Courage Dares by Nancy Radke Read Free Book Online

The phone and everything clattered to the floor.
    Judd righted the table, but kept the phone cord in his hands, a big smirk on his face.
    It didn't matter to Mary. She just had to keep these creeps here until they arrived. And that was probably Angie on the phone. She would try again. Or try Mary’s cell phone.
    When she didn’t get any response, she’d call the police and tell them about the man who had accosted Mary in the park.
    "Do you mind?" Mary asked, picking up her pen from where she had dropped it. "You don't need to—"
    "What's going on here?" The loud, blustering voice of her downstairs' neighbor shocked Mary into silence. He stood in the doorway, his face red with rage as he kicked at the wreckage at his feet. A big and powerful man, he towered over the shattered remnants of her front door, his hands raised, huge fists shaking as he glared first at her, then the men around her.
    His head seemed to swell out of the white turtleneck shirt he wore. He clutched a chicken drumstick wrapped in a napkin in his left hand, a fork in the right, so outraged he hadn’t even put them down before storming upstairs.
    He stared at her as he continued to shout. "No loud parties! I'm calling the police! And terminating your lease. Somebody’s got to pay for this door and any other things I find broke. You think just because you pay rent, you—"
    His expression suddenly changed from rage to fear, from attack to retreat as the true aspect of the situation hit him. The knife in Ira’s hand, the guns in the hands of the others....
    "What in the—" He stepped backward and dropped the chicken as he clutched his neck. A knife protruded from between his fingers. His eyes opened wide as he gasped, staggered, and then fell, crumpling like an oversized rag doll dropped by a careless child. He coughed once, then lay still, his unseeing eyes staring at them.
    The throw had been so swift that Mary hadn't seen Ira's hand move. It took her a moment to comprehend what had happened. The man was dead. As dead as her father when the hospital monitor had emitted a continuous shriek.
    Judd and his men weren’t bluffing. She screamed, building to a crescendo as Ira drew another knife. The room swirled as the black curtain descended, threatening to close her mind forever.
    With an angry shout, Connor hurled himself upon Ira, flattening him alongside his victim. "You murdering—"
    Judd grabbed Mary and clamped his large hand over her mouth, gagging her. Strangely, his action cleared her mind.
    "I’ve had enough of this," Judd ordered, his voice calm. "McLarren's more trouble than he's worth. Shoot him."

8
    As Wes raised his gun, Mary raged against Judd's hand, trying to warn Connor. Judd clamped his fingers tighter, smothering her shout and holding her jaw shut. She scratched and kicked and twisted her body, but Judd simply tightened his grip.
    She watched in horror as Wes moved closer to where Connor and Ira wrestled amidst the ruins of the door. They were evenly matched—Ira with the longer reach, but Connor with more strength. They stayed clenched together. Wes hesitated, trying to get a clear shot.
    "Hurry up," Judd snarled. "They're making too much noise."
    Wes moved first to one side of the struggling men, then the other. "Cain't, Boss. Not without hitting' Ira."
    "So? Get them apart. I want him dead."
    The small man did this by simply reaching in and whacking Connor over the head. Ira shoved him away and Connor lay sprawled on the floor, groaning.
    "He's strong," Ira commented as he stood up, his hand testing his jaw. "We'll have to watch him."
    Wes laughed, the sound chilling Mary. "No, we won't. Move outta the way." He waggled his gun from side to side.
    "You nuts?" Ira said, standing still. "Shoot him, and she's no good to us."
    "Whadda yuh say, Boss?" Wes kept his gun lined up while he spoke. It shook with his desire to kill.
    Mary fought harder to free herself, her terrified gaze darting between Connor, Wes, Ira, and the body on