Renee Simons Special Edition Read Free Page B

buzz but not the sound of a gravely voice filling the air. "Issat you boss?"
    "Break off the surveillance. You gentlemen are needed back here at the office. Twenty minutes, tops."
    Ethan spoke softly, trading his own accent for one faintly reminiscent of Philadelphia 's blue collar south side frosted over with a touch of the Mainline. She’d been away from Philly a long time, but the familiar speech patterns rang true.
    Jordan tuned out the rest of the conversation to concentrate on the sound of footsteps tapping on the pavement as someone walked down the alley toward them. She checked her door lock as Ethan cradled the phone. He had one hand on the ignition key and the other on the wheel when a voice hollered from curbside.
    "Hey, Aldo, da boss just called. Said to leave 'em be and come on back to the office!"
    "In a minute," the near voice answered.
    "Not in a minute. Now!"
    A string of epithets prefaced the crash of a fist or, more likely, a shoe against the side of the dumpster. The reverberation covered Aldo's retreat back out of the alley. A door slammed. Tires screeched. The vehicle drove off, freeing Jordan to breathe normally again.
    Ethan grinned and rolled his eyes. "That wasn't very original, but it was all I could think of."
    "Does da boss really sound like that?"
    "That was as close to the real thing as I could get."
    "Never find fault with a ploy that works."
    Her anger surfaced and she fought to keep her voice steady. "How did you know the number?"
    He shrugged. "Funny what you remember in times of stress."
    "You've just worn twenty thousand miles off my tires and ten years off my life. That entitles me to an explanation."
    "Aldo and his partner work for the contractor on a building project I designed. They can usually be found guarding the person and property of “da boss,” but it seems they have a new assignment - me."
    "Why are they interested in you?"
    "There was an accident at the construction site with injuries and deaths among the crew. They got an injunction to keep me away, so I've been nosing around at night. Haven't found much so far. Maybe those blokes are making sure I don't."
    "Then, maybe you should stay away."
    "Not bloody likely. They're hiding something and I need to know what it is." He grimaced, then shrugged again. "Still hungry?"
    "More so."
    "Trust me to drive?"
    She sighed. "Just keep it under seventy, please."
    "Next stop - Boston Common."
    Jordan wondered whether a picnic in the park would return a strange day to normalcy or make it even more bizarre. Most disturbing of all, had they seen the last of Aldo and his pal?
     

 
     
    Chapter 2
     
    In the park, Jordan and Ethan found a spot under a tree and put out cheese and salami, olives, a crusty Italian bread, and a bottle of rosé. A cloudless sky hung above them and a soothing balm of warm air flowed over them. The laughter of children mingled with the sound of a guitar and the rustle of new leaves overhead.
    "This is wonderful."
    "I have one more surprise." He reached behind him and held out a basket of strawberries. "Mr. Brancusi grew these in his greenhouse and swears they're sweet as sugar."
    She bit into one, closing her eyes in pleasure as the juicy sweetness ran over her tongue. "He deserves a medal."
    She offered the other half. Ethan steadied her hand with his own as she fed him the fruit. A shiver coursed through her as she felt the rough texture of his callused palm - not a wave of fear, as she would have expected, but something strange, almost - exciting. Not possible, she decided.
    "Your hands have known hard work," she said to cover her confusion. 
    "The life of a stockman is a far cry from the one my brother leads."
    Was there a hint of criticism in his words? "Is a stockman something like a cowboy?"
    "Exactly."
    "A hard life..."
    "It'll test you."
    He'd spoken softly, without brashness or bravado. His tone called attention somehow to his long, lean, yet powerful frame. An aura of authority surrounded him, like