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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

Nate went into the water twice. The second time he came out Cicero wasn’t sure he was going to live, but after a few moments of coughing and spitting blood, he was able to talk. At that point, there wasn’t anything that Chaplain wouldn’t tell them to avoid going back into the water again.

He didn’t have that much information, but it was enough. Buddy had been on the phone twice the night of the attack on the Mariner—once just before they went in, and once just as they left. Nate hadn’t heard anything that was said on the first phone call, but as they came out of the bar, Buddy seemed in a hurry and was less careful. Nate heard Buddy clearly say, “He’s still there.” That was all that Chaplain could remember him saying, and then he’d put the phone back in his pocket. To Cicero, it was all the admission that was needed.

“What do we do with him now?” Cap asked, looking down at the crumpled, defeated figure that had only a short time before been Nate Chaplain.

“Cormack gave clear orders,” Cicero replied.

Cap looked uncomfortable, and Peter rubbed the stubble on his chin nervously. “It don’t seem right,” Cap said.

Cicero took two steps over toward the boat’s skipper, so that he was right in front of his face, so close he could smell the sardines he’d had for breakfast rotting in the teeth of the heavyset man. His hand was in his coat pocket, his fingers wrapped around the handle of his knife. “Cormack O’Connell decides what seems right on this waterfront,” he said slowly and quietly. His eyes bore into Cap’s face. “You understand that, you fat fuck?”

The blood was gone from Cap’s face, and he nodded spasmodically. “Yeah, I got that.”

Cicero stood there, inches from the other man, just long enough to make it clear that he wasn’t moving until he wanted to. Then he looked down at Nate Chaplain. “Sorry, kid,” he said. “Orders are orders.”

TWENTY-NINE