Intrusion by Cynthia Justlin Read Free Book Online Page B

hall.

    ***

    Cam shifted the pickup into park at the curb and cut the ignition. The engine spluttered to a stop—much like his careful plans. After his hasty grab and go following the news broadcast the previous night, he’d fled his house and ditched his brand new SUV for a beater, driving it around Phoenix until dawn.
    His mind had raced for a viable plan, and this morning he’d come to the courthouse armed with enough cash to bond Audra out of jail. Only to learn he was the very reason her bail was being denied.
    He adjusted the black thick-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose and tugged his navy blue cap further down on his head to cover his exposed hair.
    His stomach shifted, guilt and unease comingling there. What he was about to do went against every code of honor he had, but what choice did he have? He needed Audra. She, alone, knew the details of her prototype inside and out; she held the key to clearing both their names.
    He jumped out of the vehicle then popped the truck’s hood. Nothing to see here, just a bit of car trouble. He allowed a grin to curl one corner of his mouth for a moment before smothering his lips back into a straight line. Damn, could he have scrounged up a fuglier get away car? Five hundred bucks sure didn’t buy much these days—except for a gold-green 1970s Chevy with badly chipped faux wood siding.
    Scanning the empty sidewalk in front of him, he let his gaze travel past the low river-rock wall and over the short staircase to the single inconspicuous metal door at the rear of the courthouse. Any minute now Audra should come through that door on her way back to the county lockup. The slim window of opportunity didn’t give him the option of creating an elaborate diversion. A nice, juicy smoke bomb would have to do.
    He shoved his hand in the pocket of his jacket and curved his fingers around the fat smoke candle. Once he lit it, he had two, maybe three minutes tops, to grab Audra and get the hell out. He strode over to the rock wall and leaned against it. The two large air-conditioning units on the other side of the wall hummed in appreciation of his plan.
    Yes. The space between them was the perfect spot to drop his little surprise for Audra’s guards.
    Cam adjusted his cap once more to shade the majority of his face and then palmed the smoker in one hand, a lighter in the other. The door to the court swung open and he caught a flash of red hair.
    Audra. Escorted by two guards.
    He quickly turned his shoulder to them, but still managed to catch a glimpse of Audra’s pale face and withdrawn posture. His heart turned over. No way was he letting her go back to that damn jail.
    He flicked the lighter, sparking the small flame to life, and brought it into contact with the wick on the smoke candle. The fuse lit, he inched his arm behind him and dropped the bomb between the wall and the air-conditioners.
    Before the wick had the chance to burn down, he sauntered back to the pickup. As the guards neared the wall, the smoke frothed to life. A thick plume rose from between the air-conditioners and polluted the air with a dark grey haze.
    “Fire!” The bark from one of the guards bit through the dirty air.
    A burst of static followed as the other guard grabbed for his radio. “Possible air-condition unit on fire. Madison Street prisoner exit.”
    Cam shut the truck’s hood. The palpable dark smoke hung in the air like a cloak, masking his movements and creating critical seconds of chaos. He slipped up behind Audra and pressed his hand against her mouth.

    ***

    Hand. Smothering her.
    It happened so fast. One minute the guards had hold of Audra’s arms, the next, smoke had enveloped her and she’d lost sight of them. The stranger locked her in his grip, dragging her backwards. Her fingertips dug into tense muscle beneath the fabric of his sleeve.
    She bucked. He held fast.
    Audra opened her mouth to scream, but his palm pressed deeper, cutting any sound from her burning throat. Smoke