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?

No, that was wrong. She did feel something. The faintest of tugs, deep inside her. Like when a loose baby tooth, hanging by a thread, finally falls free. The sweet taste of your own blood in your mouth, the soft, tender socket that you probe with your tongue. Where something important had once been. Her soul, maybe.

“Honey,” Roy said. “What do you think? Was I right to kill them?”

She looked him in the eye and showed him her teeth. “Yes.”

Roy elbowed Frank. “See?”

From the warmth of his smile, she knew it was the right answer. And she meant it.

She wondered what else she would have to say or do to protect herself and her baby.

—

Roy helped her into the truck. Frank palmed the wheel in a U-turn and left the carnage behind them. “Galveston’s a thousand miles,” he said. “If we push it, we can be there by suppertime.”

Helene sat in the middle. Roy had his hand on her thigh, sliding under her skirt. “We’re not going to Galveston,” he said. “Not yet.”

Frank said, “Roy, it’s over. We don’t know how much the police have, but they know who we are, or they will. We left four dead cops back there. We can’t wait, we have to stick with the plan. Swing by that other place and pick up what you need. Then drive south and get a boat like we talked about. Make our way to South America. Swim in the ocean every day, let it wash everything away. Wash us clean, Roy. That’s what you always said.”

“You’re right, Frankie, I did.” Roy gave him the warm smile. “And we’ll get there, I promise. I just have a few things to do first.”

Roy turned the smile on Helene. “A little family visit. After all, we’re married. What’s yours is mine, right?”

They came to a crossroads. “Head east,” Roy said.

Toward Minnesota.

That’s when she knew Roy wasn’t done punishing her yet.

50

JUNE

June Cassidy had her phone in her hand, looking from the map to the road and back. Beside her, Lewis kept his foot down and the rented Explorer leapt forward.

It was almost four a.m. They’d flown into Sioux Falls ninety minutes ago. Lewis knew a guy with a plane. Lewis always knew a guy.

June had tried to nap in the little single-engine turboprop, but she was too worried about why Peter hadn’t responded to her follow-up texts or voicemails. He had plenty of shortcomings as a boyfriend, but communication wasn’t one of them, at least not anymore. She’d distracted herself with research online, looking for Roy.