Murphy's Law (The Bounty Hunter Series - Book 1) (9 page)

He smiled, and then grabbed for her hand. Unfurling her curled fingers, she opened her hand to him. On her palm, he drew a smiley face. She chuckled.

“Remember, Echo. The first night I met you, I drew this on your palm. Later, on your bare belly...”

She sucked in a breath. Even in the damp recesses of this old mine shaft, he could still make her hot all over. “Before you kissed me there.” A tug, low and deep, shot through her.

Murphy nodded to the arch and redrew the smile on her flesh.

Echo gasped in understanding. The dots over the other arch were the eyes and now this curve was the smile. All she’d had to do was remember that and she’d find the right tunnels to the gold.

He tugged her behind him as he went under the archway. In the cramped space, he counted off steps, and then stopped and pointed to the left. He went to wall, felt around, and then squeezed his way between one of the outcropping of rocks. She crawled in behind him. They were in another hidden chamber.

Murphy began to dig. She helped him. A foot down, he stopped and yanked on the rope of a bag. He undid the ties and pulled out a small, shiny gold bar.

“We’ve struck gold,” he said with a smile in his voice.

When she held out her hand, he gave it to her. It wasn’t as heavy as it looked. But, she turned it over in her hands and stared in awe.

He hefted out the bag. Nodding to the opening, he said, “It’s a tight fit, so we’ll drag this one out and come back for the others. We should get them all out before dusk. Tomorrow, we go fetch the other half of the loot in another hidden location miles away.”

It took some maneuvering, but they dragged the bag and squeezed it through the narrow passage.

“You’re not keeping it,” she said. A fragmented conversation rushed back to her as they walked back through the maze of tunnels. “Jack. Your friend. You were undercover.” It hit her in the gut now. His friend and he were trying to do the right thing. “You tried to get your brother to give it up.”

“Not mine.”

“Murphy’s Law, right?”

“One of many,” he said.

“You don’t take what isn’t yours.”

“In this case, I don’t
keep
what isn’t mine,” he agreed, the creeds of his mother instilled in him still burned bright.

“Fair enough. Who then?”

“Jack’s gone. The feds? No one would believe us. They didn’t then. What makes us think they will now? Jack’s not here to speak up for us, defend us. We can’t give it back. Aiding and abetting. Accessories. We’d get nailed with a list of charges.” He shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about all those families I met in the hospital while you were in a coma and later in rehab. They need help. Money to pay the bills, to tide them over, pay for babysitters and essentials, to not have to work so they can be there with their loved ones.”

She swallowed hard. He’d been shaken by what happened to her and others. “A new Murphy’s law?”

The entrance came into sight, the light guiding them.

“Help when and wherever you can.”

He held her back, going first.

Echo heard the cock of the triggers before she saw the men. They stood in a semi-circle a few feet from the entrance.

Murphy stilled and tried to shield her.

“Don’t move, brother. Daddy and the boys got no excuse to keep you alive now.”

“How?” Echo asked, slowly reaching for the gun where Murphy had put it in the back of the waistband of his jeans. But she kept her hand and the gun hidden.

“Phones, planes, and...” Their father nodded toward the truck. “Tracking devices. You taught me that much, Murphy.”

“Fuck,” Murphy cursed.

“Fucked, is more like it. ’Cause that’s what you are,” the younger fresh-faced kid said, now sporting a big, black eye.

Murphy held up the bag of gold. “You want it, come and get it.”

Echo shouted. “Throw it, Murph!” She stuck out her foot in front of his shin, shoved him down on the ground, tripping him, and then landed on his back. She aimed the gun and opened fire…

The End

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Next in the Bounty Hunter series:

Riley’s Rules

About the author:

Bestselling author Laurie LeClair writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Laurie’s habit of daydreaming has gotten her into a few scrapes and launched her to take up her dream of writing. Finally, she can put all those stories in her head to rest as she brings them to life on the page. Laurie considers herself a New Texan (New England born and raised and now living in Texas). She lives in Central Texas with her husband, Jim. She loves to hear from readers.

You can contact her at:

https://twitter.com/LeClairbooks

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Books by Laurie LeClair

The Bounty Hunter Series:

Murphy’s Law – Book 1

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The Long Journey Home

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The Heart Romance Series:

Secrets Of The Heart – Book 1

Crimes Of The Heart – Book 2