Read Online Generation 18: The Spook Squad 2 by Keri Arthur - Free Book Online
Authors: Keri Arthur
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die. He only wants to run tests on me.” And she had no intention of being anyone’s lab rat. Not for the sake of the doctor’s curiosity, anyway. But…damn it, if she wasn’t human, then what the hell was she? A changer who couldn’t shapechange? And even if that
were
true, how would the budgie have known? For all intents and purposes, she presented as a human. It was only that unknown chromosome, and Jack’s mysterious words, that suggested anything else. So why had the budgie tried to kill them? What had the fat man known—and what had
she
seen—that had forced the budgie’s hand?
“What did you do or see in that office?” Gabriel’s question mirrored her thoughts.
“I don’t know.” She rubbed her forehead wearily. “We were discussing Harry. Max knew something, something he was afraid of.”
“Max was Harry’s supplier?”
She nodded. “Jack and I used to bust him regularly. It didn’t seem to make a great deal of difference to his business.”
“Small-time supplier?”
“Medium. Max liked his freedom too much to ever get involved with the big syndicates.”
Gabriel was silent for a moment, then he reached out, gently wiping the sweaty strands of hair away from her forehead. His touch felt so wonderfully cool against her fevered skin, it was all she could do to resist the temptation to lean farther into his caress. “You’d better come back to my place. It’s safer, at least until the Jadrone has vanished from your system.”
One minute he couldn’t wait to get rid of her, and the next he was acting like he cared. What was going on with him?
“Haven’t you got a murderer to catch?”
“Yes, but I can access the necessary reports from home. Can you walk?”
Just thinking about it made her stomach turn. “I’d keep the bucket handy.”
“What about the sunlight? How badly is it affecting your eyes at the moment?”
“At the moment, it’s not. Mainly because there’s no light here in the ambulance.”
A smile tugged the corners of his full lips. “But if you were outside, you’d be screaming, right?”
“Just a little.”
“Then we’d better use the ambulance as transport.” He raised his hand and tapped the wristcom’s interface.
She closed her eyes, listening to the rhythm of his speech rather than his actual words. There was something very soothing in the resonance of his voice. Something that made her just want to drift—
“Sam!”
The word leapt through her brain and jarred every nerve ending. She jumped, then opened her eyes and glared at him.
“What?”
“You were going to sleep.”
“I was just resting my eyes, for God’s sake.”
“Yeah, right.” He hesitated. Someone climbed into the front of the ambulance and the engine roared to life. “Tell me what happened in the office just before you were knocked unconscious.”
“Nothing happened. Max wouldn’t tell me anything, so I suggested his bird come down so I could talk to her.”
“Did he tell you she was up there?”
“No, but I sensed her presence the minute I walked in.”
“So she wanted her presence kept a secret?”
“Looks like it. Setting a fire to kill the two of us was going a trifle overboard, though.”
“Not if she was involved with Harry as well as Max.”
“Max usually has to pay for his fun, but I very much doubt Harry had to. And either way, it’s
still
an over-the-top reaction.” Her frown deepened. “I got the impression Max knew who Harry was with the night he died, but I got knocked out before he could say anything.”
Gabriel leaned back and regarded her thoughtfully. “What makes you think Harry was with someone? There’s no mention of it in the initial reports.”
“I asked Max the question. He said he didn’t know, but he was lying. He was so scared I could almost taste it.”
“Then maybe Max was involved.”
She shook her head. “That’s not Max’s style. He’ll push death in the form of drugs, but he’d never get involved in
were
true, how would the budgie have known? For all intents and purposes, she presented as a human. It was only that unknown chromosome, and Jack’s mysterious words, that suggested anything else. So why had the budgie tried to kill them? What had the fat man known—and what had
she
seen—that had forced the budgie’s hand?
“What did you do or see in that office?” Gabriel’s question mirrored her thoughts.
“I don’t know.” She rubbed her forehead wearily. “We were discussing Harry. Max knew something, something he was afraid of.”
“Max was Harry’s supplier?”
She nodded. “Jack and I used to bust him regularly. It didn’t seem to make a great deal of difference to his business.”
“Small-time supplier?”
“Medium. Max liked his freedom too much to ever get involved with the big syndicates.”
Gabriel was silent for a moment, then he reached out, gently wiping the sweaty strands of hair away from her forehead. His touch felt so wonderfully cool against her fevered skin, it was all she could do to resist the temptation to lean farther into his caress. “You’d better come back to my place. It’s safer, at least until the Jadrone has vanished from your system.”
One minute he couldn’t wait to get rid of her, and the next he was acting like he cared. What was going on with him?
“Haven’t you got a murderer to catch?”
“Yes, but I can access the necessary reports from home. Can you walk?”
Just thinking about it made her stomach turn. “I’d keep the bucket handy.”
“What about the sunlight? How badly is it affecting your eyes at the moment?”
“At the moment, it’s not. Mainly because there’s no light here in the ambulance.”
A smile tugged the corners of his full lips. “But if you were outside, you’d be screaming, right?”
“Just a little.”
“Then we’d better use the ambulance as transport.” He raised his hand and tapped the wristcom’s interface.
She closed her eyes, listening to the rhythm of his speech rather than his actual words. There was something very soothing in the resonance of his voice. Something that made her just want to drift—
“Sam!”
The word leapt through her brain and jarred every nerve ending. She jumped, then opened her eyes and glared at him.
“What?”
“You were going to sleep.”
“I was just resting my eyes, for God’s sake.”
“Yeah, right.” He hesitated. Someone climbed into the front of the ambulance and the engine roared to life. “Tell me what happened in the office just before you were knocked unconscious.”
“Nothing happened. Max wouldn’t tell me anything, so I suggested his bird come down so I could talk to her.”
“Did he tell you she was up there?”
“No, but I sensed her presence the minute I walked in.”
“So she wanted her presence kept a secret?”
“Looks like it. Setting a fire to kill the two of us was going a trifle overboard, though.”
“Not if she was involved with Harry as well as Max.”
“Max usually has to pay for his fun, but I very much doubt Harry had to. And either way, it’s
still
an over-the-top reaction.” Her frown deepened. “I got the impression Max knew who Harry was with the night he died, but I got knocked out before he could say anything.”
Gabriel leaned back and regarded her thoughtfully. “What makes you think Harry was with someone? There’s no mention of it in the initial reports.”
“I asked Max the question. He said he didn’t know, but he was lying. He was so scared I could almost taste it.”
“Then maybe Max was involved.”
She shook her head. “That’s not Max’s style. He’ll push death in the form of drugs, but he’d never get involved in
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