Eagle's Last Stand Read Online Free Page A

thought continued to nag at him. He had to know if he’d somehow been responsible—if his arrival in Hartley had set off the attack. Maybe his instincts were still on overdrive, but he’d learned not to ignore them. They’d kept him alive.
    * * *
    K IM WAS CLEANING the glass-topped display case when she heard the bell over the door jingle. Glancing up, she saw Rick stride in and nod to Fred, the security guard, who was standing nearby.
    She smiled. Rick had that elusive “it” quality that commanded attention without even trying. He’d been her secret crush back in high school. Rick had been the larger-than-life high school quarterback, and she’d been the nerdy freshman buried in homework. Back then, between her thick glasses and her braces, she’d barely got a glance from the popular guys. Of course, it also could have been because her father was a cop.
    The boy she’d watched from a distance was gone now, and in his place stood a sexy, earthy, dangerous-looking man. The scar made him look tough, seasoned by a hard life and infinitely masculine.
    As he walked around the counter in her direction, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. He moved without wasted motion, sure of himself, aware of his surroundings.
    When he saw her he smiled and for a moment his face gentled, but the emotion was gone in a flash.
    “Good morning, Rick. What can I do for you?” she asked, going up to him.
    “I know the police have already interviewed you, Kim, but I’d like to discuss last night again. When do you take your next break?” he asked in a voice so low only she could hear.
    She glanced at the clock. Angelina wasn’t in yet, so it wouldn’t hurt to take her fifteen minutes a little early, particularly since they had no customers at the moment.
    “Now would be fine.”
    She went to the coffeepot in the corner and offered him a cup. When he shook his head, she poured herself one. “I’ve been thinking of nothing else but the explosion. I barely slept last night, but I still haven’t been able to remember anything that might help the police.”
    “Then shift your focus. Don’t think about the explosion. Concentrate on what happened earlier that evening.”
    “Okay.” As she looked into his eyes she saw something there that made her hold her breath. The angry scar across his face spoke of life-and-death struggles, but his steady gaze shone with strength, courage and determination.
    “Your brother Preston asked the hospital staff for permission to speak to Uncle Frank last night, but the doctors refused. They had to sedate him. He was so scared, waking up in the emergency room.”
    “Did you get to talk to him at all?”
    “For a bit. Uncle Frank told me he caught a glimpse of a big man wearing overalls, a blue ball cap and mirrored sunglasses right before he was hit on the back of the head. I should have asked him more, but all I could think of was how lucky we were. We’d all nearly died.” She stopped and looked up at him. “Does that make me sound like a coward?”
    “It makes you sound human. When it counted, you stepped up. Your first thought was to find your uncle, then you did everything you could to get him out of danger. You worked to save a life, and did a lot more than was expected of you. In my book, that’s the definition of a hero.”
    She shook her head and gave him a quick half smile. “Thanks, but no. There were no heroes there. We were all just people doing what we had to do.”
    “It was a crazy time,” he said quietly.
    “The person who did this took a huge risk. If my uncle hadn’t had the Cowboys game going full blast, he probably would have heard the guy sneak up behind him.”
    Hearing the jingle at the front door, they both glanced in that direction and saw the security guard hold the door open for Angelina. “That’s my boss,” she said quietly. “She’s got a bad temper, so I better get back to work. We can meet later for lunch at the Desert Rose Café and talk some more if