The Lost (30 page)
Authors: Vicki Pettersson
“And as I cried,” he continued, hoping like hell he wouldn't do so again now, “I prayed and swore to God that I'd leave those old torments behind. I'd let that old life go as long as I could have this new one. I swore nothing would ever matter again as long as you lived.” He stared. “But I guess neither Scratch nor Sarge shared
that
with you, did they?”
Kit swayed, but it was Dennis who was next to her now, and he was the one who put a hand on her arm. Again, maybe that was the way it should be. Dennis was a good man. He and Kit were a good fit.
“I just thought you should know,” Grif said, tapping his fedora back on his head and giving her a final nod. “You're the girl who loves the truth, and the truth is . . . I've loved you more than anything in my entire life.”
And because his throat really did close up after that, and because Dennis was watching him without blinking, and Kit could barely see through her tearsâand because she'd made a deal with Sarge that sealed her in placeâGrif left. He strode down the hall blindly, concentrating on keeping his footsteps steady and moving forward. That way, maybe his mind and heart could follow.
“Grif!”
He stopped dead, too fast, and swallowed hard. When he turned, she was hanging back, half-inside Dennis's room, half-out. He suddenly understood how she'd felt all these months. Half-here, half-there.
Evie's still alive.
It was the thought that kept both of them rooted in place.
“Let me know.” Kit cleared her throat. “When you figure it out, I mean.”
Grif's head didn't seem to be working. She looked so different all of a sudden; someone he didn't know. Someone he couldn't touch. “Figure what out?”
“You know,” Kit gave him a watery smile, looking briefly touchable. “Who killed Griffin Shaw.”
He stared at her for a long moment, then gave her a grateful nod. That's exactly what he needed to do . . . or at least it was a reason to keep moving forward. The past, even the near past, was gone.
Now, Grif thought, as he turned and began walking again, all he had to do was figure out exactly where he'd left it.
T
o James, first and always. My heartfelt gratitude goes to the wonderful team at Harper Voyager, especially Liate Stehlik, Pam Jaffee, Shawn Nicholls, and Will Hinton, who've now ferried eight of my books to readers. Kaitlyn Kennedy is a dream publicist and should be carbon copied. Diana Gill's inestimable dedication, enthusiasm, and (frightening) intelligence provide a mental beacon when I'm staring down a deadline. I greatly appreciate Peter McGuigan for the new beginning, right in the middle of it all. And a final thanks to my readers, for fueling my endeavors with both light conversation and deep silence . . . and for your full and proper names so that I might kill you off in prose. Don't hate me because I live to break and mend your hearts. You know it's a two-way street.
The
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Taken
and the Sign of the Zodiac seriesâand former showgirlâ
VICKI PETTERSSON
was born and raised in Sin City. Though she'll always consider that glittering dust bowl home, she now divides her time between Las Vegas and Dallas, where she's learning to like good Tex-Mex (easy) and the Dallas Cowboys (easier than you'd think).
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C
ELESTIAL
B
LUES
S
ERIES
The Taken
T
HE
S
IGN OF THE
Z
ODIAC
S
ERIES
The Scent of Shadows
The Taste of Night
The Touch of Twilight
City of Souls
Cheat the Grave
The Neon Graveyard
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE LOST
. Copyright © 2013 by Vicki Pettersson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
EPub Edition March 2013 ISBN: 9780062064134
ISBN 978-0-06-206465-3
13 14 15 16 17
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RRD
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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