“Rachel,” he said.
She turned. Her eyes widened, as if she was surprised to see him, which was silly, since he’d been coming for a month now. She held a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Then she smiled, and he was so dazzled by her expression, he forgot all about her vices. With patience and admonition, they would be eradicated.
“Hey, Noah.” She shoved a can of beer at him. “Want a Bud?”
“Sure.” He popped the tab and sipped, uncharacteristically nervous. “What are you up to?” he asked.
“Just trying to cop a buzz.”
He fingered the syringe in his pocket. “You want to take a drive out to see my new place?”
Her eyes lit up. “I’d love to,” she said, and they started toward the door.
gone missing
Bestselling author Linda Castillo has always known she wanted to be a writer and penned her first novel at the age of thirteen. She is the winner of numerous industry awards, including the Holt Medallion, the Golden Heart, the Daphne du Maurier and a nomination for the prestigious Rita. She lives in Texas with her husband, four loveable dogs, two barn cats, and two Appaloosa horses.
ALSO BY LINDA CASTILLO
Sworn to Silence
Pray for Silence
Breaking Silence
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A writer spends months on end writing a book, but there are many other behind-the-scenes individuals whose efforts, talent, dedication, and heart go into the publishing of it. I’d like to acknowledge a few of the people who helped bring this book to fruition. First and foremost, I wish to thank my editor, Charlie Spicer, for sharing so much of his talent, being such a great listener, and always urging me to go that extra mile. I’d like to thank my agent, Nancy Yost, whose brilliance never ceases to amaze me. I’ve learned much from you. Many thanks to my editor in the UK, Trisha Jackson, for always making the books better. I’d also like to thank the entire team at St. Martin’s Press for their continued support, confidence in me and in this series, for working so tirelessly to get the books into the hands of readers—and for making it fun! Sally Richardson. Andrew Martin. Matthew Shear. Matthew Baldacci. Sarah Melnyk. Hector DeJean. Kerry Nordling. April Osborn. David Rotstein. There are many more individuals who contributed much, but remain unnamed due to space constraints. I’m incredibly lucky to write for such a dynamic publishing house.
I’d also like to thank my critique group for all of those Wednesday night marathons when I kept you up late. Jennifer Archer. Anita Howard. Marcy McKay. April Redmon.
Heartfelt thanks to fellow authors, Ellie James and Catherine Spangler, for the years of friendship and support. You gals rock!
Last, but not least, I’d like to thank the love of my life, Ernest, for his unconditional love and support through all the ups and downs of cohabitating with a full-time writer.
First published 2012 by Macmillan
This electronic edition published 2012 by Macmillan
Copyright © Linda Castillo 2012