Sara was running toward him before her mind processed what she had seen.
A bomb. Somebody had put a bomb in the mailbox.
'Jeffrey!' she gasped, falling down on her knees beside him. Chunks of metal were everywhere, mail flying all around them. She saw his open chest -bone, muscle, beating heart.
'Help!' she screamed. 'Somebody help me!'
He opened his mouth and blood pooled out. His right arm lay on the asphalt a few feet away, torn from his shoulder. She pressed her hands to the open wound, desperate to stop the bleeding. Blood poured between her fingers, soaked her hands.
'No,' she whispered. 'No.'
'You…' he said, his teeth chattering.
She pressed her lips to his, kissed him on his mouth, his face. 'Oh, my love… my love…'
'You…' he whispered, blindly reaching for her. She could see the pain in his eyes, knew that his life was slipping away.
'Don't leave me,' she pleaded, squeezing his hand. 'Oh, God, Jeffrey – please don't leave me.'
'You…'
'No,' she begged, willing him to hold on. 'Please! I love you. I love you.' Why had she always teased him, never telling him the words? 'Jeffrey, I love you.'
'Only
She kissed him again, tasting his blood in her mouth. This couldn't be happening. He could not leave her.
'Only…' he tried, blood gurgling in his throat. 'Only… ever…'
'Only ever what, baby? Only what?'
'You…' He gasped, choking. '… Only… ever… you…'
His body relaxed. The blood stopped spurting from his shoulder. Sara realized that their neighbors had come. They stood in a circle around her, not knowing what to do. She screamed, ordering them to go away. She didn't want them to see him like this, didn't want anyone to touch him. The ambulance came, then the police; his men, his friends. She railed against them all, begging them to leave. She lifted Jeffrey up, holding him in her arms, refusing to let them near. She held on to him like this, keening like a child, until her mother came and made Sara let them take him away.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are many people to thank for helping me with this novel. My agent, Victoria Sanders, has been there from the beginning. Susan Sandon, Kate Elton and Kate Miciak – as always – were invaluable. I would also like to single out Rina Gill; my champion, my Bossy Sheila, the best publicist and friend a gal could hope for. Richard Cable belongs in here somewhere: thank you so much for all you do. Claire Round, Adam Humphrey and Rob Waddington deserve special praise as well. It's so brilliant to work with people whose company you really enjoy. Dave Parrish and Simon Littlewood, you are both international superstars. Richard Ogle again did a great job on design. Georgina Hawtrey-Woore, thanks for keeping the wheels turning. Speaking of which – Gail Rebuck, you have my undying gratitude for putting together the most well-oiled machine in publishing. And speaking of well oiled… Simon Master, you are most certainly missed.
Sue Kurylowicz was the winner of the 'Get Slaughtered!' contest, granting her the dubious honor of having her name appear in this book. Sue, honey, you
On the medical side of things, David Harper, MD, was again a huge help. It's not many people who will keep listening when you begin a conversation with, 'So, I want to burn someone alive…' Family-wise, I want to thank my daddy for teaching me the important things early on, and to DA, as always, you are my heart.
I've written a little note for my readers that can be found at karinslaughter.com/letter. Please note that this letter contains major spoilers for this novel, so don't ruin it for youself and save it for after you've read the book.
About the author
Karin Slaughter grew up in a small south Georgia town and has been writing since she was a child. She is the author of the Grant County series of international bestsellers
