{"id":5600,"date":"2026-01-04T01:37:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/iris-johansen-countdown-johansen-iris\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T01:37:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:37:54","slug":"iris-johansen-countdown-johansen-iris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/iris-johansen-countdown-johansen-iris\/","title":{"rendered":"Iris Johansen – Countdown – Johansen, Iris"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nAberdeen, Scotland<\/span>
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

F<\/span><\/span>ind the key. <\/p>\n

The hotel room was dark but he didn\u2019t dare turn on a light. Leonard had told him that Trevor and Bartlett were usually in the restaurant for an hour, but he couldn\u2019t count on it. Grozak had experience with that son of a bitch over the years and he knew Trevor\u2019s instincts were still as keen as they had been when he was a mercenary in Colombia. <\/p>\n

So he\u2019d give himself ten minutes tops and get out of here.<\/p>\n

His penlight flashed around the room. As sterile and impersonal as most hotel rooms. Take the bureau drawers first.<\/p>\n

He moved quickly across to the bureau and started going through them.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

He went to the closet and dragged out the duffel and searched through it hurriedly.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

Five minutes to go.<\/p>\n

He went to the bedside table and opened the drawer. A notepad and pen.<\/p>\n

Find the key, the Achilles\u2019 heel. Everyone had one.<\/p>\n

Try the bathroom.<\/p>\n

Nothing in the drawers. <\/p>\n

The grooming kit.<\/p>\n

Pay dirt!<\/p>\n

Maybe.<\/p>\n

Yes.<\/span> At the bottom of the kit was a small, worn leather folder.<\/p>\n

Photos of a woman. Notes. Newspaper clippings with photos of the same woman. Disappointment surged through him. Nothing about MacDuff\u2019s Run. Nothing about the gold. Nothing here to really help him. Hell, he\u2019d hoped it was\u2014<\/p>\n

Wait. The woman\u2019s face was damn familiar. . . . <\/p>\n

No time to read them.<\/p>\n

He pulled out his digital camera and began to take the pictures. Send the prints to Reilly and show him that he might have the ammunition that he needed to control Trevor.<\/p>\n

But this might not be enough for him. One more search of the bedroom and that duffel . . . <\/p>\n

The worn, dog-eared sketchbook was under the protective board at the bottom of the duffel. <\/p>\n

Probably nothing of value. He quickly flipped through the pages. Faces. Nothing but faces. He shouldn\u2019t have taken the extra time. Trevor would be here any minute. Nothing but a bunch of sketches of kids and old people and that bastard\u2014<\/p>\n

My God.<\/p>\n

Jackpot!<\/p>\n

He tucked the sketchbook under his arm and headed for the door, filled with heady exultation. He almost wished that he\u2019d run into Trevor in the hall so that he\u2019d have the chance to kill the son of a bitch. No, that would spoil everything.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got<\/span> you, Trevor.<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

T<\/span><\/span>he alarm in Trevor\u2019s pocket was vibrating.<\/p>\n

Trevor tensed. \u201cSon of a bitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d Bartlett asked. <\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe nothing. There\u2019s someone in my hotel room.\u201d He threw some money down on the table and stood up. \u201cIt could be the maid turning down my bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you don\u2019t think so.\u201d Bartlett followed him from the room to the elevator. \u201cGrozak?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA trap?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot likely. He wants me dead but he wants the gold more. He\u2019s probably trying to find a map or any other info he can get his hands on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019d never leave anything of value there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can\u2019t be sure of that.\u201d He stopped outside the door and drew his gun. \u201cStay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem. If you get killed, someone has to yell for the police, and I\u2019ll accept that duty. But if it is the maid, we may be asked to leave this domicile.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the maid. The room\u2019s dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen perhaps I should\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Trevor kicked the door open, darted to one side, and hit the floor.<\/p>\n

No shot. No movement.<\/p>\n

He crawled behind the couch and waited for his eyes to become accustomed to the darkness.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

