Never Again Good-Bye Read Online Free Page A

over the last three days.
    Dizzying fear coursed through her as he turned to confront her, and the murderous anger in his eyes made her back away.
    “You have five seconds to tell me who you are and what in the name of heaven you’re up to.”
    “I told you,” she said on a thin rush of breath. “I’m working on a—”
    “I’m warning you,” he hissed, his eyes assaulting her. His anger was a tangible thing, hardening his face. “Don’t give me that Louisiana youth stuff again because I don’t buy it. You’ve been following Amy.” His hand trembling with rage, he snatched up two of the snapshots. “She wore that dress three days ago. And this one … she had that on the other night. Have you just been stalking her everywhere, waiting to grab her when you had the chance?”
    “No!” she said, daring to reach for the pictures he held.
    He jerked them away, and she flinched, expecting him to strike her on the downswing.
    When his coiled hand only dropped to his side, she said, “I didn’t mean any harm. I just …” Her words trailed off. He wouldn’t accept another lie, Laney realized, and she could not tell him the truth. Bracing herself for his justifiable attack, she dropped her head in defeat.
    “What do you have to gain?” he asked in a quiet voice that was infinitely more intimidating than a full-fledged yell. “I have a small, struggling construction company that I may not be able to keep above water much longer. Even if I sold everything I own, I still couldn’t come up with much ransom.”
    Laney was outraged. “I don’t want your money!”
    “Then why? Is stalking helpless children just a sickness?”
    “Stop using that word! I wasn’t stalking her. I wasn’t even going to touch her,” she said, despair quivering in her voice. “I just wanted pictures. Something of her that I could keep. Is that so wrong?”
    “Yes, it’s wrong!” he cried, the words lashing across her. “You should be locked up.” He slammed a fist into her wall, startling her, and she felt the impact of it vibrate through to her soul. “Why Amy? Why not one of those other children?”
    Tears burned Laney’s eyes, spilled down her cheeks, and her trembling hand rose to cover her mouth.
    “Answer me! I want to know before I have you taken away!”
    She took a step back and found herself against the wall. Wes moved dangerously closer and grabbed Laney’s chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Answer me!”
    She closed her eyes tightly, fighting the words that waited to be spoken. Tears escaped, and her knees threatened to fold beneath her.
    “Answer me!” he rasped, his breath hot against her face, snapping her last tenets of control.
    “Because she’s my daughter!” she blurted. “She’s my little girl.”

Chapter Three
    L es’s rage vanished as an expression of complete shock leached the blood from his face. He dropped his hand and stumbled back, then ran a shaky hand through his tousled hair. “You,” he whispered after a moment. “You were her mother?”
    Laney wiped her tears and turned away, pressing her face against the wall. Her voice was a high-pitched, broken stream of words. “The birth certificate … and the adoption papers … are on the table with the pictures. They’re proof.”
    She heard him shuffling papers behind her, his uneven breath that of a man whose worst fears had been realized. He groaned when he saw the proof. “How? How did you get these? The file was supposed to be sealed.”
    “I have money.” Her voice steadied to a lifeless monotone. “I used it.”
    The seconds ticked by, and she felt him reviewing the signs that told him she was no imposter. “I should have seen it,” he whispered brokenly. “She looks like you. Black hair, dark eyes, small frame, the trace of Indian heritage …” He turned away and expelled a jagged sigh. “You can’t have her back. She’s mine.”
    The words ripped through her. She swung around, and her voice was barely audible