Read Final Touch for Free Online Page A

closed her eyes. Grief and fear surged through her. Agent Scarrow’s daughter would now have been seventeen, her and Shaley’s age.
    “I’m so sorry,” Rayne whispered.
    Gary shook his head. “I’m doubly sorry. I should never have…”
    For a moment silence hung in the air. Brittany stared at the huge bouquets of coral and white flowers near the wall of glass—where the wedding party would have stood for the ceremony. The FBI agent’s words chilled her to the bone. They would not find Shaley’s body four days from now. They wouldn’t. No way could they live without Shaley.
    Agent Scarrow smiled grimly. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. Every case is different. I don’t want you to think this one has to end like that. But I do want to say that’s what got me into law enforcement. After that I wanted nothing more than to get bad guys off the streets.” He stood up. “For me—this case, bringing Shaley home? It’s personal.”

11
    A t the grungy pay phone, Monster Man crowded next to me. He smelled sweaty and his breath stank. The phone hung from the wall of the gas station. At least we weren’t in the tight quarters of a phone booth.
    The man’s last words echoed in my head. “ You think I stole you for money? ” What did that mean? Why did he laugh?
    “Keep your head down,” he ordered.
    He still didn’t want me to get a good look at his face. Hope knocked around inside me. He didn’t want me to be able to identify him later. Which meant he planned to let me go.
    “You’re going to call your mom.”
    Yes!
    But I showed no emotion. I didn’t dare let him see how much I wanted this—how much I needed to hear my mom’s voice. If he knew what it meant to me, he might change his mind.
    “I’ll be listening. You’re going to tell her only what I tell you to say. Got it?”
    “Yes.” My heart banged around in my chest. Please, please.
    He put his beefy hand on the phone. “You say anything I don’t tell you to say, I will make you very sorry.”
    “Okay.”
    “First, tell her you never wanted her to marry that lowlife.”
    Shock ran through me. My chin came up.
    “Don’t look at me!” He shoved me against the wall. My headbounced off the brick. I gasped. Tucked my chin down low, trembling.
    “Did you get that?” He squeezed my upper arm.
    “Yes.” My voice croaked. How could I say such a horrible thing to Mom? It was so not true.
    “Then tell her this.” He continued to talk, pouring out vile words that turned my limbs to ice.
    Mom would never believe me. Never. She’d know I was being coached.
    That realization pushed determination through my veins.
    Fine. Let him tell me crazy things to say. The crazier they were, the more Mom would know he was making me say them. At least she’d hear my voice, and I’d hear hers. At least she’d know I was okay.
    He lifted the receiver. “Punch in her number.”
    I raised my hand. Pressed the keys. Monster Man bent close and held the receiver between our heads.
    Through the speaker “You Are My Always” started to play. One of my favorite Rayne songs. It was Mom’s default ringback tone. Tears sprang to my eyes. I closed them and listened to Mom sing.
    The music cut off. “Hello?”
    Mom’s voice pitched high, tight. Mom, Mom! I wanted to scream and cry. I wanted to be with her, fling myself into her arms.
    For a drawn-out second, I couldn’t even speak.
    “Hello?”
    “Hi, Mom.”
    “Shaley!” Her voice cracked. “Where are you, are you okay?”
    Monster Man pinched the skin on the back of my arm. “Say it,” he snarled in my ear.
    No. I wanted to tell Mom how much I loved her and Gary. How I was going to get home to them, no matter what it took.
    “ Say it!”
    My jaw hardened. “I…Mom, I never wanted you to marry Gary. He’s a lowlife.” My voice sounded like someone else’s. “For a long time,I’ve been planning to run away just before the wedding. I don’t…” My hands fisted. I squeezed my eyes shut. “I