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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

Diamond glanced up at one of the blondes leaning against a pole on the stage, swaying unsteadily to the music. “Tiffany’s a year younger than me, and she’s so strung out on heroin she can’t keep a beat.”

“Only have to be eighteen to dance. And if she’s strung out, at least I didn’t give the shit to her.”

“I’m not asking for drugs, Daisy Mae, I’m asking for a whiskey. Mom would’ve given it to me.”

Daisy Mae frowned, wrestling with her best intentions. She reached under the bar and grabbed a highball glass, filled it from a plain-labeled bottle in the well, put it in front of Diamond. “One,” she said. “That’s it.”

“Thanks.”

“What are you doing here, anyway? You’re living with Cormack. You don’t need to be here anymore.”

“This is where I grew up.”

“Yeah, maybe. All the more reason to get out of the place. And get the place out of you.”

“This is where I feel closest to her,” Diamond said.

“Another reason not to come.” Diamond could see the regret on Daisy Mae’s face as soon as she’d said the words. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have…” She took a deep breath. “She loved you.”

“As much as she could.”

“She was a good person.”

“She was a fuckup,” Diamond said. She sniffed the cheap whiskey, lost in indecision.

Daisy Mae poured a short glass, held it up. “Like the rest of us,” she agreed, raising her glass. “A fuckup who did her best.”

“A fuckup who did her best,” Diamond allowed, touching her glass to Daisy Mae’s. Daisy Mae threw hers down. Diamond sipped hers. Down at the other end of the bar, a man glanced impatiently down at Daisy Mae. “You’ve got a customer,” Diamond said, nodding at the man.

“I do,” she agreed, looking down the bar at the man. “He’ll still be there in a minute. You OK, kid?”

“Not really, no.”

“You ever need anything, you let me know, OK?”

“I will.”

Daisy Mae started moving down the bar, then paused, looked back at Diamond with hesitation. “Tell your father the same goes for him, OK? If he needs anything…” Her voice trailed off.

“I’ll let him know,” Diamond said.

“He’s one of the good ones.”

“Sometimes,” Diamond conceded.

“Sometimes is a hell of a lot better than most.”

NINETEEN

T’phong Soh had learned at an early age that anger was the emotion of defeat. It grew from defeat and led to defeat. It clouded the mind, and caused mistakes. He had trained himself to avoid it at all costs. So the wave of rage that came over him when he learned that Cormack O’Connell was still alive took him by surprise.