BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
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  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
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  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
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  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

“Anyway, all I wanted to say was my buddy was from Kentucky, and it was a night like this. We were in the snow and we thought we had a real cold night ahead of us, and then out of his pack comes this bottle of Maker’s. If that don’t make you love the stuff, I don’t know what will.”

Sam took a long sip of her drink, then turned to Lance and said, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Lance shrugged.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she said.

“I don’t know, honey.”

“Seriously. What am I supposed to do with that?”

“Look,” he said. “I don’t know what to tell you. I was friends with your dad. I brought you here because of that.”

“You know I can’t go back, right? You know that’s the only reason I’m still here?”

Lance nodded. He knew she was afraid of her ex. He’d beat the crap out of her if he showed up now. But old habits died hard.

“It’s not so bad here, is it?”

“I don’t know, Lance,” she said, indicating the empty bar. “Buttfuck, Montana. You tell me.”

Lance finished his drink and ordered two beers.

“It’s not so bad here,” he said again, as much to himself as anyone.

Sam bit her lip. “You’ve lost your mind, haven’t you?” she said. “You’re one of those guys who comes back all loopy. Too many grenades went off close to your head.”

“Maybe,” he said.

“Seriously. What did you think? That I’d come home with you and just settle in? Become your daughter?”

“No,” he said.

“Then what, Lance? For God’s sake, what were you thinking?”

He took a sip of his beer. “Why don’t we just wait and see?” he said.

Sam sighed, but he could tell she was less angry than before.

“Just stay a few days,” he said. “See how you like it. It’s not like you’ve got anything to go back to.”

“Thanks to you,” she said.

Lance raised his bottle. “Thanks to me,” he said.

She shook her head, but clinked his bottle.

Two young guys came into the bar and they couldn’t have been better timed. They were right up her alley. Lance saw the way she looked at them.

He wondered if things might work out after all.

The bartender went to serve the guys, they were at a table near the fire, and Lance said, “You know I nailed that chick?”

Sam gave him a withering look. “Don’t make me throw up.”

5

Tatyana Aleksandrova didn’t have the heart of a killer.

But she killed.

She didn’t have the heart of a traitor.

But she did anything she had to.

She didn’t have the heart of a zealot.