No Child of Mine Read Online Free PDF Page B

hour? Please tell me you didn’t have one of those nightmares again.’
    Sighing, she said, ‘As a matter of fact, I did, but it’s OK, I’m probably ready to go back to bed now.’
    Turning to lean against the cabinets, his bare arms folded across his chest with the hard muscles showing their tattoos, he looked at her closely. ‘So what do you think might have prompted it?’ he asked, his tone letting her know that he wasn’t about to be palmed off.
    She inhaled deeply and let her eyes fall to the mug she was holding between her hands. What she was seeing in her mind’s eye had nothing to do with her as a child, andyet strangely it seemed to feel in some way connected. ‘If I told you there was this little girl,’ she began, ‘I expect you’ll say there’s always a little girl, or boy ...’
    ‘Because there always is in your case, it goes with your job.’
    She nodded absently. ‘I saw this one in the park, a couple of weeks ago,’ she continued, ‘you know, when I went with Gabby and the twins. She had quite an effect on me for some reason, and I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind since.’
    Sounding ironic, he said, ‘Don’t you already have enough kids to be worrying about, without adding another that you don’t even know?’
    She was too deep in thought to catch the tease. ‘There was something about her,’ she said, picturing the child’s solemn yet angelic little face. ‘I know this is going to sound odd, but I felt as though I knew her, even though I’m sure I’ve never seen her before.’
    He nodded. ‘You’re right, it does sound odd.’
    Her eyes came up to his.
    ‘Sorry,’ he said, clearly realising his humour had missed the mark. ‘So why do you think she’s sticking in your mind?’
    She shrugged. ‘Maybe it’s the man she was with. There was nothing wrong with him ... I mean, he didn’t behave strangely or anything, but as they walked away I got this horrible feeling ... Well, that I was watching an abduction.’
    Jason blinked.
    ‘I wasn’t,’ she assured him, ‘because I’ve checked the records, and anyway, if a child, especially of that age, had gone missing it would have been all over the papers by now. But something wasn’t right in that situation, or relationship, I just know it, and now I can’t seem to stop thinking about it.’
    ‘Did you actually talk to her?’ he asked.
    She nodded. ‘Kind of. She didn’t answer, but the man, who I assumed at the time was her father, said she was very shy.’
    ‘But now you’re not sure that he was her father?’
    She shrugged again. Then, realising this wasn’t going to help her to get any more sleep tonight, she got up from her chair and went to put her arms around him. ‘You’re right,’ she said, resting her head against his chest, ‘I already have enough children to be worrying about, so definitely not a good idea to start looking for problems for another when I don’t even know who she is.’

Chapter Two
    ‘LAY ONE FINGER on my kid and you’re fuckin’ dead,’ the greasy-faced bruiser of a woman roared as she struggled with the police officers restraining her. ‘I said back off ...’
    ‘Shut it, Laura,’ DC Carroway cut in sharply. ‘Do what you have to do,’ he barked at Alex.
    ‘Get away from him,’ Laura Crowe raged, as Alex moved towards Daniel, the nine-year-old boy who looked no friendlier than his mother. ‘One finger on him and you’ll never use the fucking thing again.’
    Checking to make sure Carroway and his colleague had a firm hold on the woman who was capable of tearing someone twice Alex’s size limb from limb, and wouldn’t have had second thoughts about doing it, Alex was just reaching for the child when to her horror he whipped out a blade.
    She stepped back quickly, wincing as the mother cackled.
    ‘That’s my boy,’ Laura crowed. ‘Stick the bitch and get the hell out of here. Go on, you stupid bastard, run!’
    Before the boy could move Paul Bennett,