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Back Atlanta Burns Save as PDF
Chapters (50)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication Page
  4. CONTENTS
  5. PART ONE: SHOTGUN GRAVY
  6. Sometimes she wakes…
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. PART TWO: BAIT DOG
  19. CHAPTER TWELVE
  20. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  22. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  24. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  25. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  26. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY
  28. PART THREE: THE FARM
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  36. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  37. PART FOUR: KISSING FIRE
  38. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  43. PART FIVE: BAIT GIRL
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  46. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  47. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  48. EPILOGUE: THE MESSAGE
  49. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  50. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After she tells them the whole story, they both sit and look shell-shocked. She expects that from Shane—that’s one of his default looks. You tell him there’s pudding pops in the freezer or that it’s the day that the new comic books come out, and he tends to get that deer-in-the-headlights-of-an-oncoming-tractor-trailer look. Guy, though, he’s sharp, snappy, ready for all the crazy shit life throws at folks—and he’s got the same look, as if he just saw something you’re never supposed to see, like a lion eating a baby. Or worse and weirder, a baby eating a lion.

“Oh my god,” is all Shane can say.

“I can’t believe that dog’s still alive,” Guy says. “Yo, that’s messed up. And you put away the Mountain Man? Damn. Damn. That’s some shit right there.”

“The cop killed Chris,” Shane says, staring at the floor. It’s like he wanted to know, but now that he does . . .

“I want payback,” Atlanta says. “And I want it now.”

“Girl,” Guy says, “you gotta leave this one alone. Let that bird fly free.”

Shane shakes his head and finally looks up. “No, she’s right. He needs to pay. We let him keep going, and he’ll mess with all of us. What do you think’s gonna happen when he finds out Whitey is alive? He’ll find a way to finish the job. Maybe he’ll just kill him. Or maybe he’ll have the dog put to sleep. That’s the law, right? Dog bite means euthanization.”

“The dude’s a cop,” Guy says, incredulous. “You saw what happened—he was able to shoot that dog inside the damn police station. He’s untouchable. And did I mention he’s a cop?”

“I’m the bait dog,” Atlanta says suddenly.

They both look at her like, whuh?

“I’m the cat on the cat pole. The coon in the cage. Petry knows he’s already got a piece of me. He’s got blood in his nose. I dangle in front of him a little more, he’ll come for me. He’ll come to make me hurt. Maybe he’ll hit me. Or try to do to me what my mama’s boyfriend did. Or maybe he’ll just kill me. But I can make him come here. And when he does, I’m gonna kill him.”

“Whoa. That’s crazy,” Guy says.

Shane nods. “Yeah, actually, that is crazy.”

Her jaw sets, her mouth a hard line. “It’s the only way.”

Shane frowns. “There might be another way. Guy, can you drive us somewhere?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Night comes. They drive.

“You okay?” Guy asks, looking over at Atlanta in the passenger seat. “Maybe you need time to cool down.”