At the Edge of the Sun by Anne Stuart Read Free Book Online Page A

looked startled. “Why what?”
    “Why don’t you think Holly has any sense? You’ve only just met her. What makes you assume she’s merely ornamental? And if she was as lacking in brains as you suspect, what would it matter? What have you got against pretty women?”
    Ian opened his mouth, then shut it again, and his temper encompassed Maggie as well as her absent sister. “I don’t approve of the time or money spent on personal adornment,” he grumbled sourly.
    “God, what a Calvinist,” Maggie said, turning back to the window. There was a light snow falling, and in the distance she could see Big Ben lit up against the dark sky. Almost eleven o’clock. At least an hour before they returned.
    “Did you see how many suitcases your sister brought with her?” Ian demanded.
    “And her clothes came in handy, didn’t they?” Maggie countered. “I think we’ve got more important things to concentrate on than Holly’s twelve suitcases. She’ll pull her own weight, Ian, I know that much. I don’t have any such guarantees about you.”
    “I beg your pardon?” He tossed back the rest of his Scotch, highly affronted.
    “I think you’re wasting too much time and energy frettingabout Holly’s luggage and not enough on what we’re going to do next if they can’t find anything out at the gaming club.”
    “I don’t need to fret, I know,” he said grandly. “We’ll go to Northern Ireland. There’s a man named O’Banion who’s been known to work with Flynn. He’s a lesser member of the local branch of the IRA, and I’ve been told he’s a reasonable man.”
    “Where’d you get that information?”
    “I have my contacts,” he replied in a lofty tone.
    “The same contacts that told you Holly was living with Flynn? I can’t say I think much of them.”
    He had the grace to look uncomfortable. “No informant is infallible. Besides, I got this from someone I’ve used a little bit more. It’s someone I knew when I was stationed in Ireland, and I’d trust him with my life.”
    “You were stationed in Northern Ireland? Don’t you think it might be a little difficult for you to ferret around among the IRA looking for Flynn? For some reason I don’t think people are going to want to cooperate with you.”
    He smiled then, and Maggie immediately revised her opinion of their unwilling partner. He wasn’t completely lacking in appeal. She wondered how Holly would react if he ever directed that beautiful smile in her direction.
    “That’s where you come in,” he said. “You and Carter should do very well tracking him down.”
    “What do you mean, me and Carter? What about Holly and Carter? I think she’ll do just as good a job—”
    “No. I’m not going to tell you how to find O’Banion unless you promise me you’ll do it. I don’t want that painted doll messing up my one solid lead.”
    “And if I don’t promise?”
    “Then all bets are off and I’ll find him on my own. And if he doesn’t feel like cooperating with a member of British Army Intelligence, I’m certain I’ll be able to work my way around to convincing him.”
    Maggie shook her head. “I don’t think we should drawany attention to our search. Beating up people might get a bit untidy.”
    “Then you and Randall will have to do it neatly,” Ian replied.
    “I suppose … Good God, what was that?” The dark London sky was lit with a ball of flame halfway across the city, and the windows of the old hotel rattled ominously with a sympathetic tremor.
    Ian was by her side, his face lit with the incendiary glow. “Looks like a bomb,” he said grimly. “I’ve seen enough of them in my time.”
    A cold knot of dread began to form in Maggie’s heart. “Where do you think it is?”
    He turned to look at her, and his wonderful green eyes were bleak. “I wouldn’t know.”
    “You can’t even make an educated guess?” Her voice was deceptively calm.
    “It would be a waste of time. You’re already jumping to enough