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Back Season of Fear Save as PDF
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

It wasn’t light outside. He could barely see. He stretched out a hand to the warm indentation on the mattress, but the bed was empty. Lala was gone. There was no note and no message on his phone. He pushed himself up, propped against a pillow. Through the doorway to the living room, he could see that her clothes were gone, too. The sensation of their lovemaking lingered with a satisfying ache on his body, but if it hadn’t been for the faint essence of her perfume in the sheets, he wouldn’t have been able to swear she had ever been there.

38

Annalie rapped her knuckles on the window of the Thunderbird, and Peach bolted awake. She shook herself, reached across the car, and unlocked the passenger door. Her friend scrambled inside out of the rain.

Peach stared at the downtown streets. It was early. Tampa was a ghost town. She was in her usual parking place, spot 52 in the lot outside the Common Way research office. Around them, the storm felt like a living thing. The lot was filling up like a lake, and if the water got much deeper, she was afraid that her car would float away.

Peach gave her a quick, earnest hug. ‘I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to get here.’

‘We don’t have a lot of time,’ Annalie replied. ‘In another three or four hours, everything on the coast will be impassable. You should be home, Peach, not here. It’s not safe. What’s going on? Your message said something about Deacon.’

‘He’s gone. They took him.’

‘Who did?’

Peach took a breath and explained everything. She played his voicemail for Annalie, who frowned as Deacon talked about gun trafficking.

‘You saw blood?’ Annalie said quietly.

Peach nodded.

‘You’ve tried calling him?’

‘Over and over. No answer.’

Annalie was silent. The wind roared.

‘If he was asking questions about Frank Macy, it’s possible that Macy heard about it,’ Annalie said finally. ‘Someone could have tipped him off.’

‘But what is Macy doing?’ Peach asked. ‘What’s he up to?’

Annalie stared through the windshield. Drips of rain slid down her face. ‘Whatever it is, it’s not good.’

Peach folded her hands tightly together. ‘You think he killed Deacon, don’t you?’

‘I have no idea, Peach,’ Annalie said. ‘I hope not.’

‘We need to find Macy.’

Annalie grabbed her wrist. ‘We don’t need to do anything. Not you.’

‘I can’t just sit here.’

‘Go into the office. Go through Justin’s e-mails. Go through Deacon’s e-mails. See if you can find anything that would tell us what Macy is doing or where we can find him.’