19 Headed for Trouble by Suzanne Brockmann Read Free Book Online Page B

“the Pit”—had contacted Troubleshooters Incorporated, the private security company where Sam and Alyssa both worked. Former senator Eugene Ryan was adamant about not showing up in the battle-weary country surrounded by heavily armed, dangerous-looking bruisers as guards. At the same time, he wisely didn’t want to go in without adequate protection.
    And so he’d requested Alyssa join his security team.
    In a country that wasn’t exactly known for its equal rights, no one would expect a woman to be an expert sharpshooter and total kickass bodyguard despite her lack of height and bulk.
    Sam had desperately wanted to go along—but his goal was not to keep Ryan safe. No, he wanted to watch his wife’s six. And he was the exact physical type that the former senator didn’t want along for the ride. Not to mention the fact that he’d promised his ex-wife that he’d watch Haley this week …
    He’d driven Lys to the airport and kissed her goodbye, working overtime to keep her from noticing his tightly gritted teeth.
    It had to happen sooner or later, but as he’d watched her walk into the terminal, he had to admit that he’d been hoping for much, much later. But here it was. For the first time since they were married, Alyssa was off ona dangerous assignment without him. And it would be another week, at least, before she came safely home.
    So last night, as the green beans and peas were both heating in the microwave, Sam had sat down with Haley on the floor of the kitchen and told her it was obvious there was nothing to do but go on and have a good ol’ cry.
    “Why are
you
crying?” she’d asked.
    “Wah,” he’d said. “The Dallas Cowboys lost the football game last week.”
    His pretend sobs had made her giggle, at least for a little while.
    Still, the entire rest of the evening had been filled with the potential for an all-out meltdown.
    The first few days had been fun. An entire week at Daddy’s was a novelty for Haley, who’d never spent more than a weekend away from her mother. Sam knew it had been exciting for her, too, to look at the pictures from the brochure and imagine Momma and her new husband having a romantic vacation aboard a cruise ship.
    As for Sam, he’d appreciated the distraction—what was Alyssa doing right now? Was she in danger? Was he going to have to wait another five days before she had a chance to call him again?—as he took his tiny blond daughter to the zoo and over to Old Town San Diego.
    But today, over their Cap’n Crunch and orange juice, Sam and Haley had started counting the days on the calendar—four—until Mary Lou came back home.
    Four days was definitely doable, provided they didn’t miss any more of those very important naps.
    Provided Sam could convince Haley to fall asleep. He’d just sat with her for more than an hour, holding her hand.
    The phone shrilled again as Sam searched for it among the pile of toy cars and dolls on the living roomrug. He loved his little daughter dearly, but please sweet Jesus, don’t let her wake up yet.
    He managed to find and grab the cordless phone before it completed that second ring. “Sam Starrett.” Shoot, he must be tired. This was his home phone, and here the correct greeting was
Hello
.
    The woman on the other end didn’t seem to mind. “Please hold for Mr. Cassidy,” she said.
    Well, la di dah. Lookie who got himself a secretary.
    Sam had left a message for Jules Cassidy just yesterday, asking for an update in the FBI’s search for the serial killer known as “the Dentist.” Just over a year ago, he and Lys had handled a missing person case that hadn’t ended happily. They’d found the young woman they were searching for—or rather, they’d found what was left of her after the Dentist worked her over.
    They’d also discovered that the Dentist had been posing as a ski instructor in New Hampshire, using the alias Steve Hathaway.
    Alyssa—normally tough as nails—had been unusually upset when they’d found