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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

“I have to,” he said. “It’s the only way I can be sure that you’ll be safe. That the baby will be safe.”

“And when this is over?” she asked. “If you survive, where do we go then?”

It was clear that he hadn’t really thought that far ahead, and the question took him by surprise. “I don’t understand,” he said.

“I mean, what do we do after? Are you going to get a real job? I mean a legitimate job. Are you going to settle down and get out of the game? That won’t happen if you’re working at the harbor.”

He sat up in bed, and looked down at her. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve always been a hustler. I’ll always be yours, though.”

“That’s it?” she asked. “That’s all you can promise? You can’t at least sit there and tell me that you’ll try to get out, that you’ll try to make a normal life for me and our baby?”

He thought about that for a moment. “No,” he said at last. “I can’t tell you that. The reality is that I like the life. I like the risk and I like the excitement. It’s a part of who I am.”

“Good,” she said.

“Good?”

“Yeah, good.” She could see the confusion on his face. “I’d rather have you be honest with me,” she told him. “Maybe I’ve got too much of my mother and my father in me, but I like the excitement, too. It’s just as much a part of me as it is of you.”

“Even after the past few days?” he asked.

“The past few days were awful,” she admitted. “I was afraid for my own life and the baby’s life. I knew if I made it through that and the baby survived, this was meant to be. Besides, how many girls get to have the man of their dreams come to their rescue the way you did? I’ve never wanted to change you. I just need to know that you’re not walking away from me.”

He leaned over and kissed her, passionately. “I’ll never walk away from you,” he said. “Like I said, I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She hugged him tightly.

FIFTY-SIX

Sunday, February 10