[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"I understand why you believe that Kincaid is behind this," he said. The
kidnapper wanted a ledger that would damage Crowe maybe even destroy him. Of
course, Amanda would suspect Governor Thomas Kincaid. After all, Kincaid's
campaign platform had been to eradicate the mob more accurately, his nemesis,
J. B. Crowe.
But kidnapping? It seemed awfully risky for a man in Kincaid's position.
And the bottom line was, if Kincaid got caught, it would do more than just
destroy his career. He wouldn't last long in prison, not after all the men
he'd sent up as a former district attorney. Kincaid was a man known for being
tough on criminals.
"You know Kincaid is the kidnapper for a fact?" he asked, all cop again.
"You mean can I prove it?" she asked bristling at his tone. "Not yet. But
based on everything I know about the kidnapper, yes. It's Kincaid. Who else
would ask for the ledger as ransom?"
"Any enemy your father ever made who now wants to bring him down," Jesse
suggested. "And I would imagine J.B.'s made quite a few."
"You don't understand. My father and Governor Kincaid are at war. Diana and
I and our babies are just casualties of that war."
He could hear the anger in her voice, the tears just behind them. "It isn't
unusual for a governor to want to get rid of the mob," he said quietly.
She gave him a pitying look. "You really think that's what this is about?
My father and Kincaid have a history that goes back to when they were boys
growing up in Dallas on the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak."
Hadn't he suspected as much? "What kind of history?"
She sighed. "Kincaid had a little brother, Billy. Billy and my father were
best friends, inseparable as kids and later teenagers. Unfortunately, Thomas
Kincaid wasn't happy about their relationship. He knew my father did errands
for members of the Organization. He didn't want his little brother getting
involved with the mob."
She took a breath and met his gaze. "My father swears that Billy wasn't
involved in anything illegal, in fact, Billy was trying to get J.B. to go to
college. Billy thought my father would have made a great lawyer." She smiled
at this.
"What happened?" Jesse said, knowing it could only have ended badly.
"Billy was killed. Shot down by cops during a convenience store robbery
that went bad." She shook her head, anticipating his next question. "My father
had nothing to do with the robbery. Nor anyone in the Organization. He was
devastated. He loved Billy. And he blamed the cops and Kincaid. You see,
Kincaid saw the neighborhood market being robbed that night and called the
police not knowing J.B. and Billy were inside. Afterward, Kincaid blamed J.B.
because of his friendship with Billy. Kincaid was convinced J.B. had something
to do with the robbery. Kincaid became governor. My father became a mobster.
The rest is history."
Jesse let out a low whistle. That definitely could explain some of the
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
animosity between J.B. and Kincaid.
"Now do you understand why my father and Kincaid are obsessed with
destroying each other at any cost?" she asked.
He still found it hard to believe that Kincaid would do anything to
jeopardize his career let alone his life to get J. B. Crowe after all these
years, but at least Jesse better understood now why Amanda believed it.
They drove in silence for a few miles. "By the way, my name's not Brock,"
he told her. "It's McCall. Jesse McCall. At least it was when I went
undercover two weeks ago."
Chapter Ten
They drove through what little remained of the night, stopping only for gas
for the van or coffee to stay awake. Amanda wasn't the least bit sleepy. She
watched the dark landscape blur past and thought of Susannah. Had it only been
a little over three days since Susannah had been kidnapped? It seemed like
weeks. She should have been holding her daughter in her arms right now, not
traveling across the state of Texas with an undercover cop. She ached with the
need.
She had cried so many tears, she felt as if the well had gone dry. Soon,
she told herself. Soon, she would have her daughter. Only the next time, she
wouldn't let anything go wrong because she would be alone and in control of
the trade. She had no intention of putting Susannah's welfare in Jesse's
hands. Even if he was a cop.
That meant getting the ledger and that would mean getting rid of Jesse
Brock McCall, she corrected.
