Robby opened his mouth but didn’t reply.
“There was one last reason,” Ken said, staring at his gunhand. “Since Friday night I let this revolver push me around and dictate my actions. I killed in self-defense, in desperation, and in anger. Somewhere along the way I stopped looking for a peaceful solution. I lost myself. But when I had Angela in my sights, I had a chance to take a small piece of myself back. And so I took it.”
The others waited, silent.
Then Robby stepped closer. “Think I know what you mean, man.”
Tears prickled Ken’s eyelids. Now that he’d brought them up to speed, it was time to head out. Once the cops ID’d him as the man who’d assaulted Soward and killed Dom Marconi, the challenge would steepen. That thought left Ken both mentally and emotionally exhausted. In his grasp the gun weighed heavy, and not from the fresh ammo supply.
“We’ll fight through this,” Robby said, grabbing Ken by the shoulders. “Fujimas don’t give up on each other.”
Ken found it hard to swallow. He was glad to have his brother back, even if there was plenty of baggage to sort out between them. He would have to make amends for Chrissie somehow. For now, the best he could do was close his eyes and wrap both arms around his brother.
Robby did the same. The hug felt good.
When Ken opened his eyes, he noticed Hannah staring at her feet. Her confession from earlier was something they needed to discuss, but that confrontation could wait.
“Hannah, come here,” he said. “Group hug.”
She waved it off. “I’m good.”
“C’mon.”
“Might rupture my stitches.” She turned away, then hesitated. “All right. Fine. Wherever Michelle is, I hope she doesn’t see this.”
Hannah gingerly curled her arms around Ken and Robby. After a moment she grumbled about her stitches and headed back to the van.
Later, as they drove along I-80 West toward Ohio, Ken crawled out from under the backseat and looked outside. Aside from two tractor trailers, they had the rain-soaked highway to themselves. He eased his aching body onto the seat and leaned back against the headrest. Hopper climbed up and used his thigh as a pillow.
Ken petted his furry companion and considered himself lucky, at least within the context of the past few hours. Rather than being in police custody or a body bag, he was leaving town with his dog, his brother, and his newfound sister. Somehow, they accepted him. Accepted every ugly decision he’d made, every shot he’d fired.
His thoughts were disrupted by a hard thud that shook the van.
Ken snapped to attention. He looked out the rear window to see what they’d hit. Just a pothole. It shrank into the distance as they continued on. Relieved, he turned forward, but in his peripheral vision he noticed a vehicle approaching from behind.
As it gathered speed, he recognized it.
The black Chevy Blazer. Same one from earlier this morning. He could tell by the dented front fender.
Ken braced himself for lights and sirens, but none came. Even several miles later nothing happened. The Blazer followed at an even distance, showing no intention of passing.
He could only wonder who was behind the wheel, why they were after him, what they wanted.
When the time came, he wouldn’t let them push him around.
As the highway stretched ahead, a lone thought brought comfort.
Six down, six to go.
Also by Brandon McNulty
Bad Parts: A Supernatural Thriller - In this “page-turning tale of Faustian bargains” (Alma Katsu), a career-obsessed guitarist tries to rescue her hometown from an organ-swapping demon.
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading this book!
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Acknowledgments
Without question, the MVP of Entry Wounds is my longtime friend Vic Rushing. Vic dished out not one but two editorial ass-kickings, both of which significantly transformed this book. He has a gift for analyzing the inner workings of a novel—everything from character motivations to story themes—and not a single chapter escaped his ruthless criticism. I can’t thank him enough for catching my blind spots.
Samantha Zaboski is dangerous with a red pen. Her bloodthirsty edit caught roughly fifty thousand errors and challenged me to rework character portrayals, dialogue exchanges, action sequences, and so much more. She supported me through every stage of the process, acting as my sounding board and my second set of eyes. Her fingerprints are all over this story, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chris Bauer has a gift for crushing egos. When I emailed him an early draft of Entry Wounds, I was feeling a little too satisfied with the story. Then I checked my inbox a week later and got my world rocked. Bauer pointed out glaring issues and challenged me to bolster the weaker parts of the manuscript. He’s my go-to guy for a reality check, and his insight is unbeatable.
Paul Miscavage has a knack for telling me which ideas to run with. When he heard me say “undroppable haunted gun,” his eyes lit up, and that was all the encouragement I needed to write this book. Paul was also the first to critique the opening chapters, and his early feedback was invaluable.
Sue Ducharme wowed me with her latest copyedit. She has a surreal talent for reworking and smoothing my unruly paragraphs, and she knows how to spice up my writing with just enough sizzle. Her turnaround time is always faster than I expect, and her insights always make me a better writer.
Major thanks to everyone who read the full manuscript and provided feedback. Gladys Quinn was the first to tackle Entry Wounds in its entirety, and her kind words and honest criticisms sent my revision process in the right direction. Brandon Ketchum convinced me to cut unnecessary chapters. K.R. Monin pointed out jarring character inconsistencies. Dan Volovic provided gun-related insights and helped me brainstorm several wild scenarios that made it into the final draft. Devin Olshefski suffered through an early draft but stuck with it and marked every piece of horrendous dialogue he could find. Zack Hammond and Elicia Messier read Entry Wounds in the late stages and challenged me to rethink the ending. Carol and Denny McNulty worked their proofreading magic and caught tons of typos and other brainless errors.
Special thanks to everyone who provided research-related input. Mike Dorbad, Steph Harkins, and Kate Lytle Rushing answered my oddball medical questions with patience and clarity. Dave Scherer, Dave DeWitt, and Richard Haas answered my legal and policework questions. Tom Meluskey did what he does best and told me what cars my characters should drive.
Thank you to everyone else who provided feedback and insight: Timothy Howard Jackson, Jessica Martin Gorbet, Kammi Lutz, Mark Lewis, and Michelle Rascon.
Finally, I’d like to thank you, the reader, for grabbing onto this book and not letting go!
About the Author
Brandon McNulty grew up loving monsters, demons, and the thrill of a great scare. Now he writes supernatural thrillers, horror, and other dark fiction. He is a graduate of Taos Toolbox Writers Workshop and a winner of both Pitch Wars and RevPit. He writes from Pennsylvania.
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Entry Wounds: A Supernatural Thriller Page 28