[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
. I have never seen you like this, she stated. Drink the whiskey, Gabriel.Have you had breakfast? No? I thoughtso.However, it s past noon and it will calm your nerves.I m surewhatever your problem is, it can be solved.The liquid in the glass sloshed gently against the side. I don tdrink, he wanted to say, and  I don t like whiskey, but he didn t.Hejust sighed and downed the glass s contents, bracing himself against theburning alcohol.When his eyes stopped watering and he got the cough undercontrol, he realized he felt better.Not much, just enough to lean back inhis chair a bit more comfortably. Lia came round earlier, he toldMonique, who sat patiently behind her desk waiting for an explanation. She s Aleksei s sister.Now he s gone with her, and I have to deal withmy problem alone. You told Dr.Tennant it was okay to go? Monique asked. I was lying.The secretary s cool, pale eyes softened. I am sure he will beback soon. Don t count on it. Gabriel sighed. Once Lia has him in herclaws, she s bound to keep him as long as she can.Might take daysbefore he s back, especially if the fae council wants to have a word aswell.Only when Monique s silence stretched out did he rethink whathe d just said.Then it hit him. Oh, he murmured, unable to keep anembarrassed look off his face.But it was definitely fascinating to seeMonique speak through pursed lips. Can I assume Dr.Tennant isn t entirely human?133TAINTED SOULHis blush deepened.He d told Monique about his shapeshiftergenes apart from Aleksei, she was the only one who knew buthadn t revealed anything about his lover.To her, Aleksei was anordinary human man with a few too many kilos on the ribs, thinninghair, and a charming smile.She probably even believed the umbrellafactory story. He s pureblood fae, he muttered, suddenly inclined to tell herthe truth. He doesn t look like you think he looks.He s taller andmuch slimmer and& well, he looks different.Monique again tapped her fingers on the table. Will he mind thatyou told me? she asked. Because I do expect an invitation to yourChristmas party, as always.And if you do choose to invite me, I needto know whether or not I can let on that I know about his race. Lipsstill pursed, she awaited his answer, and once more, he felt like aschoolboy who was expected to solve a particularly complicated mathproblem in front of the entire class. He likes you. Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. I m sure hewon t mind, and of course you don t have to lie about it.Should havetold you long ago, Monique.Sorry.She granted him one of her rare smiles.It made her look youngerthan her fifty-three years; it also made her look slightly mischievous. Iam quite curious to see if I can persuade him to show me his truelooks, she said. For now, I need you to take a look at this new case.Acouple wanting to know about their missing daughter.I set anappointment for tomorrow morning at ten.They e-mailed the basicinformation, so you might be able to give them an estimate as to howlong it might take you to find the girl.Oh, and Mr.Taylor called.Hewishes you to be present when he meets his mother.He said, and Iquote here,  Tell him I ll throw in a club membership if he agrees. Anyidea what that s supposed to mean?Gabriel grinned tiredly.The day was turning out to be better thanit started, with Lia on his doorstep before breakfast. A clubmembership. He had no idea how to feel about that. Well, let himknow I ll be there if he manages to match the appointment with myschedule.134SAM C.LEONHARDGabriel had just gotten up to go to his office when the door burstopen.Billy strolled in, a waffle in his hand and chocolate saucedripping all over his chin and sweater. Got a minute? he asked between bites. Have some news aboutyour mom.Or even better, you invite me for lunch and I ll tell youwhat I found out completely for free. Winking at Monique, he stuffedthe last bite of the waffle into his mouth and wiped his hands clean onhis trousers.Or sort of clean, given how badly his trousers needed awash. Lunch.Good idea. Gabriel s stomach began to rumble with avengeance. Monique, I ll take the file about the missing girl.I ll bethere for the appointment tomorrow.See you, and thanks for listening. Always, Mr.Jordan, she replied briskly.BILLY was already downstairs when Gabriel caught up with him.Atthe corner of the street, a small bald woman pushed herself off the walland flung herself into his arms. Hi, Gabe, she chirped, smacking akiss onto his cheek. You re stubbly.But you smell nice, all warm andsafe.I missed you! Missed you too, Marita, he said, realizing he d forgotten toshave this morning.He lifted her up and swung her around; she waslike a child most days, happy to be alive and not caring abouttomorrow.That she was a skilled silversmith was only one of the manyintriguing facts he d discovered about her over the years.Marita hadhelped him make the bracelet Aleksei wore.He had no idea how sheearned her daily living other than staying at Father Barley s missionand helping in the kitchen whenever she was in the right mood.Shedidn t whore, and she didn t steal.Occasionally, she did a bit ofbegging, but not nearly enough to keep her fed.Seeing her hugging Billy more tenderly than she d hugged him,he suspected the crooked-nosed man had something to do with herwell-being. Come for lunch with us? he asked.135TAINTED SOULMarita slipped her hand into Billy s. Can I have a burger? Areyou rich enough to buy burgers for all of us? And fries, Billy added. And Coke, and a milkshake for thesparrow here.Marita s eyes widened. He can t be that rich! she objected, butBilly only grinned. He could afford two burgers for each of us, he whispered intoher ear, sharing a glance with Gabriel. And cake for dessert!Marita beamed from ear to ear, grabbed Gabriel s hand as well,and pulled them along [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]