Read Deadly Embrace for Free Online Page B

anything!"
    So they made their plans, eliciting the help of Sam, who was sure
he could squeeze them both on the back of his motorcycle as long as
they were really serious about splitting.
    "If I help you, I can't ever come back here," he said. "That old
geezer pays me plenty, so I'll be losin' out."
    "Think of it this way," Emily said persuasively. "You'll be rescuing Dani and me. That makes you a real hero."
    "It does?" Sam said, liking the hero idea.
    "Oh, yes," Emily said encouragingly, giving him a quick peck on
the cheek.
    "It's not like he knows where I live or anything," Sam mused. "He
only comes t' town every coupla months—so he'll never track us.
We'll see him before he sees us ."
    "Then you'll take us?" Emily asked.
    "Why not?" Sam said, imagining himself as a kind of superman
figure. "I'll help you."
    "We'll pay you back," Emily promised.
    "You bet you will!" he joked.
    Two days later they took off in the middle of the night while
everyone was sleeping. Sam wheeled his motorcycle a good distance
from the property before he dared start it.
    "Don't worry about waking him," Emily said, climbing on the back
and helping Dani aboard. "He sleeps like the dead; snores so loud he
wouldn't hear a bear fart if it was standing next to him."
    "I know, but the old guy's some kinda wacko," Sam said,
experiencing second thoughts. "We don't want him catching us."
    "He won't," Emily assured him.
    "I could give him up to the cops, you know," Sam said. "Havin' all
those wives—it's gotta be against the law."
    "Really?" Dani said, thinking how satisfying it would be to see
Dashell led off in handcuffs.
    "Oh yeah," Sam said confidently. "An' how about none of you goin'
to school? That's not legal, for sure."
    " I taught Dani to read and write," Emily said proudly. "She
learned good."
    Dani's heart was fluttering at the thought of this new adventure.
All she'd ever known was the ranch, and Olive forcing her to work.
Every day she'd had to feed the animals, clean the house, do the
cooking, washing, sewing, and scrubbing. Her workload was
endless.
    She clung on to Emily, her arms around her sister's waist, hoping
and praying that they'd make a clean getaway and Dashell wouldn't
come after them.
    As they neared the bright lights of Vegas she went into shock.
"It's . . . it's like a fairyland," she gasped, darting her head this
way and that.
    "Just you wait," Sam said, chuckling. "You got the good stuff to
come."
    "I do?"
    "Bet on it."
    And sure enough, the moment they hit the Strip she could barely
speak. "Oh my Lord!" she exclaimed. "Look at all these people."
    After driving up and down a couple of times, they stopped at a
coffee shop, where Sam bought them all hamburgers, milk shakes, and
big slices of apple pie.
    "What'm I gonna do with you two now I got you here?" he said,
realizing that he might have made a rash move.
    "You can let us sleep on your floor for a couple of days," Emily
suggested. "I promise we'll stay out of your way."
    "It's not like I got a palace or anything," Sam explained. "It's
only one bedroom, so that means we'll all havta sleep in
together."
    Emily giggled and gave him a knowing look. "Sounds like fun to
me."
    "Yeah, but not with your sister watching."
    "Dani won't watch," Emily promised. "She'll curl up in a corner
and go to sleep."
    "Honestly," Dani agreed, wolfing down her pie. "I'll make sure I
don't bother you."
    "Tomorrow we'll both go out and find jobs, then we'll look for
somewhere to live," Emily said. "You won't be sorry you brought us
here."
    "You can't get a job unless you got a Social Security card," Sam
pointed out.
    "What's that?" Dani asked.
    "Somethin' you gotta have."
    "How do we get one?" Emily wanted to know.
    "Well." Sam hesitated for a moment. "I know a man who knows
someone who might be able to fix it. Don't suppose you got birth
certificates?"
    "No," Emily said. "We're lucky to have clothes."
    Ten days later Sam came up with two fake Social Security
cards.
    "You're the best!" Emily