The Negotiator by Chris Taylor Read Free Book Online Page B

first moved to Sydney and had quickly discovered the cost was exorbitant. The child care fees would entirely negate the benefit of the extra income a fulltime job would provide. No matter which way she looked at it, she was stuck.
    The reality was, if her finances didn’t improve, she’d be forced to put her beloved cottage on the market and look for something cheaper. It would definitely mean a move from the northern suburbs and she grimaced at the thought of leaving the comfort and security she’d found in their cottage in Chatswood.
    “What to do; what to do?” she muttered under her breath. If only she had someone to talk to about it.
    Her thoughts shifted to her best friend from high school, Kate Collins. She was Kate Munro, now. Cally had reconnected with her nearly three years earlier when Kate returned to their hometown of Watervale to search for her missing mother. Cally had been devastated for her friend when Kate eventually called with the news her mother had been found murdered.
    The only bright light during the whole sad episode was that Kate had found true love in the form of the investigating police officer. Kate and Riley Munro were now happily married and had added twin girls to their family. It was the kind of happy ending fairytales were made of and Cally couldn’t help but wish her life had been so blessed.
    The low hum of the television came from the living room. She glanced at the clock again and sighed. It was almost seven. There was no time now for a leisurely phone catch up with her friend. Besides, with the twins not quite two, Kate probably wouldn’t appreciate an early morning call.
    Throwing off the bedclothes, Cally stood. Though it was Tuesday, one of her days off, she still had to drive Jack to school. It was too bad that what she felt like doing was turning her back on the day and going back to sleep.
    In between tossing and turning about her finances, she’d dreamed of a tall, blond stranger with melting chocolate eyes. A feeling of safety and security emanated from him and had drawn her inexorably closer. Just as she’d started to move toward him, the burglar had sped past her in a dark blue car and she’d been forced to jump away or risk being hit.
    She’d woken with her heart pounding and the sheets tangled around her legs. The familiar sound of the early morning trains rattling along the steel lines in the distance had brought her slowly back to reality.
    It was no surprise that the nightmares had started right after the home invasion. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they’d caught the man, but despite front page headlines, countless police hours and a decent shoe impression left in the dirt outside her back door, the perpetrator hadn’t been identified. He was still out there and Cally was more than worried he might return. It wasn’t any wonder she couldn’t get a decent night’s sleep.
    “Mom, are you awake? I think we’re out of Rice Bubbles.” Jack’s voice drifted to her from the direction of the kitchen.
    “You’ll have to eat Weet-Bix.” She sighed. Her choice of Weet-Bix over Rice Bubbles in last week’s grocery shop had been a purely financial decision. She braced herself for a whine or complaint, but there was nothing.
    He was such a good boy, most of the time. It certainly hadn’t been easy raising him on her own and if she hadn’t had Aunt Mary’s love and support, she was sure he wouldn’t have turned out as normal and grounded as he was.
    It worried her that he didn’t have any significant male influence in his life. With no father, grandfather or even an uncle in the picture, he rarely came into contact with men. Her aunt hadn’t considered it a problem when Cally had raised the subject with her. Jack had been five at the time and had asked Cally if he could play dress-ups in her closet.
    “You worry too much about that boy,” Aunt Mary had replied. “Things don’t always turn out good for kids just because they have a Mom and a Dad. Or