Chapters (82)
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- Praise for Blood in the Water
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Newsletter Sign-up
She’d nodded when he gave her the information. She didn’t thank him—to do so would have been an insult. His wasn’t an act of charity or patriotism, it was an act of smart business. The information came with expectations of reciprocity; protection from the authorities when necessary, information on competitors when available. They both understood the nature of the exchange they were agreeing to, and in consummating the deal, they were committing to each other in a manner that was far more intimate than sex.
That bond was dissolved now, and she felt the separation in a way that was physical. She wondered whether her feelings were something resembling affection, but dismissed the thought quickly. This was still business, and her business was protecting Boston’s population from MS-13, to make sure no one ever suffered the way she had. And if helping Cormack O’Connell advanced the goals of her business, then it was her responsibility to help him.
She picked up the phone and dialed. “Agent Martin,” she said when the man on the other end of the line picked up. “I need anything new the local police have on T’phong Soh. He’s Boston’s head of MS-13. It’s for the task force.”
TWENTY-SIX
“Are the ropes tight?”
Cicero looked down at Nate Chaplain’s unconscious body on the lobster boat’s deck. He raised the lapels of his dark coat against the biting wind. They were farther out to sea than the small vessel was accustomed to being, and though the water was relatively calm, the swells pitched them up and down in a steady, maniacal rhythm. He hated being out on the water and longed to be back on dry land. Still, the ocean provided a convenient and private place to do what needed to be done.
“I know my knots,” Cap replied. “They’ll hold.”
“Wake him up.”
Cap broke a capsule of ammonia under Chaplain’s nose, and Chaplain’s body convulsed, his head shaking and pulling back from the noxious fumes. There was little he could do to get away, though, as his hands and feet were bound tight. Cap shoved the ammonia under his nose again, and Chaplain coughed hard and spat, his eyes finally opening and taking in the scene as best they could. The look of confusion quickly turned to fear, and then terror.
“Please!” he screamed. “Please … No!”
Cicero nodded to Cap, and the skipper kicked Chaplain in the ribs, quieting the young man by taking the breath out of him.