Her Dangerous Promise - Part 3: (Romantic Suspense Serial) by Ashley Stryker Read Free Book Online

Tupperware bowls and closed the door. “I mean the kind of love that hits you square between the eyes and knocks you on your rear.”
    “You really think so?”
    Brad gave her a sarcastic, are-you-kidding look.
    A smile crept across Mary’s face and try as she might, she couldn’t stop it. Embarrassed, she busied herself in the kitchen. “I thought he might be hung up on somebody else.”
    Brad rifled through the cupboard, found a half of a bag of chips and tossed a couple in his mouth. “No. Not as long as I’ve known him.”
    “What about Tammy Jo?”
    “Oh yeah. Well, there is that.”
    Mary wiped the counter with a wet sponge even though it didn’t need it.
    “Listen,” Brad covered Mary’s hand to stop her compulsive scrubbing. “In all the years I’ve known Thom, he’s never missed a morning staff meeting or turned off that scanner of his. He’s been practically married to his job, until he met you. That means something. He cares about you, in more than a professional way.”
    “Then why does he keep pushing me away?”
    “Give him some time.” Brad angled the chips toward Mary. “Now, let’s munch some comfort food and find something on TV.”
    Mary grinned despite herself.
    The light on her answering machine blinked, catching her eye, so she pressed the button.
    “You broke your promise,” accused the voice on the answering machine. It was his voice. Adam Fielding. The man who had abducted her. The harsh edge to his words stabbed icy fear into her soul. “So I’m going to keep mine.”
    “No!” Mary screamed, “Oh, no! Thom!”

Chapter Eleven

    Thom crept to the back of the bungalow style home while the other officers worked themselves into position. The formerly white aluminum siding desperately needed a wash. No fence marked the property line, so the expanse of grass in the backyard, which grew tall enough to catch the bottom of his pants legs, drifted off into the grassy meadow where he and Mary were just an hour or so ago. He could see the power lines in the distance, maybe about a fifteen-minute walk away.
    Toward the back of the property a rusted out swing set listed ominously to one side and probably would collapse under the exuberance of a two-year-old. Beside it, a small storage shed squatted in the shade of a maple tree. A bolt secured the shed, so they’d search it later.
    Three other officers in body armor positioned themselves near the back door. Thom tugged at the neck of the heavy bulletproof vest strapped on over his clothes. With a quick check, Thom verified his badge hung from his belt. He thumbed off the safety on his gun and settled his grip more securely.
    He was ready.
    Standing to one side of the back door, Thom tested the handle. Locked. He nodded to one of the men who descended on the handle lock and then the deadbolt with an electronic gizmo that drilled out the inside of the locking mechanism and turned the catch. With that task completed, the man stood back and let Thom take the lead.
    Quietly, Thom pushed open the door and peeked inside. The door opened onto a stairwell landing between the main floor and the basement. Inside the house was as still as death. And smelled of it too. Thom resisted the urge to retreat from the odor and pressed forward.
    One officer quietly climbed to the top of the stairs. There was no door, so the officer positioned himself so he could cover that entrance while remaining hidden from view.
    Thom led the other officers down to the basement. Adam had imprisoned Mary in the basement and most criminals stuck with their pattern. Because they didn’t know if Adam was home, their first goal was to find and remove Nancy Miller, if at all possible, before confronting him.
    The soles of Thom’s tennis shoes padded soundlessly down the wooden stairs. Boxes in various states of collapse, some spilling their contents of old clothes out of ripped sides, filled the basement room. Directly across from the steps, accessible by a narrow clear