03_Cornered Coyote Read Online Free PDF

burst out laughing. "It might point you in the right direction."
    "Well, Tucker, I can't thank you enough. I feel a lot better. At least I know what lies ahead and that’s a great gift in itself. Gotta catch a plane, but let’s eat first. My treat and I promise it won’t be this long next time.”
    Tucker put his hand on Slade’s shoulder. "There's a hole in the wall joint a few blocks from here that serves the best damn Cuban food I've ever eaten. Got a lot to learn from them. This Cuban shirt I’m wearing is just a start.”
    On the flight back to Los Angeles, Slade couldn't stop thinking about Tucker and why he’d mentioned mangoes. As he looked out the window at the clouds below, colored by the soft yellow of the evening sun, he drifted off. He had a dream where a beautiful redhead was standing in front of him. As soon as he started walking towards her, she started running away. He started shouting, “Maureen, Maureen.” A passenger sitting on his right nudged him and woke him up. Slade apologized for his outburst, but he couldn’t help smiling to himself. Her name started with an M and she sure had big, all natural mangoes, as far as he could recall.

CHAPTER 6
     
    It was late when he got home from Florida. Night had fallen and the full moon lit up the breaking waves, making them sparkle like diamonds. Every time he looked at the ocean he was reminded of the power and force of Mother Nature. And we think we’re so goddamned important. She changes lives in the blink of an eye.
     The three fingers of the amber colored Maker’s Mark bourbon glistened as he poured it over ice. He stood for a long time looking down at the lights of the slow moving traffic on Pacific Coast Highway, thinking how it resembled a super long lightning bug with brake lights, turn signals, and headlights blinking on and off.
    He picked up his cell phone. “Brad, sorry to do this again, but I need you to find out everything you can about Senator O’Shaughnessy’s daughter. Her name is Maureen. You know the drill. Want to know everything. If she's married, I want to know her married name, the name of her husband, and what he does. If she works, I want to know who she works for, and where she works. Find out where she lives, what she drives, if she has children, legal problems, loans. I want it all.”
    Slade was still wrestling with the problem of Maria and how he could keep her safe once the three weeks were up. Three weeks wasn't much time for him to find a solution. Even if Brian asked for a speedy trial, which she was entitled to according to the law, she was still going to be in jail for several months. Although he’d vowed never to see him again, knowing how dangerous it could be for him, there was only one person who could help Maria… Chico Ruiz. Last night he’d come up with a plan that would involve Chico, but he was reluctant to implement it. After talking to Tucker, it had come together on the long plane ride back to California.
    He finished his drink and admitted how much he dreaded revisiting his past. If he was to keep Maria safe he was going to have to go all the way back to… Chicago. Reminiscing about those times still caused a lot of heartache. He and his parents lived in a small little house in the inner city. It was a mixed neighborhood of various ethnicities. Survival was the key word. He remembered the day his life changed – the day he went to his uncle’s house with his mother. It seemed like it was yesterday.
    “Slade, time to get dressed.  I’ve got a special day planned. First of all we’re going to walk along Michigan Avenue and look in the windows of all the shops. It’s called the Magnificent Mile. When you’re all grown up, that’s where you’ll shop. I think you should be a doctor or lawyer. You’re smart. You can do it. When we’re finished, we’ll take the bus and visit my brother. He called yesterday and wants to see us. He won’t believe how much you’ve grown.”
    It was one of the