All That I Desire by Francis Ray Read Free Book Online

lanes for the same reason she had. One way to find out.
    She slowed down until she was ten, then fifteen miles under the speed limit. The car
     behind her matched her speed. She couldn’t deny it any longer.
    She was being followed.

 
    Chapter 4
    “Don’t panic. Don’t panic. You’re in your car. Other people in cars are in front of
     and on the side of you.” She eased back into the inside lane. No way was she leaving
     the city limits.
    Yet Skylar’s hand trembled as she reached for her purse and pulled out her cell phone.
     She wished she’d synced it to the radio. It was answered before the second ring.
    “Rio.”
    Skylar sagged with relief. “I think someone is following me. Their high beams are
     on.”
    “Are you sure?” There was a fierce sharpness in his voice.
    “When I slow down or change lanes, so does the SUV. The police will act faster if
     the call comes from you.”
    “Already done. We have your location. I’m on my way.”
    Just hearing he was coming bolstered her resolve to keep it together. “Thank you.”
    “Which lane are you in?”
    “The inside.”
    “Good. Skylar, there’s only one more light before you reach the edge of town.”
    He’d called her name, settling her fraying nerves. The sound of his car’s engine through
     the phone calmed her even more. He was coming. “I’m almost there.”
    “Don’t catch the light,” Rio advised. “When it turns green—”
    “Make a U-turn and floor it back to town,” she finished for him.
    “Put the phone in the seat. The Beemer has enough juice to make the turn, but I want
     both of your hands on the steering wheel. The police are on the way. You’re safe in
     the car.”
    “Please hurry.”
    “Nothing is going to happen to you,” he said, his voice a mixture of anger and resolve.
    “The light is red. The SUV is a car length behind. I’m putting the phone down.” She
     placed the cell phone back in her purse so it wouldn’t slide onto the floor. “It’s
     green.” Her sweaty hands flexed on the steering wheel. She didn’t know if Rio still
     had his cell phone on or not, but it was comforting to think he did.
    Both hands gripped the steering wheel as she eased off, then gunned the BMW. Her car
     was approaching sixty when she made a sharp U-turn and floored it back to town, thanking
     God that there had been no oncoming traffic. She threw a glance in the rearview mirror
     as the speedometer reached eighty.
    Her heart thumped. The SUV was right behind her. Increasing her speed, she whipped
     around a car, hoping the police showed up before she had to make a decision to run
     a red light.
    The SUV was gaining on her. Up ahead she saw the light turn red. “You’re safe in your
     car.” She heard Rio’s voice and drew in a deep breath. She passed another car, hoping
     to shake them. The SUV stayed on her like a burr.
    “Green. Turn green.”
    The light flashed green three car lengths away. Skylar glanced to the right and left
     to ensure that some driver wasn’t running the light in the opposite direction, then
     zoomed through it. She didn’t know where the police station was located so she was
     going back to the restaurant, a straight shot from—
    Police sirens. Up ahead she could see their running lights flashing. She glanced in
     the rearview mirror to see the SUV dropping back, then turning down a side street.
     For one insane moment, she considered following it to try to get the license plate
     number.
    Common sense prevailed as she pulled to the side of the road and put on her emergency
     lights to signal the police. She didn’t know how many were in the SUV or if they had
     weapons.
    Two police cars converged on her. One parked beside her and the other catty-corner,
     hemming her in and protecting her at the same time.
    She had the foresight to unlock the door just as a brawny policeman opened it. He
     tipped his black Stetson. “Dakota Rodriquez, police chief, Ms. Dupree. You’re safe.”
    She