Read Online The Hitwoman and the Family Jewels by J. B. Lynn - Free Book Online
Authors: J. B. Lynn
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Seven
It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about.
In that moment the cat returned. She stood behind Patrick. “Doc seems to think your girl is doing well,” she meowed.
“Good,” I said.
“Good?” Patrick asked. “You think it’s good he broke out of prison? Half the force is out hunting him and his buddies down.”
I shot a dirty look at the cat, who was licking her paw, her eyes mocking me since she knew I’d said ‘good’ to her and not the man who was ranting about my escapee dad.
“Do you have any idea how complicated your life is at the moment?”
Considering I was talking to him and a cat, I thought I had a pretty good idea, but I didn’t tell him that, I just shrugged.
“The marshals are going to be all over you. They take escaped convicts very seriously.”
“I didn’t help him escape,” I told him indignantly. “If you remember, I was with you when you got the call.”
“I know that.” He spiked his fingers through his hair, a sure sign he was agitated. “I tried to get out of going to your aunt’s place, but I’ve worked with Griswald before, so there was no way I could refuse….and then we got there and we heard a gunshot…” He trailed off, turning his head to look away as though the memory caused him physical pain. “And now you’ve got Kowalski thrown into the mix, looking for who knows what….there’s no telling what he’ll do next.”
My heart stuttered. “W-what do you mean?”
Patrick turned back to look at me. “I’m not going to let him hurt you.”
“What did you mean you don’t know what he’ll do next?”
Patrick shrugged. “He’s a loose cannon. He was willing to kill you in front of witnesses to get what he wants.”
I jumped out of my seat, startling both Patrick and the cat. They both jumped backwards.
“I have to go.” Panic was cutting off my air supply, so the words came out as a squeak.
“Easy, Mags,” Patrick soothed, slowly getting to his feet. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
“What about Katie?” I asked.
He tilted his head to the side. “I’m sure she’s fine. The doctors and nurses are taking good care of her.”
Rushing toward the exit I asked, “What if Paul thinks she has whatever he’s looking for?”
“Crap,” Patrick muttered. “Let me give the vet my card. I’ll meet you in the truck.”
As I headed outside, he moved toward the exam room.
“Are you coming back for them?” the cat asked, jumping in my path. “That’s what she’s going to ask, when she wakes up. Or being a dog, she’ll probably say something like, ‘Maggie back me for?’ bless her heart.”
I skidded to a stop, so I didn’t accidentally step on her. “Of course I’ll be back. I just have to go and make sure my niece is safe.”
The cat narrowed her gaze to tight slits. “Isn’t that the way it always is? Humans trump animals?”
“Look,” I told the cat. “She’s in good hands. I’ll be back for her.”
“Of course you will,” Patrick said, taking my elbow and propelling me outside, effectively ending my conversation with the suspicious feline. “We’ll go to the hospital, get a guard posted on her room, and then we’ll come back for DeeDee.”
He helped me into the pick-up and then burned rubber as we raced out of the parking lot.
“She’s at Apple Blossom Estates,” I told him. “That’s over—“
“I know where she is.”
I blinked. “How?”
“I’ve made it my business to know everything I can about you. I know where your niece lives, the due date of your best friend Alice, and where Jewel is.”
“Her name’s not Jewel,” I corrected automatically. He was talking about my sister Marlene, who’d run away from home after her twin, Darlene, had been murdered, and who hadn’t been heard from since…until I’d seen her outside Katie’s room a few weeks earlier.
“What I don’t know,” Patrick said, ignoring the fact I’d corrected him, “is what Kowalski
It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about.
In that moment the cat returned. She stood behind Patrick. “Doc seems to think your girl is doing well,” she meowed.
“Good,” I said.
“Good?” Patrick asked. “You think it’s good he broke out of prison? Half the force is out hunting him and his buddies down.”
I shot a dirty look at the cat, who was licking her paw, her eyes mocking me since she knew I’d said ‘good’ to her and not the man who was ranting about my escapee dad.
“Do you have any idea how complicated your life is at the moment?”
Considering I was talking to him and a cat, I thought I had a pretty good idea, but I didn’t tell him that, I just shrugged.
“The marshals are going to be all over you. They take escaped convicts very seriously.”
“I didn’t help him escape,” I told him indignantly. “If you remember, I was with you when you got the call.”
“I know that.” He spiked his fingers through his hair, a sure sign he was agitated. “I tried to get out of going to your aunt’s place, but I’ve worked with Griswald before, so there was no way I could refuse….and then we got there and we heard a gunshot…” He trailed off, turning his head to look away as though the memory caused him physical pain. “And now you’ve got Kowalski thrown into the mix, looking for who knows what….there’s no telling what he’ll do next.”
My heart stuttered. “W-what do you mean?”
Patrick turned back to look at me. “I’m not going to let him hurt you.”
“What did you mean you don’t know what he’ll do next?”
Patrick shrugged. “He’s a loose cannon. He was willing to kill you in front of witnesses to get what he wants.”
I jumped out of my seat, startling both Patrick and the cat. They both jumped backwards.
“I have to go.” Panic was cutting off my air supply, so the words came out as a squeak.
“Easy, Mags,” Patrick soothed, slowly getting to his feet. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
“What about Katie?” I asked.
He tilted his head to the side. “I’m sure she’s fine. The doctors and nurses are taking good care of her.”
Rushing toward the exit I asked, “What if Paul thinks she has whatever he’s looking for?”
“Crap,” Patrick muttered. “Let me give the vet my card. I’ll meet you in the truck.”
As I headed outside, he moved toward the exam room.
“Are you coming back for them?” the cat asked, jumping in my path. “That’s what she’s going to ask, when she wakes up. Or being a dog, she’ll probably say something like, ‘Maggie back me for?’ bless her heart.”
I skidded to a stop, so I didn’t accidentally step on her. “Of course I’ll be back. I just have to go and make sure my niece is safe.”
The cat narrowed her gaze to tight slits. “Isn’t that the way it always is? Humans trump animals?”
“Look,” I told the cat. “She’s in good hands. I’ll be back for her.”
“Of course you will,” Patrick said, taking my elbow and propelling me outside, effectively ending my conversation with the suspicious feline. “We’ll go to the hospital, get a guard posted on her room, and then we’ll come back for DeeDee.”
He helped me into the pick-up and then burned rubber as we raced out of the parking lot.
“She’s at Apple Blossom Estates,” I told him. “That’s over—“
“I know where she is.”
I blinked. “How?”
“I’ve made it my business to know everything I can about you. I know where your niece lives, the due date of your best friend Alice, and where Jewel is.”
“Her name’s not Jewel,” I corrected automatically. He was talking about my sister Marlene, who’d run away from home after her twin, Darlene, had been murdered, and who hadn’t been heard from since…until I’d seen her outside Katie’s room a few weeks earlier.
“What I don’t know,” Patrick said, ignoring the fact I’d corrected him, “is what Kowalski
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