Deadly Intent: An Action Thriller (Adrian Hell Series Book 4) Read Online Free Page B

silent for a moment, listening intently, processing the information.
    “So, you were some kind of special forces, action hero-type guy, huh?”
    “I… I guess, yeah.”
    She climbs on top of me, straddling my waist and takes off her T-shirt. “That is so hot…” she says, smiling as she leans down and kisses me.
     
    APRIL 8 TH , 2017
     
    06:31 CDT
    I wake up early the next morning. The dawn light shines through my curtains like always. Tori is fast asleep, lying on her front with her arm and leg draped over me. I gently slide out from under her and pull my jeans on. I make my way downstairs and put on a pot of coffee before walking out into the bar. Styx greets me with his standard head-rub on the legs, and then wanders off to the back in search of food. I crack my neck and set about taking the chairs off the tables, ready for the day ahead.
    After a few minutes, I hear a banging on the shutters from outside. I get the keys from behind the bar and walk over to open it up. Having just the saloon doors on the place, I need some proper security at night.
    I lift up the shutter and see a man standing there. He has shoulder-length, dark gray hair, and a handlebar mustache. His face is rough and tired, hardened and grizzled after countless years of doing what he does. The morning sun reflects off his badge. He tips his hat up slightly, revealing his eyes.
    “Mornin’, Adrian,” he says.
    Sheriff John Raynor has been in charge of Devil’s Spring, I think, since God himself was in kindergarten. He’s old, but in that timeless kind of way—doesn’t matter how aged he might look, he always moves, speaks, and thinks the same way. Everybody in town knows him well. And they respect him without question. He has an old-school state of mind, much like myself.
    I have a lot of time for Sheriff Raynor.
    “Mornin’, John,” I reply, stepping aside to invite him in. “Early start for you, isn’t it?”
    “No rest for the wicked.” He smiles a friendly but humorless smile as he takes off his hat. “Sorry to disturb you. I know you’re an early riser, so took a chance you’d be up and about.”
    “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” I say with a smile. “Coffee?”
    “Sure, thanks,” replies Raynor.
    “Black, no sugar, right?”
    ‘Is there another way to drink it?’
    “So some people tell me.”
    “Sick bastards…”
    We laugh like old friends and he follows me into the back. I gesture to a chair.
    “What can I do for you, Sheriff?” I ask as I pour the coffee.
    Raynor sits down, resting his hat on the table and taking the mug from me. “I hear there was some trouble here last night?”
    I shrug. “It was nothin’, really. Just a couple of guys trying to cause problems, and they didn’t like it when I asked them to leave.”
    “So what happened?”
    “I made ‘em leave.”
    He nods and takes a sip of his coffee. “Fair enough.”
    “Why are you really here, John?”
    He regards me for a moment. “A few hours ago, a white rental car was found parked on the side of the road leading out of town. One of the truckers coming in from San Antonio called it in. Inside the car were three men, all executed. Single gunshot wound to the head on each of ’em. No evidence of a struggle. Keys in the ignition, engine running.”
    That’s not good. Don’t get me wrong, I lose sleep over many things, and the fact those three assholes are dead isn’t ever going to be one of them. But a lot of people saw me tussle with those guys last night… and now they’re dead, I know the good sheriff is here in an official capacity, no matter how friendly he’s being.
    “Any idea what happened?” I ask.
    He shrugs slightly, as if unsure about sharing his theories with me. “What do you think happened?”
    I take a sip of my coffee and think about it. “Well, calling it an execution is right. I don’t know the ballistic details, but I’d guess the angle of the entry wounds supports what I imagine your current working theory