The Vanishing Angle by Linda Ladd

Author:Linda Ladd
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Published: 2019-09-01T16:48:50+00:00

Chapter 14

Novak’s next glimpse of Irina came the following late afternoon. For the first time since they’d been on the island, the teenager descended the deck steps alone and walked down the beach toward Sokolov’s house. This time, she wore a one-piece black bathing suit and was barefoot, carrying a beach towel in one hand. She was listening to music through ear buds attached to her phone. She spread out her towel directly in front of the house next to Sokolov’s.

Her face was sunburned, her eyes sunken, and she looked so listless that Novak was alarmed. She appeared exhausted and ill, but definitely not as spaced out as she had been the night before. She was still coming down off heroin, she had to be. This was their chance, maybe the only one they’d get. Her freedom on the beach was probably the result of Blackwood and Petrov having left the beach house earlier that afternoon. Novak had watched them drive off together in the Lincoln almost two hours ago. According to Sokolov’s vehicle tracker, they were playing golf on the other side of the island.

“Oh, my God, Novak, look at her. She looks sick. Look how thin she is. He’s killing her with drugs.”

Novak looked at her sunken belly—he had a feeling she was sick because she was no longer pregnant. He didn’t know when or where or how Blackwood had managed it, but he’d ended her pregnancy. He didn’t comment or conjecture to her father. “She’s an addict, and has been for years. She’s going to look worse than that if she doesn’t get clean. Forget how she looks, it’s time for us to move. Take a fishing rod down to the beach and wade out, maybe fifteen yards from her. Do you think she’ll recognize you?”

“I doubt it. I was out of the country most of the time when she was little.”

“Then I’ll make contact. The guards are watching her, trust me. Why they let her come out there all alone bothers me.”

Novak gave the Russian time to grab a rod and walk down to the water. He watched him enter the shallows barefoot and throw out his line. Novak waited a few more minutes before following him with a beach umbrella and towel. He had pulled on a New Orleans Saints ball cap, and thrown on a windbreaker and shorts. He didn’t glance at Irina where she sat, about ten or twelve yards away and slightly in front of him. He shoved the umbrella into the sand. She never even glanced at him or anything else. She seemed in a complete daze, unable to notice anything, focusing only on the cresting waves. She looked dejected and depressed. Novak hoped she wasn’t sitting there contemplating suicide. That’s what it looked like.

There were two men out on Blackwood’s lower deck. Keeping one eye on them, Novak angled the umbrella to shield him from their sight. Irina had removed her ear buds as she sat in the sun, as stiff and still as a slab of stone.

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.