Eye of the Abductor by Elaine Meece Read Free Book Online Page A

and exit through a
side door.
    Keeping an eye on her
surroundings, she raced to her car. Once inside, she locked the doors and drew
a deep, shaky breath. Her hands trembled as she gripped the steering wheel. Had
the person been after her? Surely not. How would someone know she’d need to
return for her tape recorder?
    She had to stop letting fear get
the best of her. More than likely, it'd been a member of the church or a mischievous
teenager. She started her engine and drove home.
    ***
    Brance entered through the back
door without knocking and smiled at his mom. "Sorry, I'm late."
    "Well, so is dinner. It'll be
a few minutes." His mother stood by the stove. “The others are watching
the game.”
    His stomach muscles tightened as he
entered the den. When had he started dreading seeing his dad and brothers? Did
it have to do with Carla? Maybe.
    His father, brothers, and two
sister-in-laws glanced up. His dad gave him the look he’d always given
him.
    Disappointment. Disgust. He’d
never been able to pinpoint what the solemn expression meant. But it sure in
hell wasn’t the warm glow that lit his dad’s face when Colby or Dillon entered
a room.
    “Game's in the last quarter,” his
father said.
    “Steelers lead by ten points,”
Colby added.
    Brance took the only available
seat next to Carla. Hands clasped, he sat upon the edge of the plaid sofa and
leaned forward, watching the game.
    “You’re blocking my view,” Carla
complained.
    “Sorry.” He leaned back. Her thigh
touched his, and he wanted to bolt. He didn’t like sitting so close to her. Not
that he had any feelings for her, he didn’t. His shattered pride had mended.
Though he still got pissed at the thought of their betrayal.
    “You’ve changed colognes,” she
commented.
    “Yep.”
    “Don’t hit on my wife,” Dillon
said, grinning.
    “No problem there.”
    When the Steelers scored another
touchdown, Colby yelled in delight and came out of his chair. “Damn, that’s
sweet.”
    Dillon scowled and ran his hand
over his very short blonde hair. "They screwed that play."
    Colby laughed. “Dillon has money
riding on the Cowboys.” He glanced at Brance. “You bet anything on this game?”
    He shook his head. “Nope, got
better things to do with my money.”
    “Good thing,” Dillon said. “He’s a
sore loser.”
    He couldn’t let the remark go. “I
am when I’ve been blindsided.”
    Colby jumped in. “Okay, you two.
Cool it.”
    At the end of the game, his mother
stood at the doorway and announced that dinner was ready.
    The garlic and spicy aroma of the
lasagna had Brance’s stomach rumbling. He didn’t waste any time moving to the
dining room, especially since he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
    The others finally made their way
to the table. Dillon and Carla sat across from him. Brance already sensed his
brother had a bad case of male PMS and wanted to start some shit.
    He ignored him and ate, careful
not to spill sauce on the white tablecloth. His brothers and dad, all
law-enforcement, discussed issues within the Memphis Police Department,
excluding him.
    As Colby handed his dad the salt
and pepper, Brance studied how much their hands looked alike. He shifted his
gaze to Dillon and observed he too had their father’s hands.
    He stared at his own hands.
Different. He had thicker fingers that didn’t taper as much. Nor did he have
his mother’s graceful hands. If he didn't know his mother better, he'd think
some other man had fathered him.
    “Mom, this is really good,” he
commented.
    The others offered similar
praises.
    Dillon shot him a snide grin. “I
bumped into Randy. He said you took out Tammy Gibson.”
    “Yeah. What of it?”
    “He says she’s a nympho. That
true?”
    “I don’t kiss and tell,” Brance
replied. Before he gave any thought to what he was doing, he flashed Carla a
smile accompanied with a quick wink. “Lucky for you I don’t.”
    Carla choked and turned red.
    “You son-of-a-bitch!”