Relative Strangers Read Online Free Page B

to their left, the two behind them and the other one on the wall who seemed to be guarding the quickest route to public places and safety.
    "Dayle," Meg hissed.
    "Yeah?"
    "I think we're in trouble."
    "Shit," Dayle muttered.
    "Our best bet might be to make a run for it."
    "Shit."
    "The pizza place is straight ahead. There's a red neon palm tree on the side of the building," Meg said.
    "Where are you going?"
    Meg heard the alarm in her friend's voice and glanced at her. She was paper white. "Just telling you in case we get separated."
    "Damn it, Meg."
    "Don't look back. It'll slow you down."
    "Meg—"
    "Go!"
    They broke into a flat run. Behind them, someone swore, and two pairs of heavy feet pounded the sand.
    A grunt sounded from the right, and Meg saw the man from the wall scrambling up from where he had sprawled in the sand. He charged toward her and Dayle like a greyhound after a mechanical rabbit.
    Dayle sprinted ahead of Meg and looked back.
    Meg waved her on. "Go, go, go!" she yelled.
    A high-rise towered several yards ahead, just beyond the low wall that was no longer being guarded. She was ahead of the third man now, having gained precious yardage when he'd fallen. Veering across the beach toward the wall, she prayed they would follow her and not Dayle and that she would be able to outrun them. The drier sand slowed her down, made the muscles in her calves cramp as the toes of her shoes sought purchase in the shifting granules. She heard Dayle call her name, a frantic warning.
    Shit shit shit.
    She was within feet of the wall, mere steps away, when a hand landed forcefully between her shoulder blades and shoved. She had just enough time to raise her hands as she crashed into the cobblestone wall. Pain exploded through her right shoulder—the point of impact—and her right knee, which took the rest of the brunt of the fall. She didn't have a chance to roll, play dead or scream before fingers caught in the back of her sweatshirt and tried to jerk her up. She wriggled out of the sleeves, found freedom and tried to scramble away before a hand landed hard on her shoulder and spun her around.
    A scream from the beach— Dayle! —choked off.
    Meg tried to fall back from the man who'd grabbed her, saw over his shoulder the third man racing toward them. He had something in his hand. A gun?
    A fist smashed into her jaw, and Meg hit the sand, her head striking the ground with a dull thud. Grit crunched in her teeth as she lay still, stunned.
    Fingers curled into the front of her shirt and hauled her into a sitting position. Battling a wave of dizziness, she tried to focus on the face thrust near her own.
    "Slater's gonna be happy to see you, Margot."
    Meg fought the tide of blackness that welled behind her eyes. And lost.
    "Let her go!" Ryan aimed the gun at the guy's leathery face. His hand was shaking, his dark hair in his eyes. The mad dash from the wall, where he'd been following the women at a discreet distance, had left him out of breath. He'd noticed the two men behind them, had watched, incredulous, when they'd made their move. He hadn't thought after that, just reacted.
    Now, one of the women, the blond one, was slung over the shoulder of the other man, who stood several feet away, silent and wary.
    The woman Ryan was interested in was unconscious, her assailant's fingers still curled into the front of her tank top, her head lolling on her shoulder. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Her attacker glared at Ryan. "This isn't any of your business, mister."
    Ryan cocked the gun, not quite believing that he was threatening someone with the weapon he'd bought after his brother was murdered, a safeguard until Beau's killers were caught. When he'd left the car to follow the women, he'd stuffed it into the waistband of his jeans, feeling ridiculous but at least protected if something went wrong.
    "I'm making it my business," Ryan said. "Let her go and keep your hands where I can see them."
    The guy released her,