“With Hades as a father, Janus as a brother-in-law, and Charlie as a daughter, I can see where you might get that impression.” I went quiet for a second. “Still...thank you. For helping me with...everything.”
She kept her eyes on the road, even though we'd not yet moved from the curb. “Such as...?”
I looked out the window; Darnell was gone. “What, you want me to itemize my thanks? Okay – for helping save me in New York, for seducing Tyrus Flanagan out of his phone–”
“That man...that pervy, pervy little man...” She shuddered. “His memories are going to haunt me for a while.” A small smile turned the corner of her lips. “Still...he thought I was in my thirties, did you know that?”
I made a show of studying her. “With some makeup, the proper lighting, hair dyed that stunning shade of red...yeah, I could see that. Anyhow, thanks for that. For helping with Chalke and – whatever. All else, illegal and menial. Oh, and for getting my money back in Europe and the Caribbean. No way was I going to be able to do it with the Network up my ass.”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “It wasn't too tough, as these things go. But...seriously? Half a billion dollars? If I didn't know who you stole it from, I'd be worried.”
“Janus can kiss my ass,” I said. “If he hasn't come after it yet, I doubt he will. He certainly didn't say anything about it during our last tete-a-tete, and we let it all hang out, so I suspect I'm good on that score.”
She shook her head. “Half a billion dollars is a lot of money, Sienna. Too much to easily forget.”
“Yes, well, thanks for getting it for me.” I settled into my seat. “It'll probably come in handy, because I had to offer a lot of favors to dig me out of this mess with the Network.” I did the mental accounting: ArcheGrey, Veronika, Hades, Cassidy – though I'd paid in advance on that one.
Still...I owed people. The money might help buy me out of the favors promised, assuming they were amenable to that sort of thing.
“Is Mimaw coming with us?” I asked as Lethe pulled away from the curb into the burgeoning Washington traffic. I wasn't going to miss this.
Lethe shook her head. “She's already back in Texas. She wants you to come see her when you get a chance. Soon, or else she's going to come see you.”
“Not much of a threat.”
Lethe cocked her head, and her expression said she disagreed. “Maybe it's because I grew up with her, or because I've seen what she can do, but...I wouldn't recommend crossing her. Just because she's nominally a life goddess, don't take her lightly. You get her mad...well, I mean, there's a reason Hades fears her.”
“The Queen of the Underworld?” I chuckled. “I can see that.”
“Anyway, I don't think she's quite up for a four-day drive across the country. And your other friends have already gone on ahead, so...” Lethe looked over at me, and her eyes sparkled blue. Just like mine. “You and me, kiddo. They'll meet us back in Minneapolis.”
“Sounds good,” I said, heart full for the first time in a long time. The sun was shining, the cool air blowing out of the AC vents. The road was wide open in front of us, the weekend DC traffic not as congested as usual for this time of day. I glanced at the cup holders between us – two full, steaming cups of coffee waited and I grabbed one without even asking, bringing it up to my nose and inhaling the caffeinated perfection. “So very, very good.”
Lethe smiled, then looked at my bag in the back seat. “That's all you've got?”
“That's all I've got,” I said, taking a deep breath, turning my eyes forward, to the endless road ahead. “All I need, really, so...” I closed my eyes, and imagined myself already there. “Take me home.”
Sienna Nealon Will Return in
SECOND GUESS
The Girl in the Box, Book 39
(Out of the Box 29)
Coming April 2020!
GET IT HERE!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thanks for reading! If you want to know immediately when future books become available, take sixty seconds and sign up for my NEW RELEASE EMAIL ALERTS by CLICKING HERE. I don’t sell your information and I only send out emails when I have a new book out. The reason you should sign up for this is because I don’t always set release dates, and even if you’re following me on Facebook (robertJcrane (Author)) or Twitter (@robertJcrane), or part of my Facebook fan page (Team RJC), it’s easy to miss my book announcements because … well, because social media is an imprecise thing.
Find listings for all my books plus some more behind-the-scenes info on my website: http://www.robertjcrane.com!
Cheers,
Robert J. Crane
Other Works by Robert J. Crane
The Girl in the Box
(and Out of the Box)
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
Alone
Untouched
Soulless
Family
Omega
Broken
Enemies
Legacy
Destiny
Power
Limitless
In the Wind
Ruthless
Grounded
Tormented
Vengeful
Sea Change
Painkiller
Masks
Prisoners
Unyielding
Hollow
Toxicity
Small Things
Hunters
Badder
Nemesis
Apex
Time
Driven
Remember
Hero
Flashback
Cold
Blood Ties
Music
Dragon
Control
Second Guess*
World of Sanctuary
Epic Fantasy
(in best reading order)
Defender (Volume 1)
Avenger (Volume 2)
Champion (Volume 3)
Crusader (Volume 4)
Sanctuary Tales (Volume 4.25)
Thy Father’s Shadow (Volume 4.5)
Master (Volume 5)
Fated in Darkness (Volume 5.5)
Warlord (Volume 6)
Heretic (Volume 7)
Legend (Volume 8)
Ghosts of Sanctuary (Volume 9)
Call of the Hero (Volume 10)
The Scourge of Despair (Volume 11)* Coming in 2020!
Ashes of Luukessia
A Sanctuary Trilogy
(with Michael Winstone)
A Haven in Ash (Ashes of Luukessia #1)
A Respite From Storms (Ashes of Luukessia #2)
A Home in the Hills (Ashes of Luukessia #3)
Liars and Vampires
YA Urban Fantasy
(with Lauren Harper)
No One Will Believe You
Someone Should Save Her
You Can’t Go Home Again
Lies in the Dark
Her Lying Days Are Done
Heir of the Dog
Hit You Where You Live* (Coming in 2020!)
Her Endless Night* (Coming in 2020!)
Burned Me*
Something In That Vein*
Southern Watch
Dark Contemporary Fantasy/Horror
Called
Depths
Corrupted
Unearthed
Legion
Starling
Forsaken
Hallowed* (Coming in 2020!)
Enflamed* (Coming in 2021!)
The Mira Brand Adventures
YA Modern Fantasy
(Series Complete)
The World Beneath
The Tide of Ages
The City of Lies
The King of the Skies
The Best of Us
We Aimless Few
The Gang of Legend
The Antecessor Conundrum
*Forthcoming
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Lewis Moore for the edits, Jeff Bryan, for the proofing, and Lillie of http
s://lilliesls.wordpress.com for her work proofing and compiling my series bible.
Thanks also to Karri Klawiter of artbykarri.com for the cover.
Special thanks, too, to C.G. Cooper for brainstorming with me and leading me back to the core idea of this book. How could I write a Washington political thriller without using the classic “presidential assassination” plot?
Thanks, too, to my family for making this all possible.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142
Teaser
Author’s Note
Other Works by Robert J. Crane
Acknowledgments
Control: Out of the Box (The Girl in the Box Book 38) Page 41
