Maggie's Man Read Online Free PDF

front of the police, the pedestrians
and God, the truck pulled out into traffic.
    She peered back. Two cops had stopped to watch
them, no doubt watching all vehicles. If she could just raise her left hand a
little, enough for them to see the handcuffs. Or maybe a sign. Didn't those
cardboard shades people placed behind their windshields during the summer say
Help! Call the Police on one side? She gazed around the cab, easing away from
her captor.
    "Good idea," he said so abruptly that
she flinched. "Look and see what we have to work with."
    "Work with?"
    "What's in the glove compartment? Any
maps, spare change, anything?"
    "Wasn't stealing the truck enough?"
she muttered, then glanced at him nervously to see how he'd handle that remark.
His hands were tight on the steering wheel, and for the first time she noticed
the beads of sweat trickling down his cheeks. So he wasn't as calm and cool as
he pretended. Even as she watched, his gaze darted to the rearview mirror, then
his hands tightened on the wheel.
    As if sensing her gaze upon him, he turned to
her tersely. "Look in the glove compartment, Maggie. Now!"
    She hastily opened the glove compartment. She
had a feeling not too many people argued with him when he used that tone of
voice. She certainly couldn't.
    "One map of the northwestern states, one
map of Portland, the vehicle registration, a flashlight, four packets of
ketchup, two straws and six unpaid parking tickets," she rattled off.
"Why is it nobody ever pays their parking tickets? It really is a
shame." She glanced outside. They were at the waterfront now. Traffic was
still sluggish with morning commuters. She spotted one cop parked on the
driveway of the Alexis Restaurant, scrutinizing all traffic through mirrored
sunglasses.
    Look over here, she begged him, her teeth sinking into her lower lip. For God's sake, look over here.
    "Maggie," Attila's voice said
quietly. "Fasten your seat belt."
    She looked at him abruptly, then the rearview
mirror. A cop had pulled in behind them. Even as she watched, he picked up his
radio and spoke into it.
    "He heard me. Finally, somebody heard
me," she whispered triumphantly.
    "Don't break out the champagne yet," the
Terminator muttered. He downshifted the truck as if preparing for a mighty leap
forward.
    "You can't outrace an entire city full of
cops!" she cried instantly.
    "Watch me."
    "No!" Before she could stop to think
about it, she reached over and latched her hands on to the wheel. She stared up
at him as fiercely as she could, though her body was trembling again.
"There are pedestrians out there. Innocent people crossing the streets and
strolling down sidewalks. They could be killed! Don't you understand that? Don't
you care just a little bit?"
    His green gaze slid over her, dark and
glittering, his square jaw set so rigidly she could see a muscle flinch.
"Let go, Maggie. Now."
    She gritted her teeth, prayed her knees would
stop knocking together and kept her fingers wrapped stubbornly around the
wheel. Behind them, the police officer made no moves. He didn't speed up, he
didn't turn on his lights, nor did he change lanes. Did he understand this was
a dangerous area for high-speed pursuit? Or did he think they were simply
lovers snuggling up on the bench seat of the pickup truck?
    She took a deep breath. "I'm not letting
go. I can't. Too many people could get hurt."
    "Starting with you."
    "Trying to evade the police here is stupid
and you know it!" she exclaimed desperately. He appeared an intelligent
man.
    He frowned abruptly, and she had the faint
satisfaction of knowing that she'd reached him. The light in front of them
turned red. The cop was still driving patiently behind them.
    "Damn!" Attila swore. He looked at her
darkly, but his foot finally pressed on the brake and the truck slowed to an
easy stop.
    Okay, Maggie. You got him calm. Point one
for the good guys. What was she supposed
to do now? It had been a long time since her abnormal psych days. Okay, keep
the