Dead Man's Touch by Kit Ehrman

Author:Kit Ehrman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, thriller, suspense, mystery, horses, horse, amateur sleuth, horse racing, racehorse, maryland, thoroughbred, horse mystery, dick francis, racetrack, horse mysteries, steve cline, horseracing
Publisher: Kit Ehrman

Chapter 13

A hand clamped down on my neck.

I opened my mouth to yell, and he shoved my face into the pillow, the sound getting lost in the foam stuffing. I swung wildly at him and was surprised when he let go. As I pushed upward, I heard a click. Something touched my lower back.

Pain jolted through my spine and slammed me against the mattress. Sharp, brutal pain. Air shot out of my lungs. A scream.

My scream.

Fingers twisted into my hair, and he held my face against the pillow.

"That was just a taste," a voice above my head whispered, "so you know I mean business."

Spasms racked my arms and legs. A million burning needles. Nerve endings firing uncontrollably.

I was dimly aware of the mattress depressing as he climbed onto the bed and straddled me, and I couldn't do a thing to stop him. He yanked my head backward, and somewhere among the confused jumble of thoughts bouncing around inside my brain, I thought that I should scream for help. Yell at the top of my lungs. Do something. But the thought never made it to my mouth or anywhere else. A hand came around in front of my face and slapped something across my lips.

"What if he vomits like the other one?" someone mumbled. Nervous. Distant. Close to the door. "He'll choke."

"Shut up," the one on top of me said. More like a growl than a voice. Low. Under his breath.

He let go of my hair then, and my head dropped back onto the pillow. Somewhere overhead, the sound of ripping. He jerked my head off the pillow and pressed something over my eyes. I tried to open my mouth, and this time I felt a response. The correct impulse traveling along the right nerve. Muscles trying to move. But my lips were stuck together.

Tape. It had to be tape.

He bound my wrists with it.

"Look at this."

The words jarred me into the present. Not the nervous voice by the door. Not the one who had put the tape on my face, either. A younger voice. Casual.

"You were right," he said. "He's got background info on everyone in Kessler's outfit. And look at this." Papers rustled. "This ain't no kinda paycheck I ever seen."

He must have found the check I hadn't gotten around to depositing. The one Kessler had given me for my . . . extracurricular duties, which meant they were conducting a thorough search. I'd tucked it into an inner pocket in my duffel bag.

"Let me see, and get his license," the gruff one said. The one I had come to think of as their leader.

Footsteps crossed the room, and I thanked my lucky stars I had already given Green's information to Kessler.

"All right. Let's get this over with." He leaned forward, and his weight over my hips lightened as he pressed his hand between my shoulder blades. "Listen up, Steve. You don't want me to zap you, again. Just give me what I want, and we're outta here. But,"

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