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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

Lee comes back an hour later. Nora wasn’t at the clubhouse. Neither were the man and woman who’d taken her. “We’re looking for her,” Lee says. “But what’s this got to do with this fugitive?”

“Everything,” Brazuca says. “We find him, we’ll find her, too.”

“I think you need to do a better job of explaining what’s going on.”

“It’s going to take a while.” He tells Lee this not as a deterrent but more as a general warning.

“You’re lucky, bro. I’ve got all the time in the world. But hang on, let me get someone in here.” He goes to the door and brings in a woman.

Everything about her is shiny. Her blond hair, her lipstick. The silver pen she takes out to jot notes. The sheer brightness of her hurts his eyes.

“Detective Ellie Strauss, from the Fugitive Task Force,” she says. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Brazuca.”

Brazuca ignores the attempt at making nice, which is more in her tone than in her statement. He gets right down to it, this mess he’s found himself in with Nora. It does take a bloody long time to get through it all. As the minutes tick by, he can think of nothing but Nora’s life seeping away as Dao draws closer. He doesn’t even think of himself. Maybe that’s what a concussion does to you.

After they leave, he remembers when he was in Detroit, searching for Nora.

He’s under observation because of the head injury, the doctor had said. He’s doing some observing himself, which has turned from concern for Nora to the mess he’s created for himself by his inability to stay out of her life.

Sleep is elusive tonight, so he mostly stays up. Waiting. Thinking. He so badly wants Nora to be okay.

54

It’s just me and Baby in the bed of the pickup.

Baby and I?

A woman with dark red hair comes to mind. She’s someone’s mother, but not mine. She would know if it’s me or I. Whose mother is she? There’s something important I’m trying to grasp about mothers and their children. But I can’t figure it out.

It could be that I was left in the trunk of a pickup truck for far too many hours. By the growl in my stomach it could be a day. By my thirst, it feels a decade longer.

I think phones are the instrument of the devil, but I would have sold my firstborn child for one as it grows colder.

Then I remember that my firstborn child is what this is all about anyway, and I can’t sell what’s not mine. But I can still find a way to protect her.

The man waiting for me is prepared for a fight, but he isn’t expecting Baby.