by CJ Lyons
Lucy jerked her chin up at that. "You?"
"When I ran into the cave, Mom grabbed me, said she needed more time to get things ready. She gave me one of his knives. Told me to slow you down anyway I could." He blinked back tears. Wished this was easier. Better to get it out as fast as possible. "She wanted me to kill you then run and get the other cops. But, but, I couldn't. I knew how to do it right, where to put the knife, but I just couldn't. I wimped out. Just like a fish."
He watched in agony as she gazed past him, eyes clouded with memory. Goodbye house arrest. Hello jail. For a long, long time. You didn't admit to trying to kill a FBI agent and get to walk free.
Worse, he'd lose Lucy.
"You were ten years old, Adam. And you didn't really hurt me."
He looked up in surprise. "You're not mad? I mean—"
"Don't get me wrong, I don't recommend the experience. And we definitely have to tell your counselor and the judge. You don't get to keep secrets like this. Not anymore."
"No. No ma'am. I…" he stammered into silence, not sure what to say.
"Truth is, you probably saved my life. If you hadn't slowed me down, it might have been my body Marion threw off that cliff. Then my husband and little girl would have never known what really happened to me."
He hadn't thought of it that way. "So, we're like, cool? You're not going to leave me, are you?"
The desperation coloring his voice shamed him, made him look down, waiting for her answer.
"No, Adam. I'm not leaving you. Why would I when you're turning out to be such a fine young man?" She stood and brushed off the back of her pants. "But we need to leave here or we'll be late for your appointment with the monitoring company. And I have to get home. I've a soccer game to get to."
<><><>
The final soccer game between the league all-stars. Lucy stood on the sidelines, not worried about the rain or the mud the players sprayed over her as they scrambled after the ball. She held a red umbrella, big enough for two, waiting for Nick, and bright enough for Megan to spot no matter where she was on the field.
Unlike the other soccer moms and dads, she held her umbrella in her left hand. Leaving her weapon hand free and her parka unzipped, but it was only force of training.
The crowd cheered and laughed and shouted, Lucy right there with them, not even looking more than twice when two dads pushed in behind her for a better view of a penalty kick. She ignored her phone the first three times it rang, but finally picked it up after the fourth to see if it was Nick canceling.
It was John Greally. Just like the other three times.
There was a time out on the field, so she relented and took the call. "Guardino."
"Where the hell are you? The shrink's been calling here. You missed your appointment. Again."
"Couldn't help it. Megan's game went late."
"How's she doing?" John's daughter played on Megan's regular team but hadn't made it to the all-stars.
"Kicking butt and taking numbers." Pride rang through Lucy's voice.
Greally laughed. "Just like her mother. You sound better. More like yourself."
Lucy cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder as she moved to the parking area, standing with her back to the Subaru and keeping an eye on Megan. Not in panic, but because she didn't want to miss any of the game.
"I feel better," she admitted. "I know what happened in New Hope wasn't by the books and I'm willing to take whatever OPR throws at me. But John, we both know being chained to that desk was killing me. I belong out in the field. I can lead my people from the front lines. You know I can. And it will get the job done better. Plus keep them safe." She pled her case. For the last time. If the Office of Professional Responsibility wanted to kick her to the curb, then so be it.
She'd done what needed doing and she'd do it again. Not just for the victims she fought for every day. For herself. To give Megan a mother she could be proud of. A mother she could respect.
"Given the public support and media behind you, I think the brass will back off. Again." His voice held a tone of warning Lucy almost missed as Megan stole the ball and ran down field. She leaned forward, fist clutching the umbrella, urging her on, then sighed as the ball flew out of bounds.
"Do me a favor, though," Greally said, "don't miss another psych eval. And I'll see about getting you help to deal with the administrative duties. But you'll be a man short."
"Why? Who am I losing?" Lucy's focus returned to the phone.
"Galloway. Failed her own psych eval."
Lucy turned her back on the field for a moment, gaze searching the parking lot and the cars zooming past. No threats. In fact, the car slowing and turning in was the one she'd been waiting for.
