Chapters (95)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- 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
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by David Swinson
- Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Hachette Digital.
“Robby, he ain’t no cop no more. Shit, he’s a private eye.”
“You showed me a badge, said you were a cop.”
“I showed you my retirement badge. I never said I was a cop.”
“Showing your badge is the same thing as saying,” Biddy says, almost like a child.
“I can understand how you’d assume that.”
“So now we’re caught up in all this, on top of everything else,” Diamond says.
“Lesser of two evils,” I tell him.
He looks at me direct.
“So what you plannin’ on doing?” Diamond asks me.
“I don’t know. Sleep for a bit and figure it out when my head is clear. I’ll figure something out so Jasper and the big guy take the fall.”
“We don’t want any part of this here,” Diamond says.
“You think I do? It was you two who brought me into this. Who am I to Jasper that he’d fuck with me like this? That he’d have…” I can’t say Jeffrey’s name for some reason.
Neither of them answers that.
Diamond sits at the foot of the bed, hunched over, arms resting on his knees.
“The only reason I had Biddy call you was to show you there’s nothing to worry about with me. I need to know why Jasper put you on to my house.”
“I told you I don’t know,” Biddy says.
“What about you, Uncle Diamond? You know?”
“I don’t.”
“I just have one warning, and it’s not me you two have to worry about. If he finds out you talked to me, he’ll realize you’re witnesses, that you gave him up.”
“We ain’t stupid,” Diamond says.
“I keep hearing that. I suspect you’re not, but we all got an agenda. If I were you, Diamond, I’d get me another room at this motel, lay low for a while with your boy. I’m gonna figure this thing out. See if there’s a way to keep you two out of it. I don’t know if it’s possible. I don’t even know why I’m suggesting it, because I shouldn’t give a fuck about you two.”
I pull out the baggie of crack from my pocket and toss it underhand to Biddy.
Surprisingly, he catches it.
“You two run, and I’ll give everything to the police unless I find you first, and trust me, you’ll want the police to find you first.”
I grab my backpack and open the front door.
“You damn well better take me seriously,” I warn, then exit.