Countdown Eve Duncan 09 by Iris Johansen

Author:Iris Johansen [Johansen, Iris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Suspense, Louisiana, Adoptees, Women Sculptors, Facial Reconstruction (Anthropology), Duncan; Eve (Fictitious Character), Women Art Students
ISBN: 9780553586510
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 2004-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

"Stop it, Jock. Let him go."

Jock didn't move.

"Jock."

Jock slowly released Mario. "You should have let me do it. He could hurt you."

"He doesn't want to hurt me. We were just working out. Playing."

"It's not playing. He hit you in the stomach. There are ways to break a rib and send it into the heart."

"He doesn't know those ways." MacDuff spoke slowly, patiently. "He knows nothing. That's why I'm trying to teach him."

"Why?"

"What is this?" Mario was staring at Jock in bewilderment. MacDuff ignored him, his gaze on Jock. "Someone hurt his father. He needs to be able to protect himself."

Jock's gaze shifted to Mario. "You mean he wants to kill someone."

"For God's sake, not with his bare hands. I told you, he only wants to protect himself."

Jock frowned. "He might hurt you. I'll teach him what he needs to know."

"Not bloody likely. You might forget. And as I keep telling you, I'm not as good as you, but I'm fully capable of taking care of myself."

"I know that."

"Then go on back to the stable."

Jock shook his head and moved over to the large rocks at the end of the Run. "I'll just sit here and watch."

MacDuff stared at him in exasperation before turning to Mario. "Meet me here at two this afternoon. This isn't a good time."

Mario hesitated and then grabbed his shirt from the ground. "Two." He grimaced at Jane as he passed her. "Weird. Very weird."

She agreed completely, and was so absorbed in the interplay between Jock and MacDuff that Mario had disappeared around the side of the castle before she remembered she had come here to talk to him.

"I don't remember sending out invitations." MacDuff was looking at her as he wiped the sweat from his chest and arms. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to try to persuade Mario to drop this craziness."

"It wouldn't be crazy if there wasn't a time restraint. It would be entirely reasonable. Revenge is completely understandable." His gaze went to the path where Mario had disappeared.

"And he's not going to be bad if he lives long enough. That last move took me by surprise."

"Jock's the one who took me by surprise." She looked at the boy, who was sitting absolutely still on the rocks some distance away. He smiled at her as he saw her staring at him, a sweet smile that lit his face with radiance. She couldn't believe that it was the same face that had tightened to cold ferocity as his arm snaked around Mario's throat. She returned his smile with an effort and turned back to MacDuff. "He was going to kill him, wasn't he?"

"Yes." He pulled a sweatshirt over his head. "In a matter of seconds. Jock is very quick."

She shook her head in wonder. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen- He seems so sweet natured."

"Oh, he is. When he's not committing murder."

Her eyes widened at the bitterness in his voice. "Murder? But he was just angry because he thought Mario was going to hurt you.

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