Read Online Reality Matrix Effect (9781310151330) by Laura Remson Mitchell - Free Book Online Page B

too self-assured. An icy blast had shaken
Rayna’s world, and she resented the warm coat of invulnerability
that seemed to cloak the stranger.
    Enough of that, Rayna told herself sharply as
she turned and entered the elevator.
    On the third floor, she headed left down a
short corridor to Keith’s apartment. She touched the sensor pad
next to the doorjamb. There was a momentary delay; then she heard
Keith’s voice through the entrance intercom.
    “Hang on a minute,” he said, without
bothering to ask who was at the door.
    Through the intercom, Rayna thought she
detected the background sounds of rushing water. Probably taking
a shower , Rayna surmised. Her pulse quickened with unexpected
desire as she pictured Keith’s lean, hard body emerging from the
spray.
    She drew a deep breath. By now Keith would
have toweled himself off and donned his robe. Now he’d be
approaching his main communicator console and pressing the “entry”
key to check the identity of his visitor. From where Rayna stood,
nothing seemed to happen, but she knew how Keith’s specially
designed “entry” function worked. She’d seen it often enough from
inside. With a rapid shimmer, the special material in the front
door would shift its molecular alignment, and what usually appeared
as opaque whiteness would temporarily become a one-way window.
    “Rayna!” Keith exclaimed right on cue as the
door slid open. “What’re you doing here?”
      I need you, she thought. I need you, and I want you. Now. But something in Keith’s
eyes warned her to back off. Better stick to
business.
    “Well that’s a fine greeting!” she said,
kissing him lightly on the lips. “You’re all wet!”
    “Shower’ll do that to a fella every
time.”  Keith’s smile seemed strangely forced.
    “I have a little problem that requires the
skills of a good lawyer. Know anyone who might be able to handle
the job?”
    Rayna moved confidently into the room, her
spirits rising once more as she assured herself that Keith was the
key to finding her identity.
    “That depends,” Keith snarled. “Some new
problem involving dear old Al Frederick?  Because if it
is....”
    Rayna looked at him in perplexed silence as
his words died away.
    “Have I been that preoccupied with Al since
he died?”  She shook her head. “I know I haven’t exactly been
easy to be around lately, but I never realized....”
    Keith shrugged his shoulders but said
nothing.
    “Well, this isn’t about Al. It’s about
me.”  Keith breathed a quiet sigh of relief and waited for
Rayna to continue. “I just found out for sure yesterday,” she told
him. “I’m adopted.”
    Keith’s eyebrows arched in surprise.
“Oh?” 
    Rayna nodded. “Mom and Dad—the Kingmans, that
is—they say they don’t know anything about my real parents, and the
thing is, the adoption records are sealed.”
    “Sealed?”   Keith looked
incredulous. “In this day and age?  Hardly any adoption
records are sealed anymore.”
    “I know. That’s why I need your help.” 
Rayna moved closer to Keith. She wanted more than just his
professional assistance. She put her arms around him and rested her
head against his chest. But instead of returning her embrace,
Keith’s arms hung uncertainly at his side.
    “I feel lost, Keith. It’s like going home
after a long, hard day at work and finding out your building isn’t
there anymore.”
    Tentatively, Keith raised his arms to offer a
gentle caress, then broke away suddenly to assume a more detached,
businesslike demeanor.
    “Look,” he said, “we need to sit down and
talk about this, but right now, I’m standing around wearing nothing
but a damp bathrobe. Not exactly the current fashion for the
hotshot lawyer on the go.”  Once again, he offered a wan
smile.
    Rayna looked at Keith pensively. How odd, she
thought.
    “Is something wrong?” she asked as she
followed him into the bedroom.
    “No. No, of course not. Everything’s just
fine.”
    “You tired