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Back Blood in the Water Save as PDF
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

She heard him scream as they hit the water, and she felt a wave of pleasure at his shock and surprise. The water enveloped them, and the cold burned through her. Carpio fought to free himself, but she clung to him as they sank. Her lungs were no longer working, and the feeling in her extremities started to fade. Her eyes were closed, and she kept all of her focus on holding tight to Carpio as he thrashed and hit and kicked out at her. She could no longer feel anything, and she wasn’t sure whether he was still in her grasp. She was aware that she was sinking, deeper and deeper into the harbor. It was done. She no longer needed to fight. The blood from her wounds mixed with the water. She no longer cared—she’d done what she could, and now it was time to rest.

She woke on the shore of Nantasket beach. The water was summer-warm, and the sun was shining down on her face as she pulled herself off the sand. A light, warm breeze blew off the sea, and she breathed the scent of the water deep into her lungs.

She saw Dillon. He was walking to her with that smile he had that melted her heart the first time she’d seen him. It was filled with warmth and love and desire.

She ran to him and threw her arms around his body, hugging him so tightly she thought she might hurt him. He hugged her back, almost as tightly, as she sobbed joyously into his chest. After a moment, she tilted her head up and her lips found his. It was at once familiar and new. She felt nearly complete and she melted into him and let herself believe it was real.

She couldn’t remember the kiss ending, but her head was now on his shoulder, and she was looking down the beach. She could see a small figure in the distance, playing in the shallow water, splashing with a joy that only a six-year-old can exude on a summer day at the beach—as though every grain of sand was placed there specifically for his enjoyment.

She gasped and pulled away from Dillon, looking at him for reassurance, afraid that it was an illusion. He nodded at her. “He’s been waiting for you,” he said.

Her first steps toward him were cautious. She kept waiting for her feet to falter or slip. She felt certain that he would run away or disappear somehow. He didn’t, though. He continued splashing in the warm water, his laughter washing over her the way it had so long ago. With each step she became more hopeful, and more confident, until she was running at a full sprint.

He saw her as she neared, and he opened his arms to her, a look of pure love in his eyes and in his smile. “Mommy!” he called out to her.