Gone in a Flash Read Online Free PDF Page B

him. Snatching him to her, she whispered, “It’s okay, sweetie, it’s okay.”
    One little arm clung to her, the other he kept wrapped around his truck. “I’m scared.”
    “It’s all over.” Through the door, she saw other officers now flooding the area. Officer Ellis and Connor questioned the man who stood with a stony-faced expression. His eyes met hers and a slight smile lifted his lips.
    Samantha shuddered as pure rage flooded her.
    She passed Andy over to Jenna, who’d stood to the side, watching everything with wide eyes and tight lips. Jenna took her little brother and held him tight.
    Samantha walked toward the man and faced him. His eyes scared her. She’d seen a lot of bad stuff in her years with the FBI, but those eyes . . .
    “It’s not over,” he said. His calm control, his unflappable nerve shattered something inside her.
    “You’re right. It’s not over.” Calling on every ounce of strength and rage she possessed, she swung a right hook straight at his nose. As though in slow motion, her knuckles connected. She felt pain shoot up her arm.
    Heard the crunch of fragile cartilage and bone, saw the blood spurt, and heard his screaming cry of pain as his head rocked back.
    Then she felt Connor’s arms wrap around her and pull her away as the man lunged at her. Officers quickly subdued him once again.
    As Sam felt the coldness invade her, she kept her gaze on the injured man. And felt satisfaction curl through her even as her hand throbbed. “That was for making my son cry.” She pulled in a deep breath, walked over to Jenna, and took Andy from her. Turning back, she looked at the now seething man. “Now it’s over.”

9
    “How’s your hand?” Connor murmured in her ear. They spoke low so as not to disturb Andy, who’d refused to sleep apart from Samantha. The little boy lay sleeping between them.
    “It hurts.”
    Connor paused, then said, “That was a nice punch.”
    “Thanks.” She lifted her hand and he noticed the swollen knuckles. She said, “The ice helped. I think.”
    “Good.” He paused again. “There’s still one who got away.”
    “The one who tried to grab Jenna.”
    “Yes.”
    “And we still don’t know where the body is.”
    “So we still need to be on guard.”
    Sam shifted and Connor held her uninjured hand above Andy’s head. He murmured, “I almost lost you today.”
    “I’ve never been so scared in my life,” she choked. “Except the time Andy was kidnapped. I was so afraid I couldn’t keep him safe.” Her breath hitched on a sob, and Connor wished he’d been the one to break the man’s nose.
    Samantha got control of her emotions and said, “They identified him.”
    “Yeah. He’s wanted in several countries.”
    “Carlo Wilder. An assassin.” She looked at the ceiling. “But why target us? And how did he get past the security and the facial recognition software this ship uses?”
    “I think there are some holes in security.”
    “I think you’re right. Someone had to help jam the room door. It was completely cut off, no going out and no coming in. And the phone was the same way.”
    “And they did it after you and Andy were in the room alone. They were watching, possibly waiting for me to leave. When I followed Jenna, they were handed the opportunity they’d been waiting for. They wanted you in here alone.”
    “But why?” she whispered.
    Connor sat up and sighed. “I don’t know. And our friend Wilder isn’t talking. Not a word.”
    Sam didn’t respond, and Connor thought she might have fallen back to sleep. Then she said, “He’s afraid.”
    “Him?”
    “Yes. Of whoever he’s working for.”
    In the dark, Connor nodded. “Okay, I can buy that. So, who’s he working for?”
    “The guy that went after Jenna?”
    He thought about that. “I don’t know. I just . . . don’t know.”
    “Sure would be helpful if that body would turn up.”
    “Yeah.”
    “Let’s get some sleep. Somehow I think tomorrow’s got more