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leather gloves, his shopping done. Getting back in the car, he
wiped the rainwater from his face. One thing he never liked about
living where he did the rains came fast and furious, the aftermath
taking weeks to months to recover from. Once the river began ris-
ing, it d only be a matter of time before it crested over flood stage.
Over the last several years, the situation had worsened be-
cause the ground had become so saturated that the water had no-
where to go more frequently than before. The storm he found
himself caught in would be one of the troublesome ones because of
the intense fury it already exhibited. He only hoped Wilkes un-
derstood this and planned accordingly. The last thing Gray Robb
wanted being caught in the same place as Sheffield while Wilkes
carried out his plans. Sheffield and he could not possibly be in the
same area because let s face it the city of St. Louis had become
too small for the both of them since his firing. In the same building,
much less the same room, would be suffocating.
I ve made a huge mistake&
Heading back to his apartment, he rued having been caught up
with Wilkes and his scheme but being too late to back out, he had
to make the best of a bad situation a very bad situation.
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* * * *
Before leaving his office, Noah went to his private safe and
opened it. Removing a Walther P99, he checked the 9mm wea-
pon, grabbed an extra clip and closed the safe after placing the gun
in its holster. Removing his jacket, he slipped into the shoulder
holster, a personal preference over the years because of the ability
to conceal while carrying as well as ease in getting to it if needed.
While he didn t usually carry it, when and if the situation pre-
sented itself, he did. Mostly, he would during the more dangerous
cases he either worked on or presided over but this in itself ranked
above all the other reasons why he decided to carry.
Grabbing his briefcase and placing a note to Barbara on her
desk, he left the office and took the elevator down to the first
floor. When the doors opened, one of his security men met him.
Mister Sheffield, the weather s turned pretty nasty. You
might want to consider taking one of the fleet vehicles tonight so
that gorgeous Aston doesn t get waterlogged.
That bad? he asked. The older man and he had always had a
running joke about the car Noah s baby.
Storm s overheard and the rain s heavy.
Then sign out one of the Expeditions to me and I ll leave the
Aston to your tender loving care.
I thought you d see things my way. Besides, you ll want the
height if the roads start flooding.
True, Noah agreed as he took the keys Barney handed him.
Already had things set up, the guard said when he saw the
quizzical look on Noah s face.
You know me way too well.
True, true, Barney agreed. Have a safe trip home.
Thanks. Take care of yourself, Noah said as he headed into
the parking garage.
Passing his car, he made sure he d locked it, then headed to
one of the black Ford Expeditions the firm had purchased several
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Internet Bonds Book 9: Terms of Surrender
years before. Grateful they d chosen SUVs instead of cars, Noah
slid behind the wheel placing his briefcase on the seat next to him.
Quickly pulling out his cell phone, he called Fallon to let her
know he d left the office and would be home as soon as possible.
Are you all right?
Now, I am, she said. Hearing your voice&
A loud crack of thunder directly overhead drowned out what
she d been saying.
Noah&
I m on my way.
Starting the car, he pulled out a few moments later heading
into one of the worst storms in recent memory. Had Fallon not
been waiting for him, he probably would have remained at the of-
fice only the immediate threat looming over them caused him to
head out into Nature s fury.
Thank you, Barney.
Slowly making his way to the highway, Noah put on the radio
to get any of the latest updates on the storm but heard more static,
especially during lightning strikes. Turning it off, he put in a CD
and listened to some vintage Rolling Stones. The pulse of the music
kept him awake and alert as the constant beat of the rain hitting the
car tended to bore him not a good thing when he had so much on
his mind to deal with. Why now?
Easing into a lane of the highway from the ramp, he tried to
make out where the lines designating lanes from each other and the
shoulders might be but the rain made it impossible and the wind-
shield wipers didn t help. Silently cursing himself, the weather and
anything else he could think of, he pushed on. Fallon waited for
him and that one thought overrode his common sense.
Driving along, he felt the water on the roadway fighting him
as it slowed the vehicle momentarily. Again cursing, he tried to
ease more to the center of the road after checking for anyone who
might be stupid enough to try to pass him. Seeing what looked to
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Internet Bonds Book 9: Terms of Surrender
be headlights in the distance behind him yet not close enough to be
a problem, Noah moved to his left and continued on, constantly
checking his mirrors in case someone tried to overtake him. Finally
finding a steady speed, he relaxed a little but not too much, the
hairs on the back of his neck on edge.
Before he knew what happened, the Expedition went out of
control, hitting something what he had no clue. Noah could feel
the force of the impact send him into a barrel roll, one he had to
ride out as he had no way of controlling what the vehicle would
do. Holding onto the wheel, Noah said a quick prayer before apo-
logizing to Fallon for failing her.
His world suddenly dark, Noah had fallen unconscious after
hitting his head several times. He had no clue the vehicle had final-
ly come to a stop or what his future would bring Fallon the last
thing he saw.
* * * *
Waiting outside the parking garage exit, Ralph Wilkes watch-
ed for Sheffield to leave. While the storm had become more in-
tense, it had yet to hit its full potential and he hoped he could use
that to his advantage. The sight of a huge sport utility exiting the
parking structure caught his attention. Behind the wheel sat Noah
Sheffield the one man he blamed for the ruination of his life. Eas-
ing his rental in behind Sheffield, Wilkes then followed his neme-
sis.
As the weather began to worsen, he began to wonder exactly
what the man had for brains. Surely, the great lawyer had to have
some common sense to stay in out of the rain but evidently not.
How the hell did he prosecute my case?
Determined not to lose his enemy, Wilkes followed at a dis-
tance close enough to see the rear taillights but not any nearer. Fi-
guring the storm would take all his fun away, he shut off his head-
lights while only the driving lights remained on. Coming up behind
Sheffield, he rear-ended the SUV and watched as it spun out of
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Internet Bonds Book 9: Terms of Surrender
control, hit something causing it to go airborne and come back
down on its tires before rolling to a stop a bit farther down the
highway.
Pulling up behind the wreck, he ran to the driver s side door
to find Sheffield unconscious and bloody. Reaching in, he felt a
slight pulse and grinned. Perfect&
Unstrapping him from the seat, Wilkes dragged Sheffield s
body to his car and literally threw it into the trunk then, after
steering clear of the wreckage, Wilkes continued to Sheffield s es-
tate and the lower driveway leading to the grist mill that he discov-
ered on an early visit. By the time he reached the mill, the rain had
started to ease up. Pulling out his cell phone, he called Gray Robb
and issued a new set of instructions to him.
Fortunately, I came prepared.
* * * *
Fallon hung up feeling better that Noah would be home with
her while terrified of the storms raging in the area. She d grown up
with the weather and Nature s wrath but it seemed that with every
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