Read Alex (In the Company of Snipers) for Free Online Page B

himself, and he didn’t understand it. The solution seemed clear to him. If a bully hits you, hit them back. End of story. Of course, that might be harder for a little gal like Kelsey. He hiked, silently considering all the ways she could have defended herself. There had to be more to the story, a piece to this puzzle he wasn’t seeing.
    “You still there?”
    “Yes,” Alex muttered, his mind picturing Kelsey with an iron skillet in her hand, defending herself, maybe exacting a little domestic revenge, too.
    “If those little boys aren’t with her, I’d say he’s already killed them,” Murphy said somberly.
    “Got that same feeling.”
    “Just so you know, Mother couldn’t find anything on those two little fellows besides their birth certificates and health department vaccinations. It’s like they disappeared. Neither of them went to the emergency room, not once. Just sent the pictures.”
    Alex blew out a huge sigh as he opened Murphy’s text. It was a better picture than the Amber Alert photo. Two little boys smiled back at him, their hair cut with bangs across their foreheads. He noticed the similarity to their mother. They were miniatures of Kelsey, small-boned and brown-eyed. That old familiar pain stabbed at him with its irrational mantra. I should’ve been there.
    “Listen, Murph. Contact the Washington State authorities. Let them know I’ve got her. The pictures I sent should be enough evidence to prove she’s not what Durrant claims. Maybe they can focus on finding those two boys. They’re welcome to come check on her if they want.”
    “Okay. Will do.”
    “But ask them to keep this quiet. The less Durrant knows about his wife’s location, the better off she’ll be. I’ll bring her in as soon as she’s able to travel. I’ll stay in touch.”
    “She hurt bad?”
    “Nothing broke, if that’s what you’re asking, but he’s a mean SOB.”
    “What you gonna do?”
    “Let her sleep. She’s not going anywhere.”
    Murphy chuckled across the distance. “Never figured you for such a soft touch.”
    “Me neither,” Alex grumped as he answered. “I should’ve stayed at work.”
    “Before you hang up, Mother’s got Durrant’s GPS coordinates.”
    “Where is he?”
    “Look around. He’s right at your location.”
    Alex snapped his phone shut. So. Durrant was out here in the woods. A GPS coordinate like that meant he was close, but Alex didn’t spot any movement in the immediate vicinity. Normally he would have tracked the man down, but his first thought was to get back to Kelsey. She was alone. As he hurried, he analyzed what Murphy had said. She might be in rough shape, but she was safe. The real problem now was where those two little boys were and why was Durrant out here? Alex’s gut clenched. There was only one conclusion. Kelsey was unfinished business. Durrant was hunting.
    But Alex was mad at Kelsey, too. This was all her fault. She should’ve left the bastard—not waited until he killed her children. If more women did what they were supposed to do, there would be a lot less child abuse in the world today. The more Alex thought about it, the angrier he got. Yes, there were always two sides to the story, but the black and white of it was pretty straightforward in his mind. He had learned that lesson early in life. No matter what, never lie down and take a beating from a bully. Always fight, even if you’re knocked down and have to crawl back up.
    His self-righteous thoughts vanished the second he opened the cabin door. Kelsey was gone. So were the dogs. An icy chill slithered down his spine. He dropped his pack just inside the door, stepped back onto the porch, and whistled. Instantly, Smoke peered around the corner of the cabin, his head cocked and a curious look on his silver face.
    “There you are.” Alex leaned over the rickety porch rail. There stood Kelsey against the cabin with both dogs at her feet. By the looks of her muddied knees, she had been down to the