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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

Brazuca was just in the middle of putting on his seat belt, but it wasn’t fastened. His head goes slamming into the wheel.

I get whiplash, but I’m belted in so there’s nowhere to go. I’m still stunned by the suddenness of it. My door is yanked open, and a man I vaguely recognize reaches over, unbuckles my seat belt, and hauls me out. He shoves me into the bed of the truck.

Brazuca is left behind, bleeding from the head.

Part 5

53

When Brazuca wakes, he’s in the hospital but he can’t open his eyes. His lids have anchors on them. “Nora,” he rasps.

“Easy there, bud,” says a familiar voice. “Let me tell the doc you’re awake.”

Brazuca hears footsteps, and then Lee, his old partner from Homicide, returns with a doctor. By this time, he can just manage to open his eyes to slits. It’s too sudden, the room too bright. He blinks, and when he tries again, his vision clears a little.

“Where’s Nora?” he asks the both of them, his voice sounding as though it belongs to someone else, someone who slurs. For a terrifying moment he’s transported back to his days as an alcoholic, to the few times he got blackout drunk and couldn’t say a clear word when he woke up. But then he thinks of the crash and remembers why he’s been asking for Nora in the first place.

“You’ve got a concussion,” says the doctor. “And fractures to your skull. You’re pretty banged up, Mr. Brazuca, but you’ll live.”

“Nora Watts.”

The doctor whispers something to a nurse, and they both leave. Lee remains standing.

“Tell me,” says Brazuca.

“Your tiny little goddamn car I’ve told you to upgrade a million times was rear-ended this morning by a stolen pickup truck. We caught the plates on a red-light camera. The pickup was driven by a woman. According to a witness, upon striking your vehicle, a man exited the passenger side of the vehicle, approached the passenger side of your vehicle, and pulled a woman out of your car. The woman was put in the bed of the pickup, which was then locked. The truck took off. It was heading for the highway. Then we lost it.”

“How long?”

Lee hesitates.

“How long have I been out, Chris?”

“Four hours.”

“Shit.”

“It’s a stolen vehicle, and we put out an alert for the car as well as Nora. Do you have any idea where they would have taken her?”

Brazuca tells them about the bar she’d just gone strolling into.

“A biker clubhouse? You sure that chick messed with a biker gang?”

Brazuca nods wearily. That’s Nora alright.