Liar Read Online Free PDF Page B

glanced up at her. “Would that be cool?”
    â€œSure,” Heather answered automatically. She shrugged. But part of her wanted to scream. Another part wanted to slap Ed in the face. If there was one thing Heather was certain of, it was that Gaia Moore was fine. Oh, yes. Gaia Moore was
always
fine, even though those around her died or wallowed in misery.
    Ed’s eyes remained fixed on hers. “You know,Heather, I’m really psyched you invited me over,” he said softly. “I mean it.”
    Heather blinked. She felt a strange heat in her chest. Her eyes began to sting.
Oh, Christ, I better not start crying.
First she was pissed at Ed. Then the very next moment she wanted to burst into tears and hug him. Not even Sam had that effect on her.
    But Sam didn’t have Ed’s vulnerability. Strangely enough, he didn’t have Ed’s toughness, either. Or the same honesty. It was the combination that made Ed so compelling. So unique. Only Ed would admit to worrying about Gaia in the presence of Heather. It was infuriating and admirable all at once.
    â€œI’m really psyched you came,” she finally forced herself to reply. Her voice was strained. “It’s been so long—”
    The phone rang.
    Heather sighed. Her gaze locked with Ed’s. The two of them laughed.
    â€œMaybe that’s Gaia now,” she muttered sarcastically, pushing herself out of the couch.
    â€œIf it is, tell her to bring a pizza,” Ed called after her as she headed to the kitchen.
    Now, that would be funny,
Heather thought. She grabbed the phone off the wall.
    â€œHello?”
    â€œIt’s Mom.”
    Heather frowned. Her mother’s voice was tight,breathless. Most times she at least said hi. An anxious little knot gathered at the bottom of Heather’s stomach.
    â€œHey,” she said cautiously. “What’s up?”
    â€œI’m at the hospital.”
    â€œWhat?”
Heather hissed.
    â€œIt’s … it’s your sister,” her mother answered, choking on her words.
    The knot exploded into full-fledged panic. Heather tried to swallow, gripping the phone tightly. The kitchen seemed to turn black. “What about her?”
    â€œI … I don’t want to get into it on the phone. Just come as soon as you can, okay? We’re at St. Vincent’s. In the emergency room.” There was a click, and the line went dead.
    The emergency room.
The words barely registered. Heather shook her head. This was impossible. This wasn’t happening.
    Phoebe was in the hospital.
    â€œHeather?” Ed’s voice floated from the living room. “Is everything all right?”
    Heather slammed down the phone and rushed through the living room to the front hall. “Ed, I’m—uh, I’m really sorry,” she stammered, without turning around to look at him. She felt like she was fighting her way through a thick haze, as if she was caught in some hallucinatory nightmare. Everything in the apartment suddenly looked too bright, off-kilter,
wrong.
She snatched her coat from the closet and opened the door. “I’ve gotta go. But you can watch the movie if you—”
    â€œWhat is it, Heather?” Ed interrupted. “What’s wrong?” His voice rose. “Tell me.
Tell
me, Heather!”
    â€œI can’t,” she whispered.
    She closed the door behind her before he could respond. Then she started running. She ran fast as she could, bolting for the fire stairs so that Ed couldn’t follow, fighting back tears the whole way.

Excellent Motivators
    ELLA WAS LATE.
    This was nothing new, of course. She’d been late for a lot of appointments lately. And if there was one deficiency that Loki couldn’t tolerate, it was chronic lateness. He had good reasons. In his world business transactions depended on precise timing. Even a few seconds’ error could spell the difference between life and death, between the gain