Love Inspired Suspense April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Laura Scott (free e reader .TXT) 📕

All my life, I had to do without. Now I have a nest egg. Once I take care of you and your boyfriend, I’m home free.” He gave a high-pitched giggle, the sound obscene coming from a grown man. “Except I won’t be at home.” Another giggle. “I figure to do some traveling. You know, hobnob with the rich and famous.”

“How far do you think that money is going to take you?”

“Far enough. I don’t really care as long as it’s away from this Podunk town.”

“You could have gotten a job, done something with your life.”

His eyes shifted away from hers, then came back to pierce her with stinging hate. “I got better things to do than work some stupid job.”

At that moment, Liam burst through the kitchen door. He caught Jerry shoulder-to-chest and gave him a hard bump. Liam then feinted right and slid in behind his opponent and thumped him hard in the back so that Jerry fell to the floor.

“I was counting on you showing up,” Cal said as casually as though he were talking about the weather. “You’re so predictable. Once a hero, always a hero. Too bad we have to kill you.” He held his weapon against Paige’s temple. “Drop your gun or your girlfriend’s toast.”

Liam did as directed.

“You’re so sure of yourself,” Cal taunted. “You could have stopped looking for the blackmailer, but you didn’t. This is on your head.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Liam saw Jerry start to get up and jerked his elbow back and upward, catching Jerry in the jaw and sending him sprawling once more. Liam snatched his weapon from the floor.

Jerry stared up, eyes wide in disbelief. “You weren’t supposed to do that.” He sounded like a child, protesting the unfairness of an action.

Cal looked at his partner in disgust. “You always were a whiner, Jerry.”

In the confusion, Liam kicked the gun from Cal’s hand and slammed him to the floor, knocking him unconscious. He tied up Jerry, then undid Paige’s bindings and helped her up. When she stumbled, he caught her and eased her back down in the chair. “Easy.”

“Sorry. Guess my circulation is a little off.”

“Stay right here. I’m going to check on him.”

Blood gushed from Jerry’s mouth. Liam had little desire to help this man who had caused so much pain, but he stooped to hand Jerry a handkerchief to staunch the bleeding from his lost teeth. “That should hold you for a while.”

“It wasn’t supposed to go down this way.” The wail in Jerry’s voice caused Liam to regard him with disgust.

“Your brother was one of the finest men I ever knew. What happened to you?”

But Jerry was too busy blubbering. “You hurt me.” The incredulous words delivered in a childish tone would have been funny if the situation weren’t so tragic.

“Consider yourself fortunate that I didn’t kill you.” Liam turned back to Paige. “Are you all right?”

“I am now.”

Liam sent a contemptuous look in Jerry’s direction.

Focused on Liam, Paige didn’t see that Cal had gotten to his knees and had pulled a knife from the back of his waistband. When he plunged it into Liam’s left side, she screamed and delivered a chopping blow to Cal’s windpipe.

But she was too late.

FIFTEEN

Pain was a bright sphere blossoming in Liam’s side. He must have blanked out for a moment, because the next thing he was aware of was hands going through his pockets.

Why was someone going through his pockets? Did he ask the question aloud? He must have said something, for a familiar yet frantic voice said, “I’m looking for your phone. Jerry took mine.”

Paige’s voice.

He held on to it.

“Back pocket.” Did he get out the words? With his mind floating, he wasn’t certain.

More talking, though he was pretty sure it wasn’t to him. He let the words float over him. If he concentrated too hard, the pain returned. With a vengeance.

“I called 911. Help will be here any moment.” Paige’s voice again.

Help? Yes, he needed help. He couldn’t catch his breath, couldn’t speak. He tried, but even to his own ears, the words sounded like gibberish.

“P-Paige.”

“I’m here. Right here. Don’t try to talk.”

“You...all right?”

“I’m fine. Thanks to you. Cal pulled a knife from his waistband. I should have been watching, should have...”

He tried to focus, but her voice faded in and out. Or maybe it was he who was fading in and out. He couldn’t tell.

“I can’t remove the knife, Liam. It has to stay there.” Tears coated her voice, turning it murky in his mind.

Still, he did his best to listen. Paige was all right. That was what mattered.

“D-don’t cry.”

“I’ll cry if I want to.”

That was his Paige. Fierce. Feisty. And no quarter given.

Footsteps. Voices. Noises he couldn’t identify. And always that pop of pain that refused to go away. He regained consciousness enough to note the arrival of the police and EMTs.

“Liam.” Paige’s voice again. He concentrated on that. “Help’s here. It will be all right.” But the sob in her voice negated her words.

Don’t cry, he wanted to tell her.

A voice he recognized. Reineke’s. There was no mistaking the Boston accent.

“Let’s turn him over.” A second voice. Firm. Reassuring.

Liam struggled to say that he didn’t want to move, didn’t want hands probing where the pain was radiating in ever bigger circles.

“You’re going to be okay.”

But the words failed to register. A prick in the arm startled him. Why was someone sticking something sharp in his arm when he was already hurting more than he’d ever hurt in his life? He wanted to protest but found the effort too much.

More voices. One insistent. Another calm. Why were they arguing when he just wanted to sleep? He tried to tell them to be quiet, but once again the words came out as gibberish.

Darkness beckoned, the oblivion of it welcoming. He fought against it, though he wasn’t sure why. Hadn’t he just told the voices that he wanted to sleep? Nothing made sense, least of all the images in his mind that