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.
“Means free. On the people. You make sure your lawyer knows everything, especially about Jasper, your uncle, the burglary of my home, and what you witnessed after. You’re the only one who can identify the man who killed that kid in my kitchen. You’re also the only one who can connect all this to Jasper. You tell her you already confessed and you want a debriefing with Detective Hurley. Hurley will take care of things on his end, so it’ll be quick.”
“What if doesn’t work?”
“I told you, I’ve been through this tons of times, and most of the guys I was working with had serious criminal records, and even they got out. It’ll work, Robby. Take the couple of days you’ll have alone in a cell to get your head straight, otherwise they won’t work with you. You’re not going to do time unless you fuck up. You fuck up by using again. Do it for your uncle.”
“I have to think.”
“This will give us both closure.”
He’s not sold.
“Hurley will make it clear, too. It’s the only way, Robby.”
The gun is on his lap, his hand off the grip. He’s gotten too comfortable. Maybe the good weed had a little to do with it.
I take my gun from under my thigh, point it at him. It takes him a second to notice. He straightens up when he does, but he doesn’t think to grab his gun right away.
“I’m not like you. I’m trained, and I’ll cap you right between the eyes without a thought.”
“I knew I couldn’t trust you,” he says like his heart’s been broken.
“Take the butt of the gun with your thumb and your index finger and set it on the coffee table.”
“Just shoot me.”
“I really should, but we both don’t want that. So do what I say.”
He grabs it with two fingers by the barrel. I don’t bother to tell him that’s not the butt, because the barrel is pointing up and away from me. He sets it on the coffee table.
“Slide it toward me using the tip of your finger.”
He does, then looks down, shattered.
I pick the gun up and set it closer to the edge of the coffee table, closer to me.
“Where’d you get this gun?”
“Some other house. I think it’s clean because it was in a gun box.”
“Why didn’t you give it to Jasper?”
“Fuck. Security. You won’t turn it over to the police, will you?”
Worried about his prints.
“No, but I’ll hold on to it for a bit.”
“I’m going to get fucked.”
“Look at me,” I tell him.
He does.
I set my gun on the coffee table near his and lean back on the sofa.