When a Secret Kills Read Online Free PDF

fast. And it hadn’t been premeditated, he reassured himself. It had been an act of fury, of uncontrollable rage. And the determination to let nothing get in the way of his plans. But it hadn’t been premeditated.
    He snorted. Like a jury would care about that now.
    He continued to stare at his hands, then drew in a deep breath, curled his fingers into fists, and determined that, yes, he could kill Jillian with his bare hands as long as it meant he kept his secret. But hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. That’s what the help was for.
    He picked up the phone and waited for the familiar voice to come on the line. “You need to get it done tonight.”

    Nine-year-old Meg stomped across the field to the red barn that held her best friend. Texas Two Step was a brown-and-white paint horse who had become Meg’s favorite confidant. She pushed open the door and walked to the second stall on the left. The horse nickered and shoved his nose over the stall door.
    Meg reached in to rub his silky nose and feed him the apple she’d snitched from the kitchen table. While the horse eagerly crunched his sweet treat, Meg talked. “Mom left yesterday, Two Step. She said she had to go ‘take care of some unfinished business.’”
    She wiggled her fingers around the phrase like she’d seen done on television when quoting someone. “And she wouldn’t take me with her.” She frowned. “And now Uncle Blake’s leaving. I know it’s cuz he’s worried about Mom.” Meg sighed and Two Step nudged her hand. “Don’t have any more apples, boy. Sorry.”
    Meg rubbed Two Step’s nose again just the way he liked. “I’ve got to come up with a plan to figure out what Mom and Uncle Blake are up to and what’s so important they couldn’t take me with ’em.”
    “Meg? Are you out here?”
    She jumped and Two Step tossed his head at the sudden movement. She clicked her tongue to settle him down and said, “Sorry, boy. Gotta go. I’ll come see you after school.”
    Meg left the barn to find Grandma Jo almost to the door, hands on her hips. “Child, if you don’t quit running off, you’re going to add a whole new layer of gray to my head.”
    Meg did her best to look appropriately sorry. “I just wanted to tell Two Step good morning.”
    Grandma Jo sighed and shook her head. “Well, at least I usually know where to find you. Come on.” She placed a hand on Meg’s shoulder. “One day your sneakin’ off is going to get you in trouble.”
    “Me? In trouble?” Meg practiced her angelic look and Grandma Jo laughed just like she knew she would.
    “Get in the house and get your backpack, little girl. It’s time for you to get to school.”
    School. Who cared about school when she had important things to think about?
    Like finding out a way to go join her mom—wherever that was.

5
    A knock on the door jolted Jillian from her light doze. She glanced at the clock and frowned as she realized her father still hadn’t called her back. Swinging her feet to the floor, she reached for the gun she never left far from her fingers. Approaching the front door, she kept herself to the side and looked out the window.
    Colton. Here to deliver the large suitcase that sat at his feet. Her stomach flipped a few times as memories rushed in. Sliding the gun into her waistband at the small of her back, she pulled her shirttail over it to hide it and let out a slow breath. She gathered her nerves, and opened the door. “Hi.”
    He stepped inside and set the suitcase in front of her. “We need to talk.”
    She shut the door. “Everything all right?”
    “Not really. I had to tie up some loose ends on a couple of cases and delegate a few more so I can focus on . . . other things for now.”
    Meaning her?
    The vague thought that she should be more cautious about being alone with the nephew of Frank Hoffman flitted through her mind. The Colton she’d once known would never have had anything to do with something like that. But what about now? Ten