A Vow to Love by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online Page B

don't want 'em hanging around."
    Sam could see how much Johnny hated making the admission. And coming from an old boxer who wasn't afraid of much, the fear had to be taken seriously. Besides, Sam knew exactly which friends Johnny was talking about. They were precisely the reason he'd gotten Randy the job at the gym. He sighed.
    "I don't blame you," he told Johnny. "Thanks for trying. I'll talk to Randy, but if he doesn't want to make the break from this gang of his, I'll try to figure out something else."
    Johnny regarded him worriedly. "I hope to hell he'll listen. He's a good kid. I can see that. But those friends of his are real trouble."
    Back in the gym, Sam pulled on his gloves and started warming up at one of the punching bags. Randy, trailed by the two-bit criminals he considered his pals, finally showed at five-fifteen. All of them were wearing black jeans and black T-shirts with the logo of some rap group that thrived on violent lyrics. They all had haircuts that could break a mother's heart. Most of them had diamond studs in one ear. Probably real, Sam thought, wondering which jeweler they'd ripped off.
    He shot a disapproving frown at Randy. "You're late."
    "Sorry. We were tied up."
    Sam could just imagine what had detained them. They'd probably been staking out a business to rob. He bit back a suggestion that Randy send his delinquent buddies on their way. Maybe he could do something to get through to all of them. Okay, so he suffered from delusions, but it was worth a shot.
    "Any of you guys want to go a few rounds?" he inquired.
    "Nah. We're just fixing to watch Ran-dall," Tank Landry informed him. The scrawny, dark-haired kid with mean eyes already had an impressive rap sheet for someone not even out of his teens. All pretty tame stuff so far, but it was only a short leap from burglary to armed robbery.
    Sam read the anticipation on Tank's face. He was probably hoping Randy would pound the cop into the ropes. Fortunately, Randy wasn't that quick on his feet yet. With a little practice, though, Tank and his associates could get their wish. Tonight, however, maybe it would do them some good to see that one of their own wasn't nearly as tough as they imagined.
    Before they entered the ring, he pulled Randy aside and nodded toward the onlookers. "I thought we had a deal."
    Randy cast an uneasy glance in their direction. "Shaking loose ain't as easy as I thought."
    "Do you want the job here or not? If you don't, I've got kids lined up who'd jump at it."
    Randy regarded him with dismay. "Come on, man. You can't do that. You told me Johnny needs somebody who can do math like me to help with that mess in his office."
    "I'm sure some of them can add and subtract, too. I'll find out which ones can, if you don't keep these jerks out of this place and out of your life." Sam used his glove to tilt Randy's chin up so he could look into his eyes as he warned, "They'll drag you down with them if they can, Randy."
    The boy looked miserable and frightened. Sam could understand how he felt. If Randy made the break, he'd lose the only friends he'd ever known. A series of foster homes hadn't given him much in the way of family. Tank's gang was all he had. They might even retaliate for his defection. It took courage to face that.
    Months ago, when he'd busted Randy for petty theft, Sam had seen something of himself in the troubled teen. He'd wanted desperately to steer him onto the right path before it was too late. Saving a kid like Randy was the whole reason he'd joined the police force, rather than taking the nice, cushy job in sales at Halloran Industries that had been waiting for him. Brandon had been saddened by his choice, but he'd supported him in it.
    "Well, what's it going to be?" Sam asked, refusing to relent.
    "I'll tell 'em to get lost," Randy promised. "Just let me do it in my own way."
    Sam nodded. "Fair enough, but do it soon. I mean it."
    He figured that victory meant a lot more than the one that followed in the