All Necessary Force Read Online Free PDF Page A

weariness seeping back through her like waves rolling into a beach. She had been operating on little sleep for days, and she knew she would either finish this today or she wouldn’t finish it at all. No way was she going back to The Hole again. No way on earth. For the thousandth time, she wondered why she was stupid enough to agree to this.
I could be on a dig in South America. Or in grad school, sleeping all I want. Instead, I’m out here playing Jane Bond.
    The pickup had gained considerably in her rearview mirror, appearing behind her after every second bend or so. She knew that like every other local, he’d pass her in a cloud of dust, daring anyone to appear in theblind spot around the curve. She decided to let him pass, then track behind at his speed. Let him get the ticket.
    The truck drew close enough to allow her to see the farmer behind the wheel. A great big bear of a man with a full beard and the ubiquitous baseball cap. He pinned up right behind her bumper, apparently waiting on the road to straighten out long enough to allow him to test his luck. When it did, Jennifer slowed down and pulled a little to the right to let him to pass. She saw him signal and veer out, then returned her eyes to the road. A second later, she knew something was wrong.
    He should have shot right by her. Instead, he was matching her speed in the oncoming lane. The benevolent farmer was gone, replaced by a scowl that was concentrating intently on the rear of her car.
Shit. He’s going to PIT me.
She knew the truck was about to slam into her rear quarter panel and push her sideways, spinning her into the ditch. The minute she lost traction on her rear tires, she was done. She knew this because she had just learned to do it a month ago.
    She looked for an out, and saw nothing but trees blurring by on her right. She was trapped.
And I helped him do it. Idiot.
She seized the initiative, jerking the wheel to the left and slamming broadside into the truck in an attempt to get him out of position. Her little sedan did nothing to alter the truck’s trajectory. Instead, she ricocheted back into her lane, weaving left and right, making her manhandle the steering wheel to regain control. She felt the truck kiss the rear of her car and saw the driver crank the wheel to the right, forcing her rear end to begin to slide. She turned into the spin in a last desperate attempt to break the skid. She failed. A split second later, her car was rotating out of control. In a blur, she saw the truck rocket past and disappear as her car continued to spin into the right-side ditch. Her travel was brought to an abrupt halt when the front of the sedan hammered into a tree, causing her to crack her head into the driver’s-side window.
    Woozy, she fumbled with the door latch, desperate to get the package from the rear seat and run. She had no plan other than to get away from here. Away from the bearded truck driver. A memory flitted across her consciousness. Her hanging from a beam, naked. The room freezingcold. A woman with a foreign accent hosing her down with water, demanding answers. A man behind the woman leering, waiting his turn.
Not going back to The Hole.
    She fell onto the ground, turned to the passenger door, and found herself facing the bearded man. Much bigger outside of the truck. Showing not a whit of compassion.
    “Where is it?” he said.
    She decided to keep to her cover, acting like she couldn’t believe this idiot had just run her off the road. Anything to buy herself some time.
    “Are you crazy? You just wrecked my car! You’re not even asking if I’m all right. Jesus. I ought to call the police right now. You’d better have some insurance—”
    He cut her off by slapping her hard across the face with a hand the size of a ham, knocking her to the ground.
    “I don’t have time for this bullshit. Tell me where it is or I’m going to get rough. It’s over. Don’t make it any worse.”
    On her knees, Jennifer looked up at him and