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Back Blood in the Water
Chapters (82)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. Praise for Blood in the Water
  81. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  82. Newsletter Sign-up

He opened the cigarettes in the convenience store and took a pack of matches from the counter. He knew he couldn’t smoke in the car—his girlfriend Malinda was the reason he had tried to quit, and if she caught a whiff of smoke in there, he’d be on the couch for a week. So he ducked around the corner and leaned against the building, shivering as he sucked the smoke into his lungs. Who wanted to live forever anyways?

From the alleyway where he stood, around the corner from the parking lot, he could see the door to the doctor’s office, so he knew that he wouldn’t miss Diamond if she came out. The cigarette felt so good, and he wasn’t sure when he would be able to sneak another one, so he smoked two as he stood there.

By the time he got back to the car, he was frozen through. He turned on the engine to get some heat going, and turned on the radio for company. The cigarettes had been so satisfying, he could feel his shoulders relaxing for the first time in a week and a half. He coughed up a small amount of phlegm, and there was something familiar and soothing about the loose rumble in his chest. Maybe the cigarettes would take a year or two off his life, but maybe they wouldn’t. And in the end, life was short anyway, and there was no reason to live uncomfortably. He’d find a way to explain it to Malinda so she’d understand.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, giving into the sense of relaxation the cigarettes had given him.

He didn’t even feel the blade slide across his throat. It was honed, and MS-13 soldiers were skilled with their knives. At first, all he felt was the warmth on his chest as the blood poured over him. It felt as though the car’s heater had kicked in and was blasting hot air on him. Then, he realized that he couldn’t breathe. He grabbed at his throat, and felt the blood cascading down his neck. Probing further, he felt the opening, and, to his horror, the slice clean through his esophagus. He tried to scream, but it was no use. He was starting to lose consciousness when he heard the back door of the sedan open and someone exit the car. He hadn’t even thought to look in the back seat when he’d gotten in, and he knew now that someone had gotten in and waited for him to return. He survived only long enough to catch a glimpse of the tattooed man crossing in front of the car. The man didn’t look back.