Held by Edeet Ravel Read Free Book Online Page A

practical side, the side Angie sometimes found so annoying.
    “We must be near the equator,” I said, leaning back in the chair. “Or you wouldn’t have installed an air-conditioner.”
    “Yes, you can also rule out Greenland,” he said, without smiling. I was somewhat disconcerted by how expressionless and immobile his face was. It could have been scary, but his eyes at least were clever and full of life. He looked at me intently, as if he were trying to see me as clearly as possible, or maybe as if he already saw me more clearly than I supposed.
    “I guess I have to believe you. I guess I want to believe you. You don’t look like the type to shoot an innocent person, but looks can be deceiving.”
    “That’s true.”
    “If you kill me, will you do it fast?”
    “I told you, no one is going to kill you.”
    “I don’t want to die.”
    “Most people don’t want to die.”
    “I’ve only just started my life.”
    “Yes.”
    “But I’ve seen you,” I repeated.
    “Brown hair, brown eyes, six-foot-two—that will narrow it down,” he said.
    “If you’d kidnapped my friend Angie, she’d be able to draw you.”
    “That would be bad luck.”
    I took a sip of wine and studied his face. Nothing about him seemed desperate or wild. He appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. His eyes weren’t brown, as he’d said, but it was hard to tell what color they were. I tried not to relate to his good looks. It seemed to me dangerous to even notice that he was attractive; I didn’t want anything like that to cloud my vision or affect my judgment.
    He stared at me in a way I wasn’t used to, but I knew that might have more to do with culture than with personal idiosyncrasy. I’d noticed that in Greece people looked at the person they were addressing more directly than we did. I was interested in things like that—I even thought I might study anthropology when I went to university.
    Of course, maybe he wasn’t Greek at all. I was never much good at guessing anyone’s race or background.
    “You’re a very serious sort of person,” I said.
    He looked at me but didn’t answer for a change. I didn’t avoid his gaze. I looked right back at him.
    “Your idea won’t work, you know. If the government gave in, everyone would try it. Everyone would take hostages, it would get completely out of control. Our prisons would empty out within weeks!”
    “You have a point,” he said, and I wondered whether he was humoring me. It was impossible to tell from his tone of voice.
    “What you’re doing isn’t right. I’ve never done anything to you. Why would you make me suffer like this?”
    “You’re right, it’s not fair to you.”
    “Well, I’m glad I’m not a sex slave at least. I thought some pervert may have hired you to kidnap me … You’re not interested in me that way either,” I said. It was a disguised question, of course. I needed confirmation.
    “No,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
    I looked down and shuffled my feet under the table. I felt embarrassed, but I was glad I’d asked.
    “One hour before you need hot water, turn on the boiler. It shuts automatically, so you need to switch it on each time.”
    “I didn’t see any boiler.”
    “It’s next to the shower.”
    “Okay.”
    “If you need anything, let me know.”
    “I guess I’m lucky, relatively speaking. I mean, you could have been horrible. But you seem nice, actually. Apart from this very stupid idea of yours.” I was no longer afraid of him. It was obvious he wasn’t going to hurt me, no matter what I said. If he was going to kill me, it would be because of what he’d decided, not because of anything I said or did.
    He went on eating, and in spite of my resolution not to join him, I helped myself to a cheese and spinach pastry.
    “I don’t need so much food,” I said.
    “I wasn’t sure what you liked.”
    “Did you give a deadline?”
    “Yes, one month.”
    His answer jolted me back to