30 Seconds Read Online Free PDF

the cluster of pedestrians. She inched her way through the mess, her hand trailing along the wall, groping for the corner that was a foot away. Her heart raced faster as she fought to get to the edge of the building. If she could get there, she knew she’d be able to change direction and run before they could see her again.
    She snuck through the cramped bodies, trying to blend in because if they saw her scrubs they’d know her identity immediately. She slipped around the last person in her way and slithered like a snake around the corner. As soon as she was out of sight, she broke into a dead run. She figured she could duck inside a shop or dive inside a dumpster, as unappealing as that sounded.
    Suddenly, a peal of sirens cut the air and a police car zoomed past. She peered over her shoulder to see the pedestrians streaming across the road, but she couldn’t see anyone coming after her. She turned back around and ran right into Blake’s arms. He held her tight and she gripped his jacket in her hands as her heart thumped wildly.
    “It’s okay,” he told her. “It’s okay.” He pulled her back and examined her. “Are you hurt?”
    Panting, she shook her head. She was cold and her muscles were quivering, but she was fine.
    Blake pulled her back to him, holding her hard against his body as though he wanted her inside him. It felt good to be in his arms, as if nothing could hurt her.
    His hands moved up and down her chilled arms to rub away the cold. “Here.” He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Put this on.” She slipped her arms through. The inside was warm from his body. She hugged his jacket around her, wanting his body heat to seep into her skin.
    “Can you walk?” He looked at her with concern. “I can carry you.”
    Her muscles were trembling and her legs were shaking. She would’ve loved to be carried by Blake, but he would’ve been carrying her pride too. She smiled and shook her head. “I’m fine.” Her declaration didn’t stop him from putting his arm around her though.
    When they came out onto the street, a cop car pulled up beside them. “Where are they?” Blake wanted to know.
    “Hell if I know,” the officer answered. “They were heading toward the pedestrians waiting to cross the street. By the time I got there, they were gone. They must’ve split up in the crowd.” He looked at Dani. “Are you all right, Miss?”
    “Fine. Thank you.”
    “My name is Max. I’m Blake’s partner.” She took the hand he held out to her through the opened window. “You’re freezing. You should get in, warm up.” Blake opened the door for her.
    She smiled at the back of the police car. “Twice in twenty-four hours. I’m on a roll.”
    They took her to the police station to file a police report. She told them everything that happened from the beginning as she sipped water from a Styrofoam cup.
    “And I ran,” she said. As a matter of fact, she had run two miles.
    “Thank you, Ms. Hart.” The officer writing the report nodded to Chief Witten, a built man with cocoa skin and amber eyes, who leaned over the table.
    Chief Witten handed her a fat binder. “Now I need you to identify the men you saw in the hospital.”
    Heaving an exhausted sigh, she flipped the cover and scanned the faces on each page. She forced herself to focus. Find them, she ordered herself. Find them.
    Several pages in, she pointed at a picture. The man’s hair wasn’t in a ponytail or as long, but it was as black as ever. “He’s one of them.”
    The young officer glanced at Chief Witten and they smiled at each other. “That’s Tony London, a man charged with nearly every crime.”
    Next, she found the man with the goatee, the man with the thick sideburns, the tall man, and the bulky man, but she couldn’t find the man who had been standing in the middle of the group. With a few pages left, all the faces were blending into one.
    She paused, looked at a picture through squinting eyes, but she