BooksBarbecue
Back The Runaway
Chapters (80)
  1. Cover
  2. TITLES BY NICK PETRIE
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  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. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  79. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  80. What’s next onyour reading list?

Hollywood extracted himself and got some distance from the car.

Frank took another step away and closed his eyes.

Roy walked around to the rear of the cruiser. The engine roared, nearing redline. The accelerator would be pressed to the floor.

Roy didn’t say another word. He just set both hands against the back of the SUV and gave a push.

The jack tipped forward and the rear wheels dropped.

The tires spun on the gravel, then grabbed.

The cruiser took off like a shot, with Peter locked in the back and nobody at the controls.

The road ahead was perfectly straight for almost a mile.

Directly after Bobbie’s driveway, it ended.

48

The cruiser sped up and the world slowed to a crawl.

Peter had driven that road. He knew what would happen.

After the driveway, there was no dirt berm, no fence or guardrail.

Just a short stretch of grass and the long, steep, broken hillside falling down to the river.

The speedometer was already at forty.

—

The world grew slower still.

With infinite adrenaline clarity, he knew a terrible truth.

He had failed Helene.

He had also failed the two people in Roy’s freezer. He had failed the person whose bones lay in those tangled Nebraska woods. He had failed the four dead officers on the road by Bobbie’s house, along with everyone Roy would go on to harm tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that. There would be more deaths, Peter was certain.

But mostly, he’d failed Helene. Who had given him her trust. Her faith.

He had condemned her to a bottomless pit of pain, hell on earth.

The speedometer needle hit fifty.

—

He thought about his last conversation with June, her voice over the phone, the way he could picture her face as if she were right there beside him. Her green eyes, the freckles spread like a galaxy across her face. The strength of her arms. How often, when he had stumbled, she had carried his weight so he did not fall.

He thought about Lewis, well on his way to South Dakota now, who would probably have to identify Peter’s body, mangled though it might be. Lewis was so very different from Peter, except for all the ways that mattered. How many times had Lewis saved Peter’s life?

In his mind, Peter shouted at his friend. Turn around, Lewis. Go back home. Hug your wife and children. But Lewis couldn’t hear him. Even if he could, he wouldn’t listen. Just like Peter wouldn’t turn away from Lewis or June or Lewis’s family, Lewis wouldn’t turn away from Peter.

Even if Peter was dead or damaged beyond repair. Perhaps especially.

Lewis would want to avenge Peter. He would need to.

With June, Lewis would hunt Roy to the ends of the earth. Nothing Peter could say or do would change that.

Maybe they would succeed.