BooksBarbecue
Back Heart of the Sun Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for the novels of Mia Sheridan
  3. About the Author
  4. NOTE TO READERS
  5. Dedication
  6. prologue
  7. chapter one
  8. chapter two
  9. chapter three
  10. chapter four
  11. chapter five
  12. chapter six
  13. chapter seven
  14. chapter eight
  15. chapter nine
  16. chapter ten
  17. chapter eleven
  18. chapter twelve
  19. chapter thirteen
  20. chapter fourteen
  21. chapter fifteen
  22. chapter sixteen
  23. chapter seventeen
  24. chapter eighteen
  25. chapter nineteen
  26. chapter twenty
  27. chapter twenty-one
  28. chapter twenty-two
  29. chapter twenty-three
  30. chapter twenty-four
  31. chapter twenty-five
  32. chapter twenty-six
  33. chapter twenty-seven
  34. chapter twenty-eight
  35. chapter twenty-nine
  36. chapter thirty
  37. chapter thirty-one
  38. chapter thirty-two
  39. chapter thirty-three
  40. chapter thirty-four
  41. chapter thirty-five
  42. chapter thirty-six
  43. chapter thirty-seven
  44. chapter thirty-eight
  45. chapter thirty-nine
  46. chapter forty
  47. chapter forty-one
  48. chapter forty-two
  49. chapter forty-three
  50. chapter forty-four
  51. chapter forty-five
  52. chapter forty-six
  53. chapter forty-seven
  54. chapter forty-eight
  55. epilogue
  56. acknowledgments

Christ. They were already holding me back and we hadn’t even started walking yet. I glanced at Charlie’s feet. They appeared about the size of my own. She wouldn’t fit in either of our shoes. “Do you have a pair of slippers?” I asked.

“Slippers?” Her brow dipped. “Um…yes. Hold on.” She bent to her suitcase and dug through it, retrieving a pair of pink fuzzy slippers.

I reached out and took one, turning it over. There was a thick layer of rubber on the bottom. “These’ll work,” I said. I took a pair of socks out of my duffel bag and tossed those and the slippers at her. She caught them against her chest, her mouth opening slightly. “Put these and the slippers on and let’s go.” She clutched the socks and slippers, her expression morphing into confusion. “Sixty seconds,” I said, “and then you can catch up.” I wrapped the duffel bag’s strap around my body, balancing the weight on my back. “Or not.”

I looked away, out to the horizon, planning my route and silently counting the seconds. When I’d reached sixty, I started walking. I heard lots of movement and huffing behind me, and then the sounds of their footsteps following, but I didn’t look back. If they couldn’t keep up, that was their problem. And yet, the way my ears perked up and my steps slowed the few times I didn’t hear them behind me made me suspect I was lying to myself about not giving a shit about leaving Emily alone in the wilderness. Either way, however, the minute we hit a farm, or some other form of civilization, remote or not, they were on their own. They could call their people to arrange a pickup, and I’d be on my way.

Where, Tuck? Where will you go now?

I had no answer to that question, and a hollowness opened up between my ribs, where the lump of terror and confusion from the plane crash had been. I wasn’t sure which one I preferred. I picked up my pace, stepping over rocks and brambles, my eyes focused on the faraway hill that I hoped would make it clear what direction I should travel.

image

chapter fifteen

Emily

My lungs burned and my thigh muscles ached as I practically jogged to keep up with Tuck. Next to me, Charlie looked winded too, although he was clearly struggling less as his legs were as long as Tuck’s.