Perfection (JL Spelbring) Read Online Free PDF Page A

away. “I will retrieve it. Then maybe you can show me the best place to take pictures.”
    The thought seemed to please her. “I have the perfect place.” She hurried through the door, pausing only a second while the door to the adjoining car slid open.
    Ellyssa waited while the attendant strolled away. As soon as the woman’s head bobbed out of sight, Ellyssa descended into the baggage compartment.
    Except for the light that crept in from the platform above, pooling below Ellyssa’s feet, the car was shadowed and cramped. Metal gates held a mound of luggage in place. A thin walkway led from the steps between the rows of towering bags; in the middle of the car, slivers of day peeked between the doors where the baggage was maneuvered in and out.
    Ellyssa grabbed the top rail of the gate and made her way to the sliding doors. She grasped the lever and pulled, but the door didn’t budge. It was evidently locked in place while the train was in motion. She’d have to disconnect the wiring.
    With the aid of the limited light, she ran her hands down the smooth metal, over rivets, to the edge of the door, then down the wall until she touched the plastic-coated wires. Using the cable as a guide, she moved her hand back up until it stopped at a little box. She gripped the wire and yanked. Friction burned her palms as the cable slipped beneath her fingers.
    Ellyssa reestablished her grip, wrapping the cable around her wrist and hand, and placed one foot firmly on the wall. Taking a deep breath, she kicked back with all her force. The cable easily snapped, catching her off-guard. Backpedaling, she stopped when her spine smacked against the gate.
    The pain was instant and sharp, but quickly cooled to a soft throb. The flesh was tender to the touch, but besides the bruise destined to discolor her pale skin, no real harm done.
    She returned to the door and wrenched back on the lever. The door slid with a groan, revealing a grassy landscape past the blackened rocks that whipped by at a staggering speed.
    Holding tightly onto a handle bolted into the frame of the door, Ellyssa poked her head out into the wind. Her breath hitched in her chest as the sudden blast of air hit her. Her hair flapped wildly. She pulled back inside.
    The original plan of hitting the ground and ducking into a crouched roll dissolved into bouncing and tumbling wildly along the long, green blades of grass. Jumping at the current speed was possible, but if she landed at a wrong angle…she shook her head. Whatever she was looking for certainly wasn’t intended to end in massive injury or death.
    Think. Think .
    But what other avenues were there? Attendants stood outside the door of the compartment she’d purchased. Ellyssa knew police would be waiting for her at the next stop. She’d have to take the chance.
    She moved into the shadows behind the luggage and slipped the jumpsuit over her skirt. Draping the bag over her left shoulder, she readied herself, calculating the distance to the grass past the jagged rocks. She grabbed the handle again and tensed on her haunches, but instead of jumping, she swayed to the right as a thin squeal of rubbing metal emanated from beneath her, then she rocked back as the train slowed.
    Ellyssa leaned out again. Ahead, the ground gave way to a slope. Anything beyond was lost in greenery.
    Another squeaking protest, and she swayed again. Were the police stopping the train before it reached town? Her father wouldn’t be stupid enough to give her a warning. He’d want the element of surprise.
    Ellyssa wasn’t going to stick around to find out.
    As the brakes were applied again, she ducked inside and tightened the strap on her bag. Peeping around the edge one more time, the drop-off quickly approaching, she counted to three then flung herself out into the air. For a moment, time slowed to a crawl. The black rocks, the landscape, and the grass sharpened into fine detail as she flew over them, then gravity snatched at her legs and