Read Online Love Inspired Suspense April 2015 #2 by Dana Mentink, Tammy Johnson, Michelle Karl - Free Book Online Page B

counted that raggedy mess of a toy as one of the finest possessions he’d ever owned.
    He wondered if Mr. Moo Moo’s eye was still safe in Keeley’s pocket.
    The drive to the Pick and Pack was easy, and they made the trip in less than fifteen minutes due to Keeley’s blistering pace. A sprinkling of rain began to fall. The parking lot was fairly empty, only a few cars and a lone attendant rounding up shopping carts. No sign of a motorcycle, but he didn’t fool himself. Tucker had managed to find out where Keeley lived and tracked her into the woods, then lured her to a rooftop. He could be anywhere. He jogged from his truck to catch up to her as they entered the grocery store.
    Keeley seemed to have a plan. She marched straight up to the long-haired teen at the register. The kid gave her a frightened double take. “What do you want?”
    â€œWhat do people usually want at a grocery store, Stephano?” she said, sweetly. “I’m here for groceries, flour, to be specific, but you’re going to give me a piece of information, too, because you’re a helpful kind of guy.”
    He chewed his lip. “What kind of information?”
    â€œSomebody came in last night, just before midnight. That’s your shift, isn’t it?”
    He grunted, which Mick could not identify as affirmative or negative. Would it kill this generation to say “yes, sir” and “yes, ma’am”?
    â€œSo during your shift, somebody came in and bought a whole bag of nothing but snack cakes. You know the kind with the yellow cake and white creamy stuff inside?”
    He lifted a careless shoulder. “I don’t remember.”
    â€œI think you do, and what’s more,” she said as she pointed to the security camera, “I think you could let me see a peek at that security tape, couldn’t you?”
    â€œNo way. I’d get fired,” he said, sending a quick look around the store, probably to be sure his supervisor wasn’t watching.
    Keeley leaned in, looking like a falcon going for the rabbit. “You’d get in worse trouble if I told your parents that you spray painted my shed.” She held up a palm. “You can deny it if you want to, but I’ve got a sweet camera with a zoom lens and boy, did I get a great shot of you two at work.”
    The kid turned a greenish tint. He scanned the store again. “My boss is taking a nap in the back. You can go in the security room quick. No more than five minutes, hear me?”
    Keeley nodded and sauntered away.
    Mick gave the kid a grin. “Good man knows when he’s beaten, son. I’d give up the spray painting if I were you.”
    He heard Stephano swearing softly. Chuckling, Mick joined Keeley, who had already plucked the tape from the day before from the shelf and stuck it in the machine, pressing the fast-forward button with an impatient finger.
    â€œThat was impressive back there,” Mick said. “Why didn’t you show his parents the photo earlier?”
    She laughed. “I was a stinker of a teen once, too. I was grounded for an entire summer my sophomore year.”
    â€œWhat did you do?”
    â€œYou don’t have a high-enough security clearance to know that.”
    He smiled.
    She pointed to the time unspooling under the black-and-white video. “We’re coming up on it now.”
    He leaned close, her hair tickling his chin, the strands softer than the down of a baby bird. A lady appeared on the screen, tall with long dark hair loose around her shoulders, maybe in her late twenties. Her mouth was thin lipped, eyes dark and she wore a T-shirt a couple of sizes too big. She said something to Stephano and he answered back, which caused the woman to smile while he rang up her purchase, a dozen snack cakes and two bottles of water. Keeley paused the video and Mick used his cell phone to take a picture of the screen.
    Mick heard the sound of heavy feet