BooksBarbecue
Back Deceptions Save as PDF
Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for Kelley Armstrong and the Cainsville Series
  3. Also by Kelley Armstrong
  4. Dedication
  5. CHAPTER ONE
  6. CHAPTER TWO
  7. CHAPTER THREE
  8. CHAPTER FOUR
  9. CHAPTER FIVE
  10. CHAPTER SIX
  11. CHAPTER SEVEN
  12. DOWNWARD SPIRAL
  13. CHAPTER EIGHT
  14. CHAPTER NINE
  15. OUTCLASSED
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. SEEING RED
  20. A REASONABLE MAN
  21. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  22. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  23. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  24. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  25. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  26. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  27. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  31. NOT EVIL
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  36. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  37. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  38. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  43. CURTAINS
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  46. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  47. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  48. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  49. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  56. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  57. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  58. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  59. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  60. GONE
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  63. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  64. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  65. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  66. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  67. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  68. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  69. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  70. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  71. TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE
  72. CHAPTER SIXTY
  73. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  74. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  75. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  76. About the Author

“It is.” A crooked smile. “Luckily, when the housing market crashed, I got it for less. But it was nice to achieve that goal earlier than I expected.” He undid the top button on his shirt and leaned back, his hands braced behind him. “I wouldn’t mind a secondary residence. As an investment, of course. That’s the only way I could justify it. But . . .” He took off his shades, the sun having dropped almost below the horizon. “Someplace quieter. The condo is quiet, in its way . . .”

“But it’s still in the heart of a very big city.”

“It is.”

I took a hit from the wine bottle. “So tell me what you’d want. Perfect world. No practicalities.”

“There are always practicalities.”

“Pretend there aren’t.”

When he said, “I don’t think I can,” there was a look in his eyes almost like panic.

“Allow for them, then,” I said. “Just don’t dwell on them. What would you want? Forest, lake, mountain, ocean . . .”

“Meadow,” he said. “Not the most exciting landscape—”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s whatever you want.”

“Meadow, then,” he said. “Grass as far as the eye can see. A stream running through it. Forest around it, blocking everything else. I’d build a house . . .”

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

We talked about our dream homes. Then we talked about whatever came to mind, chasing tangents as we emptied the bottle and evening turned to night, the moon reflecting off the water, lighting the dark shore to twilight.

It wasn’t just the alcohol. We’d hit a milestone, a huge one, and though it didn’t solve Gabriel’s problem—he was still charged with murder—that didn’t seem to matter tonight. It was a start, and that false charge was connected to my parents’ crimes, which meant it was still progress.

Tonight, we had wine and we had solitude. And I had him. For one night, I had Gabriel—really had him, the secret him, the hidden one, lazing on the bank, shirtsleeves rolled up, those light blue eyes like faded jeans, warm and comfortable. I had him talking. I had him smiling. I even had him laughing. And as I lay on my side, watching him tell me a story, I knew I loved him. I couldn’t brush it off as “not that way,” as platonic love, as intellectual love. It was that way.