Love is Murder Read Online Free PDF Page A

pine needle in the Green Mountains. “You’re wrong,” Charlie said finally; he was confident that way. “Your life was complicated even when you were fighting in Afghanistan. It only seemed simpler then because you were a member of a special operations team that worked under a chain of command, with a clear mission.”
    “Still am, still do.”
    Charlie paused on the snow-covered trail. His face was pale, much paler than it should have been given the cold temperature and the pace he’d been maintaining. “Do you have a clear mission now?”
    “Keep you safe. Find your sister. Keep her safe. Get you both back to the Secret Service.”
    “What if Marissa’s already—”
    “Don’t go there, Charlie. It won’t help.”
    Without comment, Charlie resumed walking. He and Grit both wore boots, not snowshoes or cross-country skis. There were no other prints in the snow. They rounded a sharp curve shrouded with evergreens. Elijah Cameron was there, as grim as Grit had ever seen him—which was saying something, since Elijah, a Special Forces soldier, had been in the firefight in the Afghan mountain pass the night Grit had lost his lower leg. Black Falls was Elijah’s hometown. He’d always wanted to come home.
    Black Falls wasn’t Grit’s hometown. Too cold.
    “Marissa Neal’s in trouble,” Elijah said, never one to ease into a conversation. He glanced at Charlie, then shifted his Cameron-blue eyes back to Grit. “I spotted her up on the trail. Then out of the blue some jackass decides to shoot at me sniper-style.”
    “You were hit,” Charlie said, wide-eyed as he took in the blood on Elijah’s shoulder.
    Elijah shrugged. “I’m good.”
    Grit knew better than to argue with him. “Where is Marissa now?”
    “There’s a ski chalet not far from here. She’s probably heading there to hide, try to get hold of the Secret Service. She’s got about a ten-minute head start on you.” Elijah glanced at Charlie. “You, too.” He turned back to Grit. “One of them is hurt. Her or the guy who’s after her.
    “Blood trail?” Grit asked.
    Elijah gave a curt nod. “Intermittent.”
    Grit didn’t respond. Charlie’s instincts had been on target, not for the first time. Elijah’s presence had to have distracted whoever was after Marissa. Elijah had gone for an afternoon walk in the mountains he knew so well, maybe to think about his upcoming marriage to Jo Harper, a Secret Service agent and another native of pretty Black Falls, Vermont. He and Grit had become friends during the past year, but especially over the winter, when they discovered a network of killers had set up shop in Black Falls. The killers were now dead or in prison.
    Whoever was after Marissa Neal would be soon, too.
    “Let’s go,” Elijah said, teeth clenched.
    Charlie Neal was shivering, more from fear than cold, Grit thought as he looked up at the clear Vermont sky. “A nice day for maple sugaring, and here we are again.” He sighed at Elijah. “I thought you said Vermont was one of the safest states in the country.”
    “It is.”
    “Yeah. Just not Black Falls. Not lately.”
    Charlie stood between Elijah and Grit. “What do we do now?” Charlie asked.
    Grit took charge. “Elijah will get you back to the lodge. I’ll find your sister.”
    “Not a chance, Grit.” Elijah’s voice was low, uncompromising.
    Most people would be intimidated. Grit wasn’t. “I’d take you with me if I could, but you know I can’t, Elijah. You have a bullet in your shoulder.”
    “Graze.”
    “Take Charlie. The Secret Service must be all over this thing by now. You can fill them in.” Before Elijah could argue further, Grit added, “We’re wasting time.”
    Elijah was an experienced soldier and knew how to set aside his emotions and do what the situation demanded. “You’re not armed, Grit. Neither am I.” He glanced back through the woods, then shifted again to Grit. “It wasn’t supposed to be that kind of day.”
    “I’ll grab a