The Bride Wore A Forty-Four by MAGGIE SHAYNE Read Free Book Online Page A

wall, hands on the rope.
"Hurry."
    She slipped through the open window,
clutching his shoulders and lowering herself until she could wrap
her legs around his waist. "Go," she said.
    He let the rope lengthen, dropping them
drastically, then he pushed off with his feet and swung.
    She heard shouting, knew the men were in the
room, now, searching for them, even as they came short of their
goal and began swinging back the other way. Heads appeared at the
window. Then gunshots rang out. Marshall's feet hit the wall, and
this time he pushed harder. They swung, arced over the fire
escape.
    He let go, and they fell.
    She only had an instant to feel panic, before
they hit the fire escape's landing with a terrible impact and a lot
of noise. The entire structure groaned and wobbled, and for a
moment she thought it would rip itself free of the building and
send them crashing to the ground.
    And then it did.
    The fire escape fell like a giant timber, and
as they were hurled toward the ground, Marshall gripped her arm and
yelled, "Jump!"
    They were airborne, then. The fire escape
crashed, bits of rusted metal flying everywhere, and a split second
later, Kira felt her own body hit the ground a few feet away from
it.
    Dazed, she lifted her head, giving it a slow
shake.
    "Come on, baby, they're coming." Marshall had
her arm, tugging her to her feet, and then they were running.
    She realized the men were no longer firing at
them from the window, but were exiting the building, coming around
after them.
    "This way," she told Marshall. "The car's
this way."
    They changed directions, sprinting full
speed, until they ducked into an alley, popped out the far side,
and spotted the car. The keys had been in her jacket pocket. They
were no longer there.
    "Bastards took my keys."
    "No problem," Marshall said, racing around to
the back of the car, reaching underneath it, and coming out with a
key in his palm. "You always keep a spare."
    "You drive," she told him, scrambling into
the passenger side.
    He looked at her oddly, but didn't hesitate.
He got behind the wheel, started the engine, and spun the tires as
gunshots rang out behind them.
    She ducked instinctively just before the rear
window was blown to bits.
    As they sped away, with armed criminals
piling into cars to give chase, Marshall glanced sideways at her
and said, "You really don't remember anything, do you?"
    "No," she said. "I don't know why that's so
hard for you to believe."
    "Oh, I believe it now," he said, shifting
gears, speeding ever faster.
    "Why now?"
    "Because," he told her. "You never let
me drive."

Chapter 7
     
    "I think we lost them."
    "Yeah, along with my stomach," Kira said. But
though she knew the high speeds, split-second maneuvers, and
two-wheel turns should have scared the hell out of her, she didn't
really feel afraid. She felt alive. Her heart was pounding, blood
flowing, skin tingling in ways they hadn't done since—since she
could remember.
    He put a hand on her shoulder. It was warm,
firm. Familiar. "You okay?"
    She nodded. "You'd almost think I was used to
this kind of thing." Lifting her head slowly, she faced him,
studied his profile. The strong nose, tanned skin, slight shadow of
beard on his cheeks. Lips that were full and so sensual she got a
little tingly as she stared at them. "I am, aren't I?"
    He glanced her way, drew a breath, then let
it out again without answering.
    "Don't you think it's about time someone told
me who the hell I am? God, Marshall, I have a right to know."
    He nodded. "I know. I know you do. Believe
me, there's nothing I want more than to tell you...everything.
But—"
    "But?"
    He looked at her again. "I can't"
    She lowered her head. "Can you tell me why
not?"
    "Because the doctors said you needed to
remember on your own."
    "That's stupid."
    "No. No, it's not Kira, things went down. Bad
things. Things that could make the most heartless bastard in the
world cry like a baby. You blocked it out for a reason."
    "Yeah, and that reason was a