He reached up and turned on the lamp on the end table by the couch. <\/p>\n

The room was empty.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I join you?\u201d Bartlett called from the hall. \u201cI\u2019m a bit lonely out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStay there for a minute. I want to make sure . . .\u201d He checked the closet and then the bathroom. \u201cCome in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood. It was interesting watching you tear through that door like Clint Eastwood in a Dirty Harry movie.\u201d Bartlett cautiously entered the room. \u201cBut I really don\u2019t know why I risk my valuable neck with you when I could be safe in London.\u201d He looked around. \u201cEverything looks fine to me. Are you becoming paranoid, Trevor? Perhaps that gadget you carry has a short circuit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps.\u201d He glanced through the drawers. \u201cNo, some of the clothes have been moved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can you tell? It looks neat to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell.\u201d He moved toward the bathroom. The grooming kit was in almost the same position as he\u2019d left it.<\/p>\n

Almost.<\/p>\n

Shit.<\/p>\n

He unzipped the kit. The leather case was still there. It was the same black as the bottom of the kit and might not have been noticed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrevor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be with you in a minute.\u201d He slowly opened the case and looked down at the articles and then the photo. She was looking up at him from the photo with the challenging stare he knew so well. Perhaps Grozak hadn\u2019t seen it. Perhaps he wouldn\u2019t think it important even if he had.<\/p>\n

But could he afford to risk her life on that chance?<\/p>\n

He moved quickly to the closet and jerked out the duffel and tore up the support board. <\/p>\n

It was gone.<\/p>\n

Shit!<\/p>\n

\n
\nHarvard University<\/span>
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

H<\/span><\/span>ey, I thought you were going to study for that final.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane glanced up from her sketchbook to see her roommate, Pat Hershey, bounding into the room. \u201cI had to take a break. I was getting too intense to keep a clear head. Sketching relaxes me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo would sleep.\u201d Pat smiled. \u201cAnd you wouldn\u2019t have had to study so hard if you hadn\u2019t been out half of last night playing nursemaid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMike needed someone to talk to.\u201d Jane made a face. \u201cHe\u2019s scared to death that he\u2019s going to flunk out and disappoint everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen he should be studying instead of crying on your shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane knew Pat was right, and she\u2019d had moments of exasperation and impatience last night. \u201cHe\u2019s used to coming to me with problems. We\u2019ve known each other since we were kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019re too soft to send him away now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not soft.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcept about people you care about. Look at me. You\u2019ve gotten me out of quite a few jams since we started to room together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were serious to me.\u201d She strolled over and glanced at the sketch. \u201cGood God, you\u2019re drawing him again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane ignored the comment. \u201cDid you have a good run?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUpped my distance a mile.\u201d Pat flopped down in the chair and began untying her running shoes. \u201cYou should have come with me. It\u2019s no fun for me running alone. I wanted the satisfaction of leaving you in the dust.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo time.\u201d Jane finished the sketch in three bold strokes. \u201cI told you, I had to study for my chemistry final.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that\u2019s what you told me.\u201d Pat grinned as she kicked off her shoes. \u201cBut here you are drawing Mr. Wonderful again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve me, he\u2019s not wonderful.\u201d She snapped the sketchbook shut. \u201cAnd he\u2019s definitely not the type of man you\u2019d take home to meet your mom and dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA black sheep? Exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly on soap operas. In real life they\u2019re big trouble.\u201d <\/p>\n

Pat made a face. \u201cYou sound like a jaded woman of the world. You\u2019re twenty-one, for God\u2019s sake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not jaded. Jaded is for people who don\u2019t have enough imagination to keep life interesting. But I\u2019ve learned to tell the difference between intriguing and troublesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could learn to live with that kind of trouble when it\u2019s packaged so nicely. He\u2019s gorgeous. Sort of a cross between Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe. You must think so too or you wouldn\u2019t keep drawing his face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane shrugged. \u201cHe\u2019s interesting. I find something new in his face every time I draw it. That\u2019s why I use him as a distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I really like those sketches. I don\u2019t know why you haven\u2019t done a full portrait of him. It would be much better than the one you did of the old lady that won that prize.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane smiled. \u201cI don\u2019t believe the judges would have agreed with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m not knocking you. The other portrait was brilliant. But then, you\u2019re always brilliant. You\u2019ll be famous someday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane made a rude sound. \u201cMaybe if I live to be as old as Grandma Moses. I\u2019m far too practical. I have no artistic temperament.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou always make fun of yourself, but I\u2019ve seen you when you\u2019re working. You get lost. . . .\u201d She tilted her head. \u201cI\u2019ve been wondering why you won\u2019t admit you have a fantastic future in store for you. It took me a while but I finally figured it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed? I can\u2019t wait to hear your take on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be sarcastic. I can be perceptive on occasion. I\u2019ve decided for some reason you\u2019re afraid to reach out and grab the brass ring. Maybe you don\u2019t think you deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying you\u2019re not confident. I just think you\u2019re not as sure of your talent as you should be. Good God, you won one of the most prestigious competitions in the country. That should tell you something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt told me the judges liked my style. Art is subjective. If there had been another set of judges, I might not have fared so well.\u201d She shrugged. \u201cAnd that would have been okay. I paint what and who I want. It gives me pleasure. I don\u2019t have to be first with anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t, Miss Freud. So back off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you say.\u201d Pat was still staring at the sketch. \u201cYou said he was an old friend?\u201d<\/p>\n

