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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

Bonnie turns off her light and takes a peek out her bedroom window.

There’s no one out there.

Just like the other hundred times she’d looked, waking in the middle of the night with an unsettling feeling, only to peer into the darkness. “Stupid,” she mutters to herself.

She doesn’t see the car lingering farther down the street, engine off, driver masked in darkness. Hadn’t noticed it had been there for a few hours. Doesn’t see it pull away several minutes after her light goes off.

No, by then she’s fast asleep.

8

When Brazuca opens the door to the Hastings Street office the next morning, the dog lifts her head, assesses him, and finds him unworthy of further contemplation. She puts her head back down. Not surprising. He’s never had much luck with females of any species. Why should this be any different?

He finds Nora slumped over Leo’s desk, Leo’s laptop in front of her. Within a moment of him entering the room, she wakes. A switch that’s instantly flipped on.

“Did you come in through the back?” he asks.

“Of course. No one saw me.”

He goes into the kitchenette and puts on a pot of coffee. He has spent the past several weeks obsessing over Nora’s safety, and here she is, sleeping in the office. Seeing her at Leo’s desk gives him a sense of relief that he refuses to analyze too closely. He tells himself that what he feels for Nora could never be sexual, except it had been, once.

He hears Nora leave with Whisper, but they’re back in about ten minutes, Nora brushing the snow from her fall jacket. She joins him in the kitchen, somehow knowing the moment when the coffee is finished. They take their mugs of hot coffee back to Leo’s office.

“Bonnie sent me photos of the tattoo she remembers. She’s been drawing it. It matches the Three Phoenix ink. I also found this.”

On the computer screen she shows him an image he’s well familiar with. Of Jimmy Fang standing in front of a shrine with his shirt off, the distinctive talon tattoo inked on his chest.

Brazuca nods. “That’s the old school of gangsters. I hear some of them are moving on from identifiable tattoos. Which is why Dao must have been upset to see Three Phoenix ink on Kai Zhang. Not only did he not earn it, but it’s also not the way some of them do business anymore. Stands out too much.”

“I’ve been catching up on Three Phoenix,” Nora says. “There’s not a lot about them on the web. They went underground twenty years ago. And, you’re right. The last time they were on anyone’s radar was when Jimmy Fang was arrested. He jumped bail, disappeared. I was just getting into the charges.”