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
“They aren’t going to stop until they get what they’re after. The way I see it, we can either leave them to their game, or try and play it better than them.”
“I’m not running away,” she said. “Those deputies stole my dog, and they probably killed my husband, too. I’m not just going to forget that. Not after all this.”
He didn’t say anything for a minute. Just stood there and looked at her and the dog and looked around the room like he was thinking things over.
“We’re going to need a new vehicle,” he said finally. “If we’re ever going to get out of here and get past those deputies, I mean. If we’re going to see this thing through.”
She nodded. Felt that familiar tension start to take hold of her body, like she was wrapped up in a blanket and it was steadily getting tighter and tighter. See this thing through. She knew what that meant.
“I have about five hundred dollars left,” he continued. “First thing tomorrow we start looking for something. Doesn’t have to be pretty, so long as it runs.”
She said, “That’s fine,” and Burke stood there a little longer, like he was waiting for something else, and then he nodded once more with some kind of finality and disappeared into the bathroom, and she heard the shower start up.
She called Hank Moss while Burke was in the bathroom. The motel owner picked up on the fourth ring.
“It’s Jess Winslow,” she said. “You have a minute to talk?”
“Of course I do.” Moss sounded wide awake immediately. “Everything all right?”
“We got the dog back,” she said. “Me and Burke. But Kirby won’t be happy about it.”
Moss processed this a beat. “Yeah, I guess not.”
“You see him around? Like, has he come by your place or anything?”
“Not yet. But I expect he will, if he knows Burke was involved.”
“He does.”
“Best if Burke doesn’t come back, then. You, either, for a little while. You have any idea what you’re going to do now?”
She paused. “We’re going to fight them,” she said. “Find out what Ty was into, and why it got him killed. Figure out what those deputies are trying to get after.”
“You sure that’s a good idea, Jess? Those boys—”
“Aren’t scaring me off, Hank,” she said. “I have nothing left but what I have in Deception Cove, and I won’t let Kirby Harwood take it away.” She gave it a beat, but Hank didn’t say anything.
“We’re holed up in Neah Bay for the night,” she continued. “I think we’re good to the morning, but we’ll need new wheels if we want to get down that highway again. You still have that cousin has the body shop out this way, all those junkers parked in front?”