Friend? No way. Their relationship had been too volatile to involve friendship. \u201cNo, I said I knew him years ago. Hadn\u2019t you better take your shower?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pat chuckled. \u201cAm I treading on private ground again? Sorry, it\u2019s my busybody nature. It comes from living in a small town all my life.\u201d She got to her feet and stretched. \u201cYou have to admit I restrain myself most of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane smiled as she shook her head. \u201cWhen you\u2019re sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you must not mind too much. You\u2019ve roomed with me for two years and you\u2019ve never put arsenic in my coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could still happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, you\u2019re used to me now. Actually, we complement each other. You\u2019re guarded, hardworking, responsible, and intense. I\u2019m open, lazy, spoiled, and a social butterfly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why you have a 4.0 average.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m also competitive and you spur me on. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t find a roommate who\u2019s a party girl like me.\u201d She pulled her T-shirt over her head. \u201cBesides, I\u2019m hoping Mr. Wonderful is going to show up so that I can seduce him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll be disappointed. He\u2019s not going to show up. He probably doesn\u2019t remember I\u2019m alive, and now he\u2019s just an interesting face to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d make sure he remembered me. What did you say his name was?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane smiled teasingly. \u201cMr. Wonderful. What else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, really. I know you told me but I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrevor. Mark Trevor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d Pat headed for the bathroom. \u201cTrevor . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane glanced down at the sketch pad. It was curious that Pat had suddenly zeroed in on Trevor again. In spite of what she\u2019d said, she generally respected Jane\u2019s privacy, and she\u2019d backed off before when she\u2019d seen Jane withdraw after she\u2019d questioned her about him.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop analyzing.\u201d Pat stuck her head out of the bathroom. \u201cI can hear the wheels turning even over the sound of the shower. I\u2019ve just decided I need to take you in hand and find a hunk to screw you and release all that pent-up tension you\u2019re storing. You\u2019ve been living like a nun lately. This Trevor seems a good candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane shook her head.<\/p>\n

Pat made a face. \u201cStubborn. Well, then I\u2019ll skip him and go on to the local talent.\u201d She disappeared back into the bathroom.<\/p>\n

Skip Trevor? Not likely, Jane thought. She\u2019d been trying to ignore him for the past four years, and succeeded at times. Yet he was always in the background, waiting to push into her consciousness. That was the reason she\u2019d started sketching his face three years ago. Once the sketch was finished she could forget him again for a while and get on with her life.<\/p>\n

And it was a good life, full and busy and definitely not empty. She didn\u2019t need him. She was accomplishing her goals, and the only reason his memory still lingered was that their time together had taken place under such dramatic circumstances. Black sheep might be intriguing to Pat, but she\u2019d led a sheltered life and didn\u2019t realize how much\u2014 <\/p>\n

Her cell phone rang.<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

S<\/span><\/span>he was being followed.<\/p>\n

Jane glanced over her shoulder.<\/p>\n

No one.<\/p>\n

At least, no one suspicious. A couple college guys out for a good time were strolling across the street and eyeing a girl who had just gotten off the bus. No one else. No one interested in her. She must be getting paranoid.<\/p>\n

The hell she was. She still had her street kid\u2019s instincts and she trusted them. Someone had been following her.<\/p>\n

