The Nine by J.A. Konrath

Author:J.A. Konrath [Konrath, J.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Published: 2021-11-11T05:00:00+00:00

TOM

Phoenix, Arizona

Abe spent the flight flirting with Catherine, Roy spent the flight sleeping, Joan spent the flight either sleeping or pretending to sleep, and Tom spent the flight second-guessing every decision he’d made since grammar school.

I want some edibles.

Which is exactly why I shouldn’t have any edibles.

Once upon a time, Tom was a Homicide Detective in Chicago. The Job took a toll, having to deal with victims of horrible tragedies and the monsters who committed those crimes. But aside from occasional nightmares, and a sharp increase in cynicism, Tom remained Tom for most of his CPD years.

Then he learned about his number tattoo, and endured some horrors that the discovery unleashed, which really messed with his head. He met Joan at the same time, and she made up for a lot of the horrors. She kept Tom balanced. Uplifted him during the down times. Gave him hope. Loved him.

Wanting to be with Joan, and fearing burnout, Tom quit the force and moved to Los Angeles with her. He bought a boat with Roy and they became charter fishermen, leaving behind death and tragedy and monsters, eager to embrace a new life.

But the horrors just kept on coming. Tom kept running into the worst that humanity had to offer, again and again like a perverted broken record, and each time the monsters left deeper and deeper scars. On his body. On his mind. On his psyche.

Like a good cowboy, Tom always got back on the horse that threw him. Damning the pain. Fighting the fear and doubt. Soldiering on.

Except for the most recent episode, involving his broken finger.

I can’t seem to get past this one.

I can’t claw my way out of the darkness like I once could.

Joan is being tolerant. Too tolerant.

Maybe I don’t need patience and understanding. Maybe I need a kick in the ass.

Or maybe I need to stop relying on my wife to save me.

And now we have a baby on the way.

And I can’t get my shit together.

I’ve forgotten how to cope.

Tom tried to remember his last fishing charter. It had been before Erinyes. He’d gone to the boat a few times, but Roy had been taking charters without him.

I’ve been convincing myself I need time to heal.

But I haven’t been healing. I’ve been hiding.

So what’s the solution?

How do I fix this problem with my wife?

Tom closed his eyes, for just a second.

Then he was back at Butler House.

I’m having a nightmare.

Unfortunately for Tom, this recurring nightmare actually happened in real life.

It played out as it always did:

Tom wiggled his fingers to keep the circulation going, but his hands and arms were becoming very numb due to being hung by them.

Augustus Torble held the glowing branding iron in front of Tom’s nose. He tore the buttons off Tom’s shirt, exposing his bare chest. Just as he stepped back, Tom lashed out with his foot, trying to kick away the poker.

He missed. By a lot.

“Seriously?” Torble said, looking amused. “That was your big move? How long have you been planning that one?”

“A while,” Tom admitted.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.