Deliverer by Tamara Hart Heiner Read Free Book Online Page B

you your money. Last night my men stole a two-million dollar necklace. I—"
    "Two-million?" McAllister interrupted, sounding amused. "You owe me ten."
    "Yes, I know." Truman spat the words out. "This is just the beginning. I'll have all the money soon." He let out a careful breath. "I might need a little more than a month."
    "You don't have it." McAllister paused. "However... is the necklace on you?"
    "No, not yet. My men will be here in three days."
    "Give me the necklace as soon as you get it. I'll keep it as a down payment and extend you another four weeks."
    Truman's heart thudded in his ears. Two months still wasn't very much. "I'll do it."
    "Good." Something slammed loudly, making Truman jump. A high-pitched, muffled scream echoed in the background. "Your man here is counting on you. He's already given his hand in your defense."
    Hot rage dipped through Truman's mind, blinding him for a moment. If he could reach through the phone and pull McAllister's throat out, he would. He hung up the phone, his whole body trembling with fury.
     

 
    Chapter 8
     
    Truman couldn't sleep after McAllister's call. He went on a jog with Barley, letting some tension in his joints seep into the cold September air. He finished his jog at the shooting range just east of the house and fired a few rounds. He didn't have an endless supply of ammo, though, and it occurred to him that he might need it.
    Chilled by the thought of a bloodbath, he went down to the basement and lifted weights. The odor of mildew and rust overwhelmed his nostrils, and his eyes wandered over the mess in the room. Trash piled up in the corners. Rust decorated the pipes and sinks. The basement stank of wet and decay.
    Claber's call at noon was a welcome distraction. “We're in Utah,” he said. “Heading for the Montana border.”
    “ Perfect,” Truman said into the phone. He entered the kitchen and scowled at the food and trash littering the room. Did nobody clean up after themselves? Sometimes Grey was far more beneficial at home than on raids.He opened the fridge and tossed half of the contents into a trash bag. “Wait until nightfall or our agent might not be working.” They had safely crossed the border many times, even if the border patrol didn't include one of Truman's men. But with a theft as important as the Swan Lake necklace on board, Truman preferred to play it safe.
    “We will.”
    The rest of the day passed in a monotonous silence. Truman spent most of it outside with Barley, finding the emptiness of the house oppressive and stifling. He didn’t go inside until it got too dark to see.
    Toward midnight the phone rang, waking Truman from where he slept at the foot of his bed. Claber again. Truman cleared his throat and answered. "Yes."
    "Boss?" Not Claber. Eli's voice came across the line, high-pitched and whiny. Unusual for Eli.
    Truman pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "What is it, Eli?" Something couldn't have gone wrong so soon. Not now.
    "We had, um, uh, a slight mishap."
    Truman's lower lip curled into a snarl. "What? What happened?"
    "We had to kidnap these four girls that were spying on us."
    It took a full minute for the words to sink in. Girls. Spying. Kidnap. "You did what?" he shouted.
    "Well, they were—" The phone went dead.
    Truman pulled it away from his ear and stared at it. Signal lost. He waited a few minutes for Eli to call back, but he didn't. They must be in a dead zone. There were half a dozen of those between Montana and Canada.
    Rattled, Truman lay back on his bed. He tried to summon the hypnosis of sleep, but thoughts tumbled around his mind, trying to make sense of Eli's brief sentences. Kidnap? Girls? How? Why? What were his men doing with them?
    Truman sat up and opened the nightstand drawer. As it should be, the whiskey bottle lay on its side, silent and inviting. Truman took a big swig, then another. Kidnap. Spying. Four girls.
    He was a jewel thief. Not a kidnapper. This was not part of the