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Back Break Us Save as PDF
Chapters (43)
  1. DEDICATION
  2. PROLOGUE
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. EPILOGUE
  38. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  39. BACK AD
  40. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  41. BOOKS BY JENNIFER BROWN
  42. CREDITS
  43. ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

I got off on the floor where I’d hidden under the stairs and ran directly into a woman who had been standing at the top of the stairs, peering down curiously. We landed in a tangle on the floor, and I rolled wildly to get off her. I could hear Peter’s feet nearing as I raced down the hall toward the utility stairs that had been my safe space all day. I heard someone yell, “That way!” and cursed under my breath. Nobody on this ship knew who the real bad guy was.

I paused only for the briefest moment, my shoes skidding on the floor. I didn’t have time for decision making. I had to just choose: up or down. I chose up.

When I reached the top deck, I slammed the stairwell door shut. Three women in bikinis startled and then hurried toward the grand staircase when they saw me coming. I was breathing so hard my throat felt hot, and I was desperately looking around for a way to protect myself.

“No,” I said between breaths, reaching out to the women. Ragged, scary. “Help me.”

But the women left anyway. I was alone with the wind and the ocean and nowhere to go to get away from Peter Fairchild.

33

IT WAS JUST moments before Peter wrenched the door open. I raced behind a lounge chair and picked up a heavy deck umbrella. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but at least it was something. I clutched it in front of me so hard my arm muscles ached.

Peter came toward me, still holding the hammer. His face was an evil snarl. He walked with an unsteady gait, as if his legs had been weakened by the run. He was breathing just as hard as I was, but his breath wasn’t coming out like asphalt. It was belching out of him in outraged feathery fern and ink. The wind blew my hair across my face, and I tossed my head to get it out of my line of sight.

I swung the umbrella at him with everything I had. I missed by miles, of course, but it slowed him down. I walked backward, knowing that before too long I would be up against the ship’s rail and would be out of options. I would have to fight back or die.

“I should have known,” he said, his hand tightening around the hammer so that I could hear his skin creak against the wood. “I should have known it would be you. You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, Nikki. You couldn’t leave Luna alone.”

I swung the umbrella at him again. “Everyone thinks Luna’s long gone.”