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Celia Jade [Drakhom Taboo 03] The Drakhom Taboo III [MF] (epu
Alexander, Darleen Woelfe 03 Woelfe der Macht
Craig Saunders [Rythe 03] Rythe Falls (epub)
C A Harms [Scarred By Love 03 Shattered By Love (epub)
C J Cherryh [Fortress 03] Fortress of Owls (retail) (epub
Detektyw Monk 03 Detektyw Mon Goldberg Lee
Cheryl Holt [Fantasy 03] Double Fantasy (epub)
Clifford D Simak [City 01 03] City (epub)
Cabot, Meg Allie 03 Allie setzt sich durch
[erotik] Taylor, Trinity Intensiv

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.It’s better to face forward.” Another thing Gena usually avoided was platitudes.Right now she grabbed for them, eager to change the subject.“The future lies ahead, not behind.”Lupe’s gaze drifted to the digital clock on the microwave.“¡Ay caramba!” She shoved her soda can aside, suddenly panicked.“I’m late!”“Don’t ask” meant Gena couldn’t acknowledge that she knew Lupe worked graveyard shift with a cleaning crew at the fertilizer plant in the next county.Like many undocumented workers, Lupe worked filthy, dangerous jobs for a pittance under the table.A pittance that was largely split between overpriced telephone calls to her grandmother in Mexico and wire transfers that were the old woman’s only source of income.“You’ll be okay?” Gena asked.“With your temptation?”“For today.Tomorrow?” Lupe shrugged and waved farewell.“That is enough.” Gena bit back another platitude.One day at a time.The house seemed abnormally quiet with Lupe gone.The quartet of uninvited crickets that had infiltrated the back porch started to chirp.Great! Bugs for company.Gena crossed the room and plugged in the ancient radio sitting on the far counter.The only good thing about the analog monstrosity was that thieves ignored it.She twisted the tuning dial but heard nothing until she smacked the case.Then static came over the speakers.She spun the dial until she found an AM Spanish-language station.Having grown up bilingual, thanks to a Mexican nanny, Gena understood the lyrics even if she didn’t like the fifties music genre.Right now she just wanted to drown out the crickets.Turning, Gena paused midstep.From this angle, she saw the entire kitchen and realized how hard Lupe had worked earlier to clean it.The grimy layer of construction dirt was gone.The floors gleamed, the appliances sparkled.Even the windows had been polished.For the first time, Gena could envision the room decorated.Curtains—no, plantation blinds—at the windows.Maybe some potted herbs on the sill.Women and children would gather at the table sharing food.Sharing hope.Her eyes watered.God, she wished Vianca were there to see it all finished.She’d be so proud.With ten bedrooms and dorms, it doubled the existing shelter’s capacity.And Vi wouldn’t have rested on her laurels for long.“After this project wraps, I want to look into re-habbing the old shelter,” Vianca had said with her usual verve.“I’ll need your help with that, too.Just to get started.Then you can leave.”Vi knew Gena had never intended to stay in Sugar Springs.It had been a place for her to hide and heal after hitting rock bottom.Already Gena had remained longer than planned.Over three years longer.Finishing this project was a huge turning point in her life.Wandering around the kitchen, Gena ran a hand along the smooth Formica countertop, enjoying her sense of accomplishment.Who would have guessed that the spoiled, multititled beauty-queen daughter of the once powerful Jefferson Armstrong—the same girl who couldn’t wait to flee the citrus belt of southern Texas—would have returned to champion the same poor people her father had once exploited?Darn it, she was pretty proud of herself.“We did it, Vi,” Gena whispered.You did it.You kept your word.You saw it through for both of us.“But I couldn’t have done it without you.”If Vi were really listening, she’d know Gena wasn’t talking about the shelter anymore.Helping to build this made up for a lot of old mistakes.Most of them anyway.Some remained unforgivable.“Guilt is my cue to get busy,” Gena murmured.The sound of the front door opening and closing echoed in the empty building.Alert, Gena called out, “Who’s there?”“It’s me,” Lupe said just as Gena recognized the uneven footsteps.“Where are you?”“I’m still in the kitchen.” Gena looked around for her purse, spotted it hanging on one of the hooks near the back door.Lupe had probably missed her ride to the factory and needed a lift.Don’t ask.“Let me grab my bag.”Lupe rushed through the doorway, her limp more pronounced than usual.Her face drawn, her breathing rapid.“Do you have your phone?”“Yes, of course.What’s wrong?”“I think those vandals came back.” Lupe wrung her hands.“I saw two men around your car.I … I ran back here, but they might have seen me.I must go!”Poor Lupe was terrified of being caught, of being deported.“It’s okay.Let me call the police, and then we’ll hide you upstairs.” Gena moved to retrieve her cell phone from her purse.She hovered in the open back porch doorway where the signal was strongest and punched in numbers.“Did you lock the front door?” Gena asked.“Uh … I think.I will check.”“Lupe, wait.” But the other woman had already disappeared.The operator came on the line just then, drawing Gena’s attention.“Nine-one-one.What is your emergency?”“This is Gena Armstrong at the new women’s shelter on Rio Street.We-—”The rest of Gena’s response was cut off as an explosion ripped through the building.Chapter ThreeArlington, VAOctober 4, 12:25 A.M.Rocco knew the man would call back.Proof of life always preceded a demand.This forced wait was a ploy to make Rocco sweat.Mission accomplished, asshole.But when Rocco’s phone finally rang again, Maddy was still screaming.Or screaming anew.These men would die for harming an innocent woman.“Whatever you’re doing, stop!” Rocco ordered with a deadly calm.“If she continues to scream, all deals are off [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]