In the meantime, she had little choice but to go along with him. He had the
ledger and her daughter's life in his hands. Temporarily.
She felt a moment of guilt. She'd seen how desperately he'd wanted to take
the ledger to the cops. But he hadn't. And for that she was grateful. They
still had a long way to go until she was contacted for another trade. Jesse
might weaken. Or she might get the ledger away from him. A lot could happen.
She thought about what would happen after the trade. The new life she would
make with Susannah. For Susannah. She clung to that.
"I think you should call your father." It was the first thing Jesse had
said in miles.
"You have to be kidding," she said incredulous. "And tell him what?"
"He might think you've been kidnapped."
"You mean I haven't?" she asked sarcastically.
"I'm serious. Tell him you're all right. That you're being held in
protective custody for twenty-four hours."
"You are serious," she said studying him.
"He's your father," Jesse said. "He'll be worried."
She nodded, wondering just how worried her father would be as she pulled
out her cell phone. Her father answered in the first ring. "It's me."
"Amanda, my God, I have been out of my mind with worry," he said, sounding
like he meant it.
"I'm sorry. It's a long story. All I can tell you is that I'm all right."
He was silent for a long moment. She thought he might be crying. J. B. Crowe?
She must be hallucinating from lack of sleep. "Don't look for me, all right?
I'll call you in twenty-four hours. I'm& okay." She hung up, shaken.
"Well?" Jesse asked.
"He took it well," she said, wondering how many men he'd sent out trying to
find her. Or if he'd do as she'd asked and call them off.
Jesse slowed the van at the Red River city limits sign and she wondered for
the first time what they were doing there. It was the intensity of his
expression as he drove into the dusty, little town that suddenly had her
worried. What was this about?
He made a pass through town. It didn't take but a few minutes. Main Street
was only a few blocks long. Bank, grocery, gas station, cafe, newspaper, dry
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
goods store.
She was looking at the small sleeping town, wondering what it would be like [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
"I understand why you believe that Kincaid is behind this," he said. The
kidnapper wanted a ledger that would damage Crowe maybe even destroy him. Of
course, Amanda would suspect Governor Thomas Kincaid. After all, Kincaid's
campaign platform had been to eradicate the mob more accurately, his nemesis,
J. B. Crowe.
But kidnapping? It seemed awfully risky for a man in Kincaid's position.
And the bottom line was, if Kincaid got caught, it would do more than just
destroy his career. He wouldn't last long in prison, not after all the men
he'd sent up as a former district attorney. Kincaid was a man known for being
tough on criminals.
"You know Kincaid is the kidnapper for a fact?" he asked, all cop again.
"You mean can I prove it?" she asked bristling at his tone. "Not yet. But
based on everything I know about the kidnapper, yes. It's Kincaid. Who else
would ask for the ledger as ransom?"
"Any enemy your father ever made who now wants to bring him down," Jesse
suggested. "And I would imagine J.B.'s made quite a few."
"You don't understand. My father and Governor Kincaid are at war. Diana and
I and our babies are just casualties of that war."
He could hear the anger in her voice, the tears just behind them. "It isn't
unusual for a governor to want to get rid of the mob," he said quietly.
She gave him a pitying look. "You really think that's what this is about?
My father and Kincaid have a history that goes back to when they were boys
growing up in Dallas on the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak."
Hadn't he suspected as much? "What kind of history?"
She sighed. "Kincaid had a little brother, Billy. Billy and my father were
best friends, inseparable as kids and later teenagers. Unfortunately, Thomas
Kincaid wasn't happy about their relationship. He knew my father did errands
for members of the Organization. He didn't want his little brother getting
involved with the mob."
She took a breath and met his gaze. "My father swears that Billy wasn't
involved in anything illegal, in fact, Billy was trying to get J.B. to go to
college. Billy thought my father would have made a great lawyer." She smiled
at this.
