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Back Vortex Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. Epilogue
  57. Epilogue
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. About the Author
  60. Also by Catherine Coulter
  61. About the Publisher

“Go home, Kent, get some rest. There’s nothing for you to do now but hunker down, make sure there’s nothing incriminating on your cell phone or your computer. Get yourself your own lawyers, don’t ever speak to the reporter or Juliet again. We’ll get through this together, Kent. We always have.”

Kent said slowly, “I never asked you, never had the nerve. I remember you were so angry when Jordan Jeffers ripped your ear with his lacrosse stick at Bennington, tore it in two. I always wondered, did you run him down? Did you try to kill him, Alex?”

Alex looked directly into Kent’s eyes. “I cannot believe you’d ask me that. Do you think I’m a monster? I had nothing to do with his accident.”

Kent didn’t believe him, not for an instant. He felt sober as a judge, and the sober judge saw a cliff coming up fast. He said slowly, “For the first time in our lives, Alex, I really see you. You never really cared about me, you can’t care about anyone. You needed me to play your wingman, you needed someone to lord over.

“I saw seven years ago exactly what you were, but I refused to accept it. I felt horrible about what happened to Aolith, how we dumped her into that grave, how you killed her. You didn’t care, you had no remorse. All you felt was irritation she’d had the nerve to die and you didn’t get a chance to have sex with her. And we never talked about her, once she was under all that dirt. She no longer existed for you. I’ve never forgotten her.”

Kent grabbed his coat, walked to the arched doorway, and turned. “I’m going to be looking after myself now, Alex, doing what’s best for me. I won’t be voting for you, by the way. If you make it that far.”

Alex stood motionless, the blazing fire behind him hot on his back. He heard the front door open and close.

42

Mia

Thursday night

Tommy Maitland was coming out of Mia’s kitchen when the doorbell rang.

He called out, “I’ll get it, Mia. Hope it’s our pizza.”

He opened the door, eyed the bundled-up woman standing there. “You didn’t bring the pizza? I don’t see the box.”

Juliet blinked at the big man standing in front of her in jeans, boots, and a thick light blue sweatshirt. He had dark hair and striking light gray eyes, rough chiseled features. Tommy Maitland, she assumed, here earlier than Mia expected. She said, “Not unless the concierge at my hotel gave me a lovely surprise and put a pizza in my overnight bag. Shall I check?” She leaned over, sniffed. “Sorry.”