Saving Nathaniel by Jillian Brookes-Ward Read Free Book Online Page A

rest in the opposite direction of travel and on the wrong side of the road. It rocked violently sideways with the inertia, its brakes and tyres smoking, a fine trail of black rubber having been laid in a sweeping arc on the tarmac.
    Inside, Nat sat motionless, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. He exhaled a deep, shuddering breath. The diesel engine was still running, but it struggled to be heard over the pounding of his heart. He pulled on the handbrake, slipped the car into neutral and stepped out. The sour odour of burning rubber hung over the road.
    He had no idea what had happened, but he was certain he had hit something. He bent down to examine the front of the car to find a small patch of blood and hair attached to the grille covering the fog lamp. Frantically he looked around, but saw no sign of a body, human or otherwise, anywhere on the road.
    He checked the deep muddy drainage ditch that ran down the sides of the road. There was nothing. He returned to the car to take a closer look at the patch of gore and breathed out a white cloud of relief as he recognised it as deer hair.
    There was no sign of an injured animal. The car had probably struck it a glancing blow and it had run off, too shocked to feel its wound, making off over the fence and into the undergrowth before he had even seen it. There was nothing he could do about it now.
    He said a silent prayer of thanks for there having been no other vehicles on the road. Help for an accident out in the sticks was a long time coming and most casualties didn't make it to hospital in time, even if they were ferried there by the Air Ambulance.
    Finally satisfied there was nothing more to be done, he manoeuvred the car back into the right direction and continued his journey. He checked the clock. Providing he kept his eyes on the road ahead and didn't get distracted again, he shouldn't be late.
     
    He didn't really need the office, but it gave him a professional image. In addition, it was somewhere he could control who he saw and when he saw them…or not. He didn't want people calling unannounced on his own front doorstep.
    He was in plenty of time for his meeting; his client had not yet arrived and he settled down in his chair at his desk to wait.
    Tucked away under the eaves of the four storey building, the window to his office was tiny. He had positioned his desk to catch as much natural light he could, angling the blinds to let in the maximum amount without admitting prying eyes from the building next door. He opened the sash to admit a breath of fresh air and peered down into the square below.
    As usual, it was busy with the comings and goings of pedestrians and shoppers and the occupants of, and visitors to, the various offices around him. He watched the activity for a few moments before closing the window again and swivelling around to his desk to occupy himself with sorting through the accumulated heap of mail, mostly junk and bills, and returning overdue telephone calls.
    Half an hour past the appointed time there came a bad-tempered knocking on his door. He answered it and ushered his guest into the cramped, but clean office.
    'It's a bugger to park around here,' blustered the portly man in the navy blue suit. His face was red and sweating from his exertion, having had to climb several flights of stairs to reach the top floor. He loosened his tie. 'And what sort of office building doesn't have a lift in this day and age?' he complained.
    Nat apologised for the building's failings and offered the man a bottle of mineral water from the mini-fridge. 'I'm sorry about that, but the building is old and it's been listed, we couldn't have one if we wanted one, and if it wasn't, there simply isn't enough room for one.'
    'Sodding Planning and their rules and regulations,' puffed the man, and gulped down the water. The men settled into a pair of tub chairs and the meeting began.
    Two hours and a swift handshake later, the man was gone, and