Lock, Stock and McCullen. Rita Herron
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Название: Lock, Stock and McCullen
Автор: Rita Herron
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: Mills & Boon Intrigue
isbn: 9781474005388
isbn:
She shook her head. “I wanted to call Trina, my assistant at the antiques shop, but he said it was more fun if it was our secret, so I texted her that I was taking a couple of days off and asked her to manage Vintage Treasures.”
“You didn’t tell her where you were going?”
“No, no one knew.” Self-disgust ate at her. “Now I understand the reason. He planned to kill me and leave me in the wilderness so no one would find me.”
Silence lingered for a full minute before Maddox asked, “What happened at the cabin?”
She massaged the scar at the base of her temple, a nervous habit she’d had since she was young. “I went to take a bubble bath while he was supposedly setting up a picnic for us. But when I got out of the tub, I heard him talking on his cell phone.”
“Who was he talking to?”
“I don’t know.” The conversation echoed in her head, making her blood run cold. “I heard him say that I was the one... At first, I thought he meant it romantically. That I was the one he loved, the one he was meant to be with.”
The irony of that statement seemed to hit both of them. “Then what happened?”
“He held up this flyer. It had a picture of a little girl on a milk carton on it.”
Maddox’s brows drew together in a deep frown. “A little girl?”
“She was about five years old.” She fidgeted, still trying to make sense of it. “Then he said I was the one they’d been looking for, and that I’d be dead by morning.”
A heartbeat passed. “He meant that you were the girl on the milk carton?”
“Yes,” Rose whispered, her agitation mounting. “But that doesn’t make sense.”
“He didn’t elaborate?”
“No.” She shivered. “Instead, he pulled a gun from his briefcase.”
“Did you know he carried a weapon?”
“No, I’d never seen it.” She twisted her hands together. “But it scared me, and I stumbled. Then he saw me and came after me.” Her breath came out in spurts as fear once again seized her. “He shot at me and missed, and we fought. I tried to get away but the gun went off again.”
Maddox covered her hand with his. “Go on.”
“I shot him, Maddox. I didn’t mean to, but the bullet hit him.” She blinked back more tears, her heart pounding. “Blood soaked his shirt, and I was terrified, so I ran to the car. He staggered to the door and fired at me again.”
Another tense silence. “Did he follow you?”
“I don’t know, he collapsed on the ground,” she cried. “I think I might have killed him.”
Tears filled Rose’s eyes again, the terror returning. She could still see the sinister look in Thad’s eyes, see him lunging for her with that gun.
“You didn’t call an ambulance or the police?”
Rose tensed. “No, I tried my cell as I was leaving and there was no service. Then all I could think about was escaping.”
He lifted her wrists, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he noted the bruises. “He grabbed you here?”
“Yes,” she said, remembering the horror of his fingers clenching her as Maddox gently stroked the tender area.
“Can you tell me where this cabin is?” Maddox said.
“I don’t know the name of the road we turned off on. But...I could probably find it.”
He stood. “I have to go out there and see if he’s still alive.”
Nerves fluttered in Rose’s stomach. What if Thad was dead? Would she be arrested for murder?
* * *
MADDOX CONSIDERED CALLING the Cheyenne Police Department, but figured he’d assess the situation first and find out if Thoreau was dead or alive.
He texted Mama Mary to let her know that he might not be home tonight, and to call him if his father’s condition changed.
“I understand it may be difficult for you, Rose, but do you mind riding with me and guiding me to the cabin?”
Wariness darkened her eyes, but she squared her shoulders as if to gather her courage. “No, I’ll take you there.”
He led the way outside, giving her time to lock the door. She still seemed wobbly as they walked to his car, and he opened the passenger door and waited until she settled inside before he circled around to the driver’s seat.
Anxiety vibrated between them as he veered onto the highway and drove through Pistol Whip, which was situated in a flat stretch between the mountains. Land spread out before them, miles and miles that were untamed, where antelope, deer, elk and other wildlife thrived.
Tourists wanting a frontier town and trail riding, or a layover on their way to Laramie or Cheyenne, often stopped in Pistol Whip. Hikers, mountain climbers and fishermen especially took advantage of the proximity to the majestic mountains and river.
Locals had created a small museum showcasing the area’s history. Apparently in the late 1800s, a famous gunslinger had ridden through the hills in search of a hideout. When three local vigilantes discovered his identity, they strung him up in town and pistol-whipped him to death.
The town council at the time dubbed the town with the name Pistol Whip to remind people that they couldn’t take the law into their own hands.
“Tell me about your fiancé,” Maddox finally said. Any background information on their relationship would be helpful.
Rose toyed with a string on the bottom of her T-shirt. “We met in Cheyenne,” she said. “I was there for an antiques show, and he was on business.”
“What kind of business?”
“He worked...works for an energy company.”
“Did he mention the name of it?”
Rose rubbed at her temple just as he’d seen her do at her house. Obviously a nervous gesture. As she pushed her hair back, he noticed a scar at her hairline, a jagged one that disappeared into the hair on the crown of her head.
It looked as if it ran deep and went across her skull. He wondered what had happened.
“I don’t think he ever said the name of it. Or if he did, I forgot.”
Because she’d been snowed by his charm.
“Did he mention anyone СКАЧАТЬ