Okay, it could be anyone. This neighborhood had bars on every block catering to college kids who streamed in from the surrounding campuses. Maybe someone had noticed that she was alone, zeroed in on her for a few minutes as a prospective lay, and then lost interest and ducked into a bar.<\/p>\n

As she was going to do. <\/p>\n

She glanced up at the neon light on the building ahead. The Red Rooster? Oh, for God\u2019s sake, Mike. If he was going to get soused, he could have at least picked a bar whose owner had a little originality.<\/p>\n

That was too much to expect. Even when Mike wasn\u2019t in a panic, he was neither selective nor critical. Tonight he evidently wouldn\u2019t care if the place was called Dew Drop Inn if they\u2019d serve him enough beer. Ordinarily, she would have opted to let him make his own mistakes and learn from them, but she\u2019d promised Sandra she\u2019d help him settle in.<\/p>\n

And the kid was only eighteen, dammit. So get him out, get him back to his dorm, and get him sober enough to talk sense into him.<\/p>\n

She opened the door and was immediately assaulted by noise, the smell of beer, and a crush of people. Her gaze searched the room and she finally spotted Mike and his roommate, Paul Donnell, at a table across the bar. She moved quickly toward them. From this distance Paul seemed sober, but Mike was obviously royally smashed. He could hardly sit up in his chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cJane.\u201d Paul rose to his feet. \u201cThis is a surprise. I didn\u2019t think you hit the bars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d And it wasn\u2019t a surprise to Paul. He\u2019d phoned her thirty minutes ago to tell her Mike was depressed and in the process of getting plastered. But if he wanted to protect his relationship with Mike by pretending he hadn\u2019t let her know, that was okay with her. She\u2019d never cared much for Paul. He was too slick, too cool for her taste, but he evidently was worried about Mike. \u201cExcept when Mike is making an idiot of himself. Come on, Mike, we\u2019re getting out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike looked blearily up at her. \u201cCan\u2019t. I\u2019m still sober enough to think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBarely.\u201d She glanced at Paul. \u201cYou pay the tab and I\u2019ll meet you at the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot going,\u201d Mike said. \u201cHappy here. If I get one more beer down, Paul promised to crow like a rooster. A red rooster . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul raised his brows and shook his head at Jane. \u201cSorry to put you through this. Since we\u2019ve only been rooming together for a few months, he wouldn\u2019t listen to me. But he\u2019s always talking about you; I didn\u2019t think you\u2019d mind if\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay. I\u2019m used to it. We grew up together and I\u2019ve been taking care of him since he was six years old.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not related?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head. \u201cHe was adopted by the mother of the woman who took me in and raised me. He\u2019s a sweet kid when he\u2019s not being so damn insecure, but there are times when I want to shake him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo easy on him. He\u2019s got a major case of nerves.\u201d He headed for the bar. \u201cI\u2019ll pay the tab.\u201d <\/p>\n

