The Seventh Night by Amanda Stevens Read Free Book Online Page B

damage.”
    “It’s nothing,” I protested, but he’d already taken my hand and turned the palm upward. There was only a drop or two of blood, but he carefully wiped it away with his handkerchief. It was strange because, for just an instant, the animosity, the doubts between us, seemed to fade away. For a moment there was only softness when his eyes met mine, and something deeper, something that seemed like…interest.
    “Don’t be stupid, Christine.”
It was my grandmother’s voice I heard in my head now.
“Why would a man like Reid St. Pierre want someone like you?”
    I pulled my hand away and turned from his gaze, scanning the cemetery with a bleak sense of foreboding before risking another look at him. “What about my father?” I was relieved to hear my voice sounded almost normal. “You can’t explain away his disappearance as the product of a dream—or my imagination.”
    His mouth thinned. “Maybe not. But I’m sure there’s an explanation just as logical.”
    “Such as?”
    “Maybe he forgot you were coming.”
    The same thought had crossed my mind, but it didn’t make hearing it any easier. Was it possible that my father could so easily forget something that had been so vitally important to me?
    “Do you really believe that?” I asked.
    Reid shrugged, his gaze surveying the cemetery. The sun was setting behind us, and the tombstones cast elongated shadows across the graves. With the dying suncame a sort of unnatural chill in the air. Or perhaps it was the topic of our conversation that had me shivering.
    “Christine…” he began, trailing off in a tone that had me growing even more uneasy. His gaze shifted, touched mine, then moved away again. “In the last few months, Christopher hasn’t been himself. He’s been moody, secretive, his actions sometimes irrational. He’s been spending a great deal of time alone….” Again he hesitated, but his words filled me with dread.
    “What do you mean by ‘irrational’?” I asked quietly, wondering if he was referring to my father’s recent contact with me. For some reason, I sensed Reid’s disapproval, his distrust of my motives, yet I still couldn’t understand why.
    “Business decisions out of the blue that are contrary to what we’ve previously discussed, erratic hours, missed appointments…. He won’t show up at the office for days, and then suddenly, without even consulting me, he’s making decisions that could affect the whole future of the St. Pierre. I think he may have gone away now to reconsider one of his latest decisions. At least, I hope he has,” Reid said, his tone grim.
    I gave him a sharp glance. “Is there any place in particular he may have gone?”
    “He has a cabin up in the mountains. I’ve wondered if perhaps he’s up there.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier? Have you called to see if he’s there?”
    “There’s no phone. The cabin is completely isolated.”
    “And you haven’t even bothered to check on him?”
    “The last time I went up there your father made it quite clear I wasn’t needed or wanted,” Reid said bitterly. “And frankly, the thought that he really might bethere hadn’t occurred to me until now. And anyway, there isn’t a thing we can do about it tonight.”
    “Why not? We can drive up there right now, make sure he’s all right. He could be sick or hurt or…” A dozen dire images flashed through my mind. I hadn’t come this far only to lose my father to Reid’s indifference and callousness. If he didn’t want to take me, I’d find someone who would.
    Almost as though he were tracking my exact thoughts, Reid said impatiently, “It’ll be dark soon, and the road to the cabin is treacherous enough in daylight. We’ll have to wait until morning.”
    “We can’t
afford
to wait. Something must have happened to him. That’s the only logical explanation for why he didn’t meet me at the airport yesterday. If he’s hurt or sick, he needs help now. Don’t you