Love you to Death Read Online Free PDF Page B

where she is. If there are none, try to recreate what she was doing during the time leading up to her disappearance. Look for changes in her spending habits. See if her cell phone company will give you information about which cell tower her calls went through. That will help map out her movement, too.”
    “Anything else?”
    “Nothing you should do alone.”
    “Fine. I won’t.”
    “You’re lying.”
    She hated it that he could see through her so easily. “Just tell me, damn it.”
    Trent shook his head. His shaggy hair slid over his brow, nearly hiding his eyes. “Nope. But I will show you one more place to check for Ashley’s car before you take me home. I don’t want to be late for work. My little brother’s the boss and he’ll give me hell.”
    “Why won’t you tell me?”
    “Because you’d get yourself into trouble. Do the things I mentioned.”
    “And if they don’t pan out?”
    A slow, satisfied smile curved his mouth. “Then you’re just going to have to let me help you.”

C HAPTER T HREE

    T rent was late for work. His brother’s truck was already at the job site, bristling with PVC pipes.
    He pulled up behind Sam’s Ford, and braced himself for a scolding as he crossed the client’s dead lawn.
    “You’re late,” said Sam over his bare, sweaty shoulder. He dug the shovel into the hard ground, biting into the orange line they’d painted on the grass yesterday.
    “Sorry.”
    “No explanation? No stories of sexy women tying you to the bed against your will?”
    Trent grabbed a shovel, picked a spot and started working. “Nope.”
    “You’re not going to kiss and tell, huh? Oh, wait. I forgot. You don’t even kiss these days.”
    Trent shoved his boot against the shovel and dug in deep. “Leave it alone, Sam.”
    “You show up late, you take your punishment. Besides, Mom is worried about you.”
    Trent felt his shoulders creep up toward his ears as the muscles in his neck clenched. “Since when is that new? She’s been worrying about us since we were born.”
    “Can you blame her? You never visit. You never call. You work and go home. What the hell kind of life is that?”
    “The one I picked.”
    “Then you’re as stupid as you are ugly.”
    “Can we just work and stop yammering like old women?”
    Sam chuckled that same wicked chuckle he’d had since they were kids—the one that told Trent he was in for a world of hurt. “Mom and Dad are having a cookout this weekend. You’ve been ordered to attend.”
    “I’m busy,” said Trent.
    “That’s not going to fly this time. Besides, Mom’s invited some girl from church she wants you to meet. Dad says she’s busty.”
    The idea of his dad looking at any woman’s breasts was unsettling enough without the commentary. “Not interested.”
    “Fine. I was going to call dibs, anyway.”
    “She’s a woman, not a slice of pizza,” said Trent.
    Sam gave him a
whatever
shrug. “So, are you going to tell me why you were late, or should I invite Mom to bring us lunch?”
    That was a threat worth paying attention to. Sam was the Golden Boy. He’d taken over the family lawn-care business so Dad could retire. He graduated from college. With honors. He was actively searching for Mrs. Right to provide their parents with grandchildren. Sam wouldn’t think twice about having Mom out to watch them work, bring them lunch, stay and chat for a while. He’d bask in the attention.
    Of course, Sam wouldn’t be stuck avoiding intrusive questions about his love life and whether or not he should “talk” to someone about what happened in Chicago. Nor would he be getting all those wonderful bits of helpful advice about how to find and keep a good woman so his life would be worth living.
    If he never had to hear his mother ask him how his sex life was again, it would be too soon.
    “You wouldn’t do that to me,” said Trent.
    “The hell I wouldn’t. I’d do it just for the entertainment value. I love to see you squirm.”
    Squirming