"Don't say 'failed.' She didn't fail anything," she told Greally. "It's a tough job. Not everyone is cut out for it."
Nick parked beside her and hopped across the puddles of melted snow to reach the shelter she provided, taking the umbrella from her so she could have both hands free. She tilted her face to him and he kissed her beneath the cover of the umbrella.
"Gotta go," she told her boss. "Family time."
She hung up the phone, shoved it deep inside her pocket, intertwined her left arm in Nick's right, and they strolled back to the soccer field just in time to see Megan dive headfirst into the mud as she blocked what would have been the winning goal.
Behind them stood a girl in a black raincoat, watching. Not the game, but Lucy and Nick. Lucy caught a glimpse of dark curls, just before the girl turned and ran splashing through the puddles.
No. Couldn't be. No reason why Morgan would risk showing her face anywhere around Lucy. Just her imagination running wild.
Lucy tightened her arm around Nick and edged closer to the sideline to keep Megan in sight, one hand resting on the butt of her gun. More than training, this time. But less than panic.
Maybe it was Morgan watching. Maybe it wasn't. Didn't matter. Lucy was ready.
<><><>
Thank you for reading BLOOD STAINED!
If you enjoyed BLOOD STAINED, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy this book, too.
Recommend it. Please help other readers find this book by recommending it to friends, readers' groups and discussion boards.
Review it. Tell other readers why you liked this book by reviewing it at one of the following websites: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Goodreads.
Read another one of my books. To find info on more of my Thrillers with Heart, go here: http://www.cjlyons.net Want a free book? Sign up for my Thrillers with Heart newsletter and you'll find out how you can receive a free e-book in your first issue which also features #1 New York Times Bestseller Sandra Brown.
Did you find a mistake?
I always strive to tell great stories. My books are edited by at least two editors (sometimes three) prior to publication, but we are all only human. If a mistake slipped past us, please let me know.
You can always reach me via the contact form on www.cjlyons.net
Thanks for reading!
CJ
About CJ:
As a pediatric ER doctor, New York Times Bestseller CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge Thrillers with Heart.
CJ has been called a "master within the genre" (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as "breathtakingly fast-paced" and "riveting" (Publishers Weekly) with "characters with beating hearts and three dimensions" (Newsday).
Learn more about CJ's Thrillers with Heart at www.cjlyons.net
Want more Thrillers with Heart?
The New York Times and USA Today Bestseller, BLIND FAITH,
Coming 7/31/12 in paperback!
An article of clothing. A child's toy. An unmarked grave.
Sarah Durandt knows the man who murdered her husband and son is dead. But without knowing the location of their bodies, Sarah has no sense of closure. She decides to search the mountains of her Adirondack home for anything that remains of her husband and son. Any
thing to make this terrible dream seem real. But what she uncovers is too horrifying to even consider…
Maybe they executed the wrong man. Maybe the killer is still out there.
Maybe, for Sarah, the nightmare is just beginning.
TOP PICK! "This story is so fast paced with so many mesmerizing characters, "fantastic" is not high enough praise. Lyons proves once again that she is a master of suspense and nontraditional romance." ~RT Book Reviews
Click HERE to pre-order BLIND FAITH today!
"A perfect blend of romance and suspense. My kind of read." -#1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown
NERVES OF STEEL, Hart and Drake Book #1
Dr. Cassandra Hart is fighting a war. And losing.
A deadly drug epidemic, a killer stalking her hospital...meet the ER doctor who never gives up.
Cassie's Pittsburgh ER has been deluged by young patients who have overdosed on a new drug, FX. After Cassie discovers that the source of the FX on the streets is her own hospital, her best friend is killed, and Cassie's life is threatened. She is forced to place her trust in Detective Mickey Drake.
Drake's irascible charm eventually penetrates the barriers Cassie has built around herself, and their relationship progresses from professional to passionate. After Cassie discovers the truth behind the thefts, she and Drake must confront a killer. In the end, their only weapons are their new found love and the courage that it gives them.
Click HERE to sample or buy NERVES OF STEEL today!
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
