Easy Prey (Love-Inspired Suspense) Read Online Free Page A

I’m not going to rule it out.”
    Parker nodded. “That’s good. Stick close to her, and eventually you’ll discover what she’s lying about.”
    Jonah frowned.
    Shelder shook her head at Parker. “When did you get to be so cynical?”
    Jonah wasn’t going to hang around for them to argue some more. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”
    He drove his truck to the hospital where they’d taken Elise. It was hard to decide if he was more interested in seeing her or in getting to know his nephew better.
    Nathan.
    The boy’s name brought forth the memory of his own father’s warm smile. But then, he supposed that was the point of Elise naming her son after his father. Nathan Rivers, Jonah’s dad, had always had a soft spot for the girl from the trailer park across town.
    The first day they’d met Elise, she had been a spindly twelve-year-old on the lakeshore. Her older brother, Fix, was supposed to have been watching her. She’d wandered a mile around the lake’s beach, looking for turtles, before she met up with Jonah, Martin and their father, who had been fishing.
    The minute he saw that gap-toothed smile on the girl with the stringy blond hair and she started talking about the symptoms of shell disease in western pond turtles, Jonah had been thoroughly charmed. His dad, too. The old man had suffered a soft spot for little Elise Tanner that was a mile wide and twice as high. But Martin was the one who’d married her.
    Now Elise was a stranger, Jonah had a nephew he’d never met and her brother was number one on his list of fugitives to hunt down and drag back in to custody. Never mind figuring out who had hurt her, lifted her keys and stolen files from the zoo office.
    Nathan was in the hall. “Hey.”
    “How’s your mom?”
    “They’re taking X-rays.”
    Jonah nodded, unsure what else to do—or say. They weren’t at the point he could squeeze the kid’s shoulder. Nathan was a stranger, despite the resemblance.
    Nathan bit his lip. “Were you in Operation Desert Strike just like my dad?” He must have seen the surprise on Jonah’s face, because he said, “I looked it up online. I know all about Iraq back then.”
    Jonah said, “I wasn’t in the same part of the country as Martin.” He pushed out a breath, unwilling to think about the gravestone and the empty pool house. Both of them, gone. “I thought your mom left because she didn’t want to know me anymore, or be reminded of your dad.”
    After Elise had gone, there hadn’t been much else that made sense. What faith he’d had in a God of love and goodness had died with Martin’s death and Elise’s leaving.
    Why hadn’t he tried harder to find her? Maybe he shouldn’t have given her up so easily. Their lives hadn’t been perfect, but maybe their friendship had been worth fighting for. The fact that he’d loved her was irrelevant now—she’d made her choice.
    Now she was back, and his father would’ve said God brought them here for a reason, which only made him ache for his dad all over again. Jonah didn’t want to know about a God who orchestrated life like that. He was the one in charge of his own path.
    The old man had passed away before Jonah joined the marines. He’d never gotten to see Jonah become a marshal. Never had to live through Martin’s death. Never met his grandson.
    Despite everything Jonah could wish to have been different, they were both there now.
    He pushed aside the awkwardness and set a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here now.”
    For whatever reason, Jonah would accept the gift he’d been given for exactly that—a gift. It was what his dad would’ve wanted.
    Nathan’s cheeks filled and he pushed out a breath in the same way Jonah had done. “This is super weird.”
    A smile stretched Jonah’s mouth. “It won’t be for long, I hope.” He let his hand drop. “Did you talk with the police?”
    Nathan nodded. “They took my statement. But I was across the zoo and I didn’t