BooksBarbecue
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

No potential client has ventured through those doors since I’ve been here, and everyone in the office seems quite accustomed to the emptiness. So much so that we have conversations out in the open where anyone could walk in on us. Like at this moment, for example. Lam stands in the doorway, holding a wool overcoat. He’s wearing a three-piece suit, with his tie arranged just so. All that’s missing is a sidekick and bowler hat, and then he could really be a Sherlock Holmes cosplayer.

“Good morning, Jon.” He nods to Brazuca and then looks at me. “Hello again, Nora. You turn up at the strangest places, you know? I’m in the middle of setting up a meeting with Peter Vidal to support his new development, and then you show up panting after him like a puppy.”

I’ve been accused of worse things than showing up in strange places, but never in my life have I ever panted after anyone. I’m not about to let that one go. “I show up to talk to a businessman with connections to the criminal world and I find you, offering to give him money. What should I make of that?”

He grins. “I’ve always liked you.”

Brazuca looks as surprised by this statement as I am. Why be loose with your affection when you can hoard it inside you until it shrivels and dies? I can see Lam is telling the truth, that he does like me, but it doesn’t explain why he feels the need to be here to tell me that. There’s only one reason for his sudden visit that makes any kind of sense to me, but he’s prepared to make me wait.

That’s okay. I’m prepared to dig in. From the looks of it, so is Brazuca.

Eventually Lam gets bored of the stalemate and begins to speak.

“A woman I knew died of an overdose. She took some coke that was contaminated with a synthetic opiate. Jon was looking into the supply chain for me and had come across a Three Phoenix connection. Apparently, the drugs came from underground manufacturing facilities in China. Three Phoenix, though they are dismantled, have a shadow network here they use from time to time for things like drug distribution.”

“What’s that got to do with Dao?”