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Back The Hallows Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carefully, he began climbing the ladder. It was only a matter of time before he made his way over here, and I certainly was not bringing a pitchfork to a gunfight. I slowly put it down and started to crawl toward the ladder.

“You know what? I don’t feel like chasin’ you around. I think I’m going to Gates’s house.”

I froze.

“I’ve seen the way she looks at you. And I bet you’re just stupid enough to actually care for a bitch, ain’t ya? How ’bout I go over there and cut her tits off? What do you think, Counselor? You think she’d like that?”

He looked around and then headed back to the ladder to climb down.

“Wait.” I rose, my hands in the air. “Wait, I’m coming down.”

If I had to die, I had to die, but that was the one person in the world I wasn’t going to let die with me. I climbed down the ladder as he did the same. He came up close and pressed the muzzle of the gun against my head. I closed my eyes and held my breath.

“Here’s the deal. I want that million bucks.”

I opened my eyes. “No way you let me live.”

“No, no way. But . . . I give you my word I leave Gates alone after I get that money.”

“No offense, but your word ain’t exactly the most reliable.”

“Yeah, but what choice you got?”

I swallowed. “Good point.”

He reached with his free hand for his cuffs, and that’s when I slapped the .45 away. I tackled him as it went off, the crackle of the gun deafening me. We hit the ground, and he elbowed me in the face, cracking my nose. I lifted myself off him and swung down with blow after blow, but it didn’t seem to hurt him. I cracked him in the teeth, knocking one loose. Blood oozed from his mouth, and he laughed.

He flung me off him like a doll and rose to his feet. I lay out of breath, my knuckles bleeding, on the dirt floor.

“Forget this bullshit,” he said. “You’re too much trouble.”

He lifted the gun.

81

81

I looked into that gun and thought of Gates. Of the life I should’ve had. Most of my life had been spent acting like someone else. They say that depression is your mask, telling you that you’re tired of the role you’ve been putting on for everyone else. My mask had had enough and was just tired. I closed my eyes and pictured Gates the night we rode under the moonlight on her ranch, the smell of grass in my nostrils.

“Mark!”

I opened my eyes and saw Will enter the barn with two officers. The cops had their guns drawn. One officer stepped forward and said, “Mark, put your weapon down.”