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
He shook his head. “You keep that money,” he said. “Rebuild your house with it, or heck, donate it to charity if you want to. But I can’t take that money, Jess. It just wouldn’t be right.”
She held his gaze for a long beat, and then finally she blinked. Reached out for the money and took it back, shaking her head. “I guess you can suit yourself,” she said.
“I’m sorry,” he said, standing. “I have to do this part honest.”
She watched him stand, squinting up at him a little bit, her mouth twitching like she wanted to say something but she couldn’t decide what. Finally she let out a long breath. “I lied, Burke.”
He looked at her and she was looking away now.
“I don’t want you to go and I don’t think it’s better,” she continued, quick, like she was rushing to get the words out before she thought better of them. “I know if past is any precedent, then I’ll fuck this up, but God help me, I still want to try. And I know it’s selfish of me, but I don’t want you to leave yet, not until we know dead to rights that we can’t make this work.” She met his eyes. “You know?”
He came around the table. Took her hands, pulled her up into his arms. “You don’t want this,” he said. “Not with someone like me.”
She slipped away. Slapped him, light, but hard enough to sting. “Don’t you go telling me what I want and don’t want again, Burke,” she said. “I’ve said my piece now. If you’re walking away, it’s on you.”
He made to reply, couldn’t think of an answer. Then the bus driver honked his horn, and the moment was gone anyway, and he bent down and kissed her, and scratched behind Lucy’s ears, and turned and walked across the street to where the bus waited.
He’d made it almost to the door when he heard Jess call his name, and he turned around and she was standing there, radiant in the sun, the dog beside her with ears perked and tail wagging, watching like she, too, was waiting on him to turn around and come on back.
“There’s plenty of kids in this county need guidance,” she said. “Probably just as many as Michigan. Not too many positive role models around here anymore.”
He didn’t say anything, and she shrugged. “You think on it,” she said. “Think about that kid Rengo, alone in the woods. If there’s anyone in this world who needs a kick in the ass…”