Chapters (110)
- Cover
- ALSO BY J. TODD SCOTT
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- PROLOGUE
- I
- II
- PART ONE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- PART TWO
- 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
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- PART THREE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- PART FOUR
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- EIGHTY-FOUR
- EPILOGUE
- I
- II
- III
- IV
- V
- VI
- VII
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Excerpt from LOST RIVER
- LITTLE PARIS
- DILLON
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- What’s next onyour reading list?
Danny nodded. “I think we’re all dealing with some shit. All of us. How could we not? The things we saw, the things we did.” He raised his hand for some more beers. Neither of them needed any more, but then again, maybe they did. “For me, it’s these dreams. I’ve started having crazy dreams . . . about Wanat . . . about Newberry . . . about everything that happened after that, in Rumnar . . .”
West looked away. “Rumnar was some fucked-up shit. We were all on edge after what happened in Wanat, and then Newberry going out like he did. Rumnar shouldn’t have happened, but . . . Jesus . . .” West trailed off. “I haven’t thought of any of that in a long time. I didn’t want to.”
Danny nodded. “I know, me either. But maybe we should. Maybe we’re supposed to.”
—
THEY TALKED ON INTO THE NIGHT, about things and places they hadn’t talked about in years—about things they had never talked to anyone else about out loud—until the Gopher Hole cleared out and it was just the two of them. It was a hard talk, trying to put into words thoughts and feelings and fears that there weren’t any good words for, but it was also like clearing the air of thick, dark smoke. Like finding a small shaft of sunlight down in all those black holes Danny had been dreaming of. He felt better just for having tried, and promised to talk to a real VA professional about what he was dealing with if West made the same promise, and he did.
The talk alone was worth the drive, and it almost made Danny forget the real reason he’d come.
But now their bartender, the small blonde named Courtney—with her big earrings and her long hair pulled back—was flipping through a magazine waiting for them to finish up, so she could finally turn down the lights and go home.
The bar reminded Danny of Earlys, which also reminded him of Amé. West was nudging his shoulder. “I think our girl Courtney over there likes you. She hasn’t been able to keep her eyes off of you the whole time. I mean, maybe it’s me she’s looking at, but she’s not my type. Too plain Jane, too safe. I evidently like mine Hispanic and crazy and dangerous.”
Danny laughed, and started fishing for bills out of his wallet. “Well, looking is free, but these beers aren’t. There’s this girl back in Murfee anyway . . .”
West went from nudging his shoulder to punching it, three hard shots that sent a shiver down Danny’s arm. “Goddamn, we’ve been sitting here this whole time and you didn’t say anything? That’s why you’ve been eyeballing that phone of yours all night, checking for texts. You officially hooked now? She keeping you on a short leash?”