Travis Justice Read Online Free PDF

was not where it was supposed to be, it was only logical to make a list of possibilities of where it could be. And in that case, it was best to start with where the Travis family acquired the weapon.
    Hana opened her browser and went straight to Google, reminding herself of one of the most important guiding principles of Shotokan karate: The art of mind is more important than the art of technique.
    * * *
    As he approached the bed-and-breakfast stuck into the hills outside Austin, Zach slowed down. From here, the quaint Victorian looked like a country-girl wallflower at a debutante ball, surrounded by sleek, modern mansions. Leave it to Ross and Emm to pick the nicest boutique hotel in town to stay in. Zach didn’t much care for modern monstrosities like the JW Marriott, either. He parked his bike under a tree and kicked down the stand, leaving his helmet locked in a special tiedown attached to his tiny rear saddlebags.
    As he approached the antique glass door up several flights of steps, Zach knew his father would not be happy with him if he knew whom he was visiting, but his father was never happy with him these days, full stop. Zach had three weeks before he was supposed to join his army buddy Jeff on the coast. He had the contract in a drawer in his room and while he hadn’t signed it yet, he intended to.
    But first he had a mission to accomplish, the first mission he’d felt obligated to complete since his last tour in Afghanistan. He couldn’t explain it, but he’d felt in that slim, athletic girl a kindred spirit. He’d felt her ambivalence and desperation. As if her mission were onerous. As if she didn’t want to invade their home, more as if she had to—which was why he’d advocated she not be pursued. Before he could work himself to exhaustion, he had to find her and ask her point-blank why she needed the sword. And if there was anything he could do short of giving it up—because it wasn’t his to give—how could he help?
    Zach told the desk clerk, a matronly woman with an apron and streak of flour on her cheek, that he was there to see the Sinclairs. She picked up a desk phone. The bed-and-breakfast was so tiny he could hear a phone ringing at the top of the stairs. The next thing he knew, Ross was halfway down the wide staircase. At the bottom, they shook hands. After the pleasantries, in which Ross explained Emm was too busy renovating the second historic building they owned in downtown Amarillo to tag along on his business trip, they got down to brass tacks, the way both liked it.
    Wordlessly, Zach handed over a tiny Ziploc evidence bag. Inside was one long, black hair. Ross held it up to the light and set it on the small table between them with no comment other than a long, appraising look at the young man he’d known since his diaper days.
    Zach hurried into speech. “Look, I know I’m putting you in a difficult position, but this is not official Texas Ranger business, Ross. This is me looking for a girl who’s in trouble before she gets herself in even more trouble. Dad agreed not to pursue the case this morning as long as she doesn’t try again. So he wasn’t going to do anything with this sample, anyway.”
    â€œDoes he know you brought it to me?”
    Zach shook his head.
    Ross sighed heavily. “He’s my boss, Zach. Why don’t you give this to your dad instead of me? Then it’s officially in the chain of evidence if it ever becomes pertinent.”
    â€œYou know what a huge backlog there is at the state labs. Even if we pursue the case, it will be low priority. Why add to the workload? Nothing stolen, no one hurt.”
    Ross’s mouth curled into a smile and Zach knew his dad must have spilled the beans about his towel incident, so he admitted, “Except maybe my pride. But this girl is in trouble, and I want to help her. It’s that simple.”
    â€œDoesn’t sound simple to me. It sounds quite