Read Online Tears by Francine Pascal - Free Book Online

asked. He sounded almost amused. He knew a shoplifter with a switchblade was no great threat to his daughter—which, of course, was just another perfect example of how she could never possibly “blend in.”
    â€œSee what happens when I put on a dress?” she asked.
    Tom chuckled. “Well, I think you look beautiful.”
    â€œSure, you do.” She patted his shoulder, feeling mildly sick. “I’ll go get my sweatshirt.”
    PLEASE, GAIA, DON’T MAKE ONE OF your territorial walks around Washington Square,
Sam prayed as he stood under a scraggly tree in the park.
Not now.
    Kodak Moments
    Sam felt a chill underneath his coat. He looked around warily, gripping the package that Josh had ordered him to pick up from outside a garment factory in Hell’s Kitchen.
So this was what it had come down to: Josh gives Sam one alibi; Josh gets a permanent messengerboy in return.
This was the third “errand” Sam had agreed to run for Josh. He’d just about had it. He could feel his sanity slipping away—not only because of the humiliation, but because of the damage it was doing to his relationship with Gaia.
    The cold air stung his face. He knew that a relationship with the opposite sex was all about building trust. He knew it all too well. After all, lack of trust was one of the contributing factors that had destroyed his relationship with Heather. And here he was telling Gaia these stupid white lies so he could run his errands, praying he wouldn’t run into her? It was infuriating. Not to mention pathetic.
    There was no way he was going to do another one of these deliveries. He’d more than paid Josh back already. He’d simply made the wrong friend in a very messed up set of circumstances, and now he’d paid the price. Hopefully this would be the last of the deliver-ies—and then they’d be even, no questions asked, and Sam could say good-bye to Josh permanently.
    Hopefully.
    Sam glanced around the park. Nobody was showing to pick up the package. In fact, he barely saw anyone at all.
Just a few bits of garbage blowing in circles, as if stirring up a fuss to demand that somebody clean them up.
He couldn’t remember the last time the park had been this still at 6:00 P.M. The chess tables stood vacant. Thebenches glistened and dripped with melting ice. The fountain was silent and ghostly, lit up by a wrought-iron lamp nearby. Silhouettes of trees looked like scarecrows in the dimness of early evening.
    He swallowed.
    Where was his contact? Out of his peripheral vision he spotted movement. But it was only a group of young girls, straggling across one of the paths. The clatter of their boots echoed and died, and again the park was deathly silent. Sam jiggled from one foot to the other. A palpable fear was coagulating in his veins.
    And then suddenly he materialized.
    A dark shape appeared in the shadows, walking straight toward Sam.
    Make that a she.
    Sam’s eyes widened. The massive, hulking figure was a woman. . . technically speaking. The curves were all in place and undeniable, but this person could easily crush Sam into the ground with one overhand punch. Some battle of chromosomes had been lost—or the outcome purposefully fixed. He couldn’t help but shrink away a little as she stopped in front of him. Her face was concealed by a scarf.
    â€œGot something for me?” she whispered, her hands jammed into the pockets of a black ski jacket. Her voice was deep, raspy.
    Sam’s heart pounded. Where did Josh find these people? Not that it mattered. There was no point inprolonging this encounter any longer than necessary. Getting out of the park as fast as was humanly possible seemed the smartest option. He handed over the package and turned to go.
    â€œSlow down,
homey
.” The woman stopped Sam with a rough hand on his shoulder, then pulled him back and thrust an eight-by-eleven manila envelope into his hands. “It’s a