Read Online A Blind Eye by Julie Daines - Free Book Online

Lloyd Center, supporting arched panels of glass that gave the shoppers a view of the sky.
    I stuffed Scarlett’s bags of new clothes into a locker then got her fitted with a pair of worn white skates. I took a pair of black skates.
    â€œHave you ever been skating before?” I asked, checking her laces one last time.
    â€œNever.”
    She clung to my arm with both hands while we inched our way onto the ice. I stood in place for a few minutes, letting her find her balance on the thin metal blades. She slid her feet back and forth then bent down and ran her hand along the ice. Her fingertips came up glistening from the cold surface.
    â€œReady to go?” I asked.
    â€œChocks away, I s’pose.” She laughed.
    â€œChocks away?”
    â€œYou know, off we go. Ready or not.”
    â€œYeah. Sure.”
    I started off slowly, and she dragged along behind. I supported her entire weight with my arm until she got her feet under her. She caught on quickly, and soon we were skating around the rink at a smooth, easy pace, our blades clacking rhythmically on the ice.
    She loved it, laughing and holding her free arm out at graceful angles—something that must come naturally to certain people because she didn’t learn it from watching the Olympics. She kept her other arm padlocked around mine, still relying on me for the bulk of her balance. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose flushed pink from the cold, and she looked more alive than ever before.
    My phone rang in my pocket, and I checked the ID. It was the unidentified caller who I’d now identified as Deepthroat. Why would he call? I maneuvered us to the side rail and answered.
    â€œChristian?” he asked.
    I didn’t respond for several seconds. “Maybe,” I said and immediately regretted it. Why was I so stupid? He knew it was me. But I had no clue what to say. I’d never been involved in furtive phone calls before. Not even to find out who liked who. We took care of all that stuff with texting.
    Still silence.
    â€œWho is this?” I made an effort to sound tough.
    â€œGive us the girl and no one will get hurt.”
    His line was even more cliché than mine. And more untruthful. “You mean, no one except for Scarlett.”
    Scarlett listened intently while I spoke. Her smile disappeared like it had been wiped off by the Zamboni. I leaned down so she could hear both sides of the conversation.
    â€œWhat makes you think that?” Deepthroat asked.
    Then it hit me. He was stalling to keep me on the line. Isn’t that what they did to trace the location of a phone call? Could you trace a cellular or was that only a landline? Either way, the risk was too high. He’d never tell me anything anyway.
    â€œLeave us alone,” I said again and hung up.
    â€œWhat did they want?” Scarlett asked.
    â€œI’m not sure. But I’m thinking they might have been trying to trace my phone. We’d better go.”
    â€œRight.” She frowned and skated with me toward the exit, clunking her feet along like a child who didn’t get more candy. We turned in our skates and put on our shoes then headed for the lockers. When I glanced back at the rink, I saw two men on the bridge above, searching the crowd.
    One of them turned, and his eyes fell directly on me. The one I called Deepthroat.
    I shoved Scarlett behind me. “They’re here. Put up your hood.” How did they find us so fast? They must have known our general location before the phone call. Connor and Deepthroat split up, both sprinting for a different escalator.
    I whipped my head around, looking for a place to hide. If we went back into the skate rental or across to the locker area, we’d be trapped. The elevator dinged behind us, and I grabbed Scarlett’s hand and ran.
    I pounded on the door close button. Two eons later, the elevator doors finally slid shut. But not before Connor saw us. He turned and headed back for the