Crossroads Shadowland Read Free

something up for
dinner."
    The water from the
showerhead ran in a steady stream after Frank turned the knobs on again. He picked up the soap and the
loofa and washed the areas of his body Rand missed before they were
distracted. "No, let's go out tonight. How
about Italian?"
    "Are we celebrating?"
    "Seeing New Orleans for the
first time is always cause for celebration." Rand couldn't help the smile. "New Orleans? You'll tell me
all about it at dinner, right?"
    "Right after the wine and salad are served.
How about Sabatino's."
    Rand snapped his fingers.
"Little Italy. I'm on it." He walked to the bathroom door, pivoted, and scooped his jeans and shirt from
the floor. "After I get
dressed."
    "Good idea." Frank reached for a towel on
the nearby rack and stepped from the shower. "Hey, how did the test
go today?"
    Rand yanked the jeans over
his hips and pulled the t-shirt over his head. "I'll tell you all about it at dinner."
    Before Frank had a chance
to answer, he hustled from the bathroom and headed toward the phone in the kitchen.
     

Chapter Two
     
    Tucked into a corner at a
cozy booth, Frank ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir, a light sherry hue, flavored with strawberry, plum and
violets. Minutes later, the waiter
delivered the wine with two Bookmaker salads smothered in Sabatino's famous house dressing and took their
order. Frank ordered Shrimp Renato, Rand
the Veal Francese he'd been dreaming about for the last
hour, notwithstanding the awesome shower
sex he'd shared with Frank.
    "This was a great idea, Frank. I've been
starving all day."
    Frank rolled the wine
around in his glass and took a sip. "You were going to tell me about your test today."
    "Oh, yeah, I think I aced it."
    With a roll of his eyes,
Frank said, "You think ?"
    "I'm feeling confident.
When you were on the two-hour phone call last night I went over my notes again." Rand picked up his fork
and dove into the salad. "I knew most of
the answers on that exam, and besides, I promised you I'd go out with a bang."
    "We need to talk about that."
    Rand narrowed his eyes.
"You're not backing out on me, McGuire. We had a deal. You said—"
    "Are you going to let me talk or not?"
    Rand put his fork down and
placed his hands on the table. "Okay, shoot, but if you think to put me off, you got a fight on your
hands. I know something is up again. I caught part of your
conversation when you were talking to that nun on the phone."
    "It's not polite to
eavesdrop, and I thought you said you were cramming for the test."
    "I was, but I heard your
end of the conversation. So, what's up with the nun?"
    Frank chuckled and shook
his head. "What makes you think I was talking to a nun?"
    "You called her Sister
something and. . . ." Rand stopped in mid sentence while the waiter
set the entrees on the table and asked if he could bring
them anything else.
    "Not for me, thanks," Frank said.
"Rand?'
    "No, I'm good." As soon as
the man ducked through the archway near their booth, Rand picked up
where he'd left off. "Fast service here; and you don't have a sister."
    Frank gave him a quizzical look.
    "The nun, you called the person on the phone
Sister Francoise."
    "Francoise Genevieve from New Orleans, an
Ursuline nun."
    "Ursuline?"
    "A Roman Catholic religious
order that goes way back to some place in Italy." Frank stabbed a plump shrimp on his plate with his
fork and popped it into his mouth. "Damn,
this is good."
    His lips splitting into a
grin, Rand cut off a chunk of the veal. "She going to save your rotten soul, Frank?"
    "I think it's beyond redemption."
    "You got that right." For a
long moment, Rand studied him as if mulling over the redemption comment. "You said something about New
Orleans earlier. Does Sister
whoever—"
    "Francoise Genevieve. You
need to remember that if you plan to accompany me on this one."
    With every element of his
attention focused on him, Rand asked, " Am I going to accompany you this
time?"
    "Like you said, we made a
deal—you finish out the year in college