Uneasy Alliance by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The exquisitely tentative, fragile, budding relationship that had been

initiated between Abby and Torr grew into an almost comfortable,

surprisingly companionable truce during the next few days. Abby decided

that the only way she could describe Torr's attitude toward her was

cautious. He was careful not to make any references to the night they had

spent together. He was careful not to give orders. He was careful not to

push her back into bed. All in all, she realized, he was doing his best to

make her relax around him. And it was working.

Torr was also doing his best to come up with some answers concerning

the blackmailer. He had sat down with Abby and gone over a list of

everyone she knew in Portland or Seattle who might be likely to blackmail

her.

"Maybe it's someone Ward knows, not me," she suggested at one point,

glowering at the useless list they had drawn up together.

Torr nodded reluctantly. "But then why hit on you? Why not blackmail

Tyson?"

"Perhaps because whoever it is knew I'd be more vulnerable," Abby

replied, sighing.

"Which brings us back to someone who knows you pretty well."

"Torr, I simply don't know anyone who would stoop to this sort of

thing."

"Okay, okay, honey, calm down. We'll go back to work on the list later.

What do you say we run down to the village and pick up some food and

maybe a bottle of champagne?"

"What are we celebrating?"

"How about the last night of flower-arranging class?"

"Good heavens, that's tonight, isn't it? Oh well, I was flunking out

anyway. A trip to the store sounds better than working on this list." She

looked at him and smiled. "I get the feeling you're trying to distract me."

"I am." He stood up and reached for her hand.

"Consider yourself successful," she told him, grinning.

But the distraction proved exceedingly temporary. Torr had barely

walked into the small grocery store that served the community when he

was cheerfully greeted by the owner, Carla Ramsey. Carla, Abby had

learned on her first visit, made it a point to keep track of the comings and

goings of everyone who had a home or a cabin in the area. It was a hobby,

the older woman had explained blithely.

" 'Morning, Torr. Did your friend from Seattle find you?"

Abby felt Torr's sudden tension but his voice was casual. "Apparently

not. Haven't had anyone come calling. Someone came looking for me

recently?"

"Day before yesterday. I gave him surefire directions to your place, but

maybe he couldn't find it after all." Carla winked at Abby. "Or maybe he

just decided he didn't want to bother the two of you. I told him Torr

wasn't alone."

Abby shivered, a thousand questions corning to her lips. Evidently

Torr's own questions weren't far behind. He got his in first.

"What did he look like, Carla?" he asked as he deliberated over the

frozen steaks. "Maybe I can figure out who it was and give him a call.

Abby and I are fairly hospitable, aren't we, Abby?"

"Of course." Did anyone notice how thick the words sounded, she

wondered.

"Hard to describe," Carla said. "Nice lookin' man about thirty-five or so,

I'd say. Course, it's difficult to tell about age. Brown hair, I think.

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.