Assassin P.I. Read Online Free PDF

Jack’s back. “Drink up, buddy, looks like we’re both screwed.”
    A light bulb flickered and swayed, threatening to plunge him into inky darkness. Fingertips glided over crumbling wallpaper, guiding the way down the hallway of unmarked doors. He twisted the first doorknob. Locked. Pressing an ear to the door, silence was the only sound that greeted him. The next three doorways were the same.
    He crept on, certain he’d been there before, could almost sense the door he needed to open. Just a few more to go. A sudden whoosh of wind blew his hat off. He reached for it, but it was gone, tumbling down an endless hall and into a dark void.
    The light above faltered, and for an instant, he was blind. His breath caught in his throat. Stomach clenched with dread. Unable to get his bearings, he closed his eyes and focused on taking deep, even breaths.
    A scream echoed through the hallway, only to be abruptly choked off as another light, further ahead, sputtered to life.
    Spurred into action, he stole toward the light, his ears keenly alert to every muffled sound. He had to get to her, to save her. A terrible sense of foreboding slithered down his spine until its fingers wrapped around his heart and burrowed in. If he didn’t reach her in time, she would be gone forever.
    A figure shrouded in shadows materialized at the end of the hallway.
    Angie.
    She screamed.
    His knees buckled, his energy siphoned by the bulb above that suddenly began to glow bright. Too bright. The bulb burst, sending shards of glass and sparks flying. An ember caught the wallpaper and instantly flames licked the walls.
    Save Angie.
    Her name reverberated in his head, pinging around until his entire body trembled with fear. With need. With longing.
    He couldn’t lose her. Not again. Not this time.
    The harder he tried to run to her, the more stubborn his feet became, growing roots, which fused with the worn carpeting. Breathless, he watched, helpless as flames dripped from the ceiling, igniting her dress until she stood naked before him, laughing. God, she was beautiful.
    A door swung open and he was sucked into the abyss. Angie’s deep-throated laugh followed him.
    Where was he?
    A volley of synchronized gunshots rang out. A twenty-one-gun-salute. Ousting birds from their roost, they took to the dusky sky. Somewhere someone sobbed and the heavens cried with them, dousing the ground in tears.
    A casket, draped in the American flag, sat perched above a freshly dug grave, poised to be lowered. A little boy saluted and placed a white flower on his father’s steel-gray casket, a hero being laid to rest too soon.
    The cemetery.
    It wasn’t until the second volley of shots slammed into his gut, wrenching his heart with its power, that he realized the tears were his own.
    A clipped voice broke through the silence. “Make ready!”
    Seven uniformed men cocked their firearms.
    “I’m disappointed in you, Jackie-boy.”
    His father’s voice, deep and sure, echoed through the cemetery, nestling deep in Jack’s psyche.
    “Take aim!”
    A little boy, no bigger than seven or eight appeared by his side, tugging on his coat. “Hey, mister! Your turn.”
    Seven rifles swung around, pointed directly at Jack.
    “You’ll never be the hero I was,” his father’s voice taunted.
    “Fire!”
    Jack woke with a start, hands clawing at his throat, gasping for air. Throwing back the blankets, he swung his legs to the floor. He raked his fingers through his hair. There would be no sleep for him tonight.

Chapter 4
    “You came.” Angie drew her robe tighter and cinched the tie in a knot. She hadn’t been expecting him this early in the morning. If he’d come any earlier, she’d have missed him while in the shower. When he’d slipped out during her show without saying goodbye, she figured he’d decided to not take her case after all. She held the door open.
    He slipped past her and whistled as he took in the open floor plan of her downtown loft. “Swanky place you