Raincoast Books, my appreciation for everything you do for me in Canada. I’d also like to thank my foreign publishers and translators, who share my stories around the world.
On the research side, my thanks to Corporal R. Jo for answering all my text questions, even when they were lengthy scenarios that probably sounded very strange out of context. BJ Brown, for the helpful phone calls and emails. Steve Unischewski, for the dirt bike information. Any mistakes are most assuredly mine, or the result of my taking creative license.
Connel, as you said, you’ve been down this road with me a few times now, and you are a great copilot. Thanks for keeping our family intact and for all the times you bring food to my desk, answer random research questions, listen to my panic attacks, and assure me that everything is going to be fine. Yes, you can go fishing on Sunday. We both know you were going anyway.
My darling Piper, Pipster the Hipster, Pipes, Pipsqueak, Kitten, you fill my life with joy and laughter. I’m sure it isn’t always easy being the daughter of a writer who stays in her office for hours at a time, but I love our cuddle breaks, your jokes, and your performances. You are a great kid and I am proud to be your mother. Please don’t write about me one day.
Ziggy and Oona, thank you for keeping me company while I write and cleaning up all my dropped crumbs, but please stop barking at the Amazon delivery drivers, the UPS driver, the squirrels, the crows, and imagined monsters. You make it hard for Mommy to think.
To my wonderful fans, your support allows me to keep doing what I love, and your emails, messages, and Facebook comments keep me going on the hard days. Finally, a big thank-you to all my friends and family, who make my life about more than words on paper.
Also by Chevy Stevens
Never Let You Go
Those Girls
That Night
Always Watching
Never Knowing
Still Missing
About the Author
CHEVY STEVENS lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and daughter. When she isn’t working on her next book, she’s hiking with her two dogs on her favorite mountain trails and spending time with her family. Chevy’s current obsessions are vintage Airstreams, Hollywood memoirs, all things mid-century modern, and stand-up comedians—not necessarily in that order. Her books, including Still Missing, a New York Times bestseller and winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel, have been published in more than thirty countries. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Part One
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
Part Two
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Part Three
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
Letter from the Author
Acknowledgments
Also by Chevy Stevens
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.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
DARK ROADS. Copyright © 2021 by Chevy Stevens. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Michael Storrings
Cover art: woman © Clarissa Leahy/Image Source/Alamy; background © Brooke Anderson Photography/Getty Images
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-13357-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-27787-9 (Canadian)
ISBN 978-1-250-13358-8 (ebook)
eISBN 9781250133588
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: 2021