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Back Blood in the Water
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

In the end, he thought, maybe that was the answer. She was a smart, capable young woman, and she knew what was right for her. He had to trust her judgment, and make sure that she knew that he would be there to help her, whether the father of the child was there or not.

But in order to do that, Cormack had to make sure that he stayed alive. He’d be no good to Diamond or her child if he was dead, which meant—again—that he had to focus. He had to make sure that he got to Soh before Soh got to him. That was why he had to meet Kit Steele.

He’d been surprised when she called and told him that she had information for him. She knew he was going to war, and he could no longer abide by their original agreement that he would refrain from violence. She’d made clear at the hospital that she could no longer be involved with him if he was going back to his old ways. He wondered what had changed her mind.

Ultimately, he didn’t care. He wanted to see her, more than he felt comfortable admitting. It was possible that she had information that would be truly useful to him. But even if not, he would still have gone to see her. She was the first person since Diamond’s mother that he had felt real passion for, even if he refused to acknowledge it.

They met at the usual place—a small motel just over the Quincy border, past UMass. Boston on the McGrath highway. He could never go to her apartment or office, for obvious reasons. Nor could she ever be seen at his house or at the union. So this dingy spot with yellowing lace curtains and wood paneling had become their hideaway.

He paid for the room inside the office. The kid behind the counter didn’t look at him; he just took the money and passed over the key. Cormack suspected he’d learned that his life would be easier if he could plausibly deny recognizing anyone who rented the rooms. It was not the kind of place where reputable businesspeople stayed, or where families vacationed. Cormack took the key without comment, and headed back out into the parking lot, down the row of doors to the one that matched the number on the key.

He was nervous, he realized with surprise, as he waited in the room. The curtains on the windows were drawn, the shades pulled down. He turned on the light, but all it could muster was an antique glow. He went to the bathroom and ran the water, splashed some on his face. He was running a towel over his cheeks when he heard the door open.

“Cormack?”