Lock, Stock and McCullen (The Heroes of Horseshoe Creek Book 1) by Rita Herron

Author:Rita Herron [Herron, Rita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue
Published: 2015-08-04T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Rose emailed the photos of the music boxes to her computer, then started with the first one and began a search for the origin.

The antique music box turned out to be one with a bisque doll with flowers from the nineteenth century that played Mozart.

The history of the sale showed that it had been authenticated through a reputable antiques auction house. She followed the story of how it had been passed along through two generations of families, then wound up being found in a storage bin, which eventually ended up being sold because no one had claimed the contents.

The tinkle of the bell in the front indicated a customer, then footsteps sounded. Tired from her restless night, she decided to stay put in the office and let Trina handle it. She didn’t feel like having to be social today.

She plugged in the picture of the second music box, an antique portable sewing machine, and waited while her program ran its course. This one dated pre-1900s.

Trina’s voice echoed from the front, then her heels clicked on the wood floor. “Yes, wait.”

A man’s voice came through the wall, low and ominous. Rose froze, her heart clenching.

Dear God...Thad?

No, it couldn’t be.

She jumped up and peered through the door, shock immobilizing her as his face appeared in front of her.

Thad with a gun to Trina’s head.

“You thought you could get away, but you thought wrong, Rose.”

With one hand, he shoved Trina into the office. She stumbled and fell, crying out as her head hit the corner of the desk. Rose reached down to help her, but Thad jerked her arm and dragged her toward the back door.

* * *

MADDOX SLOWLY ROUSED from unconsciousness, his ears ringing, the world a hazy blur of smoke, crackling wood and metal. He was so disoriented he lifted his head to look around, his lungs straining for a breath. Flames shot into the sky and burning rubble was scattered everywhere.

His eyes stung, and his mind was muddled as he recalled the last moments before the explosion. He’d been waiting on Baxter to show, but the marshal was late, so he’d climbed out to look around. He’d opened the warehouse door, which was unlocked, and...boom.

The impact had sent him flying through the air, and now he was lying in the dirt, trapped.

He cursed again as reality hit him. It had been a setup.

The man who’d called and said his name was Marshal Baxter was lying about either who he was or what his intentions were. He’d asked him to come here to...

Dammit. To lure him away from Rose.

Adrenaline kicked in, and he tried to move, but his leg was pinned beneath a big piece of metal. Heat from the fire scalded his skin, the smoke acrid and thick as it curled upward through the air.

He had to get out of here. The bastard had ambushed him and now he might have Rose.

If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.

No...surely she was safe. She was in town with her friend at work.

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