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?
Given the look on Danny’s face, Marco was starting to agree. “I don’t even know what ‘this’ is. He told me not to do anything, just call if I saw a car or something out here. He made me promise that. I think he has Till and Dale doing drive-bys on America’s apartment, too.” Knowing how much time Danny spent there, he almost said “your” apartment, but checked himself.
“Okay, okay,” Danny said. “It’s all right.” But Marco could see again all over Danny’s face that it wasn’t all right—not at all—and that Danny wanted to tell Marco to go home, to get as far away as possible from whatever the hell was about to happen at the ranch. Instead, he seemed resigned to the fact that the damage was already done, or that having Marco posted out here wasn’t such a bad idea after all . . .
He clearly wasn’t happy about it, though.
“Listen carefully, Marco. No matter what happens, no matter what you think you hear, do not drive back up to the house. If another car you don’t know approaches you, you head back to Murfee, double-time. Find Till and Dale and the rest of them and wait to hear from me or the sheriff. Got it?”
Marco nodded, now more worried than if he had never texted Danny at all. He stared into the morning glare burning on Denbrow’s windshield, but it didn’t shine any light on what was really going on.
“Do you have your gun?” Danny asked.
“Yes, of course.”
“Good, don’t plan on using it.”
“What’s happening?” Marco asked. “Is America okay? Does this have to do with that guy in the bar? Just tell me something, please.” He was already convinced Danny would lie to him, and he did, easily:
“Everything’s fine, it’s probably nothing.” But his eyes—as bright as that coyote’s eyes—couldn’t help reflecting the truth anyway, just as they had when Danny had first pulled up next to him and rolled down his window.
Do you have your gun?
Just two deputies in unmarked vehicles on a lonely stretch of road with their guns drawn.
Things were far from fine. And if both the sheriff and Danny had decided they needed Marco’s help, things were a hell of a lot worse than that.
Danny smiled at him anyway, and with a wink told him again it was all going to be okay, as long as Marco tried a little harder to stay awake.
FIFTY-SIX
Waiting . . .
Chris tried writing, but the words wouldn’t come.