Bound By Blood (Bound 1)

Careful to dodge two of the security cameras, she moved fast until she was hunkered down by a couple of overgrown bushes. The lights from the pool house were on, but the blinds were shut. She could see two silhouettes moving around inside. The shapes were too blurry to make out whether the people were male or female.

After glancing around the backyard to make sure she hadn’t missed any more video cameras, she pul ed her cap down lower and began making her way across the grass. It was almost nine o’clock so maybe this meeting was what her anonymous email had been talking about. A man started shouting again and her curiosity surged higher. She couldn’t understand what he was saying but his tone was angry. As she started to move closer the very distinctive sound of gunshots erupted.

Pop. Pop. Pop. One shot right after another.

Then silence. Adrenaline surged through her like a raging river. And she was standing right in the middle of the yard like a freaking target. Not caring if any of the cameras caught her, she ran toward the cluster of bushes lining the pool house and jumped behind them. She needed to cal the cops, but hiding was her number one priority. Eve held her breath and when there were no other sounds she raised her head and tried to look in one of the windows. The blinds were drawn shut and she could barely see through the sliver between the edge of the blinds and the edge of the window. Immediately she spotted a pair of male dress shoes. Expensive shoes. From the angle it looked like they were attached to someone lying on the ground. Someone not moving. Slowly, she reached down to grab her cel phone out of her pocket. When she patted nothing, she inwardly cursed. Sure, she’d remembered her gun but she’d left her damn phone in her purse which was in her car a few blocks over. A lot of good that would do her now. If someone was dead or dying, she had to get help.

The sound of a door opening and then slamming shut made her duck back down into the bushes. She hoped her dark clothing would help conceal her. Even though she hated to move, she withdrew her gun. Her hand shook slightly but she’d spent countless hours on the range. When the time came, she knew she could use it if she had to. At the sound of footsteps running away, she inched above the foliage only to see the French door that led into the main house slam shut. A light went on in one of the rooms downstairs and then a few seconds later a light upstairs flipped on.

Taking a chance, she hurried from her hiding place and ran to the front of the pool house. Eve cringed as her boots thudded against the stone patio at the front of the smal structure but she couldn’t do anything about it.

Her time was limited.

Easing the door open with her shoulder, she kept her gun tight in her hands. Her gut roiled at the sight in front of her. Next to the splatters of blood on the slick tile floor, the pale yel ow wal s seemed garish and too bright. Right beside the bil iard table in the corner of the room, Al en freaking Martin lay on his back. His dark unblinking eyes were wide open, and a look of shock covered his handsome face. Her gut told her he was dead.

Eve hadn’t exactly liked the guy but, damn. She quickly peeked back out the door and when she saw no one was there, hurried over to the body. After spending months embedded with the troops in Afghanistan, she’d seen her share of dead bodies and she had a feeling he was gone, but she checked his pulse anyway.

Nothing.

Crimson flowed from the three gaping holes in his chest and was beginning to pool on the tile floor. The coppery scent of death fil ed her nostrils.

Instinctively she started to step back. She didn’t want to contaminate the crime scene and she real y didn’t want to leave any evidence behind. She had no business being here but she did need to cal the cops

—even if she didn’t have much faith in their abilities. Her car was blocks over and she couldn’t waste that much time. She just hoped Martin had a phone on him.

Avoiding the growing pool of blood, she felt the front of his jacket pocket until she found his cel . Once her fingers clasped around it she hurried back to the door. When she looked out she saw the light upstairs in the main house shut off.

Crap!

Whoever had done this was probably coming back. She just couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that Richard Underwood had shot Al en Martin. Sure, Martin was sleazy, but Underwood was a good, honest DA. Or she’d thought he was. Now it looked like he might be a kil er. Hurrying back the way she’d come, she paused once she was outside the fenced yard to use Martin’s phone. She dialed 911.

As soon as the operator picked up she started whispering into the phone. “There’s a dead body at the Underwood mansion. 685 Kent Ave.”

“Ma’am, can you please repeat that address?”

“There’s a dead body in the pool house behind the Underwood mansion on Kent Avenue. Al en Martin has been shot three times in the chest and he’s not breathing.

Hurry!”

“Ma’am, are you tel ing me that Al en Martin is dead in the DA’s pool house?” Eve doubted the operator was supposed to let her disbelief show, but in a smal town she’d have no doubt where the Underwood mansion was and exactly who owned it.

She sighed at the woman’s question. The dispatcher should already be contacting a patrol car. Another strike against the police department of Hudson Creek. They’d screwed up the prosecution of the man who’d kil ed her parents. Why not screw this up too?

“Yes, that’s what I’m tel ing you. Send someone now. The kil er is stil here.” It was hard to keep her voice a whisper when she wanted to shout at the operator.

“We’re sending a patrol over but I need to know who I’m speaking to.”

Not freaking likely.

Instead of answering, Eve hung up. She couldn’t afford to say anything else. She’d trespassed on the property and admitting that to the sheriff would give him an excuse to waste hours interrogating her. As she glanced around she realized no one must have heard the shots because the street was deathly quiet. She desperately wanted to wait around and make sure the cops showed up but knew she couldn’t. If they found her here she’d be in a world of trouble. Hurrying, she continued her escape down the sidewalk. When the phone she’d taken started ringing, she jumped. The cal er ID

screen said restricted.

“Hey, I hear it,” a thick, accented male voice said from behind the fence of the Underwood’s place. Panic jumped in Eve’s chest. She pressed the end button, effectively silencing the cal as she started running down the sidewalk. Her boots thudded loudly but there was nothing she could do about it. She wanted to turn it off completely but didn’t have time to waste.