Deadly Intent: An Action Thriller (Adrian Hell Series Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

is—that they knew the shooter. He probably leaned in through the passenger window when they pulled over to speak to him. You won’t find any shell casing in the vehicle, and no forensic evidence of any kind—the shooter will have worn gloves, and been met with zero resistance. Fast, accurate shooting at close quarters isn’t easy, so the guy’s a professional.”
    Raynor strokes his mustache and smiles to himself before taking another sip of his coffee, but remains silent.
    I shrug at him. “I’m just guessing...” I smile. “So, am I a suspect?”
    Raynor stands, picking up his hat and laughing. “Christ, if your bar ever closes, I hope to God you consider becoming a deputy,” he says. “No, you’re not a suspect. If you were, I wouldn’t have had coffee with you. And if you were guilty, you wouldn’t have given me a professional, and frighteningly accurate, theory about what happened. Military?”
    I nod without saying anything.
    “You can take the man outta the army…” he muses. “I appreciate your time, Adrian. Sorry to trouble you so early in the morning.”
    “No trouble, John—any time. You need anything else, just holla.”
    “I appreciate that. Thanks for the coffee. I’ll see myself out.”
    “Take care.”
    Raynor walks out and across the bar. I hear him make a fuss over Styx, who would’ve gone over to say ‘Hi’ to him. I hear the doors swing open and shut.
    I turn to head upstairs and see Tori in the doorway, smiling at me.
    “Was that Sheriff Raynor?” she asks.
    “Yeah, he just called in for coffee.”
    “Uh-huh… what’s happened?”
    I smile at her. “Those three assholes from last night were found dead in their car in the early hours, on the outskirts of town,” I tell her. “Sheriff just had a few questions, as he’d heard what happened in here last night.”
    “Jesus… what you say to him?” she asks as she moves over to the side and pours herself a coffee, adding cream and sugar.
    Shaking my head in playful disgust, I reply, “I just told him what happened... He said he was just following procedure, and it was nothin’ to worry about.”
    She walks over to me, stands on her tiptoes, and kisses my cheek. “Well, if he needs you to provide an alibi for your whereabouts last night, I’ll gladly give him a full statement!”
    She winks and walks off, back upstairs with her mug of coffee. I watch her go, smiling to myself, then turn and walk back into the bar. I sit down on a stool in front of the counter and whistle to call Styx over to me. He obliges, and sits at my feet, looking up at me. I stroke his head and pat his nose, which he seems to like for some reason.
    “I got a bad feelin’ about this, boy. A real bad feelin’…”

5.
     
     
     
     
    21:38 CDT
    It’s another busy night tonight. Phil, Nicki and Tori are rushed off their feet. The atmosphere is loud and happy, the jukebox is blasting out some classic songs, and the beer’s flowing out as the money flows in. Not that I’m here for the money, but it’s nice to know what I’m doing is working.
    I haven’t been able to shake the sense of impending doom after the events of last night and this morning, and it’s now driving me to distraction. Tori’s been great, as always. She keeps telling me not to worry, and that it was just a bit of bad luck and coincidence. And she’s probably right… It’s been well over two years since I dropped off the grid and started afresh down here. Maybe it’s just a case of old habits dying hard.
    I do my best to put it behind me as I open a couple of beers for a young couple who’ve just walked in. I’ve seen them a few times—I think they’re new in town, so I make a point of making them feel welcome when they come in. So far, they keep coming back, so I must be doing something right.
    As always, the night’s gone by quickly with no trouble. But I look over at the door, and the sheriff enters. With him are two men in dark suits, who look around the bar