Stone Angel by Christina Dodd Read Free Book Online Page A

millions.”
    Liam adopted a truly annoying tone of
superiority. “Amanda, if you think I’m the only one watching you
right now, you’re being naïve. There are two Others outside of this
store right now. They follow you at all times, in case you don’t
have a chance to report Irving’s movements and he exits his
home.”
    “Really?” She had never considered that her
every move was under surveillance. “Are they in the store,
too?”
    “They should be. But I chose this place
specifically because those guys would never go into a kitchen
store. Being around a pink carrot juicer might make their wee-wee
shrivel.”
    She couldn’t help it. She had to say it. “Is
that what happened to you?”
    “No, darlin’. The only shriveled thing on me
is my ego, and you caused that.” Liam’s lips compressed into a thin
line. “I’ll have to change into someone else if I’m to go to
Irving’s. So I’ll take these eyeglasses back to the fellow I
knocked out in the break room and get hopping.”
    Amanda felt her cheeks flush again, this time
in horror. “And your plan is to knock another person out and take
their identity?”
    A man who was clearly a husband with a
gift-buying deadline glanced toward the corner where Liam and
Amanda had sequestered themselves. Hurrying over, he grabbed a set
of three silicone pastry brushes tied with a bright blue ribbon,
and turned to Liam in triumph.
    Liam adopted his gruff voice again. “Let me
take you over to the cashier, sir.” Leaning in toward Amanda, he
whispered, “I’ll meet you at Irving’s. Tonight.”
    As Liam and his next unsuspecting target
walked away, Amanda heard the man say plainly, “My wife is a
utensil fanatic. She’ll like these, right? What are they
anyway?”
    When they reached the cashiers, Liam patted
the man on the shoulder. He walked quickly to the backroom. A few
moments later, the worried husband emerged.
    But … the worried husband was still standing
at the cashier’s, offering his credit card and pleading for
reassurance.
    Amanda glanced between the two of them.
    Worried husband number two winked at her,
walked outside, and blended instantly into the crowd.
    Amanda sighed. No matter how often Liam did
that, he always surprised her. She pulled her Fair Isle gloves back
on, placed her indigo fleece hat over her tightly coiffed blond
bun, and went back into the cold to hail a cab.
    And saw Robbie. Robbie, the guy who had
broken into her apartment with Eric the thug. The guy who had been
so surprised and oddly dismayed when his cohort had been killed by
a ricocheting bullet.
    She glared at him.
    He stared back at her as if puzzled. As if
her hostility puzzled him. Or as if … he was struggling to remember
something, and couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
    She couldn’t maintain her indignation. He
seemed so … dumb. In over his head.
    Well, aren’t we all ?
    Still … she smiled rather bitterly. Part one
of the plan to save Sophia had been a success.
    Looking relieved, Robbie smiled back.
    On to part two.

CHAPTER NINE
     
     
    AMANDA KNOCKED on the door of Irving’s
mansion, then backed up when Caleb yanked it open. The Chosen Ones
were arrayed behind him. Everyone looked anxious — except McKenna,
who strode majestically into the foyer in time to scowl at Caleb
for daring to perform one of his favorite butler duties.
    To placate McKenna, Amanda made a show of
wiping her boots on the large bristly boot brush he kept by the
door and carefully handing him her coat and hat. How he kept track
of everyone’s outerwear was a mystery. But he always appeared with
the right coats and scarves, all looking suspiciously pressed,
whenever anyone mentioned that they’d be going out.
    Charisma was, not surprisingly, the first to
speak. “Well? Did he agree? Will he help you get your sister back?”
She bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation.
    Irving’s voice sounded from behind the Chosen
Ones, slicing effortlessly through their murmurs