Surrender to Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

adjoining bathroom and stopped short at seeing David’s dead body lying in a pool of blood.
    “Well, well. What do we have here?” A wry smile tugged at his lips. “It looks like someone’s luck has finally run out.”
    Frankie cocked his head to the side as he stared at David’s lifeless eyes. It appeared he had taken a hit in the chest. Had one of Vinny’s men tracked him back here and finished him off?
    And had someone set the house alarm?
    When the obvious answer dawned on him, a low chuckle soon turned into a rumble of laughter. “Well, well. It looks like the little cat has claws.”
    He turned away from the bathroom and saw another picture on the nightstand by the bed that got the wheels turning inside his head. Could it be possible that David had entrusted his secret to her?
    It wouldn’t exactly have been a smart move, which was why he had to consider it. Did she have what he was looking for? And if she did, where was the good doctor now?

Chapter 5
    D uring the night, Julia silently watched her daughter while she slept in the large poster bed amid soft cotton sheets. There was always a sense of peace whenever she watched Robin—that and a tinge of hope. Even now, when things were at their worst, Robin provided her with that rare emotion.
    She leaned over and placed a feathery kiss on Robin’s forehead. The corners of her lips twitched upward while tears crested her lashes and forged a path down her face. By tomorrow they’d be back on the road to nowhere, praying for divine intervention.
    Quietly, Julia slipped out of bed. The cool hardwood floor felt good beneath her bare feet, while the soft breeze streaming from the open window caressed her skin. The storm had ended over an hour ago, but the smell of summer rain still lingered on the night air.
    A magnificent garden lay beneath her window. No doubt it was a labor of love for its creator. As Julia stood there, shecouldn’t help noticing the palpable silence that cloaked the small town.
    Carson viewed the townfolk as being a part of one big family. His simplistic view was a foreign concept, since Julia was a born-and-bred city girl.
    To be honest, she had lived in her home in Atlanta for nearly five years and had never taken the time to meet her neighbors.
    She stood at the window, puzzled by this, and finally thought that the answer was that people were simply too busy, just as she’d been.
    She drew in a deep, cleansing breath. All of her life she had wanted to be a doctor, more because her father had been one and she had adored everything about him. She’d also hoped to marry a man just like him, but failed—twice. David’s haunting image floated up from her subconscious, and a strange chill coursed down her spine.
    She closed her eyes, and the vibrant color of blood flashed behind her lids.
    Her eyes flew open as she clasped a hand against her pounding heart. She hadn’t taken time to digest David’s death, too scared to process all she’d learned about her husband in the past few weeks.
    Everything between them had been a lie. She knew that now, but it would probably take a lifetime to accept. It wasn’t because she was still in love with David. That had actually ended years before—back when he’d stopped pretending to be kind and considerate and instead became a short-tempered, illogical man who believed that everyone was out to get him. As it turned out, he had been right.
    The only reason Julia had stayed in the marriage was for Robin. David adored her, despite the fact that he wasn’t her biological father. He had been the only father Robin had ever known.
    Julia sorted through the events that had led her to Moreland, and wished like hell that she’d never bought a gun.
    Her thoughts then drifted to Special Agent Newman. Had he set her up? She had trusted him, poured out her heart and told him everything about David. If she’d shown up at the mall, would she have walked into a trap?
    And David…
    Julia hugged her arms tightly