Скачать книгу

“Go ahead.” She gave him six names, then hit a wall. “No problem,” he assured her. “I can get the rest from Mrs. Sullivan.”

      Terror leaped into her eyes. He couldn’t say anything to arouse suspicion. Common sense warred with fear. “He said not to tell anyone.”

      “He meant anyone official. Police, FBI. That’s all kidnappers ever worry about.” He saw she was unconvinced. “We can start out by telling your friend that you want to hire the same caterers and entertainers for a party for Casey.” That had a drawback. “But if she knows your son dislikes clowns…”

      Veronica nodded, understanding. “Do whatever you think is best. Just get me my son back.”

      He made a couple of more notes to himself, ideas that had just occurred to him. “That goes without saying.”

      “But I want you to keep saying it. Keep saying it until he’s here.” Maybe if she kept repeating it, if he kept repeating it, then it would happen.

      She realized that she’d reverted back to one of her old childish beliefs. If you believed hard enough in something, it would happen.

      “I’m sorry. You probably feel like you’re baby-sitting an overgrown child.”

      “Nothing to apologize for. You’re going through hell and you need to believe that heaven’s waiting for you.”

      That was one way to put it, she thought.

      The doorbell rang, cutting off her breath. On her feet so quickly that she upset both her coffee cup and her chair, Veronica left both where they fell. She ran to the front door with Chad only half a step behind her.

      He knew what she was thinking. That somehow Casey had eluded his kidnapper and found his way back home. Hadn’t that been what had actually happened with him? The only difference was that he hadn’t known it at the time. He hadn’t realized that he was leaving his kidnapper behind. All he’d known was that he’d walked out on his father when the man had been too drunk to realize what was happening.

      But cases like his were not common. This kidnapping was entirely different from his own. There was no mentally unbalanced ex-husband in the wings waiting for his chance.

      The motive was ransom, he reminded himself, pure and simple.

      Except that there was never anything pure or simple about kidnapping.

      Chad reached the door ahead of her, his legs being longer. She looked at him in surprise when he placed his hand over the doorknob. “I’ll take it from here,” he told her. Just in case.

      Hand near the weapon he always carried on his person, Chad opened the door. He saw a casually dressed, dark-haired man of medium build slouching more than standing on the doorstep. Beside the man was a woman who looked far too flashy for him. She was half a head taller than he was, wearing jeans and a tight aqua sweater, and his hand around her waist.

      The man’s expression turned from openly genial to confused as he looked up at Chad, who was a good five inches taller.

      A very faint whiff of alcohol floated in. The man peered through the doorway. “Veronica?”

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEAYABgAAD/4RDBRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAABgAAAAAQAAAGAAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDEzOjEy OjE5IDIxOjI5OjI1AAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAQABAACgAgAEAAAAAQAAAfSgAwAEAAAAAQAAAyQAAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAAPkwAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAf/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAUAMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAX/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AOYypGO6DGo/Ki9CJ9TBMyRezX+2hZf9Hd8R+VG6EPfhR/p2f+fFd5n+cH93 9rDNr/WSf2vl/wDHOH4KlTWTVYTMtEhavW/THWcsvIj1nETz9ypPzqKRFbDY8ztbG1kj98/STa14 mtZIMAOt2xqsbU5rfsX2vVhsc6do3/zNO1v721zkXPdjt35FNNnTnMG0hvuqscTucNu1n9pli0w3 pmDVXXc/1TmVfaAXtIsNp2WA0vBLa6/Tb6H/AFv6f86o9Rzbr7PVjHx8atzHuxH7W2h5exp+z+jt 9TZuZc/1f0tazZzkcx0IPFW/jwutjxRGEagjhB2vccTU6fdgW2UXV2Fha9tjmlpABB99bX+7w/nF tdS+uWLg5Da7MOx4eBc57LGmGuLvotLPc7cxVOgdG6tZ1Hq+ZhtqbUx5qD7t0Egtsf6Ta/p7f8J7 lY6/9WsfKLbsrKFOWKw2z0QH17ZOyz0jttZ/ON+la9W554gESPqjpxV6WpDlzpKMahLXhv1OF9Yb m25r8gN9l22xjXcgPAsG7+V71DpxnprtI/SP0+TVY+s3T7+nZTce+Hba69jxw5rWtr3fyfo/RVfp mvTXR/pH/kanSPqHkxwFRkP6xf/Q5jLP6u75flRejOYxmNY87WV2te53g1tm57v81Bytcd3OkT96 hRr0e3/i7P8Avyu81/OD+6PzkxS3c3qPUH9Rz8nPnb9osc8V8FrJ/R/9BQZkEgNeQS3UOVYGKwDo exiUmuA17FVRMg3a4wBFVts9Fb693QKr9n2hmHZtre2BZjCp3rZQ0jfVlU30vr9T1PS9G5U81uDW 4Me7dUIubayuPUbYP0Xt3sZ6bPf/AIT1vW9X+bVn6uVZz8bLc2j1sS0bHncAQ5rXMc5zfpenbRbb V6v836zPSVDKxb6Gv6UXeo3FynBj/wCSWmfZ+b+8nzAmOMC7uJPaSyJlA8BJAFT12Me7231ebiO6 VRnsxHnJZZ6wuHq073Fno+tufbay1vpt2WsZ+iWH1CzMGS2yss3ZTz9nIcXljR77A70vptrf/grG 72LBGfngOxH5l4x6xsZWbX7QBoGMZu2NapepY2i+yl3pWQ1gaTBLHj03+h/wm5jPV/Pf6ipnDIyN m2978RAUKdn60Zbsu6gQZrpEh2jpeXWv3/y3btz1S6WCOnPBEEWO/I1PnmGY7vzvs9UzzPps5T4L pwn+O4q3w8IiL2ADniZkZmt5Ev8A/9Hl8qfQd8R+VDoM9If512

Скачать книгу