In Seconds
- Автор: Новак Бренда
- Серия: Bulletproof #2
- Год: 2011
- Язык: французский
- Жанр: Остросюжетные любовные романы
Электронная книга - «In Seconds». Краткое содержание книги:
Laurel Hodges has changed her identity twice. She's been on the run for the past four years, trying to outdistance the gang members who blame her for the death of one of their own. She's finally found peace and stability in the small town of Pineview, Montana. But just when Laurel thinks she and her children are safe...the nightmare starts all over again.
The Crew, a ruthless prison gang with ties to Laurel's brother, will never forget and they'll never forgive. And now that they've finally tracked her down, they'll stop at nothing.
Sheriff Myles King, who happens to live next door with his thirteen-year-old daughter, appoints himself Laurel's personal guardian. His growing attraction to her could change his life—Myles is beginning to picture marriage and family. But it could also end his life. If he can't save her, everything he's built, everything he wants, could be destroyed. In seconds...
“No. His family lives in San Diego, and he lost touch with them years ago. This guy’s a career criminal and not right in the head. His family’s as scared of him as everyone else, especially his mother. When he was only twelve he tried to set her bed on fire while she was sleeping.”
Nice son… “So he won’t be reaching out to them anytime soon.”
“They certainly hope not. But we’ve been in touch, just in case.”
“What about the guy who escaped with him? Beachum? Where’s his family?”
“He’s from Modesto, here in California. We’re in contact with his family, too, or what’s left of it. He was born to a crack addict who lost him to Child Protective Services when he was eleven. From there he bounced around the foster system for three or four years. Finally wound up on the street. Mother claims she hasn’t heard from him, but she’s still on the pipe so who knows if she’d even remember.”
Myles groped for some other way to track Eugene Ryder. “Someone had to help these men escape. Someone on the outside. A girlfriend. A family member. A buddy. Isn’t that how it usually works?”
“More often than not.”
“Have you figured out who that might be?”
“No. They have a lot of friends, Sheriff, but not the type who’ll help us. Ryder and Beachum belong to a gang called The Crew.”
That was the problem, not the answer.
“They must’ve had some wire cutters smuggled in so they could cut the fence,” the warden was saying. “But we could drag every member of that gang into my office and interrogate the hell out of them for hours and not a single one would talk, because nothing we’re at liberty to do can compare with what’ll happen to them if they rat out a fellow member.”
“But you’ve tried to talk to them? Maybe there’s a weak link. Someone who really hates Ryder and would like to see him get caught. Someone who, down deep, wants to do the right thing.”
Laughter crackled over the phone. “I can see you’ve never worked in a prison.”
That told him they hadn’t called in any of Ryder’s or Beachum’s “buddies.” “Look, I already have one dead man here, thanks to your escapees. I expect you to do all you can, no matter how futile it may seem.”
Silence greeted this response. Myles had been speaking out of frustration more than anything else, but he didn’t apologize. When Ryder and Beachum drove that beat-up Toyota into his town and killed Pat, California’s problem had become his problem. And he didn’t appreciate it. “We are doing all we can, Sheriff.” His manner, suddenly wooden and overly polite, indicated any camaraderie had come to an end. His next words confirmed that the conversation had, as well. “Thanks for calling.”
“Wait!” Myles tried to catch him before he could hang up. There was no response, but he didn’t hear a click so he barreled on. “Tell me this. Why would these men come to Montana?”
“Sheriff, I didn’t even know they were in Montana until you told me. But it’s as good a place to hide as anywhere else, I suppose.”
The California authorities knew nothing, just as Myles had suspected. Laurel Hodges had left WitSec, so she didn’t even have that conduit to people who might know where she was and inform her of this escape. That tempted Myles to open their eyes, despite Rex’s warning. “You need to check out the shooting incident that damaged Ryder’s spine,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because maybe these two cons aren’t looking for freedom. Maybe they’re looking for revenge.”
“Against whom?”
“Whoever was involved in that shooting!”
The way the warden cleared his throat and deepened his voice reminded Myles of his father. “Do you know something you’re not telling me, Sheriff?”
Was he going to tell what he knew? All of it?
Myles tapped his fingers on the desk while he tried to decide. He wasn’t sure he believed what Rex said about The Crew being able to find out everything the authorities knew. That would require too much corruption, or too many girlfriends working in too many government offices. But…Los Angeles, where he’d been told this gang was largely based, wasn’t Pineview. Maybe he was being too naive. “I know they’re not out for a joyride. That’s what I know.”
Long after he hung up, Myles sat staring at the phone. Should he have explained that Vivian was Laurel Hodges and her life was at stake? That she was a mother of two children? That she’d already been through far too much and deserved to feel safe for a change?
He could’ve tried to enlist their support, offered to collaborate. Most sheriffs would’ve done so; he’d certainly considered it.
But he couldn’t ignore what Rex had said. Apparently he trusted Vivian’s ex-boyfriend more than he wanted to admit. Or maybe he just didn’t want to see what might happen if he disregarded that advice. Either way, he’d told the warden that Ryder and Beachum were here. Let them come look for their escapees without knowing any more about Laurel and her whereabouts than they did now. He’d make sure she was safe.
Speaking of safe… Myles glanced at the clock. He needed to head back to Pineview. He didn’t want Vivian returning from the airport in Kalispell to an empty house.
He’d just scooped up his keys and started for the door when one of his deputies—Ben Jones, his most recent hire—intercepted him.
“Ned Blackburn’s on the phone for you,” Jones announced.
Ned was an insurance salesman who was also on Myles’s softball team. At their last practice, Myles had mentioned that he’d like to increase his life insurance. But now was not the time. “Tell him I’m busy. I’ll have to call him back when things slow down around here.” He tried to circumvent Jones, but Jones caught his arm.
“I think you’re going to want to talk to him, Sheriff.”
Myles hesitated. “Why’s that?”
“He says he saw those two men you’re looking for. Gave ’em a ride yesterday.”
At last. Maybe Ned was the person who’d picked up Ryder and Beachum after Harvey left them on the side of the road. Or he’d given them a ride since. The way word spread in a place like Pineview, he knew it couldn’t be long before he heard something.
“Where is he?” Myles asked, suddenly far more interested than he’d been before.
“Line one.”
“Can he show us exactly where he dropped them off?”
“Says he can. Told me he’d drive you there right now if you’d like to go.”
He did want to go. But he wanted to make sure Vivian was okay first. “Tell him to hang on, that I’ll be with him in a second.”
Myles returned to his desk and called Vivian’s house. No answer. He hated to leave her at risk for even a minute, but he had no guarantee she was coming right back. For all he knew, she was spending the day in Kalispell shopping. It wasn’t as if they’d talked before she left.
“Sheriff? Ned’s waiting,” Jones called out.
“I know, I know,” he muttered, and glanced at his watch again. It was only eleven. If he hurried, he could take that drive with Ned and get back to Pineview by noon.
Pressing the button with the flashing light, he brought the handset to his ear. “Ned? Where can you meet me?”
19
Vivian had made a commitment to this place. After moving around for most of her life, searching for her niche in the world, she’d finally found what she wanted, and she was determined not to abandon it. She’d painted and repaired this house herself. She’d spent hours looking for the right cast-off furnishings—unique and eclectic pictures, rugs, window coverings and furniture. She’d planted her garden. Tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, watermelon, strawberries. Pumpkins for fall. If she left now she’d never see any of it come to fruition.