Gem Stone by Dale Mayer Page B

breeze bringing them to him, shifted slightly.
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    Shudders wracked Mark's spine and he let his head drop slightly when he realized the men were leaving. Then again, they might be only pretending to leave. Either way he had a short reprieve. The leader wasn't going to leave without taking care of business. And if he did, it would only be long enough to confirm with his boss what that business would actually be.
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    These goons were idiots. He figured he had a few minutes while they phoned their boss. And Mark knew the boss wouldn't leave a body in the creek. He'd make these idiots haul it out and bury it deep. And because of all their messups he'd probably stand watch until he was satisfied the job was done.
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    With his hands clutching the tree trunk, Mark took a calming breath. Now to free my feet.
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    Rubbing his legs together he managed to kick off his shoes and slip one foot through the wet, slightly loosened ropes.
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    "Thank God for that," he whispered as his legs kicked free. But he needed his shoes to be able outrun those assholes if they found him. Taking a deep breath he ducked under and swam awkwardly to the bottom of the creek. Murkiness blinded him and his hands were still handcuffed in front. At the last of his air, he saw the shoes, snagged them and kicked upward.
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    Coming up almost in the exact spot he'd been in before, Mark checked the banks. He was still alone.
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    Now I have to get the hell out of here.
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    He swam awkwardly with his hands in front of him, his legs kicking hard to propel him forward. At the shore, he clambered out and tried to stay on the rocks as he worked his way north for a few feet. He needed a way to get up the bank without leaving evidence of his crossing. The damn cuffs on his hands had to go. The willow bushes along the bank allowed him to pull himself up the steep bank but they also constantly caught on his restraints.
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    At the top of the bank, he collapsed to the ground, groaning at the burn in his chest as well as his wrists. Am I safe here? He raised his head and took a cautious look around. Maybe for a few minutes. He needed to rest. And to get his shoes on. Then he'd recoup and run his ass off.
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    Then he heard Gem's voice. "Noooo––"
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    The woods immediately filled with deafening silence.
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CHAPTER SEVEN
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    R eid finally lost it. "I don't give a shit about these details. We have to do something now. Don't you freakin understand? They're going to kill him – and Gem." He bolted to the front door, opened it and disappeared.
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    "Shit. Barry go after him." Sheriff Jerome watched as his youngest deputy took off behind Reid. Barry was only a few years older than the kid, maybe he could get him to calm down.
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    Danny and Ian, walked out to the cruiser. Danny didn't know if he believed Reid about another kidnapping, but the kid was definitely panicked for his friends.
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    It didn't make any sense. The EPA officers had no reason to take the kids. They didn't need to go to these lengths; they could have contacted the sheriff and he'd have picked them up and brought them in for questioning anytime. Theatrics weren't required. What had Reid said? Something about Gemma and Misty, that they'd seen the men doing something the night before? He pondered that.
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    Speaking of Misty… His next call was to the hospital.
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    Yes, Misty was there. It could take a few days for the drugs to work their way through her system. They were running tests on her now to determine just what she'd been given to help pin down her allergic reaction.
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    Danny frowned as he hung up. None of this made any sense. He'd checked the men's credentials himself. Everything had been verified. But if this kid was right, and these strangers had kidnapped Misty in the first place and if – and this was a big if – the three men were now after Gem and Mark, then what was to stop them from making a second play for Misty? A clean sweep