Beautiful Criminal Read Online Free PDF Page A

necessary to get rid of the old man. Gabe had to pay for his little mistake, and it didn’t matter how much Colton loved him.
    Gabriel Miller couldn’t be trusted. He was a user and a manipulator, and, one of these days, Ben would get his revenge for what Gabe had done to him. But most of all, Gabe was loyal to Colton and would skim the edges of the earth to kill Ben should he learn his true motives.
    There was no room for exceptions in this business. Even though everyone knew Colton basically raised Gabe, it didn’t mean the idiot should get a free pass.
    He stared at Colton McCoy, gauging the old man’s emotions. He knew he thought of Gabe like a son, but still, if something happened and Gabe got caught… Anybody else who got himself in that situation would be hunted down. If that was the case, as far as Ben was concerned, Gabe shouldn’t be treated any differently.
    “Gabriel would never betray me, but I don’t understand. Maybe something happened….” The old man’s ice-blue eyes homed in on him. Ben felt a spike of fear at his questioning look. Did the old man think he had something to do with Gabe’s disappearance?
    He looked over at Terry, who shrugged.
    “We have to be smart,” Terry said, yet his gaze remained on Ben.
    Colton nodded, and his wary expression was proof that Gabe getting into trouble worried him. “I want both of you to find him. Take Dean and Jimmy with you. I don’t care if he’s in jail, nabbed, or trying to run, you bring him home to me.”
    Ben nodded, fighting the urge to pump the air with his fist. Finally, he was in charge of something. He got up and went over to the old man, cupped his shoulder, and squeezed. “Don’t worry, boss, I’ll bring him home.”
    He forced himself to walk calmly to the door, although inside he was trembling with excitement. As he neared the exit, he lifted his bullet chain, opened the cap, and took a hefty snort of the good stuff. Instant pleasure surged through his veins. He felt on top of the world.
    Terry leaned down and whispered something in Colton’s ear, but Ben couldn’t care less what words were exchanged. All that mattered was finding Gabe and seeking revenge.
    Twenty fucking years.
    * * * *
    Mary held onto Tom as they zigzagged over the trail on their snow machine, making their way to the crash site. After a tense argument, Tom insisted that he go with her to make sure she’d be all right. She knew damned well he simply didn’t trust her. The asshole probably thought she was having an affair with the poor pilot and using his crash as an excuse to go out and meet him.
    Tears pooled in her eyes. Their marriage was toxic. Soon after their whirlwind romance and race to the altar, she’d learned she’d married a controlling, often abusive man. The only thing keeping her sane was Mima, though her friend wasn’t aware of Tom’s physical abuse.
    “It’s up there, over the hill,” she shouted over the hum of the motor.
    Tom drove over the steep incline, where Mary and Mima had taken their teams nearly a week ago. Snow had accumulated, covering the landscape with another ten inches.
    He pulled up to the site and shut off the machine. Mary got up and stretched her legs. The ride took well over an hour from their home. She stared out over the crisp landscape, a beautiful scene no painting could do justice. Rolling hills, towering mountains, and majestic trees all covered in white, portrayed the kind of beauty no other place could imitate.
    Tom pulled off his helmet and glared at her. “I still don’t understand why you girls didn’t take him to a hospital. We’re not that secluded out here.”
    Mary shrugged and averted her gaze from Tom, concentrating on the crash site. She could barely see the plane beneath the fresh blanket of snow, but she knew it was there. “Mima made the decision, not me. I was just tagging along, okay?”
    Tom’s angry glare unnerved her. “You didn’t have to offer to bring his stuff. You’re like a lost