Paint It Black Read Online Free PDF Page B

Porsche.”
    We laughed, but I did what he said. Ahead, the Jag veered into the right lane, blowing by a Mustang on its left like it was standing still. I swung around the Mustang, too, and took the left lane. When we drew alongside the Jag, I blew my horn. The driver shot us a shocked glance. Cougar flashed his badge and motioned for him to pull over.
    Barnes leaned forward in the passenger seat. For an instant, our gazes connected, and I saw the startled recognition dawn on his face.
    I hadn’t expected the driver to obey, but I didn’t expecthim to ram us, either.
    The wheel nearly wrenched itself from my hands when the Jag slammed into us.
    “Shit!” Cougar yelled as his window shattered and the side air bag deployed. “I can’t see!”
    We skidded toward the shoulder. He twisted in the seat and kicked at the spidered glass while I fought for control.
    One more hit would’ve sent us off the embankment, but for some reason, the driver didn’t take it. The Jag accelerated. Cougar ducked under the air bag curtain and peppered the back of the Jag with bullets.
    A shot hit its mark and the right rear tire exploded. The Jag fishtailed and bounced off the back of a tractor trailer. Horrified, I watched it fly into the air. It tumbled over and over and landed on its top in the median.
    I slammed on the brakes, and we screeched to a stop on the shoulder. Cougar’s door wouldn’t open.
    “Wait, Necie, wait!” he yelled, but I was already out and sliding down the snowy hill.
    Barnes was running up the opposite hill.
    “DEA, freeze!” I screamed, but he kept moving. He sprinted up the bank like a man half his age and ran into the traffic. Brakes shrieked and a horn blared when a minivan swerved to miss him.
    Behind me, I heard the blast of gunfire.
    Darting across the road, I charged into the patch of forest behind him. I caught a glimpse of his tan coatbefore he disappeared into the pines. I tried to listen for him, but the roar of my pulse in my ears drowned out all other sound. Carefully, I crept through the thicket. Although I couldn’t see him, I felt him.
    “Denise,” he gasped, and I whirled to face him.
    Barnes squatted against a tree, his gun dangling between his knees. He made no attempt to point it at me. Blood streamed down his face, and his skin was an awful, mottled gray color.
    “Drop it!” I shouted.
    “Please—”
    “Drop it,” I repeated, advancing toward him with my Glock centered on his chest. “Don’t make me kill you.”
    Our eyes met, and I remembered the last time I’d seen him, on the worst day of my life. I’d hated him then. I hated him now.
    “You would shoot your own father?” he asked, but his fingers went slack.
    The gun sank into the snow at his feet.

CHAPTER
3
    M y heart froze.
    “You are not my father,” I spat. “You are nothing to me. You should’ve killed me when you had the chance. Frank Barnes, you are under arrest—”
    “It doesn’t have to be like this,” he said. “There’s so much you don’t know.”
    Advancing, I continued, “You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand?”
    “I never meant to hurt you.”
    “Do you understand?” I yelled, hating the angry, bitter tears that sprang to my eyes.
    “I never meant to hurt Gail.”
    “Shut up!” I hissed. “Don’t say her name. Don’t you dare. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand?”
    “I’m so, so sorry, but you have to know … it wasn’t all my fault.”
    “You bastard!” I cried, and jabbed the gun against his forehead. Fear flashed in his eyes—eyes that were the same shade of green as mine. “Is this what you did to Angel?” I asked. “Did he beg for his life? Will you?”
    “You won’t shoot me,” he said. “You can’t. We’re family.”
    “If you say that one more time, you’re going to find out differently. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to