Black Friday by Alex Kava Read Free Book Online Page A

on the bed, almost packed. She’d learned a long time ago to keep the basic necessities already in the bag. While Ben prepared a syringe Maggie looked for a warm turtleneck sweater. She’d been to the Midwest enough times during this time of year to no longer underestimate the cold.
    “It’s snowing there,” Ben said as if he could read her mind.
    “Boot snowing or just snow-snowing?”
    This time he stopped his hands and looked up.
    “There’s a difference?”
    “Oh, big time. You haven’t been to the Midwest in the winter?”
    “Chicago, but no. It was spring.”
    “My first trip I only had leather flats. It snowed like eight or ten inches and the only place nearby to buy boots in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, was a John Deere implement store.”
    “Let me guess, you ended up with bright green, size twelves?”
    “Something like that.”
    She rummaged through her closet and pulled out a pair of slipover boots that folded easily. When she turned back to her suitcase Ben was watching her, smiling.
    “What?”
    “Nothing,” he said, shaking his head but still smiling.
    “You’re just pretty incredible, that’s all.”
    She hoped the flush up her neck didn’t show in her face. She held up the boots for him to see as she placed them in the suitcase. “I knew eventually I could get your attention with my sexy footwear.”
    “I hate to disappoint you,” he said, setting aside the syringe and coming close enough to touch the back of his hand to her cheek, “but you managed to do that without any footwear at all. The first time I saw those bare feet in oversized athletic socks back at USAMRIID my heart skipped a couple of beats.”
    Maggie wasn’t sure if it was his touch or his rare and surprising admission that caused her own heart to miss a couple of beats.
    “A foot fetish, huh?” She tried to keep it light. “Big time.”
    Another knock on the door startled both of them. This time it was Gwen.
    “Sorry to interrupt. Your ride to Andrews is here.”

CHAPTER
12
     
    Mall of America
     
    T he glass hadn’t plunged in as deep as Rebecca thought it had. It was bleeding but no major gusher. So no major arteries. She still had to pull the chunk of glass out.
    She could do this. Of course, she could.
    She had cleaned up and taken care of her share of wounds and injuries. Never mind that they were on dogs. Bites from other dogs, rips from barbed wire or abuse from owners. One of the dogs she helped treat had been hit by a car. All of the wounds were gross. No different than this. If anything, it should be easier when it was herself. No sad brown eyes looking up at her. If only her head would stop throbbing and her stomach would stop threatening to shove everything up or down.
    The security guard had left and Rebecca felt relieved. Scared and in pain but relieved. How weird was that? She couldn’t help wondering if the security guards had seen Chad and Tyler and Dixon with the exact backpacks? Had they been watching them on the security cameras? Was that possible on a day like today with the crowds? Or maybe especially on a day like today. How else would they know?
    She looked around again and couldn’t see any other blue uniforms. Or did some security guards wear plainclothes? If they had been watching the guys and were suspicious of the backpacks that meant they had seen her, too. Would they recognize her now?
    Maybe not with this harpoon in her arm.
    God, it hurt.
    She thought she could hear sirens now. There were shouts from below. Was someone shouting “Police”?
    The shouts were drowned out by an ear-piercing electronic buzz. Somewhere an alarm had been set off. No one seemed to pay attention to any of it. There wasn’t a sound that could stall the hysteria.
    Rebecca stayed put. She tried to assess the damage to her arm. Her coat was shredded on the left side where broken glass must have pummeled her. Funny, she didn’t remember.
    How could she not remember the pain?
    It happened so quickly.