Chapters (78)
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Prologue
- 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
- Acknowledgments
- Discover More
- About the Author
- Also by Owen Laukkanen
She rolled onto her side, propped herself up on her elbow, the blanket falling away from her body. “Are you complaining?”
“No,” he said, still watching the water.
“But you still want to know why.” She sighed and lay back again, studied the ceiling some more. “Okay, Burke, I’ll tell you. But you might not like the answer.”
He said, “I don’t mind.”
“I was lying down there in my bunk, thinking about a whole bunch of shit I didn’t really want to think about,” Jess said. “But this isn’t the kind of shit I can just forget, either. Not any way that I know of, at least, and I’m about sick of trying.”
“So this was a distraction.”
She glanced over at him. “We’re probably going to die, Burke,” she said. “I don’t know what you’re thinking about this whole mess we’re in, but to me, I can’t see us walking away if those guys do too. This isn’t the kind of disagreement that gets resolved peacefully.”
He said nothing. He figured she was right, figured he’d known it for a while. He wasn’t ready to give the game away to Kirby Harwood, though, not yet.
“I don’t necessarily have a problem with dying,” Jess continued, in a voice that could have convinced Mason she was telling him the truth. “But if it’s going to happen, I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend my last days on Earth reliving all the foul shit I’ve seen. There’s better things I can do with my time, and as best I can tell, you shared my enthusiasm.”
He nodded. “I wish I could have given you a better time of it, though.”
“Hell,” she said, “I haven’t been this close to a man who knew more about me than my first name and adult beverage of choice since Ty washed up under that dock. If I’m dying tomorrow, at least I can say my last time was with somebody who actually gave a damn.”
“Gave a damn,” Mason said. “About what?”
“About anything, Burke,” she said, exasperated. “About Lucy. About me. About doing the right thing. You might be dumber than a box of rocks for sticking around in this mess, but at least you’re man enough to stand up for something. That matters a hell of a lot more than if you can give me a good ride for a couple, three minutes.”
He laughed. “That might even be generous.”
“Mason Burke.” She rolled her eyes at him. “You’ve got to get over yourself, dude. Look around.”
He did.
“We’re on a deserted island. You want to make something up to me, you’ve got plenty of time.”