Blacktop Wasteland
Page 28
“You sure?” Beauregard asked.
“No. But I don’t want to be here alone anymore,” Kia said.
Beauregard went back to his chair. He sat down and enveloped Darren’s small hand in his own. Kia sat down and did the same thing on the other side of the bed.
The dying light of day cast their shadows against the far wall. Their silhouettes overlapped, entwined like lovers. Silence filled the spaces between them. Kia lowered the railing and lay across the foot of Darren’s bed. Beauregard studied the back of her head. The gentle slope of her neck.
After a while she let out a sigh.
“You’re never really gonna change, are you, Bug,” she said. The statement came out flat and listless. Some might say hopeless.
Beauregard closed his eyes. Faces rushed at him out of the darkness.
Red Navely and his brothers.
Ronnie and Reggie.
Lazy.
Burning Man.
Eric.
Kelvin.
A dozen other faces floated up from the river of his memories, their mouths slack, their eyes glazed over. Their last words wasted on pleas of mercy. Their last breaths becoming a death rattle in their throats. Other faces joined them, accompanied by the squeal of tires and the shriek of bullets.
Wives he had made widows. Mothers who waited in vain for their sons to come home. Sons who would never see their fathers again. All those faces, all those lives, nothing more than earth, ashes and rust now.
Finally, he whispered, “I don’t know if I can.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is said that writing is a lonely endeavor. This is only partly true. I have been blessed to be surrounded by an incredible group of friends and family and fellow writers who have supported me, cajoled me and when needed given me a swift kick in the rear during this journey.
First and foremost I’d like to thank my agent, Josh Getzler, and all the great folks at HG Literary. Josh was the first person to believe in Blacktop Wasteland, and he has always been its fiercest champion. I’m forever grateful I stopped and talked to you in that hotel hallway in St. Petersburg.
I’d like to thank my editor, Christine Kopprasch, and everyone at Flatiron Books. You have been my own personal Virgil through this Divine Comedy. Always supportive, always insightful and always, always trying to make me a better writer.
I’d like to thank some of the people who gave me invaluable advice as Blacktop Wasteland moved from an idea I rambled on about to an actual book: Eryk Pruitt, Nikki Dolson, Kellye Garrett, Rob Pierce, you are all talented writers who were generous with your time and your wisdom.
Finally I’d like to thank Kim.
She knows why. She always has.
Early Praise for
BLACKTOP WASTELAND
“Blacktop Wasteland is an urgent, timely, pitch-perfect jolt of American noir. S. A. Cosby is a welcome, refreshing new voice in crime literature.”
—Dennis Lehane, bestselling author of Since We Fell
“Diamonds and fast cars, trailer park dreams and late-night illegal street racing, S. A. Cosby reinvents the American crime novel. Black and white with bills unpaid and no exit in sight, his characters feel the pull of family and swagger with the melancholy ache of wanting to be someone. Blacktop Wasteland thrums and races—it’s an intoxicating thrill of a ride.”
—Walter Mosley, bestselling author of Trouble Is What I Do
“Sensationally good—new, fresh, real, authentic, twisty, with characters and dilemmas that will break your heart. More than recommended.”
—Lee Child, bestselling author of Blue Moon
“Every now and then, a novelist shows up with a confidence and a swagger that makes it silly to compare him to anyone else. S. A. Cosby, the man behind the wheel of Blacktop Wasteland, writes the way his main character drives—with precision and fearlessness, in complete command of the road ahead. The book will leave you breathless, but also desperate to know where Cosby will take us next.”
—Laura Lippman, bestselling author of Lady in the Lake
“It’s fitting Blacktop Wasteland opens with a drag race. This is the literary equivalent of a muscle car—sleek, a little dangerous, and when it kicks into gear, you hold on for dear life. Lucky for you, Cosby is an expert wheelman.”
