Blood Feud Read Online Free Page A

towards us ‘country cousins’ and our small town troubles. When assistance was offered, it was always done reluctantly and slowly. Learning that bitter lesson soon after taking up the junior police position in town, I’d fallen into the habit of never calling in anything before the Sarge arrived. But now, at his insistence, we called in about half the times we ought. Regrettably though, with red hot anger consuming my mind, today wasn’t one of those times. Especially as I didn’t have the Sarge sitting next to me demanding that I consult with Big Town.
    As I feared, the Bycrafts shot through town, nothing more than a red blur to the startled townsfolk out and about on the main road this morning. I followed at an equally risky speed, siren wailing, lights flashing red and blue. I should have set a good example and slowed down when we hit the town’s sixty zone, where the highway briefly wended its way through our small patch of civilization. But I didn’t, because I was concentrating so hard on driving safely. Or at least that’s what I’d tell the Sarge when this was all over.
    “ Senior Constable! ” Kevin yelled out in panic as a blue Volvo pulled out on the highway directly in front of us.
    Its driver, the town’s representative on the district’s super-Council, pompous Mrs Villiers, was talking on her mobile phone and made only a cursory check to the right for oncoming traffic. I’d already clocked her though and smoothly swerved around her. I narrowly missed potato farmer Brett Cusack driving in his ute in the opposite direction, before falling back to my side of the road. Brett screeched to a halt, his face a shocked smudge as I flew past. Mrs Villiers received the fright of her life and unwisely jerked her steering wheel in response, mounting the curb and pranging into one of the town’s two street-bins.
    Oh dear , I thought, glancing in the rear view mirror at her crumpled bumper. There would be hell to pay over that. An absolute dragon of a woman, she would probably immediately be on the phone to the Super to complain about me.
    “Senior Constable Fuller . . . Shouldn’t you . . . ? Isn’t this . . .?” Kevin’s strangled voice barely dented my consciousness. I had the scent of a Bycraft hunt in my nostrils and I wasn’t stopping for anything. Not now. And unfortunately, for once the Sarge wasn’t here to moderate my actions. For once, I was in charge.
    Poor Kevin.
    My radio crackled and the Sarge’s angry voice burst out, ordering me to end the pursuit and get my butt back to the station immediately. I reached down to turn the volume to its lowest setting so I couldn’t hear him.
    “Senior Constable Fuller! I don’t think . . .” started Kevin, scandalised by my actions.
    “Shush,” I demanded. “I’m trying to concentrate.”
    Free of town, the red car sped up so I sped up as well. I reasoned they’d keep driving on the highway, past the mental health clinic, heading for the state border where I’d have to abandon them. I didn’t want to pursue them across the border because of the attendant jurisdictional issues. The two states had a formal agreement covering interstate police pursuits, but it came with ten tons of paperwork and a whole world of pain. I didn’t need that in my life.
    And also I’d definitely have to call it in if I crossed the border. I really didn’t need that in my life either.
    But the Bycrafts surprised me by throwing a hard right into Mountain Road at the crossroads two kilometres out of town. I spun the steering wheel frantically after them, the patrol car screaming around the corner.
    “Why the hell are they going up there?” I wondered aloud. “It’s a dead end road. There’s nowhere for them to go.”
    “Shouldn’t we . . .? You know . . . Wait?” Kevin spluttered, grasping the arm rest so tightly his knuckles shone white through his skin. “As it’s a dead end and they’ll . . . you know . . . have to come back?”
    I paid him no heed as I