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Back When the Reckoning Comes Save as PDF
Chapters (44)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. They are coming.
  5. I.
  6. II.
  7. III.
  8. Once, they stole away.
  9. IV.
  10. V.
  11. VI.
  12. VII.
  13. VIII.
  14. IX.
  15. X.
  16. XI.
  17. XII.
  18. Those who stayed behind found their own ways to resist.
  19. XIII.
  20. XIV.
  21. They remembered the feeling of their beloveds sold,
  22. XV.
  23. XVI.
  24. XVII.
  25. XVIII.
  26. XIX.
  27. XX.
  28. It took the babies drowning for the rest to say, Enough.
  29. XXI.
  30. XXII.
  31. XXIII.
  32. Tools meant for work became seen as weapons.
  33. XXIV.
  34. XXV.
  35. XXVI.
  36. XXVII.
  37. XXVIII.
  38. When they were caught, punishment was swift and severe in its execution.
  39. XXIX.
  40. Soon it would be morning, and those left behind would prepare for another day.
  41. Acknowledgments
  42. About the Author
  43. Also by LaTanya McQueen
  44. About the Publisher

Phillip shook his head at her. “No, I— It was an accident, and she’s just hurt. She’s alive—I saw her. She’s out here somewhere. Playing a trick on me. She’s not— No, I saw her.”

“No one’s here, Phillip. Celine’s dead. You killed her,” Mira repeated.

“It was an accident,” Phillip shrieked. He quickly attempted to regain his composure but it was no use. Beads of sweat fell down his face, soaked his shirt collar. He wiped his face. “It’s not what you think. You have to know. Last night she came to visit me and said it was over. Said she’d tell people in the morning, but after she left she didn’t go back to her room. She came out to the woods. I followed her, wanting to see where she would go. I thought she was meeting someone. Maybe that boy. That had to be the reason. It was the only thing that made sense. I wanted to see who she would leave me for. When I found her, we argued. That’s all it was at first. I grabbed her arm and she tried pulling away, but I wanted to know where she was going. I asked her to tell me and she laughed again, and I hit her. Just once, but she—jerked back, tripped, fell. It was an accident, and I thought she was dead but she’s not. I saw her. She’s hiding in these woods. I’m going to find her. I couldn’t let her leave. Not without her telling me why I wasn’t enough. Why giving her everything wasn’t enough.”

“You killed Celine and you’re letting everyone think Jesse did it. You can’t do this. I won’t let you.”

“Let me?” Phillip said, raising his eyebrows, and Mira understood her mistake. He gripped the gun. “You’re not going to let me do anything.”

Phillip’s fingers locked on the gun, his muscles tense. Mira saw his reddened knuckles. “Maybe you’re right,” she said slowly, emphatically. “Celine’s out here somewhere.” She knew there was no other way out of this, not anymore. Why wouldn’t Phillip shoot her and leave her for dead? What had she known of Phillip, after all, to make her think otherwise? She knew nothing of the man he was or was supposed to be, knew nothing of whatever terror he was capable of. All she knew was that she was alone in the woods, too afraid to scream because who knew what the mob would do if they found her.

“Let’s look for her,” Mira said soothingly.