—Rob Hart, bestselling author of The Warehouse
“Every once in a while, a writer comes along with an incredible voice. Think Elmore Leonard, or Chester Himes. With Blacktop Wasteland, add S. A. Cosby to that list.”
—Steve Cavanagh, bestselling author of Thirteen
“Powerful, gritty, and lyrical, S. A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland is the unflinching portrayal of a man who’s deeply aware he needs to make a better life for himself and his family, but can’t—or won’t. This story is an emotional gut punch, and you’ll find yourself rooting for Beauregard while he’s ripping your heart out. Cosby is a mesmerizing new voice in crime fiction you won’t soon forget. This is literary noir at its finest.”
—Jennifer Hillier, award-winning author of Jar of Hearts and Little Secrets
“With Blacktop Wasteland, Anthony award–winning author S. A. Cosbys cements his position as one of the leading crime fiction voices of his generation. The story crackles with a dynamically flawed main character, vivid description, unexpected reveals, and dialogue so real you’d swear you were eavesdropping. I couldn’t wait to finish yet never wanted the book to end at the same time. There’s no doubt that Cosby is an authentic and much needed voice in today’s crime fiction.”
—Kellye Garrett, Anthony, Agatha, and Lefty award–winning author of the Detective by Day mysteries
“This book shook me in the best way possible. Cosby’s gritty, powerhouse novel evokes some of the modern masters—Mosley, Pelecanos, and Lehane—with a tone and vibe that is wholly unique. Epic but also grounded and painfully relevant, Blacktop Wasteland is a crime novel for today, and Shawn Cosby is a writer we’ll be hearing from for quite some time. I loved this book.”
—Alex Segura, acclaimed author of Blackout and Miami Midnight
“Blacktop Wasteland is a guaranteed thriller-of-the-year, with muscle and heart and characters who will linger long after the last page is read. S. A. Cosby writes with grit and grace. Do not miss this one.”
—Michael Koryta, bestselling author of Those Who Wish Me Dead
“Buckle up. S. A. Cosby is about to take you on a high-speed spin through the rural black south. Muscle cars, backroads racing, double-crossing deals, and that elusive big score. Red Hill County is my kind of place!”
—Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of The Revelators
“Blacktop Wasteland will let the world at large in on what the crime fiction underworld already knows: S. A. Cosby is a major, original talent. Searing, twisted, and jaggedly human, this southern noir heist novel leaves scars.”
—Jordan Harper, Edgar Award–winning author of She Rides Shotgun
“There is a sweet spot in a vehicle, whether it’s a car or a book, a perfect point of harmony between torque and horsepower or character and plot—Blacktop Wasteland is that sweet spot. S. A. Cosby’s new novel reverberates with a throaty roar, pegging the needles with a welcomed strip of rubber laid down in a silk-scarf, lace-backed driving glove mystery world.”
—Craig Johnson, bestselling author of the Walt Longmire series
“Complex characters offer an unflinching look at hard choices and their consequences in Blacktop Wasteland. Told in lean, propulsive prose, this unforgettable novel positions S. A. Cosby among crime fiction’s best. Don’t miss it.”
—LynDee Walker, bestselling author of the Nichelle Clarke crime thriller series
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S. A. Cosby is an Anthony Award–winning author from southeastern Virginia. You can sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this
Flatiron Books ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on
new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Acknowledgments
Early Praise for BLACKTOP WASTELAND
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
BLACKTOP WASTELAND. Copyright © 2020 by S. A. Cosby. All rights reserved. For information, address Flatiron Books, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.flatironbooks.com
Cover design by Keith Hayes
Cover photograph by Maxine Helfman
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Names: Cosby, S. A., author.
Title: Blacktop wasteland: a novel / S.A. Cosby.
Description: First edition. | New York: Flatiron Books, 2020.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020001331 | ISBN 9781250252685 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250252678 (ebook)
Subjects: GSAFD: Suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3603.O7988 B53 2020 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020001331
eISBN 9781250252678
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First edition: 2020