Call After Midnight by Tess Gerritsen

Author:Tess Gerritsen [Gerritsen, Tess]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mysteries & Thrillers, Romance
ISBN: 9781551668345
Google: SDn3BgAAQBAJ
Amazon: B00WVTT0KO
Goodreads: 545838
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 1986-12-31T11:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

IN A TAVERN thick with laughter and smoke, they sat at a wobbly table and split a bottle of burgundy. The wine was rough and undisciplined; farmer’s wine, thought Sarah, as she downed her third glass. The room had grown too warm and too bright. At the next table, old men swapped tales over bread and ale and their laughter rang in her ears. A cat strolled through the chairs and quietly lapped at a saucer of milk by the bar. Hungrily Sarah took in every sight, every sound. It was so good to be out of hiding. So good to be out in the world again, if only for a night! Even the flecks of red wax on the tablecloth struck her as strangely beautiful.

Through the haze of cigarette smoke, she saw Nick smiling at her. His shoulders drooped in the tired slouch of a man who has labored long and hard all his life. Day-old stubble darkened his jaw. She could hardly believe he was the same man she’d met in a sleek government office only two weeks ago. But then, she was not the same woman. Fear and circumstances had changed them both.

“You did justice to your meal,” he said, nodding at the empty plate. “Feeling better?”

“Much better. I was starved.”

“Coffee?”

“In a bit. Let me finish my wine.”

Shaking his head, he reached across the table and pushed her glass aside. “Maybe you’d better stop. We can’t afford to get careless.”

She regarded the displaced wineglass with irritation. As usual, Nick O’Hara was trying to run her life. It was time to fight back. Deliberately she slid the glass in front of her. “I’ve never been drunk in my life,” she said.

“It’s a very bad time to start.”

Gazing at him steadily, she took a sip. “Is that a hobby of yours? Ordering people around?”

“What do you mean?”

“Since the day we met, you’ve been in total control, haven’t you?”

“Over you? Or the situation?”

“Both.”

“Hardly. Skipping off to London was your bright idea. Remember?”

“You never did say why you followed me. You were angry, weren’t you?”

“I was mad as hell.”

“Is that why you came? To wring my neck?”

“To be perfectly honest, I considered it.” He raised the glass of wine to his lips and stared at her over the rim. “But I changed my mind.”

“Why?”

“It was the way you looked at the police station. So exposed. Defenseless.”

“I may be stronger than you think.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m not a kid, Nick. I’m thirty-two years old. I’ve always taken care of myself.”

“I’m not calling you incompetent. You’re a very bright woman. A well-respected researcher.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve seen your security file.”

“Oh, yes. That mysterious file. So what did you learn?”

He sat back. “Let’s see. Sarah Gillian Fontaine, graduated University of Chicago. Co-researcher on half a dozen papers in the field of microbiology. Successful grant applicant for the last two years—not bad in this era of tight federal budgets. Oh, you’re obviously bright.” He paused. Quietly he added, “I also think you need my help.”

They fell silent as the waiter came by to collect the bill.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.