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Back Seasons of Chaos Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Dedication
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. Epilogue
  66. Acknowledgments
  67. About the Author
  68. Books by Elle Cosimano
  69. Back Ad
  70. About the Publisher

“Are you crazy?” Chill hisses, catching up with me as we pass the rows of empty cells. “You can’t go to that suite alone. You’ll be walking into a trap.”

“I’ve walked into worse.”

He grabs my elbow and drags me to a stop. “You can’t go after Doug like this. Not while you’re . . .”

I round on Chill. “Not while I’m what? While I’m her Handler? Because last time I checked, keeping her alive was my job.”

Chill backs off. He’d be a hypocrite to argue, and he knows it.

“I screwed up once. I won’t do it again.” My teeth clench around the memory of the night I last saw her. “I’m going to find her. And I’m going to bring her back.”

Chill nods. His eyes skip to Kai, where she waits at the mouth of the tunnel. He takes me by the ear—the same ear where my transmitter used to sit, where his voice kept me company, watching over me through every winter, every hunt—and shakes it gently. “Don’t do anything stupid. Stay low. Keep your back to the wall and keep your exits in sight. If anything feels wrong, get out of there. Three hours. Then I’m coming after you.”

He holds out his knuckles. I bump them gently with mine.

“Three hours,” I promise.

“Jack!” Kai’s voice stops me as I turn for the north tunnel. “Thank you. For everything,” she says quietly. “I hope you find Fleur.”

I nod. Guilt thickens my throat. I can’t wish her the same. But she deserves to know the truth. I pull a set of lockpicks from the case she gave me and hold them out between us. “I’m sorry for anything I might have done to hurt you before.”

A sad smile touches her lips as she takes them. “Water under the bridge, right? Be safe, Jack.”

I watch until she and Chill disappear from sight.

41

A Few Might Tangle

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FLEUR

The smaze zips around me, agitated and urgent as it circles my leg. The key card I swiped from Doug’s pocket in the shower slips from my hand. I bend to pick it up, shaking so badly it takes me two more tries to slide it over the sensor. A huge unit of Guards tore through the catacombs as I was sneaking out, their boots thundering through the walls of an adjacent tunnel, searching for me. Doug’s voice had boomed over their radios, confirming that he was down there, too. It won’t take them long to pick up my scent and track it here. This office used to be Michael’s. Then it had been Lyon’s. I can only assume it’s Doug’s now, and I hope it wasn’t a mistake to follow the smaze here.

I slide the key card over the sensor again.