Out of Sight Out of Mind Read Online Free PDF Page A

God, you little minx. Who knew you could move so fast? You didn’t find him amongst the soggy canapés, so it had to be on the way home … oh no!’ Jonathan’s voice rose half an octave. ‘Please don’t tell me you’ve been trawling the back alleys,
after dark
! Mad, it’s not safe. And to take him home! You get that pretty boy from the reception desk right now, to help you throw him out. I’m going to stay on the phone until you do. I don’t care if he’s naked. Give him a fiver and tell him to come to the lab in the morning for the rest.’
    Madison bit her lip to stop herself laughing, hearing the concern in her colleague’s voice. ‘That’s very sweet of you, Jon, and I do appreciate it, but it really is perfectly okay. He’s too beat up to do me any damage. In fact it was the other way round. I thumped him—’
    ‘You thumped him? Why? What did he do?’
    ‘Misunderstanding,’ Madison cut in quickly. ‘We straightened it out. It’s fine, honestly. He’s fine. Well, actually he’s not, and he won’t let me get him a doctor—’
    ‘Mad,’ Jonathan broke in ominously. ‘Tell me this man is not going to die on you? Go into a coma? Something permanent
and difficult to cover up
.’
    ‘We’re spooks, we can cover up
anything
.’
    ‘You watch too much television. Or maybe not enough. Look, sweet pea, I love you, but Mad is not just a fond nickname. Get rid of him. You do not need this in your home. He’ll come to the lab for money. They all do.’
    ‘Cynic.’
    ‘Realist. Turn him loose, please.’
    ‘If I do that, I’m afraid I’ll never see him again. He’s … resistant.’
    And yet she’d felt, somehow, as if he was searching.
    Wishful thinking.
    ‘He’s something special, Jonny. Power like I’ve never experienced. And he can feel me. He knows when I’m inside his head.’
    ‘Oh God. How many glasses of paint stripper did you have at that bloody do?’
    This time she did laugh. ‘One, and that was one too many. Look, it’s okay, Jon, I know what I’m doing. I’ll bring him to work in the morning and you can see for yourself.’
    She heard Jonathan exhale. ‘Well – if you’re dead set on keeping him, do you want me and Ash to come over? Act as bodyguards?’
    ‘It’s a lovely offer, but no. It really isn’t necessary. I
will
call you if I need you.’
    ‘Promise?’ Jonathan was weakening. ‘Uh – I still think you’re crazy, and I won’t sleep a wink with worry, but if you’re sure …’
    ‘I am. I’m a big, bad scientist. I can do this. Goodnight, Jonny. And don’t fret. I’m quite safe.’
    She replaced the receiver, smiling. She did feel safe. It was the captive who needed to watch out for himself.
You really have to find out what his name is.
    She looked at the clock, frowning. He’d been in the shower over half an hour, which ought to be long enough to wash off the grime, even the ingrained stuff. Thorough was good, but enough was enough.
    The bathroom door was still shut.
    ‘Hello?’ She knocked. ‘I made coffee.’
    No response. No sound of running water. No sound at all.
    She turned the handle. The door wasn’t locked.
    He was lying on the floor, naked except for the shorts.
    ‘Blast!’ For the second time in less than two hours she crouched beside him, heart thumping, Jonathan’s scare scenarios lurid in her head.
    When he moved – a small nestling gesture that tugged at her overworked heart – she could have broken into song. She leaned closer and was rewarded by a faint but audible snore. She leaned back, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He’d neatly sidestepped her plan to begin experiments tonight.
    He wasn’t unconscious.
    He was fast asleep.
    Balked of her objective, Madison sat on the floor beside him. She was going to have to get him up sometime soon, and into the guest bedroom, but she might as well take the chance of a quick physical appraisal. Not as if she had anything else to do, and she was pretty sure he wasn’t