Maggie's Man by Alicia Scott Read Free Book Online Page B

my new hearing, I was allowed to go to the courthouse
with just one guard—I was shackled, of course—but for some reason he only did
the leg shackles. Then there came this moment … this completely unplanned,
random moment, when in the corner of the law library where I was doing
last-minute research, the guard decided to bend down and pick up someone else's
trash. I suppose he didn't like litterers. But there he was, bent over, and
there I was, hands free above him. And so I … I hit him. I knocked him out
cold."
    Maggie stared at him, aghast. "That's
awful!"
    "Yes. Yes it is," he murmured. For a
moment, he looked troubled.
    "They'll check in with my old
employer," he continued abruptly, his tone brisk. "That's Beaverton.
We're not headed toward Beaverton, so we should be fine. Next they might try my
old apartment building, but after six years that's a long shot. Which leaves us
with…"
    "Your family," she filled in glumly.
"And you are going to Idaho."
    "Exactly. You see the problem, Maggie, and
why I took a hostage? On the one hand, I'm escaping. On the other hand, I'm
doing exactly what they expect me to do. Not good strategy on my part."
    "It's hopeless then. Give yourself up and
let me go." She smiled at him hopefully.
    "I can't."
    "You can't?"
    "No. I have to get to Idaho. And you're
going to help me do it."
    "I am?"
    "Yes. You have the map. Think of it,
Maggie. From Portland what's the fastest route to Boise? Head due east on
I-84."
    She nodded, and suddenly she realized how much
she was helping him.
    "But we didn't do that," she intoned
dully. "We headed south because I said so. But it was purely accidental on
my part! I don't want to help you escape."
    He shrugged, seeming to think that part was
inconsequential. It probably was to him; he had a gun. "Sure, but heading
south was a good idea, Maggie. I think we'll do it a bit longer. A lot longer.
I think we'll head all the way to Salem, then cut through the Cascades there.
Go through Bend. There will be fewer cops covering a much larger area,
increasing our odds of escape."
    "But that will take all day!"
    "At least."
    "I have cats!" she wailed.
    "They'll make it a few days."
    "A few days!"
    "Maggie, it's an important trip.
Besides—" he smiled at her grimly"—once my brother, Abraham, learns
I've escaped, he'll probably come looking for me on his own. Maybe he'll save
us both time and meet us in the middle."
    Her face went ashen. She gripped the door
handle, needing something solid. This had gone too far. She had to do
something. He was a murderer, and even if he had a good voice, she could not
help a murderer! She had to do something.
    Just once in your life, Maggie, do something.
    She glanced at the handcuff, she glanced at the
door handle. Even if she popped open the door, she couldn't go anyplace
handcuffed to his wrist. She had to get rid of the handcuff.
    "I have to go to the bathroom," she
said abruptly.
    "What?"
    "You heard me. It's a basic biological
function and when I'm scared out of my mind—like now—it's a fairly demanding
one." She raised her chin and forced herself to meet his gaze.
    He shook his head. "Hold it."
    "Hold it? Hold it? Do you know that
women who try to do such things have a much higher incidence of incontinence
later on in life?"
    "First we have to get through the next
twenty-four hours. Then we'll worry about later in life."
    "I can't hold it all the way to Idaho."
    He frowned at her. Then he scowled. Obviously
he hadn't thought about that. It made her smile smugly. She wasn't so bad at
this after all.
    "I hadn't considered all the logistical
details," he muttered.
    Her gaze brightened. "There's no good way
to do it. You'll just have to let me go. I'm too big of a liability."
    His frown deepened. She had the sense he was
struggling with something inside of himself. "I can't do that," he
said abruptly.
    "Yes, you can," she hastily assured
him.
    "Maggie, without a hostage how can I get to Idaho?"
    "You just won't be able to kill