Roxanne Rustand

Duty To Protect


Скачать книгу

“He threatened me!”

       “I wasn’t gonna let some thief get away, missy. I could lose my job.”

       “I wasn’t stealing anything.”

       “So you say. I needed to hang on to you and call for help. Only you slashed my fingers and made me fall, and if this ripped up my rotator cuff again, I’m going to call the police and press charges against you for assault.”

       “Y-you work here?”

       “That’s what your friend just said.”

       Embarrassment started crawling through her. “Oh.”

       “And you were sneaking around in the dark.”

       “I was just getting some water. That’s all.” She bit her lower lip, wondering if she really believed him. But Jake apparently did, so she finally nodded. “I’m sorry that you got hurt.”

       “Humph.” He scowled at her.

       “No, really. I am. Is there anything I can do?”

       “No. You’ll be gone soon enough.” Muttering under his breath, the older man hobbled back to the barn.

       When he disappeared inside, she sank against her seat and watched Jake climb behind the steering wheel of the truck. “Well, that was embarrassing. Now you’re going to think I’ve been crying wolf all this time.”

       “Could’ve been worse. He took a pretty hard fall, apparently.” He handed over her jacket. “I found this on the floor by the water spigot.”

       “I was already jumpy, but then he came out of nowhere and clamped a hand on my shoulder. He scared me half to death.” She tried for a rueful smile. “He was like my worst nightmare. But now you probably don’t believe a word I’ve said.”

       “About being threatened?” He glanced over at her as he buckled his seat belt. “Remember, I did meet your old boyfriend back in Ogallala.”

       “About that….” She fell silent and looked away, uncomfortable with the lie she’d told. Unsure of what she could dare share with Jake now.

       He turned on the ignition, then shifted the truck into drive and headed toward the field marked Trailer Parking that they’d passed when they’d first pulled into the grounds. “I don’t think you need to worry. Even if he did see my license plate back in Ogallala or at that truck stop and traced it, he’d have no idea that I was heading to this sale. And I don’t think we were followed.”

       “I hope not.”

       “We were both checking the rearview mirrors, and I sure didn’t see anything suspicious. Of course, once we hit the freeways in Denver, it’s anyone’s guess. One set of headlights in the dark looks pretty much like the others from a distance, and I wouldn’t even know what kind of vehicle to be watching for.”

       “Me neither,” Emma said, trying to not sound as edgy as she felt. “But think about it. A guy who just happened to be in the barn at the moment we arrived? Ready to pounce on a lone woman who suddenly showed up in the middle of the night? Maybe that guy wasn’t really a barn worker at all. Maybe he just came up with that cover when you confronted him.”

       “He looked nothing like the man back in Ogallala. And he also has a Colorado driver’s license.”

       “You checked?”

       Jake shrugged, a corner of his mouth lifting briefly. “A flashback to my cop days, I guess.”

       But there could easily be others who had been sent after her—not just the man in Ogallala. And how could she explain that? It would hardly fit with the story about her troublesome ex-boyfriend.

       Jake drove into a parking spot. She twisted in her seat and watched him unhitch the trailer, breathing a sigh of relief when he finally got behind the wheel again and turned toward the highway. “Maybe you should get a room at the motel, too. I don’t think it’s safe out here.”