"What happened?" Jesse said, knowing it could only have ended badly.
"Billy was killed. Shot down by cops during a convenience store robbery
that went bad." She shook her head, anticipating his next question. "My father
had nothing to do with the robbery. Nor anyone in the Organization. He was
devastated. He loved Billy. And he blamed the cops and Kincaid. You see,
Kincaid saw the neighborhood market being robbed that night and called the
police not knowing J.B. and Billy were inside. Afterward, Kincaid blamed J.B.
because of his friendship with Billy. Kincaid was convinced J.B. had something
to do with the robbery. Kincaid became governor. My father became a mobster.
The rest is history."
Jesse let out a low whistle. That definitely could explain some of the
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
animosity between J.B. and Kincaid.
"Now do you understand why my father and Kincaid are obsessed with
destroying each other at any cost?" she asked.
He still found it hard to believe that Kincaid would do anything to
jeopardize his career let alone his life to get J. B. Crowe after all these
years, but at least Jesse better understood now why Amanda believed it.
They drove in silence for a few miles. "By the way, my name's not Brock,"
he told her. "It's McCall. Jesse McCall. At least it was when I went
undercover two weeks ago."
Chapter Ten
They drove through what little remained of the night, stopping only for gas
for the van or coffee to stay awake. Amanda wasn't the least bit sleepy. She
watched the dark landscape blur past and thought of Susannah. Had it only been
a little over three days since Susannah had been kidnapped? It seemed like
weeks. She should have been holding her daughter in her arms right now, not
traveling across the state of Texas with an undercover cop. She ached with the
need.
She had cried so many tears, she felt as if the well had gone dry. Soon,
she told herself. Soon, she would have her daughter. Only the next time, she
wouldn't let anything go wrong because she would be alone and in control of
the trade. She had no intention of putting Susannah's welfare in Jesse's
hands. Even if he was a cop.
That meant getting the ledger and that would mean getting rid of Jesse
Brock McCall, she corrected.
In the meantime, she had little choice but to go along with him. He had the
ledger and her daughter's life in his hands. Temporarily.
She felt a moment of guilt. She'd seen how desperately he'd wanted to take
the ledger to the cops. But he hadn't. And for that she was grateful. They
still had a long way to go until she was contacted for another trade. Jesse
might weaken. Or she might get the ledger away from him. A lot could happen.
She thought about what would happen after the trade. The new life she would
make with Susannah. For Susannah. She clung to that.
"I think you should call your father." It was the first thing Jesse had
said in miles.
"You have to be kidding," she said incredulous. "And tell him what?"
"He might think you've been kidnapped."
"You mean I haven't?" she asked sarcastically.
"I'm serious. Tell him you're all right. That you're being held in
protective custody for twenty-four hours."
"You are serious," she said studying him.
"He's your father," Jesse said. "He'll be worried."
She nodded, wondering just how worried her father would be as she pulled
out her cell phone. Her father answered in the first ring. "It's me."
"Amanda, my God, I have been out of my mind with worry," he said, sounding
like he meant it.
"I'm sorry. It's a long story. All I can tell you is that I'm all right."
He was silent for a long moment. She thought he might be crying. J. B. Crowe?
She must be hallucinating from lack of sleep. "Don't look for me, all right?
I'll call you in twenty-four hours. I'm& okay." She hung up, shaken.
"Well?" Jesse asked.
"He took it well," she said, wondering how many men he'd sent out trying to
find her. Or if he'd do as she'd asked and call them off.
Jesse slowed the van at the Red River city limits sign and she wondered for
the first time what they were doing there. It was the intensity of his
expression as he drove into the dusty, little town that suddenly had her
worried. What was this about?
He made a pass through town. It didn't take but a few minutes. Main Street
was only a few blocks long. Bank, grocery, gas station, cafe, newspaper, dry
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
goods store.
She was looking at the small sleeping town, wondering what it would be like [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]