Free B00CZBQ63C EBOK by Karen Barnett Page A

into the water. The lapping of the waves against the rocks soothed her nerves, but did little for the ache in her heart. Remembering Big Jerry’s threats, she reached for more stones.
    A nearby bench beckoned. Laurie dragged herself over and flopped down. Was it wrong to reach for a better future? A bootlegger’s sister? A drunk’s daughter? She stared out at the waves as the sun dropped low on the far horizon.
    To keep Johnny safe, she needed to convince both Jerry and the agent she would cooperate.
    She tugged at a long stem of beach grass, pulling it loose and rolling it between her fingers. A massive cargo ship inched past, far out in the channel, sending waves crashing against the rocks. Laurie’s fingers itched to sketch the scene. If only she could direct every aspect of her life the way she controlled a pencil.
    She pushed up to her feet, turning back toward town before she lost the last of the evening’s light.
    If I’m to convince Samuel Brown, I’ll need to meet with him away from the soda fountain . She stopped mid-stride. Big Jerry knew she had met with Samuel Brown. The information must have come from Mr. Shepherd.
    An eye on the agent; an ear on the bootleggers. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Maybe I can do both.

    Daniel finished cleaning the icebox and lined it with a fresh supply of sawdust. Blowing on his fingers to thaw them, he walked to the front of the store and checked that the closed sign was visible in the window. Glancing out the window, he caught sight of Laurie Burke walking through town, her face practically glowing in the setting sun. The tension in his shoulders eased. She had seemed quite disturbed after her meeting with Samuel Brown.
    Something about that man raised the hairs on the back of Daniel’s neck. Brown’s attitude was smug, like everyone in this town was beneath him.
    Now, as he watched Laurie walk down the street, Daniel noticed a spring in her step and a glow to her lovely face. A peculiar sensation ran along his arms, like ants crawling across his skin. He shook himself, irritated by the surge of protectiveness that flooded through him, all for a woman that he barely knew. And what he did know about her was troubling. She was obviously strong enough to take care of herself. In fact, she had told him that once already.
    Daniel turned away, making a last visual survey of the drugstore before he locked up for the night. He caught his reflection in the soda fountain mirror. Remembering those blue eyes gazing up at him in the mirror made his heart pitch in his chest.
    He couldn’t warn her about Brown. But, maybe he could look up an old high school friend.

    Daniel walked down through the older part of town, pressing the back of his hand against his nose to block the reek of the mill. Dilapidated old shacks and boardinghouses clung to the bluff overlooking Hollywood Beach like the residents clung to their meager life. While so much of the country rode the soaring wave of stocks and bonds, the people in this neighborhood still scrambled to pull together enough pennies to feed their families.
    Weeds grew knee high between the shacks, except where they were smothered by piles of refuse. A rat skittered through one of the piles, turning a bold eye toward Daniel as he passed.
    Daniel pulled the scrap of paper from his pocket, double-checking the address he’d recorded. Johnny evidently lived on the edge of this morass. With a steady job and a lucrative rumrunning business, he should be able to afford better accommodations.
    The address matched the last house on the street, its front walk littered with cigarette butts. Daniel shoved the paper in his pocket and took a deep breath before knocking.
    Moments later, a short man yanked open the door about six inches and glared from the threshold, eyes red and watery. His sweat-stained shirt hung cockeyed on his thin frame, buttoned off-kilter. “Yeah?”
    Daniel cleared his throat. “I’m looking for Johnny