Go easy on him? If Ron and Sandra Fitzgerald hadn\u2019t been so easy on Mike, he wouldn\u2019t have forgotten what he\u2019d learned on Luther Street and would be better able to cope in the real world, she thought in exasperation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you mad at me?\u201d Mike asked morosely. \u201cDon\u2019t be mad at me, Jane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I\u2019m mad at\u2014\u201d He was looking up at her like a kicked puppy and she couldn\u2019t finish. \u201cMike, why are you doing this to yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMad at me. Disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cListen to me. I\u2019m not disappointed. Because I know you\u2019re going to do fine once you work your way through this. Come on, we\u2019ll get out of here and go someplace where we can talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTalk here. I\u2019ll buy you a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMike. I don\u2019t want\u2014\u201d It was no use. Persuasion was striking out. Just get him out of here any way she could. \u201cOn your feet.\u201d Jane took a step closer to the table. \u201cNow. Or I\u2019ll carry you in a fireman\u2019s lift and tote you out of here on my shoulder. You know I can do it, Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike gazed up at her in horror. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t do that. Everyone would laugh at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care if these losers laugh at you. They should be studying for their exams instead of pickling their brains. And so should you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter.\u201d He shook his head mournfully. \u201cI\u2019ll flunk it anyway. I should never have come here. Ron and Sandra were wrong. I can never make it in an Ivy League school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe school would never have accepted you if they didn\u2019t think you could make it. You did fine in high school. This is no different if you work hard enough.\u201d She sighed as she realized she wasn\u2019t getting to him through that haze of alcohol. \u201cWe\u2019ll talk later. On your feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMike.\u201d She bent so that she could stare him directly in the eyes. \u201cI promised Sandra that I\u2019d take care of you. That means not letting you start off your first year like a drunken sot or get thrown in jail for underage drinking. Do I keep my promises?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded. \u201cBut you shouldn\u2019t have promised\u2014I\u2019m not a kid anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen act like it. You have two more minutes before I make you look like the asshole you\u2019re being.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes widened in alarm and he jerked to his feet. \u201cDamn you, Jane. I\u2019m not\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up.\u201d She took his arm and propelled him toward the door. \u201cI\u2019m not feeling very warm toward you right now. I have a final tomorrow and I\u2019ll have to stay up till dawn to make up for this trip to town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d he asked gloomily. \u201cYou\u2019d ace it anyway. Some people have it. Some people don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s bull. And a pretty pitiful excuse for being lazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u201cPaul and I talked about it. It\u2019s not fair. You\u2019ve got it all. In a few months you\u2019ll graduate with honors and make Eve and Joe proud. I\u2019ll be lucky to make it through at the bottom of my class.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop blubbering.\u201d She opened the door and pushed him out of the bar. \u201cYou won\u2019t even make it through the first term if you don\u2019t shape up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what Paul said.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you should have paid more attention.\u201d She saw Paul standing on the sidewalk and asked, \u201cWhere\u2019s his car parked?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAround the corner in the alley. All the parking spots were filled when we got here. Do you need help with him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot if he can walk,\u201d she said grimly. \u201cI hope you took his car keys away from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of friend would I be if I didn\u2019t?\u201d He reached in his pocket and handed her the keys. \u201cDo you want me to drive your car back to school?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded, took her keys out of her purse, and gave them to him. \u201cIt\u2019s two blocks down. A tan Toyota Corolla.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe worked two jobs and bought it herself.\u201d Mike shook his head. \u201cAmazing, brilliant Jane. She\u2019s the star. Did I tell you that, Paul? Everyone\u2019s proud of Jane. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on.\u201d She grabbed his arm. \u201cI\u2019ll show you amazing. You\u2019ll be lucky if I don\u2019t deck you before I get you back to the dorm. I\u2019ll see you back at your room, Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d He turned on his heel and set off down the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cWonderful Jane . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe quiet. I\u2019m not going to let you blame your lack of purpose on me. I\u2019ll help you, but you\u2019re responsible for your life, just as I am for mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know zilch right now. Listen, Mike, we both grew up on the streets, but we were lucky. We\u2019ve been given a chance to climb out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot smart enough. Paul\u2019s right. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re all muddled.\u201d The alley was yawning just ahead. Her hand tightened on the key as she pressed the unlock button and pushed him toward his Saturn. \u201cYou can\u2019t even remember what\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\nShadow. Leaping forward. Arm raised.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

She instinctively pushed Mike aside and ducked.<\/p>\n

Pain! <\/p>\n

In her shoulder, not her head, where the blow was aimed.<\/p>\n

She whirled and kicked him in the belly. <\/p>\n

He grunted and bent double.<\/p>\n

She kicked him in the groin and listened with fierce satisfaction as he howled in agony. \u201cBastard.\u201d She took a step toward him. \u201cCan\u2019t you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

A bullet whistled by her ear.<\/p>\n

Mike cried out.<\/p>\n

Dear God. She hadn\u2019t seen any gun.<\/p>\n

No, her attacker was still doubled over, groaning in pain. Someone else was in the alley.<\/p>\n

And Mike was falling to his knees.<\/p>\n

Get him out of here.<\/p>\n

She opened the door of the Saturn and pushed him onto the passenger seat. <\/p>\n

Another shadow running toward her from the end of the alley as she ran around to the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n

Another shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t kill her, you fool. She\u2019s no good to us dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kid may already be dead. I\u2019m not leaving a witness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The voice came from right in front of her.<\/p>\n

Blind him.<\/p>\n

She turned the lights on high as she started the car.<\/p>\n

And ducked as a bullet shattered the windshield.<\/p>\n

The tires screeched as she stomped on the accelerator and backed out of the alley.<\/p>\n

