Читать книгу Secret Cinderella - Dani Sinclair - Страница 8

“Mel?”

Melanie Andrews gripped the phone more tightly and hit the mute button on the television remote.

“Gary? What’s wrong?”

Her brother’s sigh carried clearly to her ear.

“I’m in a jam. I need a favor.”

Seven years older, her brother had never once asked for anything resembling a favor.

“Name it.”

She sensed his wry smile, but it was the ragged sound of his breathing that sent her heart skidding nervously in her chest.

“How rusty are your skills?”

Her mouth went dry. She’d known the moment she heard his voice he was in trouble, but this…

“How sharp do they need to be?” she asked nervously.

“There’s a New Year’s Eve party tonight in the hospitality suite at the Rorhem Hotel downtown.”

Her stomach contracted. He pushed out words as if the effort were painful.

“Carl Boswell is going to pass a DVD to someone at that party. I need you to steal it first.”

She inhaled sharply. “Boswell is the man from RAL who was going to buy your program.”

“Yeah. He decided to steal it instead.” The ironic tone he tried for was lost in the sound of his labored breathing.

“You’re hurt.”

He ignored the interruption. “Six-four, two-thirty. Sandy red hair. Sharp widow’s peak.”

He was fading fast. Her stomach twisted with fear. “I’ll get the DVD. I’ll bring it to you.”

“No!”

The crack of the word sent all sorts of terrified images springing to mind.

“I won’t be there,” he said more calmly. “I have a place to go.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Worry nothing. She was scared to death. “If you die on me, I’ll never forgive you.”

He managed a weak chuckle that ended on a cough. “Not a chance, kid.”

He wasn’t going to tell her. Her mind was busy supplying all sorts of horrible scenarios, but she tried to keep her voice steady by focusing on what he really needed.

“How will I know I have the right DVD? Is it labeled?”

“Might be now.” He paused, his voice growing more ragged with each breath.

“Never mind. If he has more than one, you’ll get a collection,” she promised. Mel could almost hear his slow smile.

“Be careful. He likes knives.”

“Gary!”

“Get the program back for me, kid, it’s the only copy I made. Of course that bastard could have made more by now.”

Her fingers pressed tightly against the plastic of the telephone.

“You didn’t back it up?”

Gary had been working on this program for well over a year now. Not being a computer person, the only thing she knew about his pet project was that it was some sort of security system he was very excited about.

“I can re-create it, Mel, that’s not the point.”

“Okay. Never mind.” He sounded so weak. “I’ll retrieve your brainchild, but you’ll owe me big,” she added fiercely, trying not to let him know how scared she was for him.

“Be careful. Boswell’s willing to kill for it. I don’t want to be an only child, either.”

Her heart plummeted to her toes, her wild imaginings reinforced. But she kept her tone light, trying not to let him hear her fear.

“Mom and Dad would be ticked,” she agreed. “Don’t worry, Gary, he’ll never feel a thing.”