BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (97)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. 1.
  6. 2.
  7. 3.
  8. 4.
  9. 5.
  10. 6.
  11. 7.
  12. 8.
  13. 9.
  14. 10.
  15. 11.
  16. 12.
  17. 13.
  18. 14.
  19. 15.
  20. 16.
  21. 17.
  22. 18.
  23. 19.
  24. SIX MONTHS LATER
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
  41. 36.
  42. 37.
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  44. 39.
  45. 40.
  46. 41.
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  48. 43.
  49. 44.
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  61. 56.
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  65. 60.
  66. 61.
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  80. 75.
  81. 76.
  82. 77.
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  84. 79.
  85. 80.
  86. 81.
  87. 82.
  88. 83.
  89. 84.
  90. 85.
  91. 86.
  92. 87.
  93. SIX MORE MONTHS LATER
  94. 88.
  95. 89.
  96. Discover More
  97. About the Author

“The guy with you that day…that was the killer?” She is suddenly serious. Quieter. The terror of it, the proximity, apparently coming back to her. She seems to push it forcefully away. Becomes brighter again. The cheerful, welcoming barista. “So what brings you back here, Red? What can I get you? On the house.” She looks at him.

He is quiet, earnest looking, attentive. And suddenly she breaks into a huge, knowing grin. “A job! You want a job. That’s what I can get you, huh?”

He smiles shyly again and nods.

“A TV hero like you? And you need a job?”

“Being a hero doesn’t come with a paycheck.” It’s not the first time it’s been said today.

She tosses a rag on the counter. Her expression darkens suddenly. “So what, you come in here, figure we’ll hire the local hero, the hero from the back table, so you can work here and make a few bucks while you figure out what you really want to do with your life? Is that it?”

Zack is blindsided by this sudden hostility.

She looks at him testily, irritably, challenging him to answer.

He looks back at her silently. Doesn’t deny it. How can he?

“You still with that girl you used to come in here with?”

He nods.

“So she’s tired of you hanging around the apartment, doing nothing, and she’s telling you to get a job, find something, anything, and this is the only thing you could think of.”

Zack looks at her with quiet astonishment. With admiration. An indication of how right she is.

She regards him appraisingly. Picks up the rag, slaps it over a shoulder, and says neutrally, “I’ll go talk to the manager, see what they’ll do.”

24.

24.

Joey awakens in the middle of the night to see a glow of light emanating from the bunk above.

Fuck. A cell phone. As if out of nowhere, Will’s got a fucking cell phone.

Joey shifts enough to see for sure. The cell phone’s glow illuminates Will’s face.

Will is texting speedily. Fingers flying. Second nature. Joey glares at him. In response, Will just gives him a little smile.

Joey sits up, is about to say something, ask Will where he got it, who he knows, but Will simply adds to his little smile a finger across his lips—shhshhshhshhshh…