Identity Crisis by Grace Marshall Read Free Book Online Page B

and paced like a trapped animal in front of his desk. ‘Tess Delaney’s a woman. You’re not.’ He didn’t move, but just stood glaring at her, looking as though his chest were about to explode from his efforts to breath. ‘She writes novels. You don’t do anything.’ She wasn’t sure but what there might be steam coming out his ears. He was furious. Well, so the hell was she. ‘She’s famous because of her work. You’re famous because of your brother.’
    She turned on him. ‘What was Tess Delaney’s fourth novel?’
    ‘ Golden Moments ,’ he replied instantly. ‘About Terri Sorenson, a woman with a rare form of cancer, and Del Hendricks, the doctor who cures her.’ Before she could respond, he shot back another question. ‘Who’s Turk Bishop?’
    ‘A washed-up prize fighter who falls in love with his manager’s niece, Andrea Livingston, one of the few successful female boxing managers. From Tess’s seventh book, TKO .’
    ‘Who was terrified of elevators?’ Garrett said, moving back to the nose-to-nose, Mexican stand-off position.
    ‘Delilah Benton from High Flyers . She’d been trapped in one alone for 12 hours as a little girl.’ She shoved her hands onto her hips and glared at him. ‘Deke Arnold’s drink of choice?
    ‘Gin martini made with Bombay Sapphire,’ he said. ‘Sarah Masters’ biggest weakness?’
    ‘Lapsang Souchang tea and chocolate éclairs from Finnegan’s Bakery.’
    ‘Jesus!’ They both spoke at the same time, then turned and paced in opposite directions.
    ‘Why?’ he asked, sounding like she had just murdered his favorite pet.
    ‘What do you mean, why? Because I admire the woman’s work.’ She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. ‘Admired the woman’s work, and I’m the best in my field. I jumped at the chance to work for her … Well, who I thought she was.’
    Their pacing became synchronized.
    ‘You mean to tell me Kendra Davis, the queen of bad temper, reads romance novels?’
    ‘You mean to tell me Garrett Thorne, the epitome of ambition-free living, writes romance novels?’
    ‘And just what did you think you were going to do for me … For Tess? Throw drinks at her? Slap her around? Try to drown her?’
    Once again they found themselves nose to nose, and Kendra couldn’t believe the sense of loss she felt, the sense of rage that this man had, in less than five minutes, destroyed her hero. And damn, she was furious! She was actually fighting back tears. How could she have let the bastard reduce her to this? ‘Fuck you.’ Her voice was little more than a whisper. ‘Tell Bachman to find someone else.’ She shrugged her bag up her shoulder, turned on her heels, and headed for the door.
    ‘Wait.’ He grabbed her by the arm, more gently than she would have expected, and swung her around to face him. The look on his face was desperate, a look K. Ryde had seen often. Suddenly, he struggled to hold her gaze. ‘Are you as good as Don says you are?’
    For a second her anger flared, but the look on his face was earnest, and she held her tongue. ‘Would I be here if I weren’t?’
    He studied her unabashedly for a moment, and she returned the favor.
    ‘There isn’t time for Don to find someone else.’ He gave a desperate glance around the room and shook his head. ‘I need help now.’
    If there had been even the least hint of subterfuge, she would have punched him hard and left. But she’d made a living at reading people. The man was desperate. K. Ryde came to the forefront. She took a deep breath. ‘All right. Tell me what you need.’
    Instead of moving behind the desk, he guided her to a sand-colored sofa flanked by a small woodland of tall plants, then he sat down on the edge of a matching chair facing her, hands folded in his lap, leaning forward into her gaze. ‘I need you to be Tess Delaney for me.’
    She blinked twice. ‘You what?’
    ‘I need you to be Tess Delaney.’
    A pot of strong coffee and two cans of Diet Pepsi later, neither