B00CZBQ63C EBOK by Karen Barnett Read Free Book Online Page B

if the weather’s not too bad. I’m sick of this rowing in the rain business. We could swim there and back and get less wet.” Lew’s whining voice carried clearly on the breeze.
    Her brother spoke up. “You sat in the car during the last drop. We were the ones getting soaked. But, the weather doesn’t get much better than this. I think we should go tonight.”
    Lew exhaled, smoke curling around his head. “Who made you boss?”
    Laurie caught a glimpse of the third man—a burly fellow with a round, red face. He pushed to his feet with a grunt. The others fell silent.
    The heavy-set man dangled an unlit cigar from the tips of his meaty fingers. “We don’t want ‘fine.’ You boys think this is some pleasure cruise? You want to go boating, do it on your own time. The rain hides us better—unless you want to be sitting in the county jail come morning.”
    His gravelly voice made the hairs on the back of Laurie’s neck rise.
    Lew rubbed both hands on his stained overalls. “Who’s going to be looking? Nobody cares what we’re doing. I don’t think we need all this cloak and dagger business.”
    Johnny leaned back against the steps; his hands wrapped around one knee. “I think Jerry’s right. We shouldn’t be taking any chances. I don’t want to meet any G-men on the beach.”
    “There ain’t gonna’ be no G-men. You’ve read too many newspapers. If we was in Seattle or Tacoma, maybe; but no one cares about that stuff up here.”
    Laurie took a deep breath and stepped into the open. “You’re wrong.”
    The three men swung their faces toward her, Johnny and Lew jumping to their feet. The smaller man lost hold of his cigarette, juggling to prevent the butt from dropping into the weeds.
    Johnny took a step toward her. “Girl, you got to stop sneaking up on me like that.”
    She placed her hands on her hips. “Someone needs to, before you get yourself locked up or killed.”
    Jerry shoved his hat back on his head and stared. “If it ain’t the girl from the beach. You said she wasn’t gonna be no trouble, Johnny.”
    Johnny pushed past the two men and grabbed Laurie’s elbow. “She’s not.” He yanked her down the walk toward the road.
    “Hold it.” The big man strode forward until his shadow fell over Laurie. “What were you trying to say?”
    Laurie stuck out her chin and wrenched her elbow from her brother’s vise grip. “There’s a revenuer in town looking for you.”
    Jerry pulled off his hat, his round head topped only by a few long hairs pulled from one ear to the other. His light-colored brows were drawn down into a scowl.
    Johnny latched on a second time, digging his fingers into her arm. “She’s just saying that because she wants me to quit.”
    “Let her go, Johnny. Let’s hear her out.” The man’s voice softened.
    Johnny released his grip, but hovered like a dog with raised hackles.
    Lew closed the circle, a grin on his face. “She’s a peach, Johnny. I never figured you came from such good-lookin’ stock. How about an introduction?”
    “Shut up.” Johnny growled as he curled his fingers into fists.
    Laurie ignored them, turning instead to the balding man, hoping he had an ounce of sense in his skull. “I met a man at church today . . . ”
    Lew snorted.
    Jerry gestured for the man to be silent. “And?”
    She glanced at her brother. “He said he worked for the treasury department—”
    “That don’t mean nothing.” Lew crossed his arms across his barrel-shaped chest. “He’s probably just some pencil-pusher who stopped through to do something at city hall.”
    She took a deep breath. “He told me they’d had reports of boats running Canadian whiskey into Port Angeles. He’s here to put a stop to it.”
    Johnny rubbed his hands over his face while Jerry jammed his cigar between his teeth. Even Lew looked taken aback.
    The crushing weight lifted from Laurie’s chest. “Now you can give up this ridiculous venture. There’s no way you can keep making