Split Second

Read Split Second for Free Online Page B

Book: Read Split Second for Free Online
Authors: Alex Kava
Tags: thriller, Suspense, Contemporary, Mystery
FBI agent means to me.”
    “But being a lawyer doesn’t get me cut up and almost killed. It doesn’t have me stalking around my own house with a loaded gun and almost shooting my spouse.” He returned the broom, slamming it into the utility closet.
    “Well, after today I guess it won’t be an issue,” she said quietly.
    He stopped. His gray eyes met hers and for a brief moment he looked sad, almost apologetic. Then he looked away, snatching the dishcloth Maggie had set aside. He wiped the counter again in careful, deliberate swipes as though she had disappointed him even in this small task.
    “So when are the guys from United getting here?” he wanted to know, as if it were a move they had planned together.
    She glanced at the wall clock. “They’ll be here at eight. But I didn’t hire United.”
    “Maggie, you have to be careful about movers. They’ll rip you off. You should know…” He stopped, as if reminding himself it was no longer any of his business. “Suit yourself.” He started filling the coffeemaker with level, precise scoops, pursing his lips to confine the scolding he normally would have unleashed on her.
    Maggie watched him, predicting his movements, knowing he’d fill the pot to the three-cup line and that he’d squat to eye level to make certain it was exact. She recognized the familiar routine and wondered when they had become strangers. After almost ten years of marriage, they couldn’t even afford each other the courtesies of friendship. Instead, every conversation seemed to be through clenched teeth.
    Maggie turned and went back to the spare room, waiting, but hoping he wouldn’t follow her. Not this time. She wouldn’t get through this day if he continued to scold and pout or worse, if he resorted to telling her he still loved her. Those words should have been a comfort; instead, they had come to feel like a sharp knife, especially when he followed them with, “And if you loved me you would quit your job.”
    She returned to the liquor cabinet where she had left the glass of Scotch. The sun had barely risen and already she needed her daily dose of liquid bravery to get her through the day. Her mother would be proud. The two of them finally had something in common.
    She glanced around the room while she sipped. How could this stack of cartons be the sum of her life? She rubbed a hand over her face, feeling the exhaustion as though it had taken up permanent residence in her bones. How long had it been since she had slept through an entire night? When was the last time she had felt safe? She was so tired of feeling as though she was trapped on a ledge, coming closer and closer to falling.
    Assistant Director Cunningham was fooling himself if he believed he could protect her. There was nothing he could do to stop her nightmares, and there was no place he could send her that would be out of Albert Stucky’s reach. Eventually, she knew Stucky would come for her. Although it had been five months since Stucky’s escape, she knew it with certainty. It could be another month or it could be another five months. It didn’t matter how long it took. He would come.

CHAPTER 2
    T ess McGowan wished she had worn different shoes. These pinched and the heels were too tall. Every nerve ending in her body concentrated on not tripping as she walked up the winding sidewalk, all the while pretending not to notice the eyes that followed her. The movers had stopped unloading the truck as soon as her black Miata pulled into the drive. Sofa ends stayed in midair. Hand-trucks remained tipped. Boxes were ignored while the men in sweaty, blue uniforms stopped to watch her.
    She hated the attention and cringed at the possibility of a wolf whistle. Especially in this well-manicured neighborhood where the sanctuary-like silence would make the whistles even more obscene.
    This was ridiculous; her silk blouse stuck to her, and her skin crawled. She wasn’t close to being stunning or beautiful. At best, she had a

Similar Books

The Survival Kit

Donna Freitas

LOWCOUNTRY BOOK CLUB

Susan M. Boyer

Love Me Tender

Susan Fox

Watcher's Web

Patty Jansen

The Other Anzacs

Peter Rees

Borrowed Wife

Patrícia Wilson

Shadow Puppets

Orson Scott Card

All That Was Happy

M.M. Wilshire