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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

On the way out, I say good-bye to Ivan, who’s standing guard by the back gate, near a statue of a mermaid. It looks like he wants to say something to me but stops himself before he forms the words. That’s okay. I don’t need to hear them. I understand a warning, even an unspoken one. It’s what he’s warning me about that concerns me. It occurs to me that I should tell him I have no plans to put his boss in danger, but what does it matter what I say? Besides, Lam is putting himself in trouble just fine without my help.

Maybe that’s why Ivan looks so upset—or would, if he was capable of showing any emotion at all.

I take the path leading from the suite to the beach. It’s not a private beach; it only seems that way. Leo doesn’t answer the phone when I call, so I try Stevie Warsame and ask him if there are people still watching the office.

“Not that I’ve found,” he says. It’s very early in the morning there, and I wonder what he’s doing up. But I don’t ask. “Krushnik thinks he’s spotted someone. Even called the cops about it, but these guys are good. They don’t stay long. I would spend more time on it, but I got two cases I’m dealing with.”

“Leo isn’t helping out?”

“No, and I gotta talk to him about that. Brazuca up and disappeared, too. What the fuck is going on here? I didn’t sign up to run this company.”

He sounds so aggravated I don’t point out that he is a partner at the firm. I wouldn’t want to run a PI outfit, either, but no one has ever made me a partner of anything.

“You coming back anytime soon?” he asks. “I could use the help. Did you ever get your PI license? I knew you were working on it before you left us.”

“No,” I say. “I’d like to, but you can’t count on me right now.”

“Don’t I know it,” he snaps.

I sit on a lounge chair by the beach for a long time afterward. A man who resembles Brazuca walks up from the beach and into the hotel, but at this distance I can’t be sure it’s him. Maybe it’s the sound of the water or the cool, salty breeze coming off it, but I have no desire to leave this lounge chair. I doze on and off while lovers whisper to each other from nearby lounges and Bob Marley seeps from speakers nearby. Even though we’re nowhere near Jamaica, there’s nothing like a beach and Bob Marley. That’s what people think, anyway.