Nothing to Fear Read Online Free PDF Page A

shielding Ethan’s from the bullets of the enemy, lying in ambush. Richard stayed when he shouldn’t have, and would have for anyone, not just his best friend. Because that’s the kind of man Richard Vaughn had been. Richard would have already been searching for Alec.
    Ethan turned only his head to stare at the obscenity that had been a healthy young man. The body left behind to scare them senseless. And though terrified for Alec, Ethan was not senseless. He let the breath out. “All right. But I’m not going to do this alone. You have to let me call my partner. Clay was a cop after the Corps. He’ll know what to do.”
    Stan shook his head vehemently. “No. No cops. He’ll report it. He’ll tell.”
    “Stan, look. I’m an electronics specialist. I do computer security and surveillance. Coded transmissions, for God’s sake. I don’t do forensics, but Clay did. He was a cop, a damn good one. I won’t live with the guilt if I miss something that could have saved Alec’s life. Clay won’t put Alec in more danger. I promise.”
    Stan closed his eyes. “How soon can you get him here?”
    “It’s a three-hour drive from D.C.”
    “Call him then. Tell him to hurry.”
    Wight’s Landing, Friday, July 30, 10:30 P.M.
    Ethan stepped out onto the front porch when Clay Maynard’s car pulled into the driveway. The wind had shifted and the intensity of the stench had lessened. Or maybe he’d just become accustomed to it.
    Clay got out of the car and flinched and Ethan decided it was the second one.
    “This isn’t right, Ethan,” Clay said, his voice hard.
    “I know.” He’d thought about it in the hours since he’d summoned his partner. They shared a business and a friendship, both of which Ethan was risking by asking Clay to become involved. “Give me my laptop and go back to D.C. I’ll take it from here.”
    “Shit.” Wearily Clay ran his hand down his face, his tan washed pale in the bright light of the moon. “This isn’t going to bring Richard back. You know it as well as I do.”
    Ethan tightened his jaw against the flash of anger that Clay could trivialize the situation to a case of common guilt. “This isn’t about Richard. It’s about Alec. Now if you’re not going to help, give me my laptop and get the hell out of my way.”
    Clay approached, stopped a few feet from the porch and glared up. “Get a grip on yourself, Ethan. This is a job for the FBI, not us. Every minute we’re silent, Alec is in more danger. If you really care about the kid, you’ll stop this insanity and call the cops.”
    Ethan took a breath, smelled McMillan’s rotting corpse. Felt the terror bubble up anew and with it a cold fury. Deliberately he descended the steps until he could see Clay’s eyes. “The kid is my godson.”
    Clay’s eyes flickered. “I thought he was Richard’s.”
    “That’s right.” He forced the words between his teeth. “He was Richard’s. But Richard’s dead and as you so noted, nothing I do can bring him back. When he died Randi asked me to take his place. And Stan said no, that I wasn’t worthy of the responsibility. But Randi said yes, so I am.” His breath hitched when he remembered the moment two years before, a moment that severed what little had been left of his friendship with Stan.
    “My godson has been kidnapped by people who murdered an innocent man. If we go to the police, they will kill him.” Doubt began to creep into Clay’s eyes and Ethan swallowed, unable to keep from thinking about Alec in the hands of monsters. “He’s just a boy, Clay,” he whispered harshly. “He’ll be terrified, confused.” Unable to call for help.
    Clay’s eyes hardened again. “If he’s still alive.”
    Alec could be dead right now. It was a picture Ethan had to force from his mind. “He is alive. He has to be. Look, if anybody is watching this place, we’re giving them an eyeful. Either stay or go, but we can’t stand out here talking.”
    Clay leveled a long stare, then