Black Ops Chronicles: Dead Run by Pepper O'Neal Read Free Book Online

bathroom. She picked up the receiver and heard Karl’s anxious voice.
    “Tess? How are you?”
    “I’m hanging on,” she said. “What’s new?”
    Karl hesitated. “Ah, both the FBI and the CIA are looking for you now.”
    “ What ? Why?”
    “You know why. At least you know why the FBI’s looking for you. The CIA man wouldn’t say. Anyway, he stopped by my office last week. Apparently, the FBI told the CIA you’re ‘down there,’ but none of them know exactly where. I told him I didn’t know either.”
    “Oh, God. If the FBI knows I’m here, Nick does, too.” Shit ! Uneasy, she shifted the phone to her other ear. “What’s the bad news?” She meant it as a joke, but her sarcasm was wasted on Karl.
    “The bad news is that Jonas’s getting suspicious. Levi came by this morning while I was at court. Apparently, he’s asking questions. That means Nick’s going to come after you harder than ever.”
    Levi . God, I miss him . He tried to warn me about Nick, but I wouldn’t listen . With her free hand she massaged her forehead, trying to stave off the headache forming behind her eyes. “What am I going to do?”
    “Why don’t we try talking to Jonas?” he suggested. “I can’t believe he’d let anyone hurt you. After all you’re a member of the family. Besides, I know Levi would protect you. And I’m sure he’ll come back since he didn’t get me this morning. I could talk to him for you.”
    “No! Don’t you dare.” She immediately regretted the harshness in her tone. Taking her frustration out on Karl wouldn’t help. “Look,” she continued in a calmer voice, “I may be a distant cousin, but Nick is Jonas’s direct descendent. And his only heir. And though I know he wouldn’t approve of what the bastard did, it’s ridiculous to think he’d take my side. You’re forgetting Omerta , their vow of silence. I did go to the FBI.”
    “Considering there were children involved, I’m sure Jonas will understand.”
    “I can’t risk it.” Her hands shook, so she tightened her grip on the phone. “As for Levi, he was my best friend. I won’t put him in the position of having to choose between me and the family . He means too much to me.” She shook her head and blinked back the tears stinging her eyes. “My only chance is to keep running. But I need some more money.”
    “I put most of your money in mutual funds, so you’ve only got four thousand in cash. Will that do? Otherwise, I’ll have to convert stocks to cash. And when I do, it takes the investment firm a couple of days to cut a check.”
    She fought off another round of panic. “The cash will have to do for now. Things are happening here, and I can’t wait.” When Karl started to interrupt with questions, she cut him off. “Just weird people showing up at my house.”
    “But you’re still safe?”
    “Yes. Please, don’t worry. Just send the money to marina number twelve. And hurry. I’ll be moving on again as soon as I get it. Oh, and use a different boat name. I don’t want to use the same one twice.”
    “Okay. Let’s see. How about number E-two?”
    “Whatever,” she murmured, recognizing his code for Ebb Tide . “One’s as good as another, I suppose.”
    “It’ll go out today,” he said. “I’ll Express Mail it to the service and have them fly it to the marina. You should have it on Friday morning. Anything else?”
    “Yeah, one more thing.” She worried about how much to tell him on the phone, but for her own protection she had to find out about Max. “Has there been anything on CNN about a shipwreck down here? We had a storm yesterday, a big one, and a...some strange debris washed up on the beach.”
    “I don’t recall hearing anything about it. Let me ask my staff.” The line went quiet. Every second seemed like an hour until Karl’s voice came back. “No one else has heard anything about it, either. Sorry.”
    “Thanks anyway.” She swallowed and closed her eyes a moment as loneliness