F Paul Wilson - Secret History 02 Read Online Free PDF

and Kara became aware of a growing anger at her twin. Kelly hadn't been a
completely innocent victim of one of New York 's myriad acts of violence. She had been an
enabler. She had put herself in a situation that simply begged for trouble.
     
                Kara was furious. It was this city,
this rotten lousy city that had done it to Kelly. She hadn't come here a
swinger and a coke head, but she'd ended up one.
     
                This damn city… Kara had to get out
of it all over again. And right now. If she had to spend much longer here,
she'd start to scream.
     
                She glanced at her watch.
     
                "I've got to be going. Thanks
for the coffee and for your help and your time."
     
                "No trouble. Where's your
car?"
     
                "I took the train. I didn't
trust myself to drive."
     
                "Good thinking. But even so,
maybe you should stay over a night."
     
                She gave him a sidelong stare. Was
he thinking…?
     
                "I don't mean anything like
that," he said. "I just mean you don't look so hot. You're welcome to
my place."
     
                "You still rooming with Tony?"
     
                "No. He's married. The rent got
too high so I'm over on the East Side now. But seriously, I'll sleep on the couch. No problem."
     
                "Thanks, but I don't know when
my mother's coming in and I left Jill with a neighbor so—"
     
                "Who's Jill?"
     
                Good God, why had she mentioned
Jill? She'd never intended to. But somehow it had slipped out. Damn . Well, she couldn't take it back
now. She had to tell him something.
     
                "My daughter."
     
▼
 
                Rob hoped he didn't look as shocked
as he felt. "A daughter? You have a child ?"
     
                Automatically, he reached for a
cigarette, then remembered she'd asked him not to smoke. He really needed one
now.
     
                "Yes. Jill Marie. A real little
beauty."
     
                Kara's mood had lightened visibly
with the change in subject. Her eyes were alight with love.
     
                Why should he be so stunned? He and
Kara had had no contact in ten years. He had never married. Was that why some
part of him assumed that Kara too had remained single?
     
                "Wait a sec. You signed in at
the morgue as Kara Wade. That's your maiden name."
     
                "It's my married name,
too."
     
                "You married a guy with the
same last name?"
     
                "No, Rob," she said with
exaggerated patience. "I simply kept my name when I got married. There's
no law that says I've got to take my husband's name."
     
                "Oh." He remembered how
Kara had been into women's lib. Apparently that hadn't changed. "How old's
your little girl?"
     
                "Hmmm?" Kara seemed to
come back from faraway. "Jill? Oh, she's eight."
     
                Eight?
     
                "You didn't waste much time,
did you!" he blurted, then wanted to kick himself. "Sorry."
     
                "That's okay." Kara
smiled. "No, I guess I didn't. He was an old high school beau who'd been
carrying the torch for me all the time I was away."
     
                "Imagine that."
     
                Rob remembered carrying the torch
for Kara a long while himself, hoping she'd come back, or at least call. Hoping…
     
                "It's true," she said.
"We just sort of picked up where we left off."
     
                Rob tried but couldn't keep the edge
off his voice. "He's not a cop, I take it."
     
                "No. He was a safe, sane, staid
insurance salesman."
     
                "Was?"
     
                "He