Deadly Intersections Read Online Free Page B

interrupting her thoughts. “What else is there?”
    She shook her head and a sliver of a smile crossed her lips. She didn’t want to like him again. “You’ve just vetoed all the easy ones, Dad, so you pick.”
    “Let’s talk about Jane.”
    She chuckled, knowing her best friend was great conversation material. A fellow real estate agent, he’d known Jane Frank for years.
    “Good choice,” she agreed. “Jane’s doing great, making lots of money and continuing her quest for the perfect woman.”
    “I take it the quest may be never ending?”
    She shook her head and merged with the freeway traffic. “Jane is a free spirit. She loves being single.”
    “Do you?”
    Her mouth went dry. She knew that if she looked over at him, one eyebrow would be arched, his head would be lowered and he would be peering over the top of his sunglasses. She focused intently on the Saab in front of her and didn’t answer right away. She finally said, “I think we need to talk about something else.”
    He sighed and looked out the window. “Fine.”
    Neither said anything else until she pulled into a parking spot outside of McGurkee’s Sandwich Shop.
    He shifted in his seat and in an excited voice blurted, “How ’bout those Phoenix Suns?”

Chapter Four
     
    Twilight slipped over the McDowell Mountains as he entered the preserve. He followed the strip of asphalt around several curves, past the picnic ramadas and parking areas that lined the road. Remnants of Saturday night parties lay discarded along the desert embankment—fast food wrappers, soda cans and dozens of beer bottles. The piles of trash grew thick at the base of the ramadas, the sanctified places of congregation. He shook his head at human thoughtlessness and avoided the glass shards that littered the roadway.
    As a cop he knew the police view: if no one called to complain and nobody got shot, desert parties were ignored. It was the line between violence and revelry—a fine line at best—but the lack of police manpower made the distinction necessary.
    He scowled as a cloud of dust enveloped his car, worrying that the dirt path would ruin his suspension. The road crested over a hill. He saw the ramada and a dark Explorer parked next to it. Behind the wheel, Vince Carnotti, the leader of the Carnotti crime family, a known felon and his surreptitious boss, spoke into his cell phone.
    He pulled up behind the Explorer and quickly joined him. He nodded at Carnotti, a man who was twice his size with enormous hands. He was rumored to have crushed a man’s skull just by putting his head in a vice grip.
    He waited until Carnotti slapped his phone shut and asked, “How are you, Vince?” He tried to sound casual but noticed the slight quake in his voice.
    Carnotti nodded slowly. “I’m good. The weather helps my joints. I can’t stand New York winters anymore, but this fuckin’ inversion layer drives my emphysema crazy.”
    “I hear you, Vince.”
    Carnotti turned in his seat and pointed. “What are we doin’ about that dyke, Molly Nelson?”
    He nodded, grateful that Carnotti moved right to business. “It’s handled.” He hoped he sounded confident but not cocky.
    “I’m trusting you,” Carnotti said. “Nelson got too close to our operation during that whole Itchy Moon thing. You of all people should know what we stand to lose.”
    “I’m well aware of what’s at stake,” he said.
    He would be the first to die, or worse, go to prison if the operation was exposed. The media would crucify him as a dirty cop, and his family would pay the price. But he was in too far to go back. 
    He added, “Really, Vince, you don’t need to worry. I’m working another angle. Believe me, I know her weak points and how to exploit them. By the time I’m through her career will be history.”

Chapter Five
     
    Molly sipped her scotch, wondering how Ari’s reunion with her father was going. She really understood her dilemma but wanted to connect with Captain Big Jack