Girl of Lies by Charles Sheehan-Miles Read Free Book Online

nothing but supposition and your own biases.”
    Will’s eyes widened and he grinned. “Humor me, then. Because in order to get you out of here quickly, I have to reassure the hospital administration that you’re fit to go and you aren’t a danger to yourself.”
    Andrea crossed her arms over her chest and said, “All right, then. Psychoanalyze me if you must.”
    Will laughed and gave her a sideways grin. “Tell me about your mother, then.”
    Eye roll. “My mother sent me off to Spain when I was six, and I see her on holidays whether I like it or not.”
    He frowned. “I was actually joking, but… you’ve really lived in Spain since you were six? Who with?”
    “My grandmother,” Andrea replied. “We have a flat in Calella… it’s a small town on the beach, about half an hour from Barcelona.”
    “What brings you to the States?”
    “My sister Carrie… her daughter needs a bone marrow transplant. I’m supposed to be tested to see if I’m a match.”
    He grimaced. “Leukemia?”
    She shook her head. “Thalassemia.”
    He frowned. “It’s been a while since my straight med school days, but my recollection is thalassemia isn’t life threatening, at least not in the short term.”
    She shrugged. “It can be. Depends. If she can’t find a donor, she’ll be dependent on blood transfusions the rest of her life. The typical prognosis is pretty poor.”
    “You’re a pretty smart girl for sixteen.”
    She shrugged her shoulder. “I’m a freak.”
    “I wouldn’t say that.”
    “How else do you explain it? Why didn’t my parents come pick me up from the airport, then? Why do they pack me off to live in Spain? The only reason I’m here is for my sister. The minute we know if I’m a donor or not, I’m on a plane back home.”
    Will nodded. “Tell me about your sister and her daughter.”
    Andrea shrugged. “I barely know her.” Her tone was sharp-edged, bitter.
    He raised his eyebrows. “But you fly thousands of miles to undergo a potentially painful medical procedure to help her daughter.”
    Andrea blinked. Then she said, “I didn’t have much a mother as a child. But what mothering I got was from Carrie.” She choked up a little, and then said, “I’d do anything for her. And she’s had an awful time.”
    “How so?”
    Andrea shrugged. “Husband murdered last summer. Surely you read about it in the papers.”
    He sat back and studied her. She could almost see the wheels working in his brain, as he put together the names Carrie Thompson, the fact of Ray’s murder and her mention of the papers. Then his eyes widened just a little bit. Yep. He got it. Ray Sherman, Carrie’s husband, had been falsely accused and brought before a war crimes court last summer. Exonerated by the court, he was murdered by another soldier.
    Will thought that through, then said, “Your brother-in-law was murdered. Is there any possibility that the kidnapping attempt was related to that?”
    She shrugged.
    “Did your kidnappers say anything to you? Were you scared?”
    She swallowed and thought of Hairy Chest, staring her in the eye as he said, “ I fuck you so hard you scream .” She closed her eyes, her mind resting on the death in his eyes. It was terrifying. But it was also oddly impersonal. Hairy Chest and the driver—the best way she could put it was, they didn’t seem to be emotionally engaged in their work. This was just that. They’d been hired or ordered to kidnap her. It wasn’t personal for them.
    But it was damn personal for her, and for that reason, she was glad they were dead.
    There. She’d settled on her answer. “I’m glad they’re both dead,” she replied.
    Will nodded. “How do you feel about that?”
    “About the fact they are dead?”
    “Yes.”
    She gave him an ironic grin. “I’m delighted. It’s like someone bought me an iPhone for Christmas, I’m so excited.”
    “You don’t sound excited.”
    “You don’t sound very intelligent.”
    He rubbed a hand along his