Read Online Give Him the Slip by Geralyn Dawson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Geralyn Dawson
Ads: Link
kids."
He paused again, grinning at Deidre's mention of Terry's horrible
singing voice, then said, "You're right. I swore the whisky glasses were
gonna break last time I heard him sing 'The Yellow Rose of Texas.' Listen, I
need a favor. See what your system pulls up on a..." He read her name and
address off the license, then added, "Yeah, I'll hang on."
"Fine," Maddie snapped. "Be a show-off. Use your
connections to ferret out every last kernel of information about me. Then what
are you going to do? You promised you wouldn't cause me trouble. Will you break
your word? Sworn on Knucklehead's life, I might remind you?"
Actually, he'd dodged that particular promise, but Luke doubted
she'd see it that way.
"Or will you delay your fishing trip and help me? Hmm?"
She folded her arms. "Men. What's that saying? Can't count on them, can't
shoot them?"
Deidre came back on the phone and began relaying salient facts
about Maddie's record. Hmm... looked like she'd told the truth. So far, anyway.
Luke grabbed a pen and made a note of the name and phone number of Maddie's
parole officer.
Maddie watched him write the name Jennifer Thompson and winced. A
nerve there. She obviously didn't want him talking to the woman. What else was
she hiding?
"May I remind you that you're not official anymore, Mr.
Callahan? My parole officer doesn't have to speak to you. Surely I have some
privacy rights."
"Thanks, Deidre. Yeah, you, too. Bye." Luke stared her
straight in the eyes as he set the phone on the table. "What did Branch
Callahan say when you told him you got busted for dope? He about split a gasket
when he caught Matt smoking a joint when he was a high school freshman."
Calmly, quietly, Maddie said, "I've already told you what
happened. Believe what you want. Your kind always do. Now, if you'll excuse me,
I'd like to get some sleep."
His kind? Luke wasn't about to excuse her. Though he'd tried hard
to let this whole thing go, his gut wouldn't let him. Not now, anyway.
Something about this entire business was screwy, and he by God wanted to know
what it was all about.
First she wants his help; she tells him secrets that could land
her in jail. Then, abruptly, she changes her mind and shuts up? What other
secret could she have? She had no outstanding warrants. No criminal history
except for the one arrest. She'd blamed her punishment on her identity.
They made an example of me because of who I am.
So, who was she? What was so special about Madeline Kincaid?
"You're driving me crazy, you know." He folded his arms
and leaned against the door frame just as his cell phone began to ring.
Luke checked the number. Deidre? "Hello."
The voice in his ear said, "Hey, Luke. Listen, we no sooner
hung up than I realized where I'd heard her name before."
"Oh?" His gaze locked on Maddie's. "What else do
you know about her, Deidre?"
"She changed her name legally when she got out of jail.
They've kept her new name real hush-hush. Maddie Kincaid's record is real, but
the name has definitely been changed to protect the not-so-innocent. I only
found out because Jennifer Thompson missed the change on one report. Up until
then, I had no clue she'd stayed in Texas. I figured her father would have
pulled some strings. Luke, Madeline Kincaid was born Madeline Connaught."
Madeline Connaught. Didn't ring a bell. "So?"
"Don't you know your
rock music trivia? The Swords? She's Blade's daughter, Callahan. Madeline
Kincaid is Baby Dagger."
Maddie watched awareness enter Luke Callahan's eyes. So, now he
knows. She was Baby Dagger, the most hated child in the Western world. The
despised person responsible for breaking up the Swords, the greatest rock group
since the Beatles. As a third grader, Maddie had been the Yoko Ono of the
elementary school set.
She really didn't want to go over that part of her life with the
likes of Luke Callahan. While he was still on the phone, she pushed past him,
running away from both past and present. She fled to the flybridge,
He paused again, grinning at Deidre's mention of Terry's horrible
singing voice, then said, "You're right. I swore the whisky glasses were
gonna break last time I heard him sing 'The Yellow Rose of Texas.' Listen, I
need a favor. See what your system pulls up on a..." He read her name and
address off the license, then added, "Yeah, I'll hang on."
"Fine," Maddie snapped. "Be a show-off. Use your
connections to ferret out every last kernel of information about me. Then what
are you going to do? You promised you wouldn't cause me trouble. Will you break
your word? Sworn on Knucklehead's life, I might remind you?"
Actually, he'd dodged that particular promise, but Luke doubted
she'd see it that way.
"Or will you delay your fishing trip and help me? Hmm?"
She folded her arms. "Men. What's that saying? Can't count on them, can't
shoot them?"
Deidre came back on the phone and began relaying salient facts
about Maddie's record. Hmm... looked like she'd told the truth. So far, anyway.
Luke grabbed a pen and made a note of the name and phone number of Maddie's
parole officer.
Maddie watched him write the name Jennifer Thompson and winced. A
nerve there. She obviously didn't want him talking to the woman. What else was
she hiding?
"May I remind you that you're not official anymore, Mr.
Callahan? My parole officer doesn't have to speak to you. Surely I have some
privacy rights."
"Thanks, Deidre. Yeah, you, too. Bye." Luke stared her
straight in the eyes as he set the phone on the table. "What did Branch
Callahan say when you told him you got busted for dope? He about split a gasket
when he caught Matt smoking a joint when he was a high school freshman."
Calmly, quietly, Maddie said, "I've already told you what
happened. Believe what you want. Your kind always do. Now, if you'll excuse me,
I'd like to get some sleep."
His kind? Luke wasn't about to excuse her. Though he'd tried hard
to let this whole thing go, his gut wouldn't let him. Not now, anyway.
Something about this entire business was screwy, and he by God wanted to know
what it was all about.
First she wants his help; she tells him secrets that could land
her in jail. Then, abruptly, she changes her mind and shuts up? What other
secret could she have? She had no outstanding warrants. No criminal history
except for the one arrest. She'd blamed her punishment on her identity.
They made an example of me because of who I am.
So, who was she? What was so special about Madeline Kincaid?
"You're driving me crazy, you know." He folded his arms
and leaned against the door frame just as his cell phone began to ring.
Luke checked the number. Deidre? "Hello."
The voice in his ear said, "Hey, Luke. Listen, we no sooner
hung up than I realized where I'd heard her name before."
"Oh?" His gaze locked on Maddie's. "What else do
you know about her, Deidre?"
"She changed her name legally when she got out of jail.
They've kept her new name real hush-hush. Maddie Kincaid's record is real, but
the name has definitely been changed to protect the not-so-innocent. I only
found out because Jennifer Thompson missed the change on one report. Up until
then, I had no clue she'd stayed in Texas. I figured her father would have
pulled some strings. Luke, Madeline Kincaid was born Madeline Connaught."
Madeline Connaught. Didn't ring a bell. "So?"
"Don't you know your
rock music trivia? The Swords? She's Blade's daughter, Callahan. Madeline
Kincaid is Baby Dagger."
Maddie watched awareness enter Luke Callahan's eyes. So, now he
knows. She was Baby Dagger, the most hated child in the Western world. The
despised person responsible for breaking up the Swords, the greatest rock group
since the Beatles. As a third grader, Maddie had been the Yoko Ono of the
elementary school set.
She really didn't want to go over that part of her life with the
likes of Luke Callahan. While he was still on the phone, she pushed past him,
running away from both past and present. She fled to the flybridge,
Similar Books
