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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

With his dark eyes wiped of expression, Ito reminds him of Nora. Who used to look at him in a similar fashion. Like she could see right through him.

To add to his troubles, just minutes after the interview, Krushnik calls to ask if there’s been any news. He can hear the dog barking in the background, so he ends the conversation as quickly as he can. The noise is like a jackhammer pounding into his head.

Back in Detroit, Nora survived a burning warehouse. What a cruel joke if she’d been the one burned in the pickup. A cruel, cosmic joke that only happens to people like her. Who were living on borrowed time, anyway.

She should have died a long time ago, he thinks.

Then he wonders where that thought came from.

56

If she’d been wearing steel-toed boots when she kicked me, my back would have been broken and my cheekbone shattered.

I’m in so much pain, even still, that I don’t know how much time has passed. Eventually the car stops and I’m pulled out again, this time carefully, with Nguyen holding Brazuca’s gun on me while his goon drags me from the inside of a garage into a basement.

Nguyen follows us down.

His man zip-ties me to a chair as Nguyen watches. From the way he’s looking at me, I get the impression he isn’t one of those sick fucks who takes pleasure in other people’s pain. He’s just okay with it as long as it serves his purposes.

“So much trouble,” he says to me. “For just one woman.”

“I’m going to die . . . tell me . . .”

“Yes, you’re going to die. You fucked with the wrong person, lady. I feel sorry for you to be on Dao’s bad side.”

“It was you,” I say. “You helped him escape. Back then. You helped him . . . now.”

“He paid good money for it. He had a lot put away in China from some of our other businesses, and Ray Zhang left him some dough, too, but he didn’t care about that anymore. He just wanted to know where you were, what did you look like, were you happy. I told him, who cares if you were happy? Just get rid of you if you’re such a problem. And I thought when he said yes to the hit in Detroit, that was the end of it. Then you come back and he wants more eyes on you, plus on the little bitch pup of yours in Toronto.”

“Boss,” says the goon. “What do you want me to do with this?” He holds out Brazuca’s gun.

“Ditch it.”

“How long we gonna keep her here?”