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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

The driver grimaced as he leaned on the horn. The blare seemed to startle those at the front of the van, and they pulled back reflexively. That created a sliver of space for the van to move. The driver eased forward. For a moment it seemed as though the crowd might push back, but when the people saw the van moving, they cleared away even more.

The van gained some momentum, and the crack in the mob’s resolve allowed the police to move in and shoulder people away from the convoy. As the van neared the turn onto Courthouse Way, Kit Steele thought they were home free.

At that moment, all hell broke loose.

Buddy saw the boy explode. He was standing near the corner of Northern Avenue and Courthouse Way, watching as the federal corrections vans fought their way through the angry mob. The boy was across the street, up toward the courthouse entryway, standing near the police barricades that were set up to keep the crowds at bay. He stood out because he was the only one in the crowd who wasn’t paying attention to the vans that were transporting Vincente Carpio. Instead, he was milling about, head down, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. The backpack seemed heavy on his slight shoulders, and he looked out of place to Buddy.

And then, all of a sudden, he was gone. The explosion rocked the area, and Buddy was thrown back into the building behind him. For a moment, it seemed as though the world went quiet and time slowed. Buddy watched as shrapnel tore through those standing in the crowd, and the wooden barricades rose into the air in slow motion.

The second explosion was farther down on the other side of the street, and it seemed to bring the world back to reality. Buddy didn’t see that one, but he felt it, and it buckled his legs. All at once everyone was in motion, and the screams pierced the air. The crowd dispersed, running in every direction. The vans pulled forward, crawling around the corner onto Courthouse Way. Two armed federal marshals sprinted toward the vans and began pulling the injured out of the way to allow the vehicles to pass.