Lead Me On Read Online Free PDF Page A

what she was doing. “This is a bad idea,” she breathed. “ Really bad. But I’m tipsy.”
    Finger shaking, Jane turned on her phone. She reached to press the first number, but she didn’t do it. She set the phone down on the bar. She took a deep breath. And then it rang.
    “Oh, jeez,” she muttered, slapping a hand to her chest. Saved by the bell. Except that the screen was flashing “Mom” again, and that couldn’t be good.
    “Hello?” she answered.
    “Oh, Jane, thank goodness! I’ve got awful news. Just awful!”
    “Mom, what’s wrong?” Her heart leaped.
    “It’s Jessie!” her mom wailed.
    “Oh, no. What’s happened?”
    “He never came home and I’ve tried calling you all day. But, oh, my God, I finally heard something. Your brother is in jail! ”
    “Oh.” Jane’s heart began to slow. “I see. For what?”
    “I don’t know. All I’ve heard are rumors. He hasn’t called home. I don’t know what’s going on!”
    “Calm down. He hasn’t called home because he knows Dad is going to kill him.” Glancing around, she lowered her voice. “He was probably picked up for possession. You know he gets high, Mom.”
    “Will you have your boyfriend find out where he is? Somebody said it might be Pitkin County.”
    “Are you—” Jane snapped her mouth closed. Are you crazy? she’d meant to say. “Mom, it’s Friday night. There’s nothing to be done now.”
    “But he’ll be there all weekend if we don’t—”
    “Mom,” Jane said sharply. “Calm down. If he hasn’t broken down and called you, then he’s probably okay. If he doesn’t get in touch before the morning, I’ll do what I can, all right?” But damned if she was calling Greg.
    “But…” Her mother’s voice faded away.
    Jane felt her heart twist with worry. “Mom, is Dad there?” Her stepfather, Mac, was solid as a rock. Her mom would be fine as long as he was home.
    “Yes, he’s here.”
    “All right. What did he say?”
    There was a long pause. Her mom’s voice fell to a whisper. “He said we should let Jessie cool his heels until he got the…nerve to call home and ask for help.”
    Clearly Mac had used harsher language than that, but Jane just nodded. “Okay. It’s going to be fine, Mom. He’s twenty-one years old, and if he’s starting to get into trouble, a few days in jail will be good for him.”
    “It…it just doesn’t seem right.” Her voice went hoarse with tears.
    “No, it’s not right,” Jane muttered before she said goodbye and hit End. It wasn’t right that no matter how hard she tried, Jane couldn’t get away from this life. The life of courthouses and bail bondsmen and visits to jail. It didn’t matter how good she was at her job or how hard she worked. All it took was one phone call and Jane Morgan was right back in the trailer park.
    She picked up the business card and looked at it one last time.
    Yeah, she was spiraling, all right. Might as well enjoy the damn ride.



CHAPTER THREE
    A H , C HRIST . Chase slapped down the visor of his truck in a burst of panic. He’d forgotten to shave.
    “Shit,” he muttered at his reflection, swiping a hand over his prickly jaw. He popped the visor back up with another curse. There was no time now. Jane Morgan had called and asked him to meet her. Even the quick shower had been a risk. He’d half expected to come out of the bathroom and find that she’d left a message calling it off. Now that he was only steps away from the bar he wasn’t turning back.
    He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he damn sure wanted to find out. Chase slammed the door of his pickup and rushed across the street to the bar.
    It took a few seconds to spot Jane. She sort of…blended in to the background. Despite it being Friday night, her hair was still pulled back into a tight bun. She still wore her pricey-looking white suit. As he watched, she took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Jane was getting sleepy. He was about to miss his chance at a date.
    Chase