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Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR JANICE CANTORE
  3. Map of Rogue’s Hollow
  4. Dedication
  5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  6. Epigraph
  7. PROLOGUE
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. EPILOGUE
  62. 1
  63. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  64. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

It didn’t matter to Ice one way or another. Compliance was nice, but if there was no compliance, he’d apply force quickly and ruthlessly.

He heard voices and stepped to the window. Cops. From what Ice could make out, someone had called them because a party attendee had left his car blocking a driveway. They were at the curb.

He cursed. Being rushed was never a good thing. He pulled his handgun from behind his back. He’d already constructed a homemade suppressor from a soda bottle and, with his gloved hands, attached it to the barrel of his gun. He always used a revolver so as not to leave any brass lying around. The cop would hear something—a suppressor never completely muffled all sound—but the shot would be dampened. Ice knew their procedures. They’d step back a minute or two to try to determine what they’d heard, giving him time to flee.

He put the gun to the betrayer’s head and fired. The girl stirred, but she was probably too drugged to have any clue about what was happening.

He discarded the bottle, grabbed his bag, and headed for the back door. At this point the girl would only slow him down. He’d cleaned up the mess; that would soften the blow of losing her. It was too hot for him here now. Time to leave the state for Nevada, maybe Oregon.

5

Dusty, smoky, sweaty, and tired, Tess climbed out of her SUV sometime after 10 p.m. She’d fought the fire beside Harp and then fought Harp about letting the firefighters onto her property to ensure all the hot spots were out.

“You can’t stay awake forever,” Tess had argued, “and you have a big piece of property. Suppose the wind kicks up again and ignites an ember somewhere. You’d have no chance.”

Harp relented but insisted Tess stay as long as the firefighters were on her land and escort them off. They’d covered all the ground the fire incident commander thought was at risk, and thankfully, it looked like, with the weather cooperating, Harp would be just fine.

Tess was as surprised as anyone when Harp thanked her. “Chief, I’ve heard good things about you, and I’m glad they all proved true. While I wish the circumstances were different, I appreciate your help, and I’m glad I got this chance to work with you.”

Shocked, all Tess could think to say was “You’re welcome. There are a lot of good people in town. I hope you’ll see fit to be a little less closed off.”

With the fire around Harp’s place beaten back, the immediate threat to Rogue’s Hollow was also ended. When the road reopened and Tess drove back to town, she felt as if she could finally relax.