Once Burned (Task Force Eagle) Read Online Free PDF Page A

reflect well on Kevin. “You broke up with her then?”
    “I couldn’t face her like that.” He brightened. “Nora
says surgery fixed her up. No scars.”
    “Modern reconstructive surgery can work miracles.” No
surgery could bring back the ones who didn’t make it. Like Gail. And his
partner. The memory triggered a spasm in his thigh.
    “Wonder how long all that repair took.”
    “Good question.” Jake slapped him on the back. “You
can ask Lani when you see her.”
    Kevin bobbled his keys, nearly dropped them. “Are you
nuts? I’d sooner kiss a live lobster than ask her that. She’d take off two
layers of my hide.”
    “A definite possibility.” And he’d deserve it.
    Kevin climbed into the truck cab. He scratched his
chin. “Guess she’s great looking again. Both twins were back then, for damn
sure. But Gail was the hot one. Whooee, man, it wouldn’t have taken much for me
to trade twins.”
    Gail was the hot one. Kevin’d said it twice.
Jake would ask what the hell that meant, but he’d be talking to the truck’s
exhaust.
     
    *****
     
    Driving north on the East Road at night gave Lani the
creeps. Especially after painting over that ghastly burnt offering.
    She and Nora had finished painting the upper cabinets.
She would tackle the rest tomorrow. Then she’d spent more hours immersed the
news coverage of the fire and neglected to think about the house’s empty
refrigerator—except for yogurt and milk. Tomorrow morning the supermarket in Bayport
would stock her up for the rest of the week. For tonight she’d dine at the
Eastward Inn in the village.
    Coming here was the right move, though dangerous. The
whole business hadn’t left her thoughts all day. That and Jake Wescott. A blast
from the past.
    He had to see him soon. He had to know she wasn’t
giving up. Not now. She’d made some calls, but she needed Jake and his ATF
creds to really dig. He wouldn’t leave her thoughts, but she shouldn’t read
anything into his interest and concern. Only kindness and the ease of old
friendship. Nothing more. Guys wanted beauty and perfection, not scars and
attitude.
    She stuffed her ambivalence into a box and shoved it
deep. She should concentrate on her driving, on the challenge of the two-lane
blacktop ringing the peninsula. A half moon cast light but the road was still
too dark. And lonely. No other cars. Driveways shrouded in trees and bushes
concealed the few houses on her left.
    By Birch Brook Farm and farther down the peninsula,
the East Road veered inland, so the farmland stretched toward the bay, but
here, the road bordered the water. Beyond the narrow right-hand shoulder the
earth fell away to ocean waves crashing on the rocks. She loved that daytime
view, a major tourist draw. Now she saw only the reflective metal of the
guardrail.
    Headlights appeared in her rearview mirror. The other
vehicle closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds. The high beams
stabbed through the Forester’s rear window, the glare making it harder to see.
    Lani blinked and frowned. She adjusted her rear-view
mirror.
    Sitting up that high, the vehicle must be some kind of
truck. It rode close enough to swallow her rear bumper. Speeding, tailgating,
not dimming high beams. Probably kids out for a joy ride.
    The road’s blind curves made passing impossible. That
impatient driver might go for it anyway. On her side, nowhere to pull over, no
scenic turnout. All she could do was drive. Whoever the jerk was had made this
short journey dangerous. Her heart raced and her hands slicked the steering
wheel. She wiped each palm in turn on her pants legs.
    A yellow warning sign appeared ahead for a sharp
curve. The familiar nearly V-shaped turn locals called the Devil’s Elbow jutted
outward to a sheer cliff. Bad enough in daylight but much more hazardous at
night. Gripping the wheel so tightly her hands cramped, she leaned forward to
peer into the darkness.
    A hard jolt knocked her forward.
    The seat belt caught