Eye of the Storm Read Online Free PDF Page A

Martin. Not Simone."
    "And maybe get her to sign the papers?" Tim prodded.
    The idea made his stomach ache, but then he'd always hated change. Even hated moving a chair or a photograph. Everything in its place and all that. It had driven Simone nuts. "Yeah. That's a good idea. And then maybe I can finally put this all behind me."
    Tim wisely stayed quiet, but his expression remained skeptical. "Well, I think you need a drink first for fortification."
    Reece nodded, wondering how it was that he could undermine some of the best criminal minds in Nueces County and still not be able to understand his wife.
    Ex-wife.
    Whatever .
     
    *****
     
    SIMONE STOOD in the driveway, trying to make up her mind. She was wasting valuable minutes, but beyond the postcard, she'd seen no real signs of danger. Her quandary was pedestrian at best, but in some obscurely intangible way important. She needed transportation, but she hated the idea of taking anything that didn't clearly belong to her.
    The car was still registered in both of their names. And though Reece had given it to her in the settlement, the ink on the papers wasn't yet dry and she preferred the idea of traveling without baggage.
    On the other hand, if she called a taxi, she'd leave trace, at least to the point where she got out. In truth, neither option appealed, and she cursed herself for her indecision. She had grown soft. A fact that only irritated her into further inertia.
    She ran a hand through her hair and opted for the car. It seemed the lesser of two evils. Eventually Reece would get the car back, but by then she'd be long gone. Her disappearance would cause questions, but with Maurice's help, they'd never find her.
    Her past wasn't something she'd wish on anyone. Especially not Reece. Which meant that getting away clean was imperative.
    She moved toward the car, noting automatically the music drifting from the open window above. Martin was still upstairs.
    Forcing her face into a mask of banality, she slowed her stride. Just a quick jaunt to the market. Home in a flash. The words echoed inside her head as she edged nearer to the Honda parked in front of the open bay.
    She reached the car with no sign of her brother-in-law and breathed a sigh of relief. She fumbled through her purse for a moment before remembering that the keys were on the ring she'd left inside on the table.
    Swallowing a muttered oath at her stupidity, she walked to the back door and into the kitchen. She picked up the key ring, and separated the Honda key from the others, working to inch it off of the split metal ring.
    The key popped free, and she closed her fingers around it, dropping the key ring back on the table. With a last look around the kitchen, she turned back to the door, already reaching for the screen, freezing when her inner alarm bells sounded with ferocity.
    All five senses went on immediate alert as she tried to locate the source of danger. But before she could fully mobilize, the soft hiss of a bullet ripped through the dirt in the garden just outside the door, embedding with a hollow thunk in the wood at the base of the house.
    Hitting the floor, she rolled into a crouch, pulling the Sig Sauer from the small of her back. It had been a hell of a long time since she'd handled a gun, but instinct overrode everything else and she swiveled, sighting the gun as she sought out the bullet's source.
    The wind blew lazily through the palm trees out back, the tall elephant grass bending almost double. She could smell salt and sand, and just a hint of sulfur. But there were no other shots. Except for the breeze, the backyard was quiet.
    The silence was unnerving, something about it ringing false. And then she remembered Martin's radio. It had been blaring out the window.
    She inched the screen open, and peered toward the garage. The window was still open, but the music had definitely gone quiet.
    Oh God, if Martin was hurt.
    Anger, hot and heavy, filled her chest, making it difficult to breathe.