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Back No Going Back: a Novel Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Part 1
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. Part 2
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. Part 3
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. Part 4
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. Part 5
  60. 53
  61. 54
  62. 55
  63. 56
  64. 57
  65. 58
  66. Part 6
  67. 59
  68. 60
  69. 61
  70. 62
  71. 63
  72. 64
  73. 65
  74. 66
  75. 67
  76. 68
  77. 69
  78. 70
  79. 71
  80. 72
  81. Acknowledgments
  82. About the Author
  83. Also by Sheena Kamal
  84. About the Publisher

“Yes, Lam. We both saw him take a bullet.” He pulls a chair out for me and sits beside me. “Do you need medical attention? What’s going on?”

Brazuca takes my hand. I can’t bear the thought of pulling away right now. His touch anchors me, and I need it because there’s a shift taking place inside me. A growing awareness.

“Dao,” I say. “He was bent over, like he was injured.”

“Maybe he got shot. I wasn’t inside. Lam asked me to leave at the last moment.”

“No,” I say, frowning. “It looked like an old injury.”

“What are you talking about, Nora?”

“Why was he there? I thought you were supposed to make contact this morning.” I see the guilt on his face. But I can’t fault him for it. I have kept things from him, too.

“Made contact yesterday. Lam didn’t know about it.”

“You didn’t want me at the meeting.”

“Can you blame me? I didn’t want you in danger. The second he saw you everyone else faded away.” He pauses, not sure how to proceed. Two policemen come in and speak to the concierge, who’s consoling the mother of the bride.

Brazuca ignores them all. His attention is completely on me.

“I was a cop for a long time, and I saw some things . . . even when I worked for WIN Security, there were rough spots. You see the worst of humanity in these fields. The very worst. But, Nora, I’ve never seen so much hate in someone as I saw in Dao today. When he looked at you . . . every little bit of rage inside him is for you. It doesn’t make sense to me, but it’s the truth.”

That I’m the complete focus of Dao’s hatred doesn’t surprise me. I’m not sure anything can anymore. “What happened at the meeting?”

“I wasn’t there. I have no idea what went on in that house.”

“Dao was shot,” I say slowly.

He shakes his head. “Didn’t look that way to me. I’d just come in the back gate behind you when I saw him shoot Lam.”

There’s a tear in his blue T-shirt, at the shoulder, exposing a swath of skin that’s less burned than the skin on his face and arms. There’s nothing I want more than to press my fingertips to it, touch it with the tip of my tongue, taste the salt of man and sweat. Last night I hadn’t touched him there, not specifically in that place I’m staring at now. Other places, yes, but this river of skin flowing over muscle and bone is still uncharted territory for me. There’s still so much I don’t know about him.