Excerpt
Dead End starts pulling again, yanking at my wrist. Mom had known. Right after Lyon and I made our deal, shed taken the pooch to obedience classes, had transformed him into a good dog that didnt run off. Everyone but Mom saw this as a flat out miracle, but her sixth sense about animals had told her that hed become a devoted pet. And he had. Devoted to her, mostly. Thats why, it seems to me, hes started running again: because shes gone. Our once warm and full home is cold and hollow, with sadness collecting like dust. Not even a day after shed left us, the pooch started pacing and whining, pawing at the door of the master bedroom. If someone were to ask me, which no one would because Ive made it as clear as crystal that I wont talk about her, Id say Dead End is searching for Mom.
Id take off, too, even leave Virginia itself, if I could get up the guts to cut away from Lyon and G.D., Ive whispered in the dogs ear more than once.