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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

He knew it was Soh. He’d recognized the voice calling to him from downstairs. He’d been expecting a move by the young man. Soh had been chafing under O’Connell’s restraint for months, looking to expand his smuggling operations in the harbor. Cormack had explained the way things had to work, but young men never see the wisdom in moderation. And so it was not a total surprise that Soh was looking to free himself from Cormack’s bridle. But Cormack had not been expecting such a dramatic statement of Soh’s resolve.

Cormack moved back up the stairs, to the second floor. The roar of the fire was growing, and he knew the building would not last long. He ran down the narrow hallway, toward his office. There was a short span of roof over the first floor just outside the office window. It would be about a fifteen-foot jump from there to the pier, and he wasn’t looking forward to it. His legs had lost some of their spring in their fifth decade, and he was certain to break a bone. There was also still the danger that Soh would be waiting for him. At this point, though, he had few options.

He pushed the window up and stepped out onto the tar and asphalt shingles. They were slick with ice that had already started to melt from the heat of the fire, and he had to steady himself to keep from sliding off. Slowly he moved his way toward the edge of the roof, craning his neck to see how far a fall he had in store. As he did, a shot rang out and the clapboard behind him exploded. He whirled around, ducking and aiming his gun reflexively toward the shot. He fired twice and heard yelling on the pier. Glancing down, he saw three men now, and they were all taking aim. Cormack looked back up at the office window and considered climbing back inside, but the flames had already reached the second floor and were licking the sash, reaching out toward him. The roof ledge he was on was warm, and the building groaned. It occurred to him that he was at risk of falling through into the flames at any moment.

He was lost in indecision when the gunfire started in earnest. The three men on the pier were all firing at once, and the side of the building behind him was splintered as the cacophony of the gunfire competed with the angry growl of the fire to split Cormack’s eardrums.

He was moving before he even realized it, running toward the side of the building that hung out over the water. The gunfire followed him, and he felt something rip into his left calf. The pain was sharp and clean, but his adrenaline was flowing and it didn’t slow him down.