Page 134 of Conrad

And probably this had been a stupid idea—why would she return to the one place that haunted her?

Think!

He turned and scrambled back upstairs, out of the butler’s pantry. He’d find Jack and?—

The blow hit him along his back, almost like a check into the boards, and he slammed against the counter. Fire exploded in his hip.

But he’d been hit before and knew how to round back. He caught the second blow—a fireplace poker—with his hand.

Why the man hadn’t just shot him, he didn’t know, but Franco jerked back. Blood on his mouth, so maybe Penelope had gotten a kick in.

And that galvanized Conrad.

He listened to his instincts and charged.

Catching the man around the waist, he propelled him back against the island, heard a whuff, then sent a fist into his gut.

Not before Franco cuffed him in the ribs, but he’d taken tougher punches before.

Franco grunted, hit him again, added a knee, but Conrad dodged it. He grabbed Franco around the neck, pushed him down into the crook of his body, tightening his hold.

“Bro! Ease up—you’ll break his neck!”

He looked up to see Jack scrambling toward him.

Franco used the moment to elbow him in the thigh—near miss, but it shook him off-balance enough for the man to break free.

Jack jumped in, took him down, his knee to Franco’s shoulder, wrenched his hand back.

Franco swore at him, kicked, and Conrad landed on his legs. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know!” He writhed and Jack bore down on him. “She got away!”

Good girl.“You got this?”

“Secure his legs.”

Conrad pulled off his belt, wrestled the man’s legs together.

“Now a lamp cord.”

What?But he scrambled off Franco. Franco fought, but Jack pushed his hand against the man’s neck, held him to the floor. Conrad yanked a cord from a lamp in the living room, raced back.

Held him as Jack looped the cord around one wrist, pulled it back to meet the other. Then he sat on the man, who was still shouting, swearing. “This will hold until we get help. Find her.”

“Penny!” Conrad stood up, ran to the living room. “Penny, come out—you’re safe!”

Nothing but creaking in the old house, never mind Franco’s shouts.

Then, in the distance, a motor sounded.

He ran to the dining room, and out at the boathouse saw?—

A snowmobile. And on it, Penny, gunning out of the house, right toward?—

“Penny! No!”

He took off through the kitchen. “She’s going out onto the lake!”

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