FINAL BREATH by Kevin O'Brien

Author:Kevin O'Brien [O'Brien, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780786017775
Publisher: Pinnacle
Published: 2008-12-23T06:00:00+00:00

Eli waited for the swarthy man in the green shirt to take off his sunglasses. He wanted to see if one of his eyes was infected. But the man's glasses stayed on.

Eli remembered a ValuCo price tag had been sticking out of the sleeve of the guy's beige jacket at the fun fair yesterday. Obviously the guy had picked it up in a hurry so he could cover his Mariners 59 T-shirt. Maybe he'd grabbed the baseball cap, too; anything to alter his appearance--just in case his target had started to catch on to him.

The closer they got to downtown Seattle, the more the bus filled up, and now people were standing. The bus driver announced they were in a free-ride zone, and people started getting on and off through a door closer to where that man sat--as well as the one up front.

No one had asked Eli to give up the handicap seat, thank God. He'd been able to sit there while the driver told him where to transfer for the bus to Evergreen Point Manor.

A woman in the back pulled the Stop cord for the driver. Eli watched her get out of her seat and waddle over to the bus's back door. Eli stood up. "This isn't your stop yet, honey," the driver told him.

"I know," Eli whispered. He held onto a pole and leaned close to her. "There a creepy guy in a green shirt back there. He's got sunglasses on. I think he's been following me."

Her eyes searched in the rearview mirror. "Looks normal enough," she said. "What--is he a pervert or something? Want me to radio it in?"

"No, but I'd really like to lose him."

As she pulled over to the next stop, Eli moved closer to the door. Casually glancing back, he saw the man get to his feet. He shuffled past a few passengers in the aisle, then stood behind the woman at the back door.

No one was at the stop as the bus ground to a halt. And no one stood behind Eli at the front door. It whooshed open. He took another step toward the door, then crouched down and turned to the driver. "Has that guy stepped off yet?" he whispered.

Her focus shifted up to the rearview mirror. She kept one hand on the door lever. "One second...okay..."

Eli heard that whoosh sound again, and the doors closed right behind him. He felt the draft on the back of his legs.

Grinning, the bus driver started to pull into traffic. The man in the green shirt pounded on the rear door to get back in. Eli spied him through the window. He looked so pissed off. He was running alongside the bus.

"Hey, stop!" yelled a woman passenger. "Stop, driver! Somebody wants to get on!"

The driver picked up speed. "Like the song says, 'It's Too Late, Baby!'"

"Thank you," Eli whispered, and he returned to his seat.

The transfer stop to the Number 41 was only a few blocks from where they'd ditched the creepy guy in the green shirt.

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