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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

He showers, and by the time he dresses for the day, the sun has come out.

Good. It gives him energy. Seems people have forgotten how much fear he can invoke and that he has friends in powerful places.

Maybe he should remind them.

A little maid, the newish one, is on her hands and knees in the kitchen, scrubbing the floors. He takes a moment to appreciate the view. When she sees him, she gets up, apologizes, and leaves the room so quickly she could have been a figment of his imagination. Moves with the flight instinct of prey.

She has the right kind of attitude, that one.

He notices that his hand is clenched in a fist but can’t place the moment the anger had taken over. But the maid had been aware of it. Of course she had. Scurried away like one of those lizards he so enjoys crushing. He imagines her, the little maid, under his boot. Squirming to get away. Her friends and family:

Wonder what happened to her?

She was crushed.

What do you mean, “crushed”?

Dead. Smashed into the ground. What else?

But he’s not actually mad about the little maid. It’s not her fault he’s so angry.

No, the blame lay with someone else entirely.

He calls his guy back. “Double it. Double the money.”

“You sure you want this woman so bad?”

Dao doesn’t even deign to respond to that idiotic question. Would he have done any of this, any of it, if he weren’t sure? “Call me when you find her.”

He leaves the house, whistling. He’s got an appointment with his Humas, his fixer, and this time heads are going to roll.

4

Step one of finding my enemy is to pick up my dog.

Whisper has nothing to do with it, per se, but I can’t be expected to embark on an important life journey like this without her. I left her in the care of my mentor, Sebastian Crow, who died while I was in Detroit. After a short, intense battle with cancer, he is now gone. Whisper has been with Seb’s ex, Leo Krushnik, ever since, and I’m just about tired of being without her. When Seb died, Leo said he would look after her until I get back.

When I show up in Vancouver at Seb’s Kitsilano town house, Leo closes the door on me.

I stuff my hands in my coat pocket and wait for a full minute on the doorstep. I can hear Whisper whining inside.

“Oh, alright,” Leo says, admonishing someone. Me or her, I’m not sure. He opens the door again, takes in my tired face, slumped posture, bleary eyes, and lets me in. His reluctance is a new stain on our relationship. We used to be on better terms, Leo and I, and I’m sad it has come to this.