The Mystery of the Claddagh Rings Read Online Free PDF Page A

financial backer—the pretty stone cottage overlooking Boston harbor. As for unfinished business, all she had to do was find the rightful owner of the Claddagh rings and return them— if Ryan was telling the truth and Poppy had no legal claim to them. And she needed to deal with Ramsey. Her newfound confidence said she could handle both.
    Look out world. Here I come!
    She turned the key in the lock. The lights didn’t come on when she flipped the wall switch. Dropping the bags on the couch, she tried a table lamp. Nothing happened. She stiffened when the smell of sweat and dirty clothes hit her, heavy breathing blowing tendrils of hair across her nape. Someone stood behind her in the dark. Grabbing a metal bookend, she spun fast, swinging it with all her strength. It bounced off an arm and crashed to the carpet. The man was built like a gorilla, his silhouette towering over her in the dim outside lighting. He grabbed her by the collar and shoved her against the picture window. Her back hit, cracking the glass. Pain racked her spine. She panicked, fighting for breath against his chest.
    He wore a ski mask, his flat gaze staring out at her through the holes. “I want the rings.”
    “I-I don’t have them.” He tightened his hold on her neck and squeezed. Fin’s vision blurred, her air supply all but choked off. She’d be dead in a few seconds if he didn’t release the pressure.
    “Listen, ya little bitch. You don’t woont to make me angry. Give me the rings!”
    He loosened his grip for a second and she lashed out. Her boot connected with his shin. He doubled over and let out a roar. She kneed him in the face. Leaping over the couch, she raced to the bathroom and shot the bolt. Frantic, she opened the medicine cabinet, searching for anything she could use as a weapon. He threw his weight against the door. No time. Fin was halfway out the window when the doorframe splintered. She shrieked when his hands gripped her ankles, dragging her back inside. Her knees slammed down on the edge of the tub. Heaving her to her feet, he spun her into the mirror. Glass shattered and blood dripped down her temple.
    The cold barrel of a gun tapped her cheek. “I won’t ask ya again. Where are the fookin’ rings?”
    ****
    Ryan entered the guesthouse through the open front door. He pulled his Glock, instinct calling the shots. Fin was in trouble. She had parked in the drive five minutes ago, yet the lights were still off inside the cottage. A crash sounded in the bathroom, a man’s voice shouting. He raced toward the sound, bumping into the couch in the dark. A small cylinder rolled out from under, caught the ball of his foot, and sent him flying. A hiss sounded as he face-planted on the floor, a cloud of vapor shooting from the can. Fin’s pepper spray! Damn, he was choked and blinded within a couple of seconds.
    Lurching to his feet, he plowed into a wall. Wiping the worst of it on a sleeve, he leaned against the plaster. He couldn’t breathe, needed to wash his face to get rid of the stuff.
    He heard something bang at the back of the house. Someone rushed toward him. Fin, he recognized her footsteps. “It’s okay, the jerk went out a window. You scared him off.”
    “I can’t see worth a damn.” Grabbing his arm, Fin led him to the kitchen sink and turned on the taps. Still gasping, Ryan holstered his Glock, soaking his head under the faucet for a good two minutes. He checked Fin over while he dried off with a dishtowel. “Are you okay? There’s a nick at your hairline.”
    “It’s nothing serious.” Fin reached for a paper towel to dab at the blood. “It’s just a scratch.”
    “You want to tell me what happened?” Of course she didn’t, he could see it in her eyes. “Who was he? What did he want?”
    “If I tell you, you have to keep it to yourself until after the wedding.” She licked her bottom lip, something he’d noticed she did when she was nervous. It drove him crazy on a whole other level. “I