Read Online Edge of the Heat 3 by Lisa Ladew - Free Book Online

website and uploaded an obscure image of the flagpole in front of the DEA building, knowing it would be completely ignored by the regular users. The caption was his new phone number. Craig searched the submissions for the image and sure enough, there it was. He called Hawk and Hawk then deleted the image. That was just the kind of clever thing Hawk was good at thinking up. If he wanted to, he could be a great criminal, but luckily Hawk was one of the good guys.
    Hawk had meant to head out to the prison hospital to see Foster himself two days ago, but obviously he couldn’t, being on the run. Craig hadn’t been able to get to it until today. He needed to see how general population was treating Foster and if Foster was ready to talk yet.
    As he pulled up to the gate he was waved away by the guard. Craig ignored him and pulled forward.
    The guard stuck his head out of the bunkhouse and yelled “No visitors today, we’re on lockdown!”
    Craig pulled out his badge. The guard looked at it and made a phone call. After a few minutes he waved Craig through.
    Craig hadn’t been out to the prison hospital yet. Hawk had always come before. He wasn’t sure what it usually looked like, but today it was full of frenetic activity. There were guards with rifles patrolling the parking lot and the perimeter and guards with guns strapped to their hips standing in groups and walking around. Idly, Craig wondered if they’d had an escape. That would suck , he thought.
    He entered the front door, showed his badge and ID and was buzzed through the first large, clear door. A guard met him in between the two doors. “I’m sorry Agent Masterson, but an inmate escaped last night. Security is at it’s highest level today. Everyone entering gets patted down. Can you face the wall please.
    Craig shrugged his shoulders. “I’m carrying.”
    “You’ll have to check your piece with the desk.”
    Craig pulled his gun out of the shoulder holster under his jacket, checked the safety, and slid it in the small window under the bulletproof glass. He received a token back. He pocketed it and turned around, spreading his arms and legs and placing his hands against the wall. The guard did a thorough pat-down, then gave a signal to the man behind the glass. The inside door buzzed open.
    Craig walked in, checked the sign, and headed left, towards the neurology unit. He spotted the desk and addressed the first person he saw there, a dark-haired man wearing green scrubs. “Hi, I’m Agent Masterson, here to see Norman Foster.”
    The man’s eyes widened. “Hold on sir,” he said, and grabbed the phone.
    Craig’s stomach dropped as if he were on a roller coaster. Oh shit , he thought. His hands squeezed into fists. For a moment he couldn’t think of anything. His thoughts deserted him. Then, they slammed back into his head with the force of a ton of bricks. If they let Norman Foster escape, so help me -
    Craig’s thoughts were interrupted by a guard in full brown uniform practically sprinting down the corridor towards him. Craig turned to him.
    The guard extended his hand. “Agent Masterson, Hi I am Sergeant Coleman. Could you follow me to my office please?”
    Craig searched his heavily-lined face for clues. 
    “Did Norman Foster escape?”
    Sergeant Coleman bowed his head slightly, his eyes never leaving Craigs’.
    “Yes, last night, sometime after 1 a.m. He was discovered missing at 6:10 a.m. We hope he never left the grounds. They are searching for him now.”
    Craig’s blood pounded in his ears. “How? How could a paralyzed man escape?”
    “That’s the thing. He’s not paralyzed anymore. He must have recovered his mobility sometime in the last 5 weeks, but played possum and not told anyone.”
    Craig had heard enough. Suddenly he was on autopilot, and the only program playing in his brain was Emma, Emma, get to Emma . The need to see her safe was so great that he felt he would die if he stood here for one more second. He took off at a