Never Let Go by Deborah Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

their charcoal grill Rucker got a can of lighter fluid and a pack of matches. He went to the outer door and swept a hand toward the dark, rain-drenched backyard.
    She walked outside and waited. He angled ahead of her and they stopped on the matted lawn a few dozen feet from the house. He threw the robe down and pointed at the coat.
    "I wanted to buy you something like that once, but you gave me a speech about the cruelty of trappin' animals for their fur."
    Dinah smiled sadly. "And you said I made you feel so guilty that you couldn't look Jethro in the eye for a week. You told him not to worry—that possum skins were only good for decorating highways." She paused, and her smile faded. Dinah dropped the luxurious coat atop the robe. "This was a gift I couldn't refuse."
    "Well, it's about to be a fried gift."
    He doused both garments with lighter fluid, then lit several matches and threw them onto the pile. Blue-gold flames leapt into the air, and Dinah's nose crinkled at the smell of burning fur.
    Her chest swelled with pride. This angry ceremony of Rucker's gave her a sense of victory. Valdlvia had forced her to wear these things; now Rucker was telling Valdivia to go to hell.
    "Stop cryin' over it," he commanded. "I'm sure you know how to get another one from good old Diego."
    She glanced at him in shock and saw that he'd been watching her face in the firelight. Dinah smoothed away the tear on her cheek. "Rucker, you don't know when to be quiet." She marched back inside.
    ***
    Rucker proved that he did know when to be quiet. They left the house without speaking another word to each other, and the silence continued as they drove along a winding two-lane road. Rucker didn't bother to warn her when he suddenly swung the Land Rover off the blacktop. Dinah bounced hard and grasped the dashboard for support. They seemed to be heading into the middle of the woods. A second later the headlights illuminated a narrow dirt road overhung with skeletal oak trees.
    "Where are we going?" she asked drolly. "And why didn't I bring my bear repellent?"
    "Just relax and let me do the talkin'."
    "I never talk to bears."
    "Better to talk to bears than to Russian agents."
    She clamped her mouth shut and vowed to speak only when necessary. There'd be less conflict that way.
    A few minutes later the trees thinned and they entered a clearing. Dinah studied the ill-kept house and the car carcasses that dotted its front yard. A half-dozen baying hounds surrounded the Land Rover.
    "Oh, no. No," she whispered with dread.
    Two of them reared up and planted huge paws on her window. She made a guttural sound of panic and lurched frantically toward Rucker's side of the truck. Dinah collided with his right leg. Without thinking she reached for him with both hands. Her fingers dug into his denim-covered thigh.
    He yelped in pain. "What the hell?" Rucker pried her hands away and held them hard. "You're shakin'. They're just old huntin' dogs. What's wrong with you?"
    She gulped for air. and reason began to return. Dinah forced herself to move back to her side of the truck. "They startled me. They're so ... loud."
    "You always liked dogs. Even big dogs. You wanted a Labrador retriever."
    Nerves turned into anger. "I've changed, all right? Just forget it."
    He grasped her chin and forced her to look at him. Even in the dim light from the dashboard she could see his eyes probing her expression. "Does Valdivia keep dogs?" he asked gruffly.
    She nodded. "Rottweilers."
    His fingers tightened against her skin, but there was suddenly something gentle in his touch. "There's so much I don't understand. There's so much fear in you."
    "The world isn't nearly the safe, wonderful place we thought it was."
    "Why are you afraid of dogs now?"
    His voice held a soothing quality that was new. Dinah quivered and reached up to stroke his hand. "Oh, Rucker," she whispered. "I wish ..."
    A rifle blast shattered the night. Rucker pushed her head into his lap, then bent over her