Sins of the Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

missing shield.
    Thoughts of Abigail ran through his mind, and he smiled, his blood warming a little at the thought of finally meeting her. For months he had been communicating with her through a computer and only spoken to her once on the telephone. The sound of her voice was like the warm sun on a cool day, pleasing and soft.
    He’d put off having a relationship for a long time. The search for the shield had been a personal mission. Besides, the last relationship he had with Margo had been a disaster. In her, he had seen a future and all she saw in him was a castle. He’d loved her, though, and had tried to see past her faults until he couldn’t any longer. The night he broke off their relationship flashed in his mind and he flinched. Too much wine, too much arguing, too much of everything until her car crashed. Then it was simply too much blood and too much heartache. He’d had a front-row view of the whole thing from the street as she had driven away from him. Turning on the radio, he searched until he found the right station. Something, anything to take his mind in a new direction. Margo was the last thing he wanted to think about. The problem was, as much as he liked Abigail and wanted to get to know her better, he wasn’t sure if she had something to do with the shield being stolen. And as much as he hated himself for thinking ill of her, he had to be prepared for anything. At this point, if he couldn’t trust his own cousin, who could he trust?
    First things first, he would find his hotel in Louisville and grab a bite to eat. Anything other than food from the plane. Then tomorrow, he’d drive on into Stanton and meet Abigail. In less than 12 hours, all of this could be over. Hopefully . . .

Chapter 11
    The glass on the counter rocked back and forth before tipping over, rolling to the edge of the counter and crashing to the floor. Malcolm slammed his fist on the counter again.
    “What the hell do you mean you couldn’t get into the house?” His fist opened and closed, pulsing with the racing heartbeat in his chest. Time was running out. Time he couldn’t afford to lose and these jackasses were incompetent. That shield needed to be in his possession now. He had a lot more sells until he had the money he needed.
    “I don’t want to hear any of your excuses. Get that shield today. Do whatever you have to, but get me that shield.”
    “You want us to kill her, Malcolm?” the voice on the other line asked, sounding more than a little concerned.
    Malcolm squeezed his fist shut and placed it on his forehead as she closed his eyes. “You know my answer to that.” Hitting the off button on his cell phone, he laid it down on the counter. Shaking his head, he picked up the other glass sitting near his hand and threw it across the room. The glass hit the wall and shattered. This had to end today. He needed to get out of this state and soon. Abigail knew Grant and had said he was coming here. Without knowing when his cousin was arriving, every day Malcolm spent in this godforsaken town was trouble for him. If he was to get caught now, the consequences were dire.
    “I can never let that happen.”

Chapter 12
    The bell above the door rang as he stepped inside, causing Grant to peer up at it for a moment before searching the inside of the store for Abigail. His heart raced, as he realized how close he was to two important things, Abigail and the shield.
    Walking toward the back of the store, he found her behind the counter in her office. Through the large window with blue curtains, he saw her sitting at her desk talking on the telephone. Her computer sat in front of her and she pointed to something on the screen.
    A woman came out from the right of the store and smiled at him. He guessed her age to be in the 50’s. Her hair was a deep brown and when she turned sideways to lay something near the copier, he could see that her hair hung in one thick braid that ended just past her bottom. Beautiful.
    “Hi. Grant, is