Deadly Intentions Read Online Free

to muddle his thoughts. Maybe in a day or so he’d feel something approaching half normal again. Normal was going to take longer.
    At least he was in America. Not in a war zone. Compared to that, everything else was manageable.
    When the cab arrived, he eased into the backseat.
    â€œWhere to?” the man asked.
    Brian gave him the address to his grandfather’s house in Virginia Beach. It wasn’t far. He settled back in the seat and watched the familiar terrain. There was something refreshing about the ocean air. He loved this area.
    â€œYou just back from the war?” the cabbie asked, peering through his rearview mirror.
    â€œYes.” Brian made his response short. He didn’t want to talk.
    The cabbie didn’t take the hint. “Your honey waiting for you?”
    â€œNo,” Brian said, and thought, Only the housekeeper . Pitiful. His friends had wives and girlfriends. And he had his grandfather’s housekeeper.
    â€œNo?” the man asked, peering in the mirror again. “Be glad to set you up. Man fight a war, he’s entitled to a reward afterward. Just say the word.”
    â€œI’ve got it covered.” He could imagine his grandfather’s neighbors gossiping about hookers trotting to his door.
    The guy smiled. “All right then.”
    Sighing, Brian rolled his window down to smell the salty air, the blooming flowers. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes to rest a few moments, but much too soon the cabbie said, “We’re here, sir. I’ll get your bag.”
    Brian dug into his pocket for the fare. “Just toss it on the step,” he said. “I can handle it from there.”
    â€œI don’t mind taking it inside, especially for a soldier. You’re one of the lucky ones.”
    â€œYeah.” If he considered the bullet hole in his leg and a few stab wounds lucky. At least he was alive. And this was the closest thing he had to a home. He felt deep regret for the ones who wouldn’t be returning to loved ones. Sometimes he wondered why he was still here. Nobody depended on him. And no one would really miss him.
    Brian sighed. At least everyone else on his team was fine. A few minor scrapes, but otherwise healthy. He got the worst of it.
    As Brian climbed out of the cab he thought it was time he bought his own cottage. Something smaller, of course, but on the beach. A cozy place where he could display the things he’d collected from around the world.
    He saw a young woman go into his grandfather’s house. Must be her zippy little Honda parked out front, he thought.
    After placing his luggage on the front porch, the cabbie stayed at the curb, obviously making sure Brian got inside without falling flat on his face.
    Brian was worried about Harriet. Her car was in the driveway, in front of the other one. Maybe she just forgot. But she hadn’t answered the phone. Hastily he dug the key out of his pocket. It wasn’t like her to forget about something that important. True, she was getting up in years, but he’d been away for a year and she’d visited him in the hospital. She’d been looking forward to having someone to cook for. And the extra pay she’d get for working there.
    Just as he got the key in the lock and turned it, he heard a loud scream, a crash, then feet pounding toward the door. As he opened it a woman fell out, straight into his arms, and screamed as if the devil was chasing her. Suddenly, realizing he was blocking her path, she began to attack him.
    â€œHey, lady. You can’t do that,” the cabbie hollered as he ran toward them across the lawn. “He’s hurt. Can’t you see that?”
    Fright had taken her to another world.
    Brian grabbed her flailing arms and shook her, then smacked her to get her attention. “What’s going on?”
    Her mouth moved but words eluded her. Only her screams pierced his eardrums. “In . . . in there . . .” She finally