Read Online The Adventures of Lazarus Gray by Barry Reese - Free Book Online

all. He was bound to
look upon occasion. "Look at these," she said, flipping through the
pages. "Strangest things I’ve ever seen."
    Morgan took one of the
pages from her and studied it. That it was quite old was
undeniable. It felt like calfskin and the page was crammed with
writing, all in Latin. Each sheet was extremely long, measuring
nearly three feet in length. "Who sent these?"
    "There’s no return
address."
    "Too bad my Latin’s so
rusty."
    Samantha smirked, knowing
that Morgan knew as much about Latin as he did about ladies’
fashion. In other words, virtually nothing. "I’ll take them to the
Chief."
    "Sounds like a plan."
Morgan handed over the sheet he’d been holding and cleared his
throat. "Listen, doll, you doing anything Saturday
night?"
    Samantha blinked, wondering
if she’d heard correctly. "Just the usual: hanging around
headquarters and waiting for something to happen."
    "Well, I have these tickets
for the movie house. It’s nothing fancy, mind you – one of those
Evelyn Gould adventure flicks – but I was thinking that since I
have two tickets and there’s only one of me that I should take
somebody with me."
    "Are you asking me on a
date?"
    "No!" Morgan guffawed and
Samantha wasn’t certain if she should feel relieved or insulted.
"It’s just two friends, doll. Nothing more than that. Believe
me!"
    Samantha fought to keep a
frown off her face. "That’s fine. We can do that, Morgan. But I
can’t promise anything, really. I mean, anything might come up
between now and then."
    "Of course. Same
here."
    "Good." Samantha turned
away and headed toward the stairs. She didn’t look back at Morgan
but if she had, she would have seen him wincing. Their conversation
hadn’t gone anywhere along the lines of what he’d intended and he
was beginning to wonder if there was something about Miss Grace
that would always leave him tripping over his feet.
     
    ***
     
    Lazarus Gray was not a
particularly large man but there was something about him that made
men pause when they saw him. It might have been the mismatched
eyes, one a sparkling emerald and the other a brooding brown. Or it
might have been the stern, almost emotionless cast of his features.
But most likely it was the way he moved, with the elegant grace of
a dancer and the dangerous tread of a panther.
    Eun Jiwon normally
considered himself a very dangerous individual. Quick and athletic,
the young Korean had proven himself capable of dealing with two or
three grown men in combat but against Gray, he found himself simply
outclassed. The two men were sparring now, throwing punches and
kicks so quickly that they were little more than blurs to the naked
eye. But Eun knew that Gray was holding back, a supposition that
proved correct when Samantha entered the training area, an envelope
in hand. Gray ducked another one of Eun’s fists and delivered two
quick chops to the younger man’s midsection, knocking the breath
from his lungs. Gray then finished him with a kick to the knee that
left Eun temporarily hobbled.
    Gray straightened and gave
his opponent a polite bow. "Excellent work, Eun."
    The Korean stared at him in
disbelief. Though he was far younger than Gray, he was panting and
covered in sweat while the older man looked fresh as a daisy. Eun
gingerly walked over to pluck up a towel and was using it to wipe
off his brow when Samantha handed over the papers to
Gray.
    "This came in the mail this
morning, Chief. No return address. I took Latin in school but I
can’t really make heads or tails of this."
    Lazarus studied the pages
very carefully, his eyes raking over the words. "Everyone needs to
come together in the briefing room. Immediately."
    The tone in his voice
brooked no further discussion. Samantha whirled at once, heading
off to fetch Morgan. Eun, meanwhile, set the automatic recording
devices that answered the phones when the team was busy. Within
moments, all four members of Assistance Unlimited were gathered
around a sturdy oak