Charlotte Boyett-Compo- Windspectre Read Online Free PDF

near the bed.
    Once more trying to decide if she was feeling sick, she decided she was more scared than anything else. Whatever had bitten her had to still be in the room, but apparently it wasn't lethal. Not knowing how long ago the bite had occurred, she knew she needed to get a medical evaluation as soon as possible. The only way to do that was to leave her room or call 911.
    Standing there chewing on her lip, Cathleen finally managed to get herself in hand and picked up her travelbag again, holding it to her chest. She started skirting the bed in which she'd slept, eyes glued to the floor around the beds. Her purse and overnight bag were at the foot of the bed she'd not slept in but she hated getting close to the bed, for the spread ran all the way to the floor and if something was hiding behind it, it could leap out at her. Taking a deep breath, she hurried to the door, disengaged the lock, and opened it, pushing the portal wide. After taking another deep, ragged breath, she ran to her purse and overnighter, threw the purse and travel bag into the opened overnighter, slammed the top down and plucked it up to tear out of the room, nearly breaking her ankle when she stepped off the concrete walkway, wincing as the bright morning light stabbed brutally into her suddenly sensitive eyes.
    The key to her car was inside her purse that was inside the overnight so she slung the bag on the hood of her car and opened the lid. It wasn't until she took the purse out that she realized that whatever had bitten her could have wriggled or slithered into the bag. She shot backward as though she'd been yanked by invisible hands, staring with wide eyes at the opened suitcase on the hood of her car.
    Another minute or so passed before she could put a trembling hand into her purse to retrieve her key. At least her purse had been shut all night so nothing could have gotten inside it. Pushing the trunk release on the key fob, she somehow found the courage to get close enough to the overnighter to shut the lid, scooping it up again to carry it to the back of the car where she dumped the contents into the maw of the trunk, straining to see if anything moved among her possessions. When nothing did, she let out another harsh breath and carefully rearranged her clothes in the overnighter, grateful the two expensive suits from which she would choose to wear to her first meeting with her boss at WindGenInc hung unwrinkled and unsoiled in their plastic sheaths on the hook in the backseat. Her only concern was finding a rest area at which to change before reaching her destination.
    Shutting the trunk lid, she left the car and headed for the motel office, intending to tell whoever was on duty what had happened, but she'd taken no more than four steps when all thought suddenly evaporated from her mind and she forgot whatever it was she'd been about to do. She stood there staring at the motel office—her brows drawn together—then calmly turned around and went back to her car, punching the key fob to unlock the driver door.
    "Must not be late for my first day," she said as she opened the door and got inside.
    By the time she had a pair of sunglasses in place on her face and drove away from the hotel, all thought of the time she'd spent agonizing over what had bitten her was completely forgotten and the twin puncture wounds had faded away.
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Three
     
    Melissa VanPelt kept up a steady stream of chatter as she ushered Cathleen down the corridor and into the presence of the owner of WindGenInc, Anthony Boudreaux. The cheery secretary introduced them, then with a bright smile backed out of the Boudreaux's office, closing the door softly behind her.
    "Did you have a good trip up, Cathy?" Boudreaux inquired. He was sitting at the largest, most expensive looking desk Cathleen had ever seen. "Or would you prefer I call you Cathleen?"
    "Cathy is fine," she said, looking into a pair of sky blue eyes that were sharp and appeared to