Betrayed (Fearless) by Francine Pascal

Author:Francine Pascal [Pascal, Francine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: 2002-10-31T20:00:00+00:00

Yellow Plastic

TOM FELT A TWINGE IN HIS SPINE the moment he saw it. He’d barely pulled his car up to George’s Perry Street town house when he felt the spark of pain ignited by the sight of a simple piece of yellow plastic.

Police tape.

All he’d seen was the crime scene tape floating in the wind, broken in two pieces on either side of George’s front door. And he already knew.

He knew what had become of George Niven. And he finally understood what that grinning little bastard on the fire escape had meant when he said, “Why don’t you ask your buddy George?”

Because Tom knew his brother. He knew what Loki did to people who’d outlived their usefulness. And George should have known it, too.

Why did you do it, George? How could you be so foolish? We watched him operate for years. Didn’t you know where it would lead? Didn’t you know what he’d do to you? God, George, were you my last hope for finding Gaia tonight?

Those were just a few of the hundreds of questions Tom had for George. And questions were only the beginning of what Tom had planned, to be followed by the most scathing brand of verbal abuse and then, most likely, unless George had some kind of earth-shattering explanation, some form of severe physical punishment. Nothing deadly, much as Tom’s most vengeful self might have wanted it, but certainly something to ensure that George felt the appropriate amount of regret for what he’d done. And then an immediate interrogation. Squeezing out every bit of knowledge George might have had about Gaia’s whereabouts.

But Tom was already rather sure that none of his questions would ever be answered. And as for George’s punishment, it appeared someone had already taken care of that.

Now Tom had been forced to shift gears completely. And his heart was no different than any other engine. If it wasn’t prepared to shift gears, it was going to stall. All those years of trust and faith and admiration for his friend. And a few days of despising him. Tom didn’t know what to feel. But no amount of speculation or confusion was going to stop him from going inside. He had to see it for himself. He needed some kind of visual confirmation other than one yellow piece of plastic.

He climbed the stone steps as he fished for his spare key to George’s place, but when his hand grabbed the knob, he realized that the door was unlocked. Someone had done all of this already. Someone had broken the tape, unlocked the door, and ventured inside. And they hadn’t bothered to lock it when they left.

Gaia. It had to be. She’d been here and gone already. When? Tonight? Days ago? Maybe there was some clue inside?

Tom walked into the dark apartment, feeling that eerie sense of stillness—his least favorite part of the job. Even to this day, he despised the sensation of walking through a crime scene. That sense that nothing in the room pertained to the present anymore.

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