Читать книгу The Manhattan Puzzle - Laurence O’Bryan - Страница 25

The pastor was spread-eagled on the steel bed. There was a gag in his mouth. He was naked. His eyes were wide open. He’d been hours in that position.

Xena had persuaded him once again to allow her to put handcuffs on him, but now he was definitely regretting it. She hadn’t been in the room for a long time. And she hadn’t left him like this the first time they had done it. Lord Bidoner had told him she was a bonus for him then, but he was starting not to like it.

If this was some technique of hers, it wasn’t doing anything for him.

What time was it, he wondered. Martha would be going mad. He hadn’t told her where he was going or what he was doing.

As if he could.

He tried to break the handcuffs again, pulled at them hard, but they were too strong.

That thought worried him. And his heart started beating faster again. He should have taken his medication before he came out. All this excitement would not be good for him.

He thought about shouting for Lord Bidoner, but he decided to wait a little longer. She had to come back soon to release him. He had things to do in New York.

He shivered. Maybe he shouldn’t have told Lord Bidoner that he had discussed anything they were doing with his family. Hadn’t he heard him rant after he found out what had happened in Jerusalem?

He listened.

The door to the room opened. In walked Xena. Pastor Stevson began grunting. He couldn’t speak properly, because of the gag, but it was clear he was appealing to be let free.

And then his eyes widened some more. She was naked. And the snake tattoo around her thigh rippled as she walked towards him. This was getting interesting again.

What was she going to do?

She leaned towards him, rested her hand on his big white belly.

‘Secunda quattuor invocare unum,’ she whispered.

That was when he felt something cold and sharp touch his belly.