Read Online Past Tense by Freda Vasilopoulos - Free Book Online Page A

you.”
    Numbly she shook her head again. “Tony, please—”
    His mouth tightened, but he knew he couldn’t push her. “Never mind.” He held her gaze a moment longer, then turned, keeping the umbrella over her head. “Later. We’ll talk later.”
    They resumed walking. They hadn’t gotten far when the sound of an engine sent them both spinning around, half expecting a new enemy to materialize out of the mist and rain. The small pickup truck seemed innocuous enough, despite the crate of pigs in the back. Pulling past them, the farmer braked, waiting until they ran up.
    “You all right there? Need some help? Saw your car back there. Roads can be treacherous in the rain.”
    “What we need is a tow,” Tony said, pulling out a handkerchief and blowing his nose.
    They climbed into the truck, crowding close together. Sam winced as the gears ground raucously. Tony’s thigh lay along hers, his knee pressing against her. She could feel the heat of his skin through their wet jeans, and half expected to see steam rising.
    Declining the man’s offer of a hot cup of tea, they huddled under the umbrella shivering as he drove a tractor out of the storage shed. “Hop on.”
    They stood on the bar behind the seat, exposed to the full force of the rain, since it was impossible to hold the umbrella and hang onto the tractor fenders at the same time. Samantha ducked as the rubber wheels spun up mud around them.
    Depression settled over her, as weighty as the heavy charcoal clouds above them. Nothing could make this day worse.
    The tractor pulled the car free in short order, and they were on their way with a wave and a smile. All thoughts of scenic drives consigned to oblivion, Tony headed for the motorway.
    He dropped Samantha off in front of her building, briefly touching her cold cheek with his hand before leaning over to open her door. “Samantha, we have to talk. I’ll be back in half an hour, after I go home and change.”
    “Tony—” She faltered, knowing there was no escape. While she might have fought him had he demanded answers, she had no resistance to his honest concern.
    Gently he ran his thumb over her bottom lip, his smile an odd mixture of solicitude and determination. “Don’t look so worried, Sam. I only want to help.”
    She pushed herself out of the car, away from the seductive scent of his shaving lotion and the warmth in his eyes. “Tony, it’s better—”
    “Later,” he said, pulling the car door shut. Her protest was lost in the roar of the engine as he drove off into the wet twilight.
    Samantha entered the building, praying she wouldn’t meet anyone. Her shoes squelched around her icy feet as she trudged up the stairs. Mud dripped from her jacket and from her hair. She could only imagine what she looked like.
    Bagheera was meowing at the back door when she let herself into the flat. She opened the door to let him out.
    A hot shower restored her to bodily comfort. Dressed in a woolen sweater and soft fleece pants, she plugged in the kettle. If she kept her hands busy, she didn’t have to think. In the corner of the kitchen the washing machine sloshed rhythmically as it washed the mud out of her clothes.
    The telephone rang, and she ran to it, thinking Tony had changed his mind, that she’d been granted a reprieve.
    Lifting the receiver to her ear, she never got a chance to speak before the voice paralyzed her vocal cords.
    “Next time I won’t fail.”
     

Chapter Five
     
    Next time I won’t fail.
    The strange, sexless voice rang in Sam’s head as she crouched, shivering, in her chair. Bagheera was still out prowling and she was denied even the comfort of his presence.
    When the door buzzer sounded, she leaped up as if she’d touched a live wire. Teeth chattering, she hugged her arms around her chest, and pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”
    “Sam? It’s Tony.”
    Tony? She shook her head, her brain woolly. Yes, Tony, of the gentle hands and warm smile.
    To refuse him entry was a