Dead Reckoning by Ronie Kendig Read Free Book Online

Brownbeard and fake police.
    The edges of her field of vision washed grey.
    Oh no. Not now. Please not now! Khalid wasn’t here to help. To steady herself, she reached for an electrical pole and looked for a place to hide. She spotted a gap between two shops. But it was too late. She couldn’t move.

4
    S OMETHING’S WRONG.
    Reece considered the approaching agents and Shiloh. Why wasn’t she moving? Reece tossed down the coffee and started toward them. This he didn’t expect—Shiloh to freeze up. From what he’d seen, she was tougher. Smarter.
    He pressed the autodial on his phone. “I’m going to need you to keep a tracer on me.”
    “Jaxon … what are you up to?”
    “Just keep a live feed. Something's wrong with Blake.”
    “Reece, stop. Wait.”
    He kept walking. She still stood with her arms locked, facing the opposition. Auburn hair billowed over her shoulders blown by a gentle breeze that swept a light, spicy scent toward him.
    “Reece, what's happening? Answer me or—”
    “ Namaskar ,” he said to the two agents and blocked their path to Blake. “ Tu kasa ahes ?”
    The heavyset man scowled, his unibrow diving deep into the bridge of his nose. “Get out of my way!” he growled in Marathi.
    Reece knew his linguistic skills concealed his nationality. “I think I may have seen the woman you’re looking for.”
    The dingbat duo froze. “What did you say?” Malice painted a wicked mural across the older man's face. “How did you know we were looking for anyone?”
    “I was in a shop earlier when you asked for her,” Reece said. “I saw her around the corner—that way.” He pointed across the street.
    “Stay here. We will handle this.” The fat agent stomped past him.
    Reece shifted and rammed his shoulder into the agent's. When the man swung a fist toward him, he stepped back and apologized. “ Maaf kijiye . I didn’t mean anything.” He could play the pretender—at least until Shiloh found her exit.
    “She's gone.” The younger man spun, searching the crowds. “The girl is gone!”
    Reece smiled inwardly. Shiloh had taken the opportunity and split.
    “ Chup raho .” After ordering the underling to shut up, the bigger man turned his sneering eyes on Reece. “I ought to drag you down to the station and show you how badmash like you are handled.” He threw a punch, and Reece let it connect.
    Bent and feigning pain, Reece offered false humility with his apology.
    The man shoved him.
    Reece gave a half-bow and stumbled down the street, still clutching his ribs and watching as the two stormed in the wrong direction. The way she’d stood there, feet pinned to the cement, wasn’t like her. What happened?
    “Ryan?”
    “Good save, Jaxon. Your satcom should be working. You won’t need us now.”
    In the safety of his vehicle, he lifted his watch and flipped to the tracer readout. Her signal blipped, showing her nearing Bhuleshwar and Kalbadevi Roads. Reece clicked off the tracer. Why would she go back?
    Oh, no. He knew exactly what she was doing. And why.
    Smacking the steering wheel, he started the engine. Stupid. He’d love to wring her neck. Never had a target so mangled his mind and options. After the stunt she pulled on Market Lane, and now this, her naïveté might prevent him from keeping her alive.
    Long repressed memories surfaced. Darkness. Clanking. A scream followed closely by a thump. And he’d lost Chloe Staite.
    Reece shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Let the dead remain buried.
    He sped down Kalbadevi Road, keeping his eyes peeled. What had gotten into her? In the last fifteen minutes, she’d made two serious mistakes. Freezing up in front of those two and heading back to her apartment. She had to know better!
    His phone chirruped. At the intersection, he held the brake and retrieved the phone. “Go ahead.”
    “We’ve got an agent in place inside Mumbai Mansion. Just hold.”
    An agent in place? “Who?” He’d been the only agent working this area.