BooksBarbecue
Back Season of Fear
Chapters (67)
  1. Contents
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. PART ONETHE EXTREMES
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. PART TWOSOMETHING BAD
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. PART THREECHAYLA
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. PART FOURHIT AND RUN
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. EPILOGUE
  67. AUTHOR’S NOTE

Then the gun was gone from her head. Gone, leaving her alive. Tarla could barely stand with nausea and relief. Birch’s blood pooled around her feet. It’s over, she thought, but she was wrong. The man in black pointed his gun at Lyle Piper. Lyle had a look of dazed confusion on his face, as if he had stumbled into a bad dream. Next to Lyle, Caprice’s young voice warbled like a soprano, screaming out words that climbed into disbelief, almost unrecognizable.

‘What are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing?’

Tarla watched in mute horror as the man fired again, one kill shot, no mercy. Just like that, Lyle keeled backward, and Caprice was spray-painted with blood and brain. He was dead, and she was alone.

One word, one scream, long and endless and riven with loss, wailed from the dais. ‘No no no no no no no!’

Vertigo descended on Tarla, overwhelming her senses. The world made circles, breaking up the way a kaleidoscope whirls and spins. She blinked once, and the gunman was gone, and she heard sirens and saw the multicolored flash of lights. She blinked again, and she was in a hospital bed miles away.

PART ONE

THE EXTREMES

1

‘Chayla,’ the union official said, stabbing the elevator button in the lobby of the Tampa Hyatt Regency. ‘What the hell kind of name is that for a storm?’

His younger companion chuckled as he sipped a Starbuck’s cappuccino, which left foam on his upper lip. ‘Hey, it’s better than Debby. Chayla sounds like some kind of evil witch, you know? Like she could seduce you and wipe out your home and you’d thank her for it. Debby, that’s like being mugged by a Girl Scout.’

‘Yeah, well, I don’t care what name they give the things. This baby hits, we’re talking hundreds of millions in damage. You guys are watching the weather maps?’

‘Sure we are. Some models have landfall on the Gulf Coast by Wednesday of next week, but it could still turn north to New Orleans, and all we’ll get is rain.’

The union official, whose name was Walter Fleming, poked a half-eaten chocolate donut at his well-dressed companion. As a rule, Walter didn’t like hotshot political aides. They were too smart for their own good. Nobody could be as dumb as really smart people, particularly when they worked for the government. ‘Just don’t blow this, okay? Nothing loses votes faster than a messed-up disaster. Especially if it hits next Wednesday, huh? The Fourth of July?’

The political aide smirked behind his coffee cup. ‘Relax, Walter. We’re on it. Besides, if it comes our way, it’s more work for your boys, right?’

Walter scratched his wiry gray crew-cut, which hadn’t changed since his Marine days. ‘It’s not about that, and don’t let anyone hear you talking that way.’