Beautiful Criminal Read Online Free PDF

puppy, Mary. What would you do without me?”
    Thankfully, she still wore her helmet, and he couldn’t see her chin quivering. Whenever she showed her fear to him, it instigated his temper even more. Instead of answering, she turned her back to him, pulled off her helmet, and headed to the plane. She added over her shoulder, “He has every right to get his stuff, and Mima is too busy caring for him to come here. It was only a kind offer to a friend.”
    She heard the snow crunching beneath his boots behind her, and she tensed. Anytime she talked back he struck her. Today wouldn’t be any different.
    “Can we just get this over with, please?” she asked fearfully.
    “Fine.”
    While Mary lifted herself onto the side of the pilot door, Tom stayed by the rear of the plane, feeling around the side-compartment door. She looked at him briefly before turning her attention back to the cockpit. Lying by the floor on the passenger side, she saw a black duffel bag.
    “I see a bag in here.”
    A loud creak and snap resounded from the rear of the plane. She glanced back to see Tom yanking the door open and looking inside.
    “Holy fuck,” he said, his face a mask of white, eyes bulging.
    “What is it?”
    “Nothing,” he said and quickly shut the door. “Just a big mess.”
    Not a word passed between them as Mary retrieved the pilot’s duffel bag and crawled back out of the plane. She secured the strap over her shoulder, allowing the bag to hang at her back as they walked back to the skidoo.
    “We’ll bring the bag to him tomorrow,” Tom said, gazing off into the distance. He seemed deep in thought, and his expression worried her.
    “Why? I thought we were bringing it right now—”
    He turned on her, his face inches from hers, his hand drawn back ready to strike her. “Don’t question me, girl. I make the decisions around here. We’ll bring the fucking bag to him tomorrow, and that’s that.”
    Mary nodded quickly, and cast her eyes downward in defeat. How could he treat her so crudely when he claimed to love her?
    At that moment, a whirring sound echoed above them. Tree branches whipped violently about and snow whirled like a mini-tornado across the trail. Mary looked up as a black, unmarked helicopter flew overhead and descended toward the river.
    “I’ve never seen a chopper like that before.”
    “Never mind. Get on,” Tom said, yanking the pull cord to start the skidoo.
    Not wanting to anger him further, Mary took her seat behind him. She held on for dear life as Tom whipped the machine around and headed back home as fast as the machine would take them.
    She wondered what he had seen to make him so edgy.
    * * * *
    “This has to be the area where Gabe last communicated. Keep your eyes peeled,” Ben said through the mouthpiece of his headgear.
    They’d flown over the mountains and located the river snaking around the foothills. Every inch of forest was covered in white, and the towering mountains spiked the skies in every direction. The scenery was breathtaking, but they weren’t here for a nature tour.
    Soon the sun would set. If they didn’t find any indication of a crash, or something else to indicate Gabe’s whereabouts, they’d have to hit the nearest town and find lodging for the night. Ben didn’t want to give up until they found something. Anything.
    “I see a skidoo down there,” Terry said, pointing below them to the left. “Seems to be moving pretty quick.”
    Ben peered through the window. The skidoo traveled alongside the river, but he couldn’t tell if one person or two people were on the machine. He glanced at the surrounding landscape, contemplating their next move. If somebody was out here on a snowmobile, there must be homes out here. Maybe Gabe had found a new place to hide.
    “Follow it.”
     
     

Chapter Four
     
    Mima and Gabe had fed the dogs and spent the rest of the day in silence. With no television, or even a stereo for music, he was bored as hell. What bothered him