Zack (In the Company of Snipers Book 3) by Irish Winters Read Free Book Online

nodded. Thankfully, she didn’t draw it out.
    “How is she?” he asked, to divert Claire’s attention.
    The girl looked lost in the big hospital bed. Sad, almond-shaped eyes darted back and forth until David spoke to her with a few words in Chinese. Instantly, she locked onto him like radar, her little lower lip quivering. Zack watched the miracle unfold. The minute David sat on the edge of her bed, the tiny tyke scrambled onto his lap and buried her face inside his suit jacket. Right dialect or not, he must have looked or sounded familiar.
    “My goodness. Let me get her back into bed,” Claire fussed. “You don’t need to—”
    “I don’t mind,” David interrupted. “I have four sons. Is it okay if I hold her?”
    “If you’re sure you don’t mind,” Claire replied. “She’s a darling little thing, isn’t she?” she asked Zack.
    “Ahh, yeah. She is.” Who was he to disagree? The little gal was a danged cute kid. She deserved a lot more than a dismal life with a couple gangbangers. He hoped Claire found her a good home. Parents would be nice, too.
    David rocked while she nestled inside his arms. He pulled the bed cover up over her to keep warm whatever limbs were not already inside his jacket. She’d calmed and turned into a baby ostrich. David obviously had another talent Zack didn’t.
    “What happens to her now?” Zack asked.
    “She’ll go into foster care until we can locate her family,” Claire explained. “If we can’t find them, she’ll be available for adoption. She’s a sweet little thing considering all she’s been through.”
    “Do we know what she’s been through?” Zack asked.
    “For one thing, she’s been drugged. There weren’t signs of sexual assault, but she hasn’t been taken care of. She’s very small for her age and underweight.” Claire had a sappy look on her face watching David. “Mr. Tao, can you get her to talk? I’ve tried, but she seems to relate to you better than me. I don’t think she understands a word I’ve said.”
    “Sure. I’ll try.” He tugged the blanket off the girl’s face. She peeked out with eyes that didn’t smile in the slightest, her bottom lip stuck in a pout that made her look too serious for her tender age. He spoke softly in Chinese, but she just stared at him.
    “What kind of drugs?” Zack asked, but Claire was no longer listening. Her eyes were glued on the drama between David and the girl. He’d covered her face again with a corner of the blanket. Slowly, he pulled it down over her forehead until just her eyes appeared. Without a word, he repeated the game one more time. Zack smiled. It wasn’t every day he saw his senior agent playing peek-a-boo.
    David spoke in the soft musical Chinese language. Very quietly, she answered him back in a soft, two-syllable reply. He smiled and patted his chest, as if maybe he was telling her his name. She reached to touch him, her eyes bright with apprehension as four little fingertips touched his pressed white shirt right where he had just touched. A small word escaped her lips, but the poor thing kept her eyes on him the whole time.
    He smiled encouragingly and spoke again. Slowly, she flattened her palm to his shirt, her eyes full of concern for the scary thing she was doing. When he nodded and smiled, she pulled her hand back. Slowly, she reached again, her eyes trained on him.
    One more, softly uttered phrase slipped from her lips. He tapped her upturned nose with the tip of his index finger and spoke again. She nodded a quick, scared little nod. At last, her hand was flat against his ribs, but the act of courage proved too much. She whined, pulled the blanket over her face, and grunted until she was once again hidden from view.
    Playtime was over.
    David wrapped his arms around the tiny human ostrich, his head lowered while he took extra time making sure her feet and arms were covered. When at last he looked up, his eyes glistened. He cleared his throat and secured the blanket