Read Online Gotcha! by Christie Craig - Free Book Online Page B

to ask, but you belong here. It’s God’s work. I know this is your calling. Sister Beth won’t be leaving until next month. We really need to fill her position.”
    Baldwin choked on his pizza. “What position?”
    Macy just quirked an eyebrow.
    The phone messages continued. They were all her mom, time and again. “Mace, baby, please call me.” And there was a lot of sniffling. Then there was a hang-up. Finally, they were at the last call. Macy didn’t know whether to hope it was Billy or not.
    “Wednesday, 12:03 a.m.”
    “Hello, bitch.”
    Macy flinched. Sergeant Baldwin moved closer. The message played on.
    “Just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you. If you talk to your brother, tell him David Tanks always makes good on his promises. You and I are gonna have us a fucking good time. You do like to fuck, don’t you?” Then the machine clicked off.
    Silence filled the room. Macy sat frozen, staring at the phone.
    Suddenly, it rang.
    “You have a speakerphone?” Baldwin asked in a rushed voice.
    “Yeah.”
    “Use it.”
    Gulping, Macy hit the speaker button. “Hello?” she said.
    “Glad you’re home finally, bitch. Get pretty for me and wait. It might be tonight or tomorrow, but I’ll be there.”
    Then the escaped convict hung up.
    Billy’s patience had cracked about an hour before. At least a dozen times he’d picked up Andy’s cell phone to call Mace or try Ellie’s number, but he’d never followed through. Every police show talked about tracing phone calls. He didn’t want to be traced, but damn it, where were they?
    It was almost four o’clock in the morning before the next set of headlights flashed across the window. Billy pushed back the dirty drapes, praying to see Ellie. Instead, a blue van pulled to a stop in front of Andy’s trailer. Ellie didn’t drive a van.
    Jake’s phone, set on vibrate, jarred him awake. He sat up and almost tumbled out of his seat; the footrest on this green recliner had snapped forward. In the light spilling through the window, he saw a brunette and a cat curled up on a sofa. Not his sofa. Not his brunette or cat either. Where the hell was he?
    The cat’s ears pulled back. Hissing at him, the animal darted off the sofa and disappeared down the hall. Jake’s memory returned.
    He stood, snatched up his phone, and ducked into the kitchen. Checking the number, he saw it was Donaldson. As he pressed it to his ear, he spotted the clock on the wall. Damn. He was two hours late for work.
    “I’m on my way,” he said without preamble.
    “Good,” Donaldson replied. “The brown stuff the lab boys refer to as shit is nearing the fan. The Feds are looking for you.”
    Jake ran a hand through his hair. He should have called in last night, reported the phone call, but damn it, he knew what would have happened. They’d have brought someone out, sent him packing, taken Macy in, but not a damn thing would have been done to investigate the call until this morning. “The Feds? It has to be about Tanks. I just don’t know why—”
    “Why Internal Affairs is with them?” Donaldson said. “Me neither.”
    Jake’s palm tightened on the back of his neck. “IA’s with them?” That was a surprise.
    “Yep.”
    Last night, he’d played all of Macy’s messages, including the earlier one where Ellie accused him of being in cahoots with Tanks. He wondered if IA had heard something similar, and if so, who’d told them. Glancing into the living room he said, “I’m on my way.”
    Snapping his phone shut, he walked into the living room and reached for his gun, which was lying on the floor beside the recliner. Macy was rousing. She propped herself up on her elbow and stared.
    “So, you sicced the Feds on me?” He holstered his gun.
    She lowered her feet to the carpet and pulled her hair back with two hands. “Lovely day to you, too.” Her voice was husky from just waking up.
    Damn, but he liked her. He didn’t have a clue why. In less than twenty-four