Blood Line (A Tom Rollins Thriller Book 1) Paul Heatley (10 best novels of all time .txt) 📖

bag. He hooks it over Gerry’s shoulder. “Keep studying it. See if you can break the encryption. See if you can find out who the others are. You do that, you call me.”

Gerry is almost catatonic, in a state of shock.

Ben shakes him. “You need to stay with me, Gerry. Look alive. We’re about to leave the building, you and me, together. Come on.”

Ben takes him by an arm, leads him out of the office. Stands close to him while they walk, using his body to disguise the fact that he’s holding his arm, leading him along.

They reach the parking lot without incident. “Where’s your car, Gerry?”

After a moment, Gerry says, “I take the bus.”

Ben bites his cheek. “Of course you do. Come on, I’ll drop you off.”

They go to Ben’s car. He shoves Gerry inside, then hurries around to the driver’s door. He looks back at the building as he goes. No one is following them. He starts the car, pulls out, and thinks about what he has to do.

54

Tom goes to the motel, looking for Beth. She’s on reception. She smiles at him as he approaches. “Hey,” she says. “How you doin’?”

“I’m good.” He smiles back at her, takes a seat.

“You looking to make dinner plans again?” She winks.

Tom did not use his real surname to sign into the motel. He wonders if Beth knows who Tom Rollins is. If Harry has told her about him, this name, to be wary of it. If he told her how they got it. “I could eat,” he says, playing along. “When do you finish?”

“Pretty soon,” she says. “You hold out another hour?”

“Sure,” Tom says. “Meet me at my room. I’ll wait for you there.”

“See you then.”

Tom goes to his room. He checks it over before he enters it, looks around. Steve didn’t know he was staying here, but it won’t hurt to be careful. In the room, he removes the Beretta and KA-BAR from his bag, keeps them on him, then puts the bag in the trunk of his car. He waits for Beth to come. Watches for her. Makes sure she’s alone. If there’s anyone with her, he’ll have the element of surprise. He’ll take them out; then he’ll get what he needs from her.

When she finally comes, she’s alone. She’s smiling as she makes her way, in between whistling. Looks like she’s in a good mood. Because of him, the prospect of another date?

Or because of something else?

When she knocks, Tom is ready, waiting. He grabs her, pulls her into the room, closes the door, clamps a hand over her mouth. Holds her from behind, keeps her subdued. He can feel the way she shakes, her shock.

Tom speaks into her ear. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he says. “I just need to know where your boyfriend is.”

He can see the side of her face, the way her eyes widen.

“I know all about Harry,” he says. “I know all about the two of you. I’m going to take my hand away from your mouth. Don’t scream. I don’t want to hurt you. Do you understand?”

She nods.

Tom removes his hand. Beth doesn’t scream. “Tell me where he is,” Tom says.

“Who are you?” she says.

“Harry and his friends killed someone very important to me,” Tom says. He’s still holding her tight from behind, close to him, preventing her escape, ready to silence her again. “And they tried to kill my brother. I want to know where he is, ’cause he ain’t at home.”

“What do you mean? Who did they kill?” She gasps suddenly, realizing. “It wasn’t … it wasn’t the pregnant girl … was it?” She sounds scared to ask, scared to know the answer.

“Her name was Alejandra.”

“He promised me,” she says, “he promised me they had nothing to do with that! He played dumb, said he didn’t know anything about it, knew as much as I did!”

“Tell me where he is.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Beth says. “We just, we have an … an arrangement. It’s his arrangement, his idea, his rules. I managed to get a little leeway on some of them, but for the most part, it’s whatever he says goes.”

“I’m not interested in your setup, Beth. Don’t make me ask again.”

“No, listen, I’m explaining – I’m not with him every night, just every other night. And when I have to be there, I don’t ask about what he’s been up to, what the Right Arm is doing – I don’t wanna know. I asked about that pregnant girl on the road because I had to. I had to know about that. And he fuckin’ swore to me –”

“I heard you the first time,” Tom says, cutting her short. “You told me already. Don’t repeat yourself.”

“Okay, okay. The point I was trying to make is, I don’t see him every night. I was supposed to be at his place last night, but he wasn’t there. I waited, but he didn’t come home.”

“You call him?”

“Yeah, but his phone was off.”

“He tell you where he was going?”

“No, but that isn’t uncommon.”

“Do you know where he’s gone?”

“No.”

“I need you to think, Beth,” Tom says. “I need you to think long and hard about places Harry might have gone, places he and his buddies might hang out. Anywhere you know about.”

She does as he says. She thinks, tries to remember. It doesn’t take her long to come up with somewhere. “Michael has a cabin in the woods outside town,” she says. “They go hunting there, the council, some of the other guys.”

“And you think that’s where they’ve gone?”

“Could be.”

“Anywhere else?”

“If they ain’t at Michael’s place, and they can’t go to the bar anymore, I’d reckon that’s where they’ll be.”

“Tell me where it is.”

She does so, giving directions as best she is able. “I’ve never been,” she says. “I just know vaguely where it is.”

“All right. I need you to take a seat now, Beth.”

There’s one already pulled out ready, waiting for her. Tom had the room set up before she arrived.

“Why?”