A Reagan Keeter Box Set: Three page-turning thrillers that will leave you wondering who you can trus Reagan Keeter (most difficult books to read TXT) 📖

moving back toward her gate, he didn’t wait for change. He came up behind her and grabbed her arm. “Your mother is Catherine Parker,” he whispered. “She lives at 2421 West Brook Lane. You have a brother named Thomas; you call him Tommy. You’re a student at Aubury High.”

Alice’s expression remained unchanged but her complexion faded and, unlike when he’d first grabbed her arm, she became still.

“They’re both okay for now, but that could change.”

She jerked her elbow once. Rick’s grip tightened.

“What do you—”

“Lower your voice.”

Alice took several ragged breaths. Her eyes darted left and right even though her head didn’t move. The corridor was largely empty. Most attendees were inside, enjoying the show. “What do you want?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“Right now, I want you to walk,” Rick said. He jerked her arm forward to put her feet in motion, shoved the water into his coat pocket, and wrapped his other arm around her waist so they might look like a couple to anyone passing by.

He led her through a steel door with a glowing “Exit” sign above it. “Drop the drinks,” he said as they entered the stairwell, and she did. He likewise got rid of his water. They went down a flight, where another exit sign hung above another steel door and Rick led Alice through that one too.

It dumped them out in front of the arena parking lot. Rick looked around to get his bearings, then pointed. “This way.”

As they crossed the parking lot, Alice started to whimper.

“It’s going to be fine,” Rick told her. “Do what I ask you to do and this will all be over soon.”

He opened the passenger door of his rented Ford. “Get in.”

Alice looked at the car seat, then at Rick. She shook her head, let out a weak and whiny “No.”

Rick shoved her a step closer—“Get in”—and wrestled her into the seat. Looking down at Alice, he said, panting, “Why are you making this hard? This isn’t about you. This isn’t about your mom or your brother. But I’ll make it about all of you if you keep this up. One phone call and they’ll be dead before you get home, you hear me?” He didn’t actually have anybody he could call who would kill Catherine or Tommy, nor did he think he could give that order even if he had someone to follow it. It was all just part of the show, like the earbuds he’d worn when posing as a UPS employee. Rick was merely playing his part.

He pulled out of the lot and drove west across the city. Alice had a death grip on the door handle. She never took her eyes off Rick. Finally, she asked, “Why?”

The word came out so soft, Rick hardly heard it. “What?”

“Why?” Alice asked, louder. “Why are you doing this?”

Rick ground his teeth together. He could tell her. Perhaps he should tell her. She deserved to know. But he decided it would be better coming from somebody else. “Ask your father.”

Liam Parker

Liam was in over his head. His questions had led only to more questions. David had turned against him. How long could he keep running around the city with a fake ID chasing down leads before he got caught? Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to let Ryan Reyes look for the killer. Maybe he should take that flight to Belarus. He fished around the inside pocket of his army jacket and found the crumpled ticket. He still had several hours until the plane left, more than enough time to get to the airport.

Liam wasn’t sure how to square the plane ticket Rick had given him with the notepad he’d found in Rick’s apartment or the pictures of himself online with Rick’s name. But a ticket was a ticket—what did it matter right now? Ryan would be far better suited to investigate those things than he would. As long as Liam got out of the country, the rest would eventually be okay. He could set up bank accounts in countries around the world, funnel money through them until it was untraceable. He could live comfortably in Belarus while he waited for Ryan to unravel these mysteries.

He should have done this from the beginning. It was stupid to think he could solve a case the police couldn’t. It was stupid to let Anita help him. He’d put them both in enough danger.

The alley dumped Liam onto a busy road. There were no cops there waiting for him. He headed north, moving away from The Crown at a healthy clip. He flagged taxis until one stopped and told the driver, “Take me to the airport.”

The farther he got from downtown, the safer he felt. This was definitely the right decision.

Richard Hawthorne

Rick parked a block from Liam’s building. For the first time since Alice had gotten in the car, she took her red and watery eyes off him. “What are we doing here?”

“You’re going to get me into Liam’s condo.”

Alice shook her head. “No, I—”

Rick gently took hold of her hands. They were shaking. Although he expected her to pull away, she didn’t. “Hey, I know this is scary,” he said, in as soothing a tone as he could manage. “I just need you to walk me past the concierge and unlock the door to Liam’s apartment. That’s it. You do that, and you’re done. You’re safe. Catherine is safe. Everyone lives happily ever after, got it?”

“You’ll let me go?”

“Once I’m done, you’ll never see me again, okay?”

“My dad isn’t home. If you’re looking for him—”

“I’m not.”

Rick could see the front of the towering glass building where Liam lived, and when Alice turned toward the windshield, he knew that was what she was looking at too. She was weighing her options, he figured. He imagined the thought process: What does this madman want? What’s he going to do once he gets inside? Am I betraying my father by going through with this? But what choice do I