Deployed Read Online Free PDF Page A

had their phones out now and were taking her picture. In minutes the news would be up all over Facebook and Twitter. Callum’s Creek had embraced the technology that enabled faster gossip with pictures.
    Alvin wheeled her around so that her back was to him while he clamped the open cuff around her other wrist. Her hands were now secured behind her, and she had to squelch the immediate claustrophobic feeling that snaked up from her belly. All she could think about was what this was going to do to her granny and to her son. Granny would understand, but there was no telling what kind of stories Travis would hear.
    Alvin grabbed her by one arm and pulled her away from the vehicle. “Let’s go.”
    Bekah nearly tripped because her legs weren’t quite keeping up with her thoughts. She made a quickstep to keep up, and the deputy shook her irritably.
    “Don’t you try nothing, missy, or I’ll clock you.”
    Holding in her anger and a scathing retort, Bekah marched resolutely toward the waiting cruiser. The Marines had taught her to march, and she did it now with all the skill she had. Just kept putting one foot in front of the other. And she held her head high.
    Phone flashes went off around her, bright sparks against the neon-threaded night.
    Alvin opened the back door of the cruiser, put a hand ontop of her head, and shoved her in. Sitting with her hands cuffed behind her was hard and uncomfortable. She leaned back and tried to keep herself calm. The mesh that separated her from the front seats was a constant reminder of where she was and how much trouble she was in. Just breathe. Keep breathing. That’s all you can do right now.
    Leaning her head to the side, she peered out the window and watched as the crowd closed in around Buck. They acted like they were concerned and worried, but Bekah knew from experience that most of them just wanted to see what had been done to him. The deputy tried to keep them back, but everybody had a story to tell. Hands gestured and called for attention. Alvin shook his head and talked, but nobody was listening.
    Finally, after fifteen minutes according to the dashboard clock, an ambulance pulled into the parking lot. Two EMTs, both guys she recognized from high school, got out of the vehicle and brought out a stretcher. They worked quickly, putting Buck on a backboard and strapping him to the gurney. When everything was in place, they pushed Buck into the ambulance.
    A shadow fell across the window an instant before Billy Roy stepped into view. He flashed a mocking smile at her. “Appears you got some bad trouble on your hands, Rebecca Ann. I would say I’m sorry . . . but I’m not. This may be better than watching Buck take your head off. I figure you’re gonna get some county time out of this. You and your son have caused me plenty of grief these past few years.”
    Bekah had nothing to say. She knew the sheriff’s cruiserhad audio and video pickup equipment in the back. That was standard these days even in Callum’s Creek.
    Deputy Alvin Trimble approached the car and touched his hat to Billy Roy. “Hey, Billy Roy.”
    “Hey, Alvin.” Billy Roy grinned like a possum. “Got you a bad ’un tonight, huh?”
    “Man, you sure knew how to pick ’em, didn’t you?”
    “We all make mistakes.” Billy Roy nodded toward Bekah. “You’ll want to watch yourself. Them Marines have sure riled her up.”
    “I get her back to the jail, she’ll gentle down pretty fast.”
    Billy Roy nodded and touched his beer bottle to his hat brim. “I’ll leave you with it.” He turned and walked away.
    Bekah took another breath and worked on the next one.

4
    WHEN THE FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE JEEP rumbled down the narrow street, Rageh Daud ducked into the nearest alley and attempted to hide. The early-morning light filtering through Mogadishu betrayed him, though. Or perhaps the men in the jeep were wide awake and looking for opportunities, and the sudden movement merely landed him on their