Blind Pursuit Read Online Free Page B

burned in the windows.
    Centered in Gund’s high beams was a gate, hinged on posts that straddled the road. A padlocked chain kept it shut—an unnecessary precaution, since nobody ever came here.
    Nobody but him.

 
     
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    7
     
    The vehicle slowed.
    Erin perceived the gradual abatement of engine noise, felt the transmission shudder through a change of gears. The ride, which had been rough for several minutes, became rougher still.
    Dirt road? Felt like one.
    The brakes sighed.
    Dead stop. Motor idling.
    Creak of a door swinging open. Pause. Clunk—the door slammed shut.
    Moving again, but only at a crawl. The chassis lurched and jounced, shock absorbers squeaking like mattress springs. Had he driven off the road altogether?
    Whatever was happening, one thing was clear. He had reached his destination.
    Her heart ran like a rabbit in her chest. She could be dead soon. Her private universe, extinguished.
    Her parents, both strict Irish Catholics, had given her the beginnings of a religious upbringing, which Lydia Connor had carried on; but college had bled a lot of that out of her. She wasn’t sure if she could believe in a life beyond this one. It was a problem she hadn’t expected to face with any urgency for years. For decades.
    Never got married. Never had a kid. Never took that trip to Ireland to look for the original Reillys and Morgans. Never, never, never; and now, maybe, she never would.
    Stop that. Stay focused.
    Again the vehicle was slowing. It rumbled to a stop.
    For the second time a door groaned open.
    Footsteps on dirt or gravel. Closer. Closer.
    He was coming for her.
    Fear soared toward blind panic; she fought to ground her emotions before they carried her away.
    To struggle would be pointless as long as her hands were bound. For the moment her best hope was to feign unconsciousness. If he thought she was still out cold, he might get careless, give her an opportunity to strike.
    She made herself go limp, drawing long, rhythmic breaths.
    Turn of a key, rattle of a sliding door. Double thump as he climbed up into the rear of the vehicle where she lay.
    He planted his feet directly before her. She smelled shoe leather.
    “Still asleep?” he murmured, sounding puzzled.
    She inhaled, exhaled, the slow cadence of her breath playing in counterpoint to the jackhammer pounding of her heart.
    Creak of a knee as he crouched down. When he spoke again, his voice was very close.
    “Well, not for much longer.”
    What did that mean? Nothing, forget it, concentrate on breathing in, out, in, out, no break in the pattern, nothing to give herself away.
    Hands.
    Large hands, rough-textured. Stroking her hair, her face.
    Was he going to rape her? Mustn’t think about that, mustn’t think about anything.
    His touch was clumsy yet tender, almost loving, but the word that issued from his mouth was uttered like an obscenity: “Filth.”
    Abruptly she was lifted. Surprise nearly jostled a gasp out of her. She felt her body tensing reflexively. With an effort of will she relaxed.
    He draped her over his right shoulder, supporting her with one hand, and rose to his feet. She heard no grunt of strain. A big man, powerful. She remembered that he had looked tall and heavyset in the lobby.
    How could she ever hope to fight him even if she got free? He must outweigh her by a hundred pounds.
    She replayed the few words he’d spoken, tried to remember if she’d heard his voice anywhere before. It was distinctive enough—gravelly and breathy at the same time, deep but not resonant.
    Not one of her current patients; she was sure of that. Nobody she’d ever treated, as best she could recall.
    A stranger, almost certainly. Yet he seemed to have strong personal feelings toward her, both positive and negative, an unsettling blend of desire and hostility.
    Scary. Scarier by the minute.
    He was climbing down out of the vehicle now. A brief pause as he bent and hefted something, apparently in his