Chapters (65)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Part One
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Part Two
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Part Three
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- About the Publisher
Digger lit the fire, then sat on the bed, watching the flames catch.
“What time is it?” I said.
“Like five,” he said. “I’m going back to bed.”
We crawled in and stayed still in the darkness. The fire crackled, and the place warmed up. “Hey, do you think there are wolves out there?” I asked.
Digger grunted. “Why?”
“I just wondered. Thought I heard howling.”
“There’s animals around here, I guess. This whole area is, like, prime hunting grounds.” He shifted around to get comfortable.
“They can’t hunt wolves, though, can they?”
“I dunno. Maybe not. I thought they were endangered or some shit,” said Digger.
“Well, I hope they don’t come near us.” I smiled, thinking that Digger would protect us. I wondered if he had a girlfriend down in Missouri or maybe one back home. He hadn’t said anything and I hadn’t asked.
“Nah. They’re afraid of us more than we’re afraid of them.”
“Okay, that’s good.” I checked on Nell. She was quiet in the crate. I leaned over Digger to get a peek at his watch. He opened his eyes and startled me. “I was just checking the time,” I said. The fire made a golden glow in the cabin, but it was still hard to see.
“Yeah, I didn’t think you were about to jump my bones,” he said.
“You wish,” I said, waiting for a reaction, but there was none. “No, I’m way too sore,” I said, pulling the covers up. “Besides, don’t you have a girlfriend?”
“No comment,” he said. “You dumped me, remember.”
I thought about arguing that point but decided to let it go.
He said, “Why’d you have to bring that up?”
“What?”
“Having sex,” he said. “Now I’m thinking about it.”
“You’re always thinking about it.”
“True,” he said, peeking to see me smile. “Just let me try to sleep.”
“So what time is it?”
“It’s five-fifteen, and why do you keep asking? We’re in the fucking woods. Are you on a tight schedule or something?”
“I’m trying to keep track of when she’s eating and peeing and things like that.”
“You’re not keeping this baby, why waste your time?”
“You don’t know that,” I said.
“Whoa whoa whoa,” he said, sitting up. “You told me you would give me five grand after they paid you.”