Read Online Cold Pursuit (Cold Justice) (Volume 2) by Toni Anderson - Free Book Online Page B

didn’t swim to safety, he just floated lifelessly away from them. The would-be child killer wheeled and slithered around him until Jed was the one being choked. Jed shoved him hard backwards into the wall, desperate to break away and reach Michael and get him to the surface.
    A tsunami of bubbles erupted around the boy and a flash of long, red hair. Vivi was there, dragging her son out of the water.
    He turned his attention back to the dirt bag who’d sunk low enough to try and drown an eight-year-old boy. Spots danced in front of Jed’s vision, but this guy had been under for much longer and was hurting for oxygen a hell of a lot more than he was. Grimly he held onto the fucker. Tighter when the guy finally started to panic and tried to head for the surface. Jed could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears and deliberately calmed his mind, slowed his pulse. Sniper training took over and his body relaxed despite the adrenaline and testosterone that cruised through his bloodstream. The look in the other guy’s eyes was worth every second of dealing with his own discomfort. He waited and waited until the guy finally inhaled and started choking. Suck it back, asshole . Then Jed dragged him to the surface and let the lifeguard haul him out onto the side. He got himself out of the pool and fished handcuffs out of his saturated pants pocket. Snapped them onto the terrorist scumbag even though the lifeguard protested as he tried to perform mouth-to-mouth.
    Jed retrieved his weapon. He wasn’t worried about this guy. You couldn’t drown a cockroach. On cue the bastard started coughing and spewing up water. Jed strode over the where Michael Vincent lay pale in his mother’s arms. He was conscious and shivering uncontrollably. Her eyes were red-rimmed, from chlorine or crying he couldn’t tell.
    What a fucking day.
    He crouched down and put his hand over hers, squeezing her fingers, wishing he didn’t feel personally responsible for this whole damn mess. “He OK?”
    She swallowed and nodded, looking fragile and exhausted and battle-ready all at the same time. Admiration for this woman kept growing—forget the fact she was beautiful, she had a backbone of steel; she’d been through hell but she didn’t wallow in tears. She was a fighter.
    He grabbed a large, thick towel from a pile stacked on a nearby table and wrapped it around her shoulders, feeling her stiffen at the contact. “It’s OK, Vivi.” He ran his hand up and down her back wanting to reassure her and make her feel safe even though he knew better than to make promises. “Everything is going to be OK.”
    Jed looked at the lifeguard who’d been knocked out. He seemed to be coming around. Jed retrieved his jacket and shoes from the damp floor and pulled out his phone. He was cold, wet, but damned happy he’d reached Michael in time. He called the local office. “I got one of them attempting to drown the Vincent boy in the hotel pool.” He gave some details over the phone, just enough for them to know exactly where he was and what to do.
    The hotel was only a few miles from the Minneapolis Mall and it took less than three minutes for a couple of feds to show up. Vivi and her son sat clinging to one another, shivering uncontrollably. Michael was crying soundlessly. Something about that mute grief twisted a knife in Jed’s heart.
    He handed the terrorist suspect into custody while one of the other agents picked up the guy’s belongings from the locker room. The would-be killer wasn’t allowed to get dried or dressed. Jed hoped the guy’s balls snapped off on the way to interrogation.
    Jed grabbed his coat and Vivi’s bag from the lounge chair. Turned to find her watching him. There were questions in her frank blue gaze. Big questions about what happened next. Questions he didn’t want to answer.
    “Come on.” He herded them out the door, through the lounge and into the elevator. Inside, he slipped his gun out of his holster. “Which