Trapped Read Online Free Page B
Book: Trapped Read Online Free
Author: Jonas Saul
of the building and turned the corner. A quick sprint brought her to the front of the restaurant where she saw her Cadillac and the van that was still idling beside it.
The trunk of the Cadillac was open. She knew her husband had done this. He had stolen what was rightfully hers and he wanted to kill her for it. The feeling of being so unwanted that the person you love would rather have you dead was quite debilitating. She felt a paralysis of loneliness as she stood in the darkened night and stared at the open trunk.
The night lit up in front of her. It all happened so fast. She only caught a glimpse before her eyes closed out of reflex.
The idling van had exploded into a huge fireball. Her Cadillac rocked beside it as it’s windows all shattered in unison. The force of the explosion came fast, knocking her into the air and back at least ten feet.
The gun fell from her grasp as Melissa put both hands behind her to help break the fall. She landed in a small bush, rolled backwards going over her head, and ended up on her stomach with the wind knocked out of her. After a few quick gasps, she got her breathing back under control.
The van was completely engulfed in flames. No one could survive that. Her car was starting to catch the fingers of flame.
The immense loneliness she felt a moment before the explosion was now replaced by a sadness so deep that a bottomless well paled in comparison to it. Vicky and the little girl had been in the van. Unless by some stroke of luck they had gotten out before it blew up, which seemed unlikely to her.
Her stomach ached, her forehead stung and her heart wept. Melissa rolled into a ball and hugged herself.
How could this be? What had happened here tonight? Could this really all be about her mother’s ring?
It had been eight years since the ring was last seen. Her mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s nine years ago and lost the ring shortly thereafter. It remained a mystery until she died. Melissa’s sister had found the ring in an old jewelry box packed with photo albums and other trinkets of another era. The ring was apparently purchased during the war and given to her mother, but the story was that it got removed from the hand of a rich woman who had died during a raid in Germany. An appraisal had pegged the value of the ring at a quarter of a million dollars back in 1955. It was willed to Melissa. She had placed the ring in a waterproof, fireproof safe for the trip home, keeping it in the trunk where no prying eyes could see it.
The only person who knew about the ring was her sister. And now Layton. It didn’t take much to put it all together.
Maybe they had set it up to look like a robbery gone bad or maybe this was all about having the insurance pay out on the theft of the ring. Whatever the reasons, Melissa knew it wasn’t over. Layton had gone this far. He wouldn’t allow her to just walk away.
She eased out of her scrunched up position and turned her aching body to get up.
She heard footsteps over the sound of the crackling flames. Trent stood fifteen feet away, his arm extended, the barrel of his gun aimed at her. She looked down. Her hands were empty. The gun had fallen when she got tossed by the explosion. With nothing to defend herself with, Melissa looked into the eyes of her would be murderer.
How did it come to this? How did I miss the signs?
Trent closed one eye in an exaggerated expression of taking careful aim. Melissa closed both of hers and waited.
The gun fired. She jolted, stumbled, and almost fell. There was no pain. Maybe it took a few seconds. She was sure the pain was on its way.
When she opened her eyes she understood why there was no pain.
She hadn’t been shot.
Trent was on his knees. Blood surged out of his mouth in spurts. The gun that had fired was held by the man standing behind Trent.
“How the fuck could you have screwed this up?” Layton
The trunk of the Cadillac was open. She knew her husband had done this. He had stolen what was rightfully hers and he wanted to kill her for it. The feeling of being so unwanted that the person you love would rather have you dead was quite debilitating. She felt a paralysis of loneliness as she stood in the darkened night and stared at the open trunk.
The night lit up in front of her. It all happened so fast. She only caught a glimpse before her eyes closed out of reflex.
The idling van had exploded into a huge fireball. Her Cadillac rocked beside it as it’s windows all shattered in unison. The force of the explosion came fast, knocking her into the air and back at least ten feet.
The gun fell from her grasp as Melissa put both hands behind her to help break the fall. She landed in a small bush, rolled backwards going over her head, and ended up on her stomach with the wind knocked out of her. After a few quick gasps, she got her breathing back under control.
The van was completely engulfed in flames. No one could survive that. Her car was starting to catch the fingers of flame.
The immense loneliness she felt a moment before the explosion was now replaced by a sadness so deep that a bottomless well paled in comparison to it. Vicky and the little girl had been in the van. Unless by some stroke of luck they had gotten out before it blew up, which seemed unlikely to her.
Her stomach ached, her forehead stung and her heart wept. Melissa rolled into a ball and hugged herself.
How could this be? What had happened here tonight? Could this really all be about her mother’s ring?
It had been eight years since the ring was last seen. Her mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s nine years ago and lost the ring shortly thereafter. It remained a mystery until she died. Melissa’s sister had found the ring in an old jewelry box packed with photo albums and other trinkets of another era. The ring was apparently purchased during the war and given to her mother, but the story was that it got removed from the hand of a rich woman who had died during a raid in Germany. An appraisal had pegged the value of the ring at a quarter of a million dollars back in 1955. It was willed to Melissa. She had placed the ring in a waterproof, fireproof safe for the trip home, keeping it in the trunk where no prying eyes could see it.
The only person who knew about the ring was her sister. And now Layton. It didn’t take much to put it all together.
Maybe they had set it up to look like a robbery gone bad or maybe this was all about having the insurance pay out on the theft of the ring. Whatever the reasons, Melissa knew it wasn’t over. Layton had gone this far. He wouldn’t allow her to just walk away.
She eased out of her scrunched up position and turned her aching body to get up.
She heard footsteps over the sound of the crackling flames. Trent stood fifteen feet away, his arm extended, the barrel of his gun aimed at her. She looked down. Her hands were empty. The gun had fallen when she got tossed by the explosion. With nothing to defend herself with, Melissa looked into the eyes of her would be murderer.
How did it come to this? How did I miss the signs?
Trent closed one eye in an exaggerated expression of taking careful aim. Melissa closed both of hers and waited.
The gun fired. She jolted, stumbled, and almost fell. There was no pain. Maybe it took a few seconds. She was sure the pain was on its way.
When she opened her eyes she understood why there was no pain.
She hadn’t been shot.
Trent was on his knees. Blood surged out of his mouth in spurts. The gun that had fired was held by the man standing behind Trent.
“How the fuck could you have screwed this up?” Layton
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