"James Rollins - Subterranean" - читать интересную книгу автора (Romeyn Henry)

She turned to him. "Is that what you think?"

"Sure do. I was butting my big nose where it doesn't belong."

She studied his serious eyes and determined jaw, limned in the lantern light of a nearby tent. "See," she
said, a tightness in her throat thickening her words, "that's what's really botheringme ."

"What?" He brushed a hand across hers, but she pulled away.

"I'm supposed to be the big leader here. Guiding and motivating the team. But a simple question sends
me ballistic. Some leader I make." Her voice cracked a bit.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up." He reached out farther and clasped her hand, his touch igniting her like an
electric shock. She made a weak attempt to pull away, but he held her too firmly. "Listen, Ash, you were
pressed for time. Hell, you only had a single day to explore the ruins, and I had to distract you with stupid
questions."

"Your questions weren't stupid. My response was." She tried to draw her hand free, but as she pulled,
he stepped closer. "I . . ." How brightly his eyes reflected the lantern's light. "I . . . think we'd better
continue with our walk." She finally freed her hand.

"Yeah . . ." He glanced away from her. "You're right."

They continued across the camp in silence.

The quiet soon became painful. "You know," she said, "now that I've had time to think about it . . . what
really ticked me off this afternoon was that you were right."

"About what?"

"The statue. For now, it is notthat vital to know in which direction the statue was facing. Sometimes I
get so fixated on the details that I miss the bigger picture. And when you brought this to my attention, I
lashed out. I'm sorry."

"Hey, you were under a lot of pressure. Besides, I like people who speak their mind."

She smiled.

"People like you," he said in a whisper.

"Thanks, Ben." They rounded a Quonset hut, and a black gash split the ground ahead. To the left, a
lighted bridge crossed the gorge.

As soon as they stepped into the lighted area, a guard called to them from the bridge. "Stop right there."
The gun pointed toward them punctuated his statement. "This area is restricted."

"My, my," Ben whispered in an aside to her as a second guard approached. "I can see why everyone
thinks this is a romantic spot."