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?

A charcoal smell reminded Peter to take the sandwiches off the skillet. He cut them in half and set them on plates, then refilled the coffee cups and sat.

“Okay,” he said. “Knowing all that, are you still okay with me going after him?”

“Not you, Marine. Us.” June thumped him on the sternum with her forefinger. She put some force behind it. “We are going after him.”

He caught her hand and held it. “Maybe you should sit this one out. This guy’s really scary.”

She pulled her hand away, freckles flaring as her face flushed. “I don’t need your permission, Peter. Helene needs a woman on her side. And I can take care of myself.”

After someone had tried to kill June several times in Milwaukee, she had doubled her time at a mixed martial arts gym and at the gun range Lewis had built in the basement of an old industrial building he owned. She’d even spent a couple of weeks at a private military training facility in Tennessee, practicing tactics in the field. But it didn’t change how Peter felt.

“June, please. I can’t take on Roy and worry about you, too.”

Lewis gave Peter a tilted smile. “Jarhead, she already a better pistol shot than you. Hand to hand, she as good as half the instructors at that gym. Plus she an actual investigator, unlike you and me. Short answer, she a dangerous woman, and we need her.”

June beamed at him. “That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

Lewis gave her a fist bump. “It ain’t a compliment if it’s the truth.”

Peter just shook his head and bit into his sandwich.

54

Chewing, Peter said, “So if we don’t know anything about Roy, how do we find him?”

June drank some coffee. “If he were a normal person, I’d say look at family and friends. The only relative I found was his grandfather, who was the last owner of that property on the river, and he’s dead. If Wiley has parents or siblings, I can’t find them. We don’t have a last name for Frank. Hollywood and Pony Boy are dead. And you won’t find his friends by mining his socials, because he doesn’t have any socials.”

“I don’t think he’s got any actual friends,” Lewis said. “Everyone he knows, he’s using for something. Like his poker buddies, milking them for information. He sure ain’t telling them anything real.”

“I agree,” Peter said. “Campbell and the DCI will be all over those guys. But if we’re right about Roy, why is he so attached to Helene? He killed four officers just to take her back.”

“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Lewis said. “Why didn’t he kill her, too?”