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Back This Side of Night Save as PDF
Chapters (110)
  1. Cover
  2. ALSO BY J. TODD SCOTT
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. I
  7. II
  8. PART ONE
  9. ONE
  10. TWO
  11. THREE
  12. FOUR
  13. FIVE
  14. SIX
  15. SEVEN
  16. EIGHT
  17. NINE
  18. TEN
  19. ELEVEN
  20. TWELVE
  21. PART TWO
  22. THIRTEEN
  23. FOURTEEN
  24. FIFTEEN
  25. SIXTEEN
  26. SEVENTEEN
  27. EIGHTEEN
  28. NINETEEN
  29. TWENTY
  30. TWENTY-ONE
  31. TWENTY-TWO
  32. TWENTY-THREE
  33. TWENTY-FOUR
  34. TWENTY-FIVE
  35. TWENTY-SIX
  36. TWENTY-SEVEN
  37. TWENTY-EIGHT
  38. TWENTY-NINE
  39. THIRTY
  40. THIRTY-ONE
  41. THIRTY-TWO
  42. THIRTY-THREE
  43. THIRTY-FOUR
  44. THIRTY-FIVE
  45. THIRTY-SIX
  46. THIRTY-SEVEN
  47. THIRTY-EIGHT
  48. THIRTY-NINE
  49. PART THREE
  50. FORTY
  51. FORTY-ONE
  52. FORTY-TWO
  53. FORTY-THREE
  54. FORTY-FOUR
  55. FORTY-FIVE
  56. FORTY-SIX
  57. FORTY-SEVEN
  58. FORTY-EIGHT
  59. FORTY-NINE
  60. FIFTY
  61. FIFTY-ONE
  62. FIFTY-TWO
  63. FIFTY-THREE
  64. FIFTY-FOUR
  65. FIFTY-FIVE
  66. FIFTY-SIX
  67. FIFTY-SEVEN
  68. FIFTY-EIGHT
  69. FIFTY-NINE
  70. SIXTY
  71. SIXTY-ONE
  72. PART FOUR
  73. SIXTY-TWO
  74. SIXTY-THREE
  75. SIXTY-FOUR
  76. SIXTY-FIVE
  77. SIXTY-SIX
  78. SIXTY-SEVEN
  79. SIXTY-EIGHT
  80. SIXTY-NINE
  81. SEVENTY
  82. SEVENTY-ONE
  83. SEVENTY-TWO
  84. SEVENTY-THREE
  85. SEVENTY-FOUR
  86. SEVENTY-FIVE
  87. SEVENTY-SIX
  88. SEVENTY-SEVEN
  89. SEVENTY-EIGHT
  90. SEVENTY-NINE
  91. EIGHTY
  92. EIGHTY-ONE
  93. EIGHTY-TWO
  94. EIGHTY-THREE
  95. EIGHTY-FOUR
  96. EPILOGUE
  97. I
  98. II
  99. III
  100. IV
  101. V
  102. VI
  103. VII
  104. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  105. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  106. Excerpt from LOST RIVER
  107. LITTLE PARIS
  108. DILLON
  109. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  110. What’s next onyour reading list?

Danny guessed they’d all learn just how many in the upcoming election.

Amé moved, turned a bit, started to reach out a hand to where Danny had been sitting. Her dark hair had grown out over the last few months, like his own, and when it was like it was now, a beautiful mess against her flushed skin, he always wanted to reach out and brush it away.

To touch her, just so he could see her eyes.

All those half smiles of hers, all those secrets she didn’t share. All the conversations they never had. He’d always thought he had this compass inside him pointing in only one direction, but whenever she was around, it went absolutely haywire. He lost all sense of direction, but he wasn’t lost. . . . All directions pointed only toward her.

She was a mystery, but he wanted to believe that because of her, he’d solved one or two of his own.

Danny slid back down next to her, gently, cradling the beer so it wouldn’t spill. He wasn’t going to sleep, though, still troubled by the sudden fear that had gripped him in Eddy’s trailer yesterday. It wouldn’t let him go, and when he’d closed his eyes earlier, he’d had a brief, vivid dream of Afghanistan . . . the first real one in years. He didn’t want to sleep if he had to relive any of that.

He was fine just sitting here, letting her sleep for them both.

And maybe Amé was dreaming for them both, too.

Her fingers reached out, searching, touching his leg, as if making sure he was still there.

Making sure he was real.

Just for a moment, and then they were gone.

TEN

I was back east when that attack happened in Ojinaga, so it’s taken me some time to catch up with the situation. My boss put me in charge of managing our intel collection, and we’re actually making progress,” Garrison said. “Even getting direct reporting from the Mexican government itself, which is highly unusual. They’re embarrassed, the whole thing is a worldwide humiliation. They know we’re sitting over here listening to their side of the border, and they want our help.”

“You’re talking about all those students in that attack?” Chris said, taking another mouthful of his fresh beer. “What are you hearing?”