[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"I recall an old saying about the distance an apple falls from a tree& "
"You'll berich , Alicia. You've always hated him, always wanted to get even "
"That's not true." But of course it was. She'd known times when it had been
all she'd thought of.
"Who're you kidding? The only person in this world you hate more than me is
him. Now's your chance to settle the score. We sell the technology to the
Arabs& and they bury it. Isn't it delicious? We get his money, and he gets no
credit. His only claim to fame is that he was just another unfortunate
passenger on JAL 27. You've got to love it, Alicia."
She had to admit she found a certain sour appeal in Thomas's scheme& but the
thought of conspiring with Thomas on anything&
"Forget it."
He leaned back, obviously frustrated. "Suit yourself. But it's only a matter
of time before we find the transmitter, and then it'll be too late. You won't
have anything to bargain with."
"Are you as bored as I am?" Jack said looking at Alicia.
She nodded.
"Then, let's speed this up."
He grabbed a box of photos and started tossing them into the flames.
Alicia watched them blaze and turn to ash. And then there were no more.
"All right," Jack said. "That does it for this box. Any more?"
Thomas shook his head. "No."
"There'd better not be," Jack said, jabbing a finger at his face. "Because if
I ever find out you held something back "
"That's all. I swear."
Alicia jumped as she felt Jack take hold of her upper arm, but she let him
guide her away from the fire.
"Good. Then, we're done with you."
"That's it?" she heard Thomas saying as they walked up the slope away from
the river. "You drag me out here and squeeze me for information, and that's
it? What doI get?"
"You get to warm your hands," Jack said without looking back.
"Doesn't matter that they're burned," he called. "You can burn all the paper
you want, but it means nothing." His voice rose to a shout as they moved
farther away. "Ever hear of the Internet, Alicia? We're on it. In lots of
private places. And you know what? We're stars, Alicia. How do you like that?
We'restars! "
Page 244
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Alicia pressed her hand to her mouth to keep from crying out.
Beside her she heard Jack say, "Excuse me. I think I forgot something. Be
right back."
Fighting the nausea bubbling just below her sternum, Alicia kept walking,
breathing deeply. She didn't turn around to see what he'd forgotten. She hoped
it was nothing tangible&
15.
Yoshio watched Jack-san and the Clayton woman walk up to Eighth Avenue and
turn downtown. He would have given much to have been able to overhear their
conversation with the brother.
He followed them, slipping from shadow to shadow.
Perhaps I'm being overcautious, he thought.
Dressed as he was, he doubted Jack-san would recognize him even in full
daylight. He had considered disguising himself as a sidewalk Santa. That might
have worked in the more crowded streets, but would have made him more
noticeable elsewhere. Reluctantly, he had settled on this alternative.
Still, he would take no chances. Watching the brother's house had been a long
shot, but had paid off handsomely, and he wasn't going to squander this
opportunity.
Now& if he could just keep up with them until they reached the place where
one or both were staying. He was prepared to follow them anywhere, and with
this disguise, even a subway trip would not deter him.
Only walking posed a problem&
Because these high heels were killing him.
16.
"Jack!" Gia said as he opened her front door. "What are you doing here?"
"Can I come in?"
"Sure."
She wore a quilted robe over a long flannel nightgown. As soon as the door
closed behind him, Jack wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Gia
returned the embrace and they stood entwined in her foyer for a long time.
"I needed this tonight, Gia," he said, absorbing her warmth. "Reallyneeded
it."
"What's the matter? What happened?"
"Stuff," he said. "Please don't ask me to talk about it."
After their nice little chat with her sweetheart of a brother, Jack had taken
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]