Read Online Never Go Home by L.T. Ryan - Free Book Online Page A

returning home
now. Come on in. You’re gonna draw all the mosquitoes out of hiding.”
    I didn’t move.
    “You’re not
thinking of walking down there, are you?” he said.
    I was.
    “Jack, get in
here.”
    The engine had
cut off. I heard a door slam shut, though I couldn’t tell if it was a car door
or someone’s front door.
    “It’s just my
neighbor,” Sean said.
    I took five
steps back, scanned the area the entire time.
    “You really
should get on some meds for that paranoia,” Sean said. “You’re a wreck.”
    “I’d be dead if
I wasn’t.”
    We went inside.
I made sure he locked the door. He led me upstairs to my room. I’m sure it was
nice, but I didn’t bother turning on the light to take it in. I found the bed,
fell onto it and went to sleep immediately.
     

Chapter 11
    The Tercel
ticked and clicked for several minutes after Leon pulled onto the dirt road a
couple blocks after the house the Mercedes had parked in front of. The stupid
Toyota was going to get him killed. Or at least spotted.
    Which meant
he’d have to kill.
    Not that he
was opposed to that. He wanted to get home to North Carolina, not spend the
night in the middle of Florida. He hated everything about the state, starting
with the mosquitoes. They surrounded him now, and they would for the rest of
his time here. It always worked that way.
    He slammed
his car door shut, hoping to mimic the sound of someone going inside. The noise
echoed against the dead night. The crickets around shut up. The cicadas didn’t.
Leon stepped toward the road. The crickets resumed their shrill singing. Leon
stepped a little heavier with their noise, masking some of the sound he made.
    The wind
carried whispers of voices, but they were too far away to decipher. He hoped
they stayed that way. It was dark, and the territory was unfamiliar. He was a
spotlight beam away from being taken out for being a predator in a sleepy,
backwoods Florida town. They’d probably bury him in the woods and sink his car
in a lake and no one would be the wiser for it.
    He crept
toward the final strand of trees, then headed toward the main road. Leon
stopped across from the house where the Mercedes was parked. He shielded
himself from view and watched.
    The porch
light shut off, then the landscaping lights. The windows of the home darkened.
    Leon didn’t
move. He wanted to get a better look at the Mercedes to figure out what he was
doing there. However, he assumed a house like this would have security inside
and out.
    So he
remained and waited and nothing happened. After an hour, he headed back to the
Tercel and placed a call.
    “Yeah?” Vera
said.
    “I’m in
Florida. He’s inside a house.”
    “OK. Stay on
him tomorrow. Report back with his every move.”
    The line went
dead. Leon tossed his phone on the other seat.
    “Yeah, every
move,” he said. “Gonna get me killed.”
     

Chapter 12
    I woke up
just after seven in the morning. Sunlight trickled in through a crack where the
curtains met as it rose above the trees across the street. I rolled over, got
out of bed and looked out the window. I didn’t see Sean’s Mercedes in the
driveway. Must’ve been an in-office day for him.
    I exited the
room and retraced my steps to the stairs. The upgraded carpet felt like walking
on a foam mattress. The air smelled of dark roast. My mouth watered. Every step
I took brought me closer to the coffee. The scent led me into a kitchen lined
with stainless steel appliances, cherry wood cabinets, and granite counter
tops.
    Only the best
for my big bro.
    “Hello,
Jack.” Debby leaned against the counter, lips pursed, arms crossed, left leg
over her right. She held a mug in one hand, and a bottle of cream in the other.
“Care for some?”
    I smiled,
nodded and said, “Black is fine, Deb.”
    She stepped
forward and placed the mug on the island. Her stare never left my eyes. I
reached for the cup. We continued to stare at each other for an awkward moment.
We hadn’t seen or spoken