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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

“No? What are you looking for?” His hand slipped under the bar and brushed her thigh. He leaned in toward her with the booze-soaked breath and heavy-lidded gaze of a lost soul. Diamond took a deep breath as she reached into her bag.

Buddy leaned back in his chair, fingering the glass resting on the edge of the counter that ringed the stage at the Naked Eye. He’d decided not to show up to offload the Greek freighter, after all. It was the first day he’d ever missed, but he knew he had more important things to do today.

Above him, a stripper tried to gain his attention, dancing with more enthusiasm than noon on a weekday deserved. Buddy was used to it. Women had always been drawn to him, particularly fallen angels searching for something to lift them up again. He’d never really understood it, but he never questioned it either. Bad-boy looks and a good-boy smile. That was how one girl tried to explain it once. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded profound and he’d liked it enough at the time to stay in her bed with her for a few more hours, holding her and moving with her body in a way that would let her believe that there was something more between them than there really was. It was, he wanted to believe, a kindness that marked him as a decent soul. He would be more convinced of his decency, though, if he could remember her name.

He’d followed Diamond and saw when she entered the place and slid into the seat at the bar. He watched as she begged the drink from the bartender, wondered what they were talking about with such serious expressions. He was tempted to go right over to her, but he didn’t. Instead he watched her, studying her face, trying to figure out what it was about her that transfixed him. She was good-looking, to be sure. But good-looking women were everywhere if you looked hard enough, Buddy had always found. There was something more about her—something dark and compelling.

He had to suppress a smile when the guy in the suit made his move. Buddy knew the man had no shot, with his rumpled jacket and tousled hair that screamed middle-management-midlife crisis. She would never be tempted by a man like that, he knew. Still, he was getting restless just sitting there, watching her. It was time.