Without Any Warning (A Samantha Jamison Mystery Volume 2) Read Online Free

Instead of walking along the beach, we probably should’ve walked the boards instead.”
    “It’s not that far, is it? Besides, we used to do this all the time.”
    “I guess so,” I admitted, and then smiled, turning in her direction. I was heartened to see that she was finally relaxing after recalling a few of our comical pranks while we walked. “You know, I’d forgotten how much I really missed that carefree part of my life, Mona. Thanks for reminding me.”
    She grinned. “You see, Sam? Dining out and dishing with an old girlfriend works every time!”

 
     
     
    Chapter 8
    Under What Boardwalk?
     
     
    “Remember that one college break when we buried that guy up to his neck in sand and the tide started coming in?” I asked, chuckling. “We thought we would die laughing! I haven’t thought about that in years.”
    “It served him right,” added a snickering Mona, “after we saw him stealing money from our wallets. I have to admit, using our feminine guile, luring him into letting us bury him, was great payback. If I recall, the other lifeguards thought it was quite funny, too.”
    I laughed. “The look on his face when we walked away was priceless. The heavy, wet sand was a bonus, too!”
    “Yeah, but his friends dug him out just as the tide came in. That wasn’t fair,” replied a still-disappointed Mona.
    “Now, come on!” I said. “Don’t tell me you weren’t expecting that to happen.”
    “Look, Sam, as a lifeguard, he should’ve known how to get out of sticky situations. Right? I got cheated out of a Houdini moment that I was really looking forward to.”
    From the corner of my eye, I saw a hand materialize out of nowhere and roughly latch onto Mona’s purse strap, knocking her off balance.
    Without thinking, I whipped my leg up, giving a swift kick in defense.
    I knew it connected when I heard a voice shout, “Bitch!” The attacker doubled over, away from us, and fell back into the murky shadows.
    Mona, thrown by the assault, yelled, “What the… ?”
    I grabbed her arm, yanking her back upright. “Come on!” I insisted, dragging her toward the boardwalk. I could barely make out her assailant, who was rolling in the sand and moaning in pain, as we began running in the sinking sand.
    I had to give Mona credit. She was big, but light of foot. She ran right alongside me without one word of complaint—that is, until we approached the boardwalk.
    Glancing around, I saw the shadowy form of our assailant staggering to his feet. We wouldn’t have time to get to safety.
    “Duck under here,” I instructed over the rumble of the surf hitting the beach.
    “Whoa! We’re going where?” she asked, coming to a halt. “I don’t think so!” She attempted to back away.
    “Quick! Get under the boardwalk!” I ordered. I reached out and tried to drag her closer.
    She wouldn’t budge.
    “Look, we don’t have time for this now, Mona!” I whispered fiercely.
    “But there are bugs and spiders under there! I hate creepy crawlies! Especially if I can’t see them! Besides, it’s pitch black under there! You know I hate dark, closed-in places! Are you completely out of your mind, Sam?”
    “No! Now, move!” I gave her a quick, forceful shove and was finally able to push her underneath.
    “Oh, my God! I think I’m going to be sick. I can’t do this, Sam!”
    A shadowy figure approached the boardwalk, panting and cursing loudly.
    I quickly covered her mouth, dragging her back further. It was cold, but she had broken out in a sweat. She tried to fight me off.
    “Mmmf… mmmf,” she moaned weakly from under the grip of my hand, as the thunderous breakers hit the beach.
    I whispered directly in her ear. “I think it’s your mugger, looking for us. Be quiet. Please.” And she was. She became perfectly still. Crouching low, we watched and waited as whoever it was raced back and forth, searching…
    Eventually, the assailant took off for the ramp that led to the boardwalk. We heard his