Fade To Gray (Triad Series Book 1) by Dee Davis

Author:Dee Davis [Davis, Dee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, Romance, Romance_ Suspense
Publisher: Pocito Press
Published: 2017-07-17T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH was packed. Standing room only. The elite sat in front. Emily and her father on the fifth row. Reporters were crammed in the back, even though there were no cameras allowed.

Colored light from the stained glass chancel window spread out across the floor, illuminating the coffin in a wash of blue, red and gold, as if, even at the last, Tom Irwin had been hailed the anointed one. Emily tried and failed to control a shudder. Her father shot her a look from the corner of his eye, annoyance tightening the corners of his mouth. She’d been taught from the earliest age to keep her feelings buried. It was an inbred Masterson trait. But today she seemed to have lost the touch.

Across from her, about two rows back, Gideon sat with Declan. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised; Gideon seemed to find a way to be where he was needed. And she had no doubt that he was here because of her. Or at least because of all that had happened to her. She could feel his gaze hot against her back, and knew that his presence only added to her father’s displeasure.

The priest raised his hand in benediction, and the crowd collectively released a breath as the organist began the processional. Bach. Prelude No. 1 in C major. It was a favorite, which somehow made her presence here seem that much more surreal. The music soared through the vaulted nave, filling the church, and Emily fought back a sob.

She shouldn’t be here. It was wrong on so many levels she couldn’t begin to count. But her father had insisted. Demanded actually. He wanted them to show a united front. Continue the charade that had grown far beyond the original horror of waking up in Tom’s hotel room.

The priest lifted his staff and moved forward, robes swaying. In front of her, a black veiled woman sobbed into a handkerchief. The music swelled and the clergy walked solemnly down the middle aisle, incense filling the air as they moved.

Behind them, the flag-draped coffin followed, hoisted on the shoulders of the grim-faced pallbearers. Three senators, a general, New York’s mayor and the Manhattan district attorney. A veritable who’s who of political power. Uncle Vincent reached over to cover her hand with his. The gesture was meant to comfort, but it only made Emily feel captured. Stuck in the middle of a farce that had turned into a nightmare.

Jules, who was seated beside her uncle, leaned forward, eyes full of concern. Emily shook her head slightly and forced her lips upward in the semblance of a smile. She needed to get the hell out of here. Away from all of this. Pushing to her feet, her muscles contracted, ready to flee, but of course she couldn’t do that. There were people in front of her. And there was her father’s need for decorum. Lifting her chin, she followed Vincent out of the row and into the aisle, joining the crowd pushing their way to the open doors at the far end of the nave.

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.