\u201cJane . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked down at Mike and her heart sank. His chest . . . Blood. So much blood. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Mike. You\u2019re going to be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . don\u2019t want to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m taking you to the emergency room right now. You\u2019re not going to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d Christ, she was lying. She was terrified, but she couldn\u2019t let him see it. \u201cBecause there\u2019s no reason to be. You\u2019re going to get through this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d he whispered. \u201cWhy did they\u2014 Money? You should have given it to them. I don\u2019t want to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t ask me for money.\u201d She swallowed. Don\u2019t cry now. Pull over and try to stop that bleeding and then get him to the emergency room. \u201cJust hold on, Mike. Trust me. You\u2019re going to be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPromise . . . me.\u201d He was slumping forward in the seat. \u201cDon\u2019t want to . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

M<\/span><\/span>s. MacGuire?\u201d<\/p>\n

A doctor?<\/p>\n

Jane looked up quickly at the tall, fortyish man standing in the doorway of the waiting room. \u201cHow is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry. I\u2019m not a doctor. I\u2019m Detective Lee Manning. I need to ask you a few questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLater,\u201d she said curtly. She wished she could stop shaking. Dear God, she was scared. \u201cI\u2019m waiting for\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctors are working on your friend. It\u2019s a difficult operation. They won\u2019t be out to talk to you for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what they told me, but it\u2019s been over four hours, dammit. No one\u2019s said a word to me since they took him away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOperating rooms are busy places.\u201d He came toward her. \u201cAnd I\u2019m afraid we have to get a statement from you. You showed up here with a victim suffering a gunshot wound and we have to find out what happened. The longer we wait, the greater chance we have of losing the perpetrator.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told them what happened when I checked Mike in to the hospital.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cTell me again. You say robbery didn\u2019t appear to be the motive?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t ask for money. They wanted\u2014I don\u2019t know what they wanted. They said something about the girl not being any good to them dead. That\u2019s me, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRape?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s possible. A kidnapping? Do your parents have a good deal of money?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m an orphan, but I\u2019ve lived with Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn since I was a kid. Joe\u2019s a cop like you but he has private money. Eve is a forensic sculptor and she does more charity work than professional.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEve Duncan . . . I\u2019ve heard of her.\u201d He turned as another man came into the room carrying a Styrofoam cup filled with steaming coffee. \u201cThis is Sergeant Ken Fox. He thought you\u2019d need a pick-me-up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to meet you, ma\u2019am.\u201d Fox offered her the cup with a polite smile. \u201cIt\u2019s black, but I\u2019ll be glad to get you another one with cream if you like.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAre you playing good cop, bad cop with me? It won\u2019t work.\u201d But she took the cup of coffee. She needed it. \u201cLike I said, I was brought up by a cop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat must have come in handy tonight,\u201d Manning said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe you were able to fight your way out of that alley.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve what you like.\u201d She sipped the coffee. \u201cBut find out from the doctors if Mike\u2019s going to live. Those nurses gave me all kinds of soothing noncommittal assurances, but I don\u2019t know whether to believe them. They\u2019ll talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey think he has a good chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a chance?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was shot in the chest and he lost a good deal of blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d She moistened her lips. \u201cI tried to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did a good job. The doctors say you may have saved his life. How did you know what to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI took EMT training three years ago. It comes in handy. I sometimes go to disaster sites with my friend Sarah Logan, who does canine rescue work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem to have all kinds of talents.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stiffened. \u201cAre you being sarcastic? I don\u2019t need that kind of hassle right now. I know you have a job to do, but back off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t trying to intimidate you.\u201d Manning grimaced. \u201cLord, you\u2019re defensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friend has just been shot. I think I have a right to be defensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, we\u2019re the good guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it\u2019s hard to tell.\u201d She gave him a cool glance. \u201cAnd you haven\u2019t shown me your ID yet. Let\u2019s see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry.\u201d He reached in his pocket and pulled out his badge. \u201cMy error. Show her your ID, Fox.\u201d<\/p>\n

