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Back Deception Cove Save as PDF
Chapters (78)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. Prologue
  7. One
  8. Two
  9. Three
  10. Four
  11. Five
  12. Six
  13. Seven
  14. Eight
  15. Nine
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Twelve
  19. Thirteen
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Seventeen
  24. Eighteen
  25. Nineteen
  26. Twenty
  27. Twenty-One
  28. Twenty-Two
  29. Twenty-Three
  30. Twenty-Four
  31. Twenty-Five
  32. Twenty-Six
  33. Twenty-Seven
  34. Twenty-Eight
  35. Twenty-Nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-One
  38. Thirty-Two
  39. Thirty-Three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. Thirty-Eight
  45. Thirty-Nine
  46. Forty
  47. Forty-One
  48. Forty-Two
  49. Forty-Three
  50. Forty-Four
  51. Forty-Five
  52. Forty-Six
  53. Forty-Seven
  54. Forty-Eight
  55. Forty-Nine
  56. Fifty
  57. Fifty-One
  58. Fifty-Two
  59. Fifty-Three
  60. Fifty-Four
  61. Fifty-Five
  62. Fifty-Six
  63. Fifty-Seven
  64. Fifty-Eight
  65. Fifty-Nine
  66. Sixty
  67. Sixty-One
  68. Sixty-Two
  69. Sixty-Three
  70. Sixty-Four
  71. Sixty-Five
  72. Sixty-Six
  73. Sixty-Seven
  74. Sixty-Eight
  75. Acknowledgments
  76. Discover More
  77. About the Author
  78. Also by Owen Laukkanen

Shelby reached into a cupboard, came out with a box of ammunition. Set the box down and began to methodically load her rifle. Another knock at the front door. “Shelby? Open up, now.”

“Better go if you plan on going,” Shelby said. “Seems to me that option’s about to expire.”

Thirty-Five

Thirty-Five

Jess and Burke had nearly made the Blazer when she heard the first shot. Lucy stopped cold, held the pose for about a second and a half. Then the second shot boomed, and the dog took off, yanking the lead out of Jess’s hand and disappearing into the dark of the woods.

Burke went stiff too. Stared back between the houses toward Shelby’s back door. Then he turned toward the Blazer and hurried over to it. Jess had her focus on getting Lucy back, didn’t really see Burke until he reached into the back of the Blazer and came out with her shotgun. It was then that she decided the dog could wait.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Burke slipped the shotgun out of its case. “Can’t just leave her in there,” he said. “You coming?”

No, damn it, Jess thought. She’d done this before, over there, doubled back into a firefight with the odds square against her, gambled her own ass to try to save someone else’s. Difference was, she’d had marines with her then. And none of them had slept with her husband.

Burke stopped and looked at her, and in the dark all she could see of him was the streetlight glint in his eyes.

“I’m not leaving that girl to those deputies,” he said. “This isn’t something I can walk away from.”

Then he was gone before she could answer, and she glanced back at the Blazer, searched the shadows for Lucy, heard more shots from the Walker house. She swore and hurried to catch up to Burke.

*  *  *

Harwood didn’t know what he’d been expecting when he showed up at Shelby Walker’s house with Cole and Dale and Okafor’s scar-faced psychopath, but he hadn’t figured on the little bitch opening fire, that was for sure.

He’d gone up to Shelby Walker’s front door, nice and easy. Knocked and called her name like there was nothing the matter, like he’d just swung by because she’d left her purse at the detachment or something. He could see the lights on in the living room window, saw movement, knew she was home.