wouldn’t do it. He laughed. Or for any other broad. They simply weren’t worth it.
He slipped out of the car where he’d been sitting for hours and looked around as he stretched, then started down the block, glancing back at the house before turning the corner. If Forester and the doctor were in there, he was giving them the chance to get out the front, but on balance, he had to risk it.
In the alley, he hurried to the back door, where Patterson was supposed to be stationed. He wasn’t there, but as Gary approached the house, he heard a muffled sound of distress in the bushes. When he cautiously approached, he found his partner lying on the ground, taped hand and foot.
Gary pulled the tape off his mouth. “What the hell happened to you?”
“They got the drop on me.”
“You mean Elizabeth and that doctor?”
“Yeah,” Patterson said as Gary freed his partner’s wrists and started working on his legs.
Patterson shook his hands and kicked his feet to get the circulation going.
“What happened, exactly?”
“I’m not sure. It was like...” He stopped and glanced at Gary. “Like they hurled a thunderbolt or something at me.”
“That’s impossible. Maybe they had a Taser gun.”
Patterson considered the idea. “I don’t know what it was. I’m just sayin’, be damned careful if you get near them.”
“Were you unconscious?”
“Maybe for a little while.”
“Okay,” Gary muttered, wondering what they were going to do now and thinking about that five-minute window when he’d left his post and headed back here—to find Patterson.
Could they have gotten away while his partner was out?
“Did you see them leave?” Gary asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“Then we’d better assume they saw me out front, which means they wouldn’t go out that way.” Gary glanced at Patterson. “You steady on your feet?”
“Steady enough to kill those bastards.”
“Waste the guy. The boss wants to do the woman himself.”
“You mean do her—then kill her?”
“Yeah.”
* * *
I N THE OFFICE , Elizabeth picked up some of the papers scattered on the floor and thumbed through them. “These are records of some of my clients.”
After righting the desk chair, she sat down and started to read one of the cases. “This woman was living in a flophouse in Baltimore. It looks like she came into the country illegally.”
“I know you want to understand what you were doing, but I think you don’t have time to read cases now.”
She gave him an exasperated look. “They could be clues to what was going on—when those thugs tried to grab me after the accident.”
“Maybe you can take some with you. We’ve got to get out of here pretty fast.”
She nodded but didn’t move.
“There’s got to be something here,” she murmured as she looked around the shambles that had been her office. “Something they missed.”
“How do you know?”
She shrugged. “I just do. And maybe you can help me figure it out.”
Standing, she reached for Matt. Pulling him close, she molded her body against his as they stood in the middle of the mess. His arms stroked up and down her back, and as she held on to him, she felt the familiar merging of their minds that had so quickly become necessary to her existence.
Yes, he silently agreed.
She wanted to simply revel in the special closeness they shared, but she knew there wasn’t time for that now. What she had to do was search for the memories he’d brought back to her. Not something long ago. Something recent.
Eyes closed, she mentally looked around the room trying to figure out what she couldn’t remember on her own.
Her mental gaze shifted to the bulletin board. There were several whimsical things stuck to it including a couple greeting cards, a Mardi Gras mask, two cocktail swizzle sticks and a key ring with a small flashlight attached.
Matt followed her thoughts as she stepped away from him and reached for the key ring. She had just taken it down from
He slipped out of the car where he’d been sitting for hours and looked around as he stretched, then started down the block, glancing back at the house before turning the corner. If Forester and the doctor were in there, he was giving them the chance to get out the front, but on balance, he had to risk it.
In the alley, he hurried to the back door, where Patterson was supposed to be stationed. He wasn’t there, but as Gary approached the house, he heard a muffled sound of distress in the bushes. When he cautiously approached, he found his partner lying on the ground, taped hand and foot.
Gary pulled the tape off his mouth. “What the hell happened to you?”
“They got the drop on me.”
“You mean Elizabeth and that doctor?”
“Yeah,” Patterson said as Gary freed his partner’s wrists and started working on his legs.
Patterson shook his hands and kicked his feet to get the circulation going.
“What happened, exactly?”
“I’m not sure. It was like...” He stopped and glanced at Gary. “Like they hurled a thunderbolt or something at me.”
“That’s impossible. Maybe they had a Taser gun.”
Patterson considered the idea. “I don’t know what it was. I’m just sayin’, be damned careful if you get near them.”
“Were you unconscious?”
“Maybe for a little while.”
“Okay,” Gary muttered, wondering what they were going to do now and thinking about that five-minute window when he’d left his post and headed back here—to find Patterson.
Could they have gotten away while his partner was out?
“Did you see them leave?” Gary asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“Then we’d better assume they saw me out front, which means they wouldn’t go out that way.” Gary glanced at Patterson. “You steady on your feet?”
“Steady enough to kill those bastards.”
“Waste the guy. The boss wants to do the woman himself.”
“You mean do her—then kill her?”
“Yeah.”
* * *
I N THE OFFICE , Elizabeth picked up some of the papers scattered on the floor and thumbed through them. “These are records of some of my clients.”
After righting the desk chair, she sat down and started to read one of the cases. “This woman was living in a flophouse in Baltimore. It looks like she came into the country illegally.”
“I know you want to understand what you were doing, but I think you don’t have time to read cases now.”
She gave him an exasperated look. “They could be clues to what was going on—when those thugs tried to grab me after the accident.”
“Maybe you can take some with you. We’ve got to get out of here pretty fast.”
She nodded but didn’t move.
“There’s got to be something here,” she murmured as she looked around the shambles that had been her office. “Something they missed.”
“How do you know?”
She shrugged. “I just do. And maybe you can help me figure it out.”
Standing, she reached for Matt. Pulling him close, she molded her body against his as they stood in the middle of the mess. His arms stroked up and down her back, and as she held on to him, she felt the familiar merging of their minds that had so quickly become necessary to her existence.
Yes, he silently agreed.
She wanted to simply revel in the special closeness they shared, but she knew there wasn’t time for that now. What she had to do was search for the memories he’d brought back to her. Not something long ago. Something recent.
Eyes closed, she mentally looked around the room trying to figure out what she couldn’t remember on her own.
Her mental gaze shifted to the bulletin board. There were several whimsical things stuck to it including a couple greeting cards, a Mardi Gras mask, two cocktail swizzle sticks and a key ring with a small flashlight attached.
Matt followed her thoughts as she stepped away from him and reached for the key ring. She had just taken it down from
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