"Shanna Swendson - Damsel under Stress" - читать интересную книгу автора (Swendson Shanna)

subway?тАЭ

тАЬSure.тАЭ I picked up my paper coffee cup. тАЬGood thing we got these to-go, huh?тАЭ

His cheeks went pink. тАЬI usually wouldnтАЩt do that, but I didnтАЩt have time to wait in line.тАЭ We took our
cups and headed to the exit, then went up the steps to the street level.

Away from the crowded coffee shop, we could talk more freely about Ari and Phelan Idris, the guy
who had to be behind all this. тАЬI guess IdrisтАЩs calm exit last night should have been a sign he had
something up his sleeve,тАЭ I said. тАЬHe usually wouldnтАЩt give up that easily.тАЭ

тАЬMaybe. But heтАЩs never struck me as the type to care all that much about a damsel in distress. HeтАЩd
be more likely to forget about her and move on to the next person he thinks he can use.тАЭ

тАЬUnless she knows too much about what heтАЩs up to, and if she was willing to betray us to him, it
stands to reason she could be persuaded to tell us about him.тАЭ

тАЬOh, IтАЩm pretty sure that was the case. And IтАЩm not sure тАШpersuasionтАЩ is the right word.тАЭ He sounded
so cool about it, practically icy, that it sent shivers down my spine.
 тАЬYou werenтАЩt going to torture her, were you?тАЭ I asked.

He choked on the sip of coffee heтАЩd just taken, and I had to pat him on the back until he caught his
breath. тАЬTorture? No! You didnтАЩt think weтАЩd do that, did you? But there are other methods for getting
information out of people.тАЭ

тАЬGood. IтАЩm mad at her, but I wouldnтАЩt want to go that far. If she got away, does that mean someone
else in the company is working for Idris?тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs what IтАЩll have to find out. Did he pull this from the outside, or was it an inside job?тАЭ

тАЬOur work is never done, is it?тАЭ

тАЬMy work is never done. I donтАЩt think youтАЩll have to worry much about this oneтАФat least, not yet.
WeтАЩve got some immunes doing verification work on the security force, and theyтАЩll be helping with this
initial sweep.тАЭ

I probably should have been stung by the implication that I wasnтАЩt needed, but what I actually felt was
a great sense of relief. I had my own job to do, and I liked my little corner of the company. I was looking
forward to returning to what passed for normal during the holidays. Christmas was barely a week away,
and the last thing I wanted to do was take on a big new project with only a few days left in the office
before the holiday.

We reached the Union Square subway entrance, and Owen paused before heading down. тАЬIтАЩll call
you later, and I will make it up to you.тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩll hold you to it,тАЭ I replied, giving him a little wave. Only when he was out of sight did I realize that
our first real date hadnтАЩt gone any differently from almost any other time weтАЩd spent together up to that
point. WeтАЩd walked to the subway station and talked about work, like we did every weekday morning.
Nothing had changed. He hadnтАЩt kissed me good-bye, and there had been no affectionate physical
contact while weтАЩd walkedтАФno hand-holding, no arm around me.