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4R67RXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgADAEAAAMAAAABAh0AAAEBAAMAAAABArwAAAECAAMAAAADAAAA ngEGAAMAAAABAAIAAAESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEVAAMAAAABAAMAAAEaAAUAAAABAAAApAEbAAUAAAAB AAAArAEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAgAAAAtAEyAAIAAAAUAAAA1IdpAAQAAAABAAAA6AAAASAA CAAIAAgADqYAAAAnEAAOpgAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTNiAoTWFjaW50b3NoKQAyMDE1 OjA4OjEyIDE3OjQzOjEwAAAEkAAABwAAAAQwMjIxoAEAAwAAAAH//wAAoAIABAAAAAEAAAXcoAMA BAAAAAEAAAeVAAAAAAAAAAYBAwADAAAAAQAGAAABGgAFAAAAAQAAAW4BGwAFAAAAAQAAAXYBKAAD AAAAAQACAAACAQAEAAAAAQAAAX4CAgAEAAAAAQAAHTUAAAAAAAAASAAAAAEAAABIAAAAAf/Y/+0A DEFkb2JlX0NNAAL/7gAOQWRvYmUAZIAAAAAB/9sAhAAMCAgICQgMCQkMEQsKCxEVDwwMDxUYExMV ExMYEQwMDAwMDBEMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMAQ0LCw0ODRAODhAUDg4OFBQO Dg4OFBEMDAwMDBERDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAz/wAARCACgAHwD ASIAAhEBAxEB/90ABAAI/8QBPwAAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAwABAgQFBgcICQoLAQABBQEBAQEB AQAAAAAAAAABAAIDBAUGBwgJCgsQAAEEAQMCBAIFBwYIBQMMMwEAAhEDBCESMQVBUWETInGBMgYU kaGxQiMkFVLBYjM0coLRQwclklPw4fFjczUWorKDJkSTVGRFwqN0NhfSVeJl8rOEw9N14/NGJ5Sk hbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2N0dXZ3eHl6e3x9fn9xEAAgIBAgQEAwQFBgcHBgU1AQAC EQMhMRIEQVFhcSITBTKBkRShsUIjwVLR8DMkYuFygpJDUxVjczTxJQYWorKDByY1wtJEk1SjF2RF VTZ0ZeLys4TD03Xj80aUpIW0lcTU5PSltcXV5fVWZnaGlqa2xtbm9ic3R1dnd4eXp7fH/9oADAMB AAIRAxEAPwDDc5roh4q3CHBrePvQL2gk7LXPAESRHyRRAB1Mp21t+kTH5FdHLwHdrnPM9kVOpbJA czl0an5tKKcnU+pY4uaSWkc/99ScGAESPvCg5tMeJ8ByfJL7vA/vK9+YGnCsMl7nua9sVOH0QeD+ 80oZIcYc9zgeS0xDf+/LQOHhszm4Trm1ml5ZlX3SKPUaW7sdl1TXPp/wtXrWqzdgdMyMi+5l7djr rbn1Yrq3NpxWF30S536XIyH+nTR6f6vj+p+nVcz5eJGmSpR4+IRlVfo/o/px9X/rzJjXceY3rE0a cK6sv1aXO/lOjVMamCC6S4/CFfPTs1gIfV6djv5nHEW2vMlnsZV9Gvc3b9of+jU8roWXj33V2H1R S0HfVBJe+W1t9Jzm210+qyz9ZsZ6fo1+v9CytS8XKggHKPD1fNXDHSXyfNNaZ5qvg/ByLKRPtaR8 SFD0XeX3rQ/Z2aWPsFD3MYWNJbDpdYG2Usr2n9M6yt7LP0Pqfo02Zh2Yd/2e1wNrWtda1s+xzhvd Q6fpWVbm+opojCSIxnxSIuhLi0HD+7/fh/jsRyZasxoeTn+g/wAvvS9F/l96s7Sn2qT2oeK33p+D V9B/l96XoP7AferMBPB7BD2o+Kven4NM41vgPvS+zWR2+9XDAGqbcJ40+CXtR8Ve9Lwf/9DFO1gk w4nzSIJA1IHgOEFr2gzyfkptsdrDdO8LU4ezREwd/sXNJPAP4K7j04eG9mXdkC65h3U01N3APA3V XXvdZV7Mez3ej9O21n+hVKS8e8wOwS3BumhHiOVHlxmceHjMQdJCPD6on9Hil/3KYyAN8I8L7+Tp ZXUy+utmO9trPTqa7fWWlr6S53qPr