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Chapters (57)
  1. Welcome to the Game
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraphs
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. Six months later . . .
  56. Acknowledgments
  57. Back Cover

Caitlyn waited a beat to be sure. “OK, medical and financials aside, I have to ask you, is your daughter currently exposed to any other risk that you haven’t mentioned?”

“Risk, as in?”

“Is there anything else concerning Abby’s well-being that I should be aware of? Your work, for example. Does it involve criminal activity or close contact with criminals?”

Spencer didn’t even think before responding. “Absolutely not.”

No sooner had he spoken than it seemed the meeting was over and Caitlyn was holding the door for him. Ray appeared, all pumped up and ready for trouble. Behind him, a scrawny, backward-­baseball-cap-wearing guy in his twenties with hollow eyes and cheeks, Dunn’s next appointment, bounced impatiently from one foot to another. Spencer’s time was up, and it wasn’t really clear how the knife-edge scenario had played out, whether his ride was on its roof or back on track and still a contender.

He hesitated at the door, wanting to test the water to see whether he’d won her over, or at least bought himself a stay of execution. She saw it coming, though.

“Thank you for making the effort to see me, Mister Burnham.”

“No problem. Thank you for your time. Sorry about . . .” he glanced at Ray, before nodding and indecisively ambling off.

While Caitlyn’s next appointment made himself comfortable, she clicked an option on her screen to file a petition with the court. This would request an order for the removal of Abby Burnham from her home.

Spencer’s stint as Abby’s father had been doomed by a meeting between two detectives and Lonnie Estevez. Caitlyn Dunn knew Spencer Burnham was involved with some bad people. She didn’t know whether that meant he couldn’t be a good father, but then that was his fault. He’d had his chance to tell her and he’d blown it.

By the time Spencer hit 9 Mile he’d convinced himself he’d clawed it back from the edge. He was so convinced, in fact, that he attended his first meeting at Common Ground that very night. He stood up in front of a bunch of people and confessed his life had gone to hell not because of the death of his wife but because he drank, smoked, and sniffed too much.

He then managed forty-eight hours without a drink or a joint but was awake for pretty much the entire time, even with sleeping pills. Sometimes he’d have to grip the wheel just to stop his hands from shaking. He got confused on two driving missions and rode the lightning from Johnny Boy and McGrath on it, and took a pay cut.