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Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Also by Silas House
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. Contents
  7. Part One
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. Part Two
  27. 1
  28. 2
  29. 3
  30. 4
  31. 5
  32. 6
  33. 7
  34. 8
  35. 9
  36. 10
  37. Part Three
  38. 1
  39. 2
  40. 3
  41. 4
  42. 5
  43. 6
  44. 7
  45. 8
  46. 9
  47. 10
  48. 11
  49. 12
  50. 13
  51. 14
  52. 15
  53. 16
  54. 17
  55. 18
  56. 19
  57. 20
  58. 21
  59. 22
  60. 23
  61. 24
  62. 25
  63. 26
  64. 27
  65. 28
  66. 29
  67. 30
  68. 31
  69. Part Four
  70. 1
  71. 2
  72. 3
  73. Epilogue: The Everything
  74. Acknowledgments
  75. About the Author
  76. About Algonquin
  77. Copyright

One of the women is leaned over so that her titties are plainly visible. Lately he has started to think that titties are about the best things in the world so Justin can’t help but stare at them jiggling there right in front of him. When the woman looks up from Shady she caps her hand over her cleavage, but a little smile plays on her face.

“What a sweet doggie,” the other woman says. She’s letting Shady lick her entire face. Justin starts to tell her that Shady sometimes eats his own poop but he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to say much so he can move on. He’s got something important to do.

“Are you from here?” the woman with the pretty titties says to him.

“Yes,” he lies. It’s easy. “I have to go.”

He pulls at Shady with the leash and they trudge away. He hates to be rude but he knows he doesn’t have much time before his father finds him.

Before long there is the church, which seems very big when he stands on the sidewalk and arches his neck back to look at the white cross at the top of the tower. There’s nobody about but there is a sign with small white letters:

st. paul’s episcopal church welcomes you

sunday

7:30 a.m. eucharist i

9:30 a.m. eucharist ii w/choir and incense

So Justin tries the door to see if it is already open. Sure enough, it is. Shady doesn’t want to go in, but Justin tugs at his leash and he obeys, padding lightly on the tiles like he doesn’t like the feel of them.

There are voices back beyond the communion rails, people from the church getting everything ready. Shady eases alongside him as they move their way up front.

“Justin?” Luke is moving toward him with his white robe billowing. “What are you doing here?”

Luke stands before him and the robe settles around his legs. Luke glances down at Shady like he’s not supposed to be inside the sanctuary but as far as Justin is concerned the dog has the right to be there as much as anybody. “I need to talk to my granny,” Justin tells him. “And then I need you to take me back home. That way Dad can stay here with Evona, and he won’t get caught.”

30

30

A rectangle of sunlight settles on Asher’s eyes and causes him to awake. A rooster crows. These last few days have worn him out and he can’t seem to get caught up on his sleep. This morning he awakes feeling less rested than when he lay down. Still, he can’t go back to sleep.