FIRE AND ICE Read Online Free PDF

recorder.
    “Okay, good. Let’s take a minute to talk about blisters. Readers will probably want to know all about them. Some have been real bad. There was this one …”
    I hate my job, at least right at this moment I do. And I really hate being poor. But who doesn’t hate being poor?
she asked herself. Maybe Gandhi and Mother Teresa hadn’t minded, but they were both considered saints, and Sophie certainly wasn’t a saint.
    Harrington ended his dissertation on foot ointments and, without stopping for breath, said, “Let’s get back to the races, shall we? Now the morning of my eleventh race …”
    Dear God, just kill me now.
    Had she groaned out loud? Harrington either didn’t notice or care that her eyes had glazed over.
    She took a deep cleansing breath and pretended that she was in her yoga class. She would remove all negative energy from her thoughts and think only positive thoughts. Tomorrow night she was having dinner with Regan Buchanan and Cordie Kane, her two bestfriends since kindergarten. She couldn’t wait to see them. Regan had been traveling for business but was returning to Chicago late tonight. Cordie had been working on her thesis for a PhD in chemistry, and Sophie hadn’t seen her in over two weeks. She was wondering where they would eat when she realized that Harrington had stopped talking and was looking at her expectantly.
    “I’m sorry. Would you repeat that last—”
    “I asked if you were seeing anyone.”
    “Oh … no, I’m not,” she answered. And then, before he could ask another personal question, she dug through her purse, pulled out her notebook, and flipped it open. “On the phone you mentioned being invited to join some kind of exclusive project, and you also mentioned something about a trial. I believe you called it the Alpha Project. What exactly were you talking about?”
    “I don’t remember saying anything about a project or a trial.” He looked down at the table when he answered, a sure sign that he wasn’t telling the truth.
    She wasn’t interested enough to pursue it. “Okay then, I guess that’s it.”
    She was putting her notebook away when he reached across the table and picked up her recorder.
    “How do I turn this off?”
    “I’ll do it.”
    “No, here it is.” He pushed one button, then another. “There, now it’s not recording. I don’t want what I’m going to tell you on any kind of recorder. This is strictly ‘off the record.’ Isn’t that what reporters say?”
    “Actually—” she began, but he cut her off with a wave of his hand.
    “I trust you won’t tell anyone. This is very hush-hush.” He leaned forward and in a near whisper said, “It’s like the Olympics. At least that’s how it was explained to me.”
    She put her purse back on the seat beside her and gave him her full attention.
    “What is like the Olympics?”
    He nervously looked around to make certain no one was listening, then said, “I’m in excellent condition and that’s why I qualified.”
    He was maddening. “Qualified for what?”
    “The trial,” he explained. “Just like the Olympic trials … you know, the qualifications. The physical exam took three long days, and I swear they took half my blood to test. Oh, and I had a full body scan and an MRI, too. They didn’t tell me why all those tests were necessary, but I think they were making certain I didn’t have any big problems, like an aneurysm or a blockage, anything that might inhibit my peak performance or disqualify me.” He smiled as he added, “It’s really something to be invited to participate. Only a select few are chosen.”
    His eyes swept the room as he took a quick drink of his water and said, “I hope I’m not giving you the wrong impression. I don’t want you to think I’m bragging, but you can see why I was chosen, can’t you? I mean, just look at me.”
    She swore that if he flexed his biceps, she was going to get up and leave, story or no story. Fortunately, he