Read Online Knight Predator by Jordan Falconer - Free Book Online Page B

hungry?”
    “Yeah.” She sighed.
    “Let’s go get something to eat.”
    I pulled out and thirty minutes later both of us had eaten in the parking lot of McDonalds.
    Bronwyn, giving me a puzzled stare, slid into the passenger seat while I slipped behind the steering wheel. I tapped the wheel and then turned and gave her a dazzling grin.
    “I know just the place,” I said.
    “For what?” Bronwyn asked, still glancing at me with a surprising wariness.
    “You said you wanted a clock, didn’t you?” I said. “Well, I know just the place.”
    “Will it still be open?”
    “I think so,” I said, glancing at the light traffic on the highway.
    Half an hour later we were in St. Peters, standing before an old clock shop. Bronwyn looked around in interest at the turn-of-the-century townhouses along the road.
    “Gotta love the inner city, don’t you?” I said.
    She shrank next to me, watching the group of five young men walking toward us. They were exchanging glances and whispering to each other. I barely paid attention to what they were saying. I knew we were both good looking and felt no need to listen to comments about our sexual attributes.
    I glanced at Bronwyn. “You’re perfectly safe with me. They can’t hurt you.”
    “Are you sure about that?” she asked, gazing at the one at the front who seemed to be a body builder.
    I laughed. “Hell, yes. Look, if it makes you more comfortable, we’ll go inside.”
    I pushed open the door, and the bells tinkled. We found ourselves in an ancient, shadowed shop, resonant with the sound of ticking clocks.
    Cuckoo clocks hanging on the walls, grandfather clocks scattered along the walls, mantelpiece clocks, kitchen clocks, traveling alarm clocks, and display cases filled with pocket watches and wrist watches.

    “Wow,” Bronwyn said, turning in a circle as she took in all the timepieces.
    “Cool, huh?” I said. “Check this out.” I pointed to a glass mantelpiece clock close to us. Its internals were bronzed springs, gears, and cogs, each wheel turned by a small man. It looked as though an entire factory of tiny people worked to keep the clock ticking.
    “Oh, that
is
cool,” she said.
    “You like it?”
    She nodded.
    “Can I help you?” a voice asked behind me. I turned and saw an old man. I smiled at him. I had last seen him when he was much younger.
    “Yes. We’re after a—” I glanced around and saw Bronwyn staring at a grandfather clock, as tall as I was. “—grandfather clock.”
    He smiled fondly when he saw Bronwyn’s round-eyed expression.
    I found myself mirroring it. Her expression was nothing short of endearing.
    “You like that one?” I asked her.
    “Check this out,” she said.
    I followed the direction of her extended finger and was equally awkstruck. Every millimeter of the clock’s silver face was intricately carved, and the roman numerals understated and classic rather than ornate. The weights looked aged and sturdy, the wood well-kept and loved. It ticked with a quiet authority that was soothing.
    “Wow,” I said.
    “I like this one.” She blushed and nibbled her lip.
    I caught her chin in my hand. “No nibbling. I like it too.” I turned back to the clockmaker. “How much do you want for this one?”
    He mentioned a price, and Bronwyn sagged and clutched me for support.
    I smiled. “I’ll take it. When can you deliver it, and can you do it in the evening? I’ll be out until then.”
    “We can do that for you tomorrow. But it would have to be night,”
    he said. “How do you want to pay for that?”
    “Sounds perfect. Will you take a check?”
    He nodded. “Certainly.”
    Five minutes later, Bronwyn and I were on our way back to my car.
    She held a small alarm clock, almost an afterthought, in her hand. She slipped her hand into mine and pulled in close to me. “That is the most beautiful clock I’ve ever seen, beloved angel.”

    I nodded. “I know. It’s superb.”
    “Where are you going to put it?”
    “Where