

‘Yeah. You’re fucking right about that. I’ll write you a cheque before I go tonight.’

16

NORTH KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

She could not return home. They would look for her there. The decision pained her, not being able to go back to the loft to collect any personal items, but she realised it was a small sacrifice to pay. In spite of all that had taken place in her life, and all she herself had done, since that black spring day in east Texas, Sofia Pieraro was still considered a child. The police officers hadn’t come around to the apartment simply to tell her that Papa was dead; they had also meant to take her into protective custody. Without any relatives or friends to stay with in Kansas City, she knew the authorities would move quickly to place her in foster care. Or even worse, if she tried to leave and failed, they’d probably put her into some sort of juvenile detention program. Like a common criminal. So no, she could not return home. She had to get out of this city and back down to Texas before anybody thought to look for her.

The federales would do nothing about that tyrant Blackstone. Sofia had watched her father’s resolve wither away over the last few months as he’d come to understand his own powerlessness. But he hadn’t been lying when he vowed to lay the family’s vengeance upon the man he blamed for their deaths, she knew that. Miguel Pieraro had proven himself to be utterly without mercy when dealing with the Governor’s agents, both at the homestead and later during their escape from Texas. But here, in the altogether more civilised surroundings of Kansas City, he had found himself drained of that resolve by the demands of the same authorities who promised to protect him – or rather, his daughter, she thought with some shame – and levy a harsh punishment on anyone they could prove was responsible for the slaughter of the Pieraro clan.