Shatterproof by Roland Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

compromised?”
    “It’s hard to say. I’m monitoring it twenty-four-seven and haven’t detected any intruders, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a mole.”
    “Call me if you have any updates. Day or night. It doesn’t matter.” Amy glanced away from the screen, then looked back shyly. “You can call me anytime . . . for any reason. I really miss you, Evan.”
    “I miss you, too, Ames.” Evan took a deep breath. “Are you sure everything is okay?”
    “I guess. I mean . . .”
    “You and Jake seem to be getting along pretty well.”
    Amy felt her face flush again, but this time with anger. “What do you mean by that?”
    “Nothing,” Evan said. “I was just —”
    “It’s getting late,” Amy said, looking at her watch — which wasn’t there, adding to her frustration. “I better go.” She ended the call and closed her laptop. The
last
thing she needed right now was to worry about Evan’s ridiculous concerns. She sighed. Why did everything have to be so completely confusing?

    Evan stared at his reflection in the blank monitor and saw that his mouth was hanging open. Why would Amy react so strongly to a simple question? He’d only asked because the last time they’d talked, she said Jake was being a jerk. He was about to try to reconnect with her, but was interrupted by a scream.
    He jumped up and looked around for some kind of weapon, but all he could find was a Ping-Pong paddle. He grabbed it and rushed downstairs.
    Ian Kabra was standing in the living room with blood running down his face.
    “Sorry to disturb your game,” Ian said, looking at the paddle.
    Evan clenched his teeth. “I wasn’t playing Ping-Pong,” Evan said, hiding the paddle behind his back. “What happened?”
    “Saladin happened. Grace’s mangy cat. When I walked in he jumped on my head like a puma. He nearly took my ear off!”
    Saladin was lying comfortably in an expensive chair, grooming Kabra blood off his front paws.
    “Don’t just stand there,” Ian said. “Go fetch the first-aid kit. I believe it’s in the kitchen.”
    “Where have you been?” Evan asked.
    “Out, obviously. How about that first-aid kit?”
    “Go
fetch
it yourself.”
    “I’m wounded,” Ian huffed.
    “It’s worse than you think.” Evan pointed at one of Ian’s expensive, handmade shoes. On the toe was an egg-size glob of gray goo.
    “What is it?” Ian shouted in horror.
    “Looks like a fur ball to me.” Evan started back upstairs, wondering if Saladin could detect something in Ian that Evan couldn’t prove.
Perhaps Saladin is trying to catch a rat
, he thought.

    Ian kicked the slimy fur ball off his shoe. It hit the wall above the sofa with a sickening splat and slid down like a giant slug.
    He has some nerve
, Ian thought as he watched Evan disappear up the stairs. Sure, his computer skills kept him from being
completely
useless, but Evan wasn’t a Cahill and needed to show some respect for the world’s most powerful family.
    Amy could really do better
, he thought as he backed his way into the kitchen, afraid to take his eyes off the demonic cat. When he got there, he closed the door and latched it behind him.
    What does that beast have against me?
Animals had always taken a shine to Ian, from the homing poodles on the Kabra estate, to his imported polo ponies, Sebastian and Quigley. American cats were clearly terrible judges of character.
    All Ian had wanted to do when he dragged himself into the Attleboro mansion was lie down on the sofa and take a nap. Now, he had to stem the flow of blood and figure out a way to get the lion out of the living room. He found the first-aid kit and patched his ear as best he could, then took a dish towel and buffed the slime off his shoe. He badly missed his servants.
    Now for my nemesis
. He opened a cupboard stacked high with tins of red snapper. As soon as he started the electric can opener, there was a scratching at the door. He opened it very carefully. The Egyptian Mau