She examined both IDs closely before handing them back. \u201cOkay. Let\u2019s get this over quickly. I\u2019ll make a formal statement later but here\u2019s what you need to know right now. It was too dark in that alley for me to be able to ID the first man who attacked us. But when I turned on the headlights I got a glimpse of the man who shot Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll be able to recognize him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes.\u201d Her lips twisted. \u201cNo problem. I\u2019m not going to forget him. Not ever. Give me a few hours after I get through this hell and I\u2019ll give you a sketch of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re an artist?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my major. And I\u2019ve got a knack for portraiture. I\u2019ve done sketches for the Atlanta PD before and they haven\u2019t complained.\u201d She took another sip of coffee. \u201cCheck with them if you don\u2019t believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe you,\u201d Fox said. \u201cThat will be a great help. But you only saw him for a moment. It would be hard to remember enough to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll remember.\u201d She leaned wearily back in the chair. \u201cLook, I\u2019ll do everything I can to help. I want to get this bastard. I don\u2019t know what the hell this is all about, but Mike didn\u2019t deserve this to happen to him. I\u2019ve met a few people who did deserve to be shot.\u201d She shivered. \u201cBut not Mike. Will you go check and see if there\u2019s any\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo news.\u201d Joe Quinn\u2019s face was grim as he came into the waiting room. \u201cI checked as soon as I got here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u201d She jumped to her feet and ran across the room toward him. \u201cThank God you\u2019re here. Those nurses were practically patting my head. They won\u2019t tell me anything. They\u2019re treating me like a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHeaven forbid. Don\u2019t they know you\u2019re twenty-one going on a hundred?\u201d He hugged her and then turned to the two detectives. \u201cDetective Joe Quinn. The head nurse tells me you\u2019re local police?\u201d<\/p>\n

Manning nodded. \u201cManning, and this is Sergeant Fox. Naturally, we have a few questions to ask the young lady. You understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that you\u2019re to leave her alone right now. She\u2019s not under suspicion, is she?\u201d<\/p>\n

Manning shook his head. \u201cIf she shot him, then she did a hell of a lot to keep him alive afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s protected him all her life. There\u2019s no way she would have shot him. Give her a chance to get herself together and she\u2019ll cooperate later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo she told us,\u201d Manning said. \u201cI was just about to leave when you came. Just doing our job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane was tired of dealing with them. \u201cWhere\u2019s Eve, Joe? And how did you get here so quickly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hired a jet as soon as you called, and Eve and I came ahead. Sandra is flying in from New Orleans, where she was vacationing. Eve stayed at the airport to meet her flight and bring her here. Sandra\u2019s almost falling apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI promised her I\u2019d take care of him.\u201d She could feel the tears sting her eyes. \u201cI didn\u2019t do it, Joe. I don\u2019t know what happened. Everything went wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did your best.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t tell me that. I didn\u2019t do<\/span> it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, but Sandra had no right to saddle you with that kind of responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s Eve\u2019s mother. She loves Mike. Hell, I love Mike. I\u2019d have done it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll wait in the hall,\u201d Sergeant Fox said. \u201cWhenever you\u2019re ready to make a statement, Ms. MacGuire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute. I\u2019ll go with you,\u201d Joe said. \u201cI want to talk to you about the investigation.\u201d He turned to Jane. \u201cI\u2019ll be right back. I want an update and then I\u2019ll go back to the nurse\u2019s desk and see if I can get more info about Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u201cYou\u2019re upset and it shows. They\u2019ll be walking on eggshells around you. Let me do it. I\u2019ll get right back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to sit\u2014\u201d She stopped. He was right. She wiped her wet cheeks on the back of her hand. She couldn\u2019t stop crying, dammit. \u201cHurry, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll hurry.\u201d He brushed his lips on her forehead. \u201cYou did nothing wrong, Jane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not true,\u201d she said shakily. \u201cI didn\u2019t save him. Nothing could be more wrong than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Read the full book by downloading it below.<\/p>\n

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Book Preview 1 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Aberdeen, Scotland Find the key. The hotel room was dark but he didn\u2019t dare turn on a light. Leonard had told him that Trevor and Bartlett were usually in the restaurant for an hour, but he couldn\u2019t count on it. Grozak had experience with that son of a bitch over the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5599,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[383],"class_list":["post-5600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-iris-johansen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}