Midnight Shadows Read Free

might have to do some stuff at the computer, but I don’t think I’ll have to take another trip.” If the two bank presidents he spoke to had further questions, he’d just Skype. “So,” Kowalski said to Yannis, “how have things been around here? Anything happen?”
    Allegra frowned, shot a glance to Yannis and shook her head slightly. What the fuck was this?
    But Yannis merely smiled and shook his head. “Nope. Nothing exciting. As a matter of fact, for the next couple of days things are going to get really really quiet. We’ve got some bigwigs coming tomorrow and they’ve bought out almost all the rooms. Just a couple of guys and their entourage. Financial big shots, probably scheming to take over the world.” He shrugged. “As long as they’re paying premium prices I don’t care. Less work for us. As a matter of fact, they asked to be alone in the restaurant so for the next three days you and Allegra will be served room service on the terrace of your suite, how’s that?”
    The last thing Kowalski wanted was to share any space at all with the money men. He dealt with money men on a daily basis in his work. The ones that weren’t creeps were fuckheads and they were all spoiled rotten. Staying on a gorgeous hotel suite terrace overlooking the most fabulous view in the history of views, dining alone with Allegra? Oh yeah.
    “Sounds great,” he said. “Will the pool be off-limits too? Because we can always go down to the beach.”
    Yannis frowned and hesitated. Which was unlike him. Kowalski got the impression Yannis wasn’t ecstatic about this little financial summit. Which he understood completely. Kowalski hoped fervently that Yannis was milking the money men dry.
    “I don’t know about that, they didn’t specify anything about the pool area. I’ll get back to you on that.”
    Allegra did a happy little jig in bare feet. “The beach! Let’s go to the beach, Douglas! Right now!”
    Kowalski knew Allegra loved the beach of the resort. Strange for an Irishwoman who had countless generations of living next to freezing Irish Sea water and gray waterlogged dunes in her DNA.
    “Well, you’ve got your answer, Kowalski,” Yannis said. “Take your lady down to the beach and enjoy yourselves. I’ll have complimentary drinks in your room at nautical twilight.” He gave Kowalski an ironic salute, Allegra a wink and then walked off.
    Kowalski watched him go. Yannis had perfect gait. Good for him. Kowalski knew how many excruciating hours of physical rehab that perfect gait had taken. He’d sweated every single second of Allegra’s rehab and had to hand it to anyone who went through it and came out sane the other end. Him? He’d been lucky. He’d only taken a couple of bullets—one of them had been for Allegra—that went in one side and out the other and hadn’t messed up too much stuff along the way. Plus the fucker who’d messed his face up with the knife. But nothing requiring rehab. It would have driven him crazy.
    Allegra tugged on his arm and he turned to her with a smile. “Yeah honey?”
    “After the beach, I have a surprise for you.” She had a secretive smile.
    Kowalski barely refrained from patting his pocket. In it was a case with a diamond-cut emerald on a gold chain. “Well that’s handy. Because I have a surprise for you, too. You want to show me yours?”
    “Now?” Allegra looked around. Kowalski looked down into her beautiful heart-shaped face and was struck, for the millionth time, by how incredibly lucky he was. She shook her head. Her smile was blinding. “After the swim. It’ll take a while.”
    Kowalski froze. Oh God, no. She wasn’t talking about sex was she? He couldn’t possibly do that. No. No way.
    * * * *
    Allegra saw her husband freeze like a deer in the headlights and managed not to sigh. She also managed to pretend she had no idea what he was thinking and that everything was absolutely normal.
    The fact that he froze was proof enough that Douglas was deeply