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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

“Perhaps,” Soh said. He wanted to lash out. If Carpio had not been there, he would have. If it had just been him and his men, one of them would have paid for his rage—given themselves up to assuage his anger. That was not an option, though. Outbursts like that would create an uneven foundation upon which to build a partnership with a man as dangerous as Javier Carpio. So he bit back his anger and forced himself to be calm, and to think. “We needed him out of the way because if he finds out what we are planning, he would be a problem.”

“That is what you said,” Javier agreed.

“But he will be of little worry if he is distracted,” Soh pointed out.

“How do you intend to distract him?”

“We already have. He knows that we are at war. Now we need to make sure that he cannot focus on anything else.” That was when the thought occurred to him, and he gave an evil smile. “And I know how we can make sure of that.”

TWENTY

Diamond felt him approaching before she saw him. She’d been raised in this place, where the unwanted attention of men was a principal danger, so she’d developed a keen sense for it. He was harmless, she could tell as she glanced out of the side of her eye. Older, maybe early forties, sad and pathetic—he’d have to be to be in this place at this time of day—he walked toward her in a suit that hung loosely on his frame, suggesting perhaps he’d been a man of greater substance at some point in his life. His tie was askew, and judging from the hitch in his step, so was he. His drink, half empty, flirted with the lip of the glass as he carried it unsteadily on his ill-fated walk over in her direction.

“Hi,” the suit said, as he sidled up to the bar next to her. Honestly, she’d heard worse openings in her life, but it wouldn’t make a difference. She didn’t reply, just sipped her drink and stared straight ahead. “You a dancer?”

She took a deep breath, turned her head, and looked him in the eye. “I’m having a drink,” she said. “Alone.”

It was clear from the look on his face that he misinterpreted her response as encouragement. “Yeah, I know what that’s like,” he said. “Nothing worse, is there? Drinks were meant to be shared. With friends.” For just a moment he got a far-off look in his eyes. “Friends…” He said the word like it was a term he’d known once but had now forgotten. The silence drifted briefly before he pulled himself back. “Anyway, no need to drink alone, sweetheart. I could be your friend.”

“No thanks. I’m not looking for a friend.”