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Chapters (98)
  1. Author’s Note
  2. Tuesday
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. Wednesday
  21. 1
  22. 2
  23. 3
  24. 4
  25. 5
  26. 6
  27. 7
  28. 8
  29. 9
  30. 10
  31. 11
  32. 12
  33. 13
  34. 14
  35. 15
  36. Thursday
  37. 1
  38. 2
  39. 3
  40. 4
  41. 5
  42. 6
  43. 7
  44. 8
  45. 9
  46. 10
  47. 11
  48. 12
  49. 13
  50. 14
  51. 15
  52. 16
  53. Friday
  54. 1
  55. 2
  56. 3
  57. 4
  58. 5
  59. 6
  60. 7
  61. 8
  62. 9
  63. 10
  64. 11
  65. 12
  66. Saturday
  67. 1
  68. 2
  69. 3
  70. 4
  71. 5
  72. 6
  73. 7
  74. 8
  75. 9
  76. 10
  77. 11
  78. 12
  79. 13
  80. 14
  81. 15
  82. Sunday
  83. 1
  84. 2
  85. 3
  86. 4
  87. 5
  88. 6
  89. 7
  90. 8
  91. 9
  92. 10
  93. 11
  94. 12
  95. 13
  96. Tuesday
  97. 1
  98. Afterword

She shrugged. “That’s up to you. But I tell you true, your daddy ain’t got nothin’ to fear from us.”

“How about me?” Jack said. “What happens when I turn my back on you and your clan?”

“Nothin’. You can’t find me my shell if you’re dead, now, can you.” She turned to the clan. “Ain’t that right, fellers.” They looked at one another but didn’t say much. Semelee’s expression turned fierce. “Ain’t that right ? Cause I hate to think what would happen to anybody who stopped this man from doin’ what I need him to do.”

Jack saw a lot of uneasy, fearful expressions as the men nodded and lowered their weapons.

What kind of hold did she have on them? What could that slim little woman threaten them with?

Taking a breath and hoping he wasn’t making a mistake, Jack holstered the Glock and walked back to the canoe. He stepped into the water, pushed off, and slid in. A couple of pulls got the engine going. He putted away, propelled by the weight of dozens of eyes on his back.

6

“Why’d you let him go?” Luke said.

Semelee stood on the bank and watched Jack’s retreating form as he turned the canoe left and disappeared around the bend.

“Told you why.”

“You believe him?”

She could hear lots of anger in his voice. She knew he was jealous, but she figgered his pride had got hurt bein’ on the wrong end of Jack’s gun.

“Yeah, I do.”

She wasn’t sure why, but she had the feeling that he’d thought there was only one shell until she told him otherwise.

“You’re actin’ like a fool, Semelee. We coulda gone lookin’ for that eye-shell ourselfs.”

“Yeah? Like where? Like how? We can’t go to the hospital and ask about it when I wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. We can’t search his daddy’s place like he can.”

“We coulda tried. Way it stands now we ain’t never gonna see him or your other eye-shell again.”

“Oh, we’ll see him again…one way or the other.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Didn’t you hear him? He said he promised Carl he’d get him back home. If he finds the shell he’ll be back to make the trade. But even if he don’t find it he’ll be comin’ for Carl. He’ll take him home again or spread a whole lotta hurt tryin’.”

Luke snorted. “What makes you think you know so much about him? You ain’t spoke to him but twice.”

She turned to him. “Let me tell you somethin’, Luke. That’s a man who keeps his promises.”