Burned by L.j. Charles

Author:L.j. Charles
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-9965783-1-8
Publisher: L.j. Charles

7

Fred/Andrew

I’D BEEN DAMN good at getting information out of people back in the day, and still had some of the old spark. I winked at Sadie, keeping it all friendly-like. But if she didn’t start volunteering information about her injury, I’d need to pull out a few more persuasive techniques. Old memories, not connected to Nan, rumbled to life in the back of my brain. “How old are you?”

The needle pricks stopped for an almost imperceptible moment. “I’m sixty-five years young, Andrew. Why do you ask?”

I mentally whipped through the math. “You must have been fifteen when you were injured. In 1965. Did I get it right?”

Sadie paused again. “Yes, I was fifteen. It was one of those wrong-place, wrong-time mistakes. Nothing to be concerned about so many years after the fact.”

It took all of my determination to stay in the chair. Every one of my damn muscles had tensed, trying to shove me to my feet. She’d been injured the year I married Nan. The year I’d been removed from the negotiation team because my cover had been compromised. I’d had mixed feelings at the time. Glad to be home with Nan, to have time for a honeymoon. Pissed as all get out that I’d blown my cover. And disobeyed a direct order. It set me back, took me out of fieldwork for eighteen months. And all because I took the time to save a young girl’s life. Or so I thought at the time. Nausea churned in my belly, and I squinted at Sadie. I sighed, then let my eyes drift closed again. It had been too many years. No way could this woman’s story be connected to me, but I needed to hear it.

“You’re not talking to me, Sadie.”

I copped a glance at her, then closed my eyes all innocent-like. “You keep chewing on your lip like that and you’ll be dripping blood on my tat.”

She sucked in a breath. “Never. I’m much more careful with my clients than that.” Another deep breath. “I was born in Russia, but my family moved to East Berlin right after I was born. It was the beginning of the Cold War, but I was too young to pay much attention to politics. I liked being outside, exploring, seeing different things.”

The hell with keeping my eyes closed. I stared at her, really stared. Not a glimmer of recognition sparked my brain cells. She was the right age—maybe. And it was the right place—or near enough. But the odds that Sadie was the girl I came close to ruining my career for…well, that probability had to be a million to one. Still, I couldn’t stop asking questions. “How’d your injury happen?”

“Give me a minute,” Sadie said. She was bent over my arm, intent on shading the bottom of the shell. It was looking damn fine.

I waited until she straightened, and twisted her neck a few times. Probably working out a kink or two. I could be a patient man, but now wasn’t the time for it, so I pressed.

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