Read Online Bloodlines by Dinah McCall - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dinah McCall
Tags: United States, Suspense, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Fiction, romantic suspense, Mystery & Suspense
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herface as she smiled back at him from a picture, then laid his hand on the words sheâd written beneath.
Love you forever
âBut you didnât, did you, Livvie girl?â
Then, disgusted with himself for being so morbid, he slammed the book shut, tossed it on the floor and rolled over onto the bed. But even after he closed his eyes, he could still see her face smiling up at him from the page. Then the image faded, and another, more unsettling, took its place. It was that handful of tiny bones laid out on the examining table that strengthened his resolve.
He would give a name to the bones and find the devil who had ended her brief life, no matter what it took or who he pissed off along the way.
5
B raced with three cups of coffee and three extra-strength painkillers to dull the headache heâd awakened with, Trey figured he was ready for anything the day presented. But when he got in his car, saw the gum wrappers, the empty disposable coffee cup on the floor and the slight film of dust on the dash, he stopped. A picture flashed in his mind of the elegance of Marcus Sealyâs home, and he imagined the looks on their faces when they saw the inside of his car. He sighed. Once again, Marcus Sealy would judge him and find him lacking.
He glanced at his watch. He was going to be late, but it couldnât be helped. He started to get out and get something to clean the car with, then stopped.
His car was dusty because of the dirt roads heâd driven on to get to the lake house where the babyâs remains had been found, and the gum and coffee had been all heâd been able to stomach in the way of food after heâd left.
At that point, he came to terms with himself. What the Sealys thought about him no longer mattered. He grabbed the coffee cup and gum wrappers, stuffedthem into the open pocket at the bottom of the door, stuck his forefinger on the dash and wrote Clean Me in the dust, then jammed the key into the ignition. Seconds later the engine roared to life. As he was backing out of the driveway, he waved at his eighty-one-year-old neighbor, Ella Sumter, who was doing tai chi in her front yard, and grinned when she blew him a kiss.
He began to feel better as he drove toward the outskirts of Dallas and the Sealy estate. By this time next week, it would all be over, and chances were, he wouldnât have to see them again. All he had to do was put on his game face and remember that he was the one in charge.
Â
Olivia paused in front of her bedroom mirror long enough to get a full view of the dress she was wearing. She frowned, then flung it aside to join the four other outfits sheâd already discarded on the bed. She had started toward the closet again when reality hit. It shouldnât matter what she wore. She shouldnât care what Trey Bonney thought. He wasnât coming to take her out. He was coming to take them awayâto a crime lab for DNA testing to verify her identity, for Godâs sake.
She sank onto the side of the bed and covered her face, stifling the urge to cry. She didnât want Grampy to know that she was falling apart, and she certainly didnât want Trey Bonney to see her vulnerability.
Slowly, anger replaced fear as she got up from the bed and moved back to the closet. This time, there wasno hesitation as she pulled out an outfit, and when she began to dress, it was with purpose. She buttoned and zipped and tucked and smoothed, and then stepped into shoes that matched, ran a brush through her hair, grabbed her handbag and left the room without giving herself a second look.
Marcus was in his room when he heard Oliviaâs footsteps going past the door. There was a strong, steady rhythm to her stride that hadnât been there last night when sheâd left the dinner table in tears. The sound made him smile. That was his girl. He glanced at himself in the mirror, making sure that his collar was smooth and his tie straight as he moved to the
Love you forever
âBut you didnât, did you, Livvie girl?â
Then, disgusted with himself for being so morbid, he slammed the book shut, tossed it on the floor and rolled over onto the bed. But even after he closed his eyes, he could still see her face smiling up at him from the page. Then the image faded, and another, more unsettling, took its place. It was that handful of tiny bones laid out on the examining table that strengthened his resolve.
He would give a name to the bones and find the devil who had ended her brief life, no matter what it took or who he pissed off along the way.
5
B raced with three cups of coffee and three extra-strength painkillers to dull the headache heâd awakened with, Trey figured he was ready for anything the day presented. But when he got in his car, saw the gum wrappers, the empty disposable coffee cup on the floor and the slight film of dust on the dash, he stopped. A picture flashed in his mind of the elegance of Marcus Sealyâs home, and he imagined the looks on their faces when they saw the inside of his car. He sighed. Once again, Marcus Sealy would judge him and find him lacking.
He glanced at his watch. He was going to be late, but it couldnât be helped. He started to get out and get something to clean the car with, then stopped.
His car was dusty because of the dirt roads heâd driven on to get to the lake house where the babyâs remains had been found, and the gum and coffee had been all heâd been able to stomach in the way of food after heâd left.
At that point, he came to terms with himself. What the Sealys thought about him no longer mattered. He grabbed the coffee cup and gum wrappers, stuffedthem into the open pocket at the bottom of the door, stuck his forefinger on the dash and wrote Clean Me in the dust, then jammed the key into the ignition. Seconds later the engine roared to life. As he was backing out of the driveway, he waved at his eighty-one-year-old neighbor, Ella Sumter, who was doing tai chi in her front yard, and grinned when she blew him a kiss.
He began to feel better as he drove toward the outskirts of Dallas and the Sealy estate. By this time next week, it would all be over, and chances were, he wouldnât have to see them again. All he had to do was put on his game face and remember that he was the one in charge.
Â
Olivia paused in front of her bedroom mirror long enough to get a full view of the dress she was wearing. She frowned, then flung it aside to join the four other outfits sheâd already discarded on the bed. She had started toward the closet again when reality hit. It shouldnât matter what she wore. She shouldnât care what Trey Bonney thought. He wasnât coming to take her out. He was coming to take them awayâto a crime lab for DNA testing to verify her identity, for Godâs sake.
She sank onto the side of the bed and covered her face, stifling the urge to cry. She didnât want Grampy to know that she was falling apart, and she certainly didnât want Trey Bonney to see her vulnerability.
Slowly, anger replaced fear as she got up from the bed and moved back to the closet. This time, there wasno hesitation as she pulled out an outfit, and when she began to dress, it was with purpose. She buttoned and zipped and tucked and smoothed, and then stepped into shoes that matched, ran a brush through her hair, grabbed her handbag and left the room without giving herself a second look.
Marcus was in his room when he heard Oliviaâs footsteps going past the door. There was a strong, steady rhythm to her stride that hadnât been there last night when sheâd left the dinner table in tears. The sound made him smile. That was his girl. He glanced at himself in the mirror, making sure that his collar was smooth and his tie straight as he moved to the
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