Ghosts by Mark Dawson - John Milton 04 - Ghosts

Author:Mark Dawson - John Milton 04 - Ghosts
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Black Dog Publishing
Published: 2013-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

MILTON HAD no interest in waiting in their hotel room. The rains cleared away in the middle of the afternoon and he decided to go out for a run.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Out,” he said. “I need some exercise. I’ll be back this evening.”

“What exercise?”

“A run. Is that alright?”

Anna stood, too, and slipped her feet into her sandals. “Do you mind if I come too?”

He paused at the door. “I don’t know, Anna. I’m not feeling particularly sociable.”

“It’s not to keep an eye on you,” she qualified. “I don’t want to stay here all afternoon.”

“Then don’t. Go out.”

He looked at her. He felt the same primal response again, quickly suppressing it, and relented.

“Fine,” he said. “We’ll need some kit.”

He opened the door and they made their way to the lobby. She smiled sweetly at him as they waited for the elevator to arrive. Perhaps it would be useful to have her around. He didn’t know very much about her, and that was remiss of him; anything at all could prove to be useful. And, perhaps, she could be persuaded, or tricked, into passing him a little information about Shcherbatov and his plans for Control and Pope.

#

THERE WAS a small sports shop not too far from the hotel and they visited it to buy running shoes and socks, vests and shorts. They returned to the hotel, changed in the gym and then went back onto the street. Milton had run around Hong Kong before; the sidewalks themselves were not suitable, too clogged with people and sometimes too steep, plus the air was often thick with smog that could make for an unpleasant experience. He had learned his lesson and researched alternative routes. As they headed out, he decided to run his favourite of them.

They headed southwest through the Zoological and Botanical Gardens, past the Ladies’ Recreation Club and then started to ascend the Peak. The weather had cleared, a gentle breeze blowing in off the bay taking a little of the edge off the humidity. It was still hot, though, and it didn’t take long for Milton to work up a sweat. Anna kept the pace beside him. She was fit and strong and it was obvious that she ran often. The climb up Old Peak Road grew steeper and steeper and, eventually, she started to flag. Milton dropped his pace and she reeled him back in again.

They reached Peak Tower and ran around Lugard Road. It was car-free and, as a result, it was busy with dog walkers, other runners and families. There was a tower at the top, an upside-down wok shaped building with a galleria that contained shops and restaurants. The route was mostly shaded and, as they got up high, it offered postcard views over Central and Wanchai. They paused at the ten kilometre mark to look out at it: the sparkling skyscrapers and the deep blue of Victoria Harbour all the way to the green hills of the New Territories, the panorama slowly melting into the pink and orange of early twilight.

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