(Rainshadow, #2) Deception Cove Read Online Free PDF

pushed a bowl of bar snacks toward Houdini, who made happy sounds. He surveyed the offering, made a careful selection, and munched with enthusiasm.
    Maud set the glass of beer in front of one of the patrons and wiped her hands on a towel. She looked at Alice with concern. “The usual for you and Houdini?”
    “Yes, please,” Alice said. “I’m really hungry tonight. And Houdini is always hungry.”
    Maud turned toward the open door at the far end of the bar and raised her voice to call to someone in the small kitchen. “Alice’s usual.”
    A man garbed in a dingy apron and a yellowed cook’s hat peered back through the opening.
    “Coming right up,” he promised.
    Maud scrutinized Drake with a vaguely suspicious air. “Who’s your friend, Alice?”
    “He’s not exactly a friend,” Alice said. “More like a new acquaintance. We met outside the stage door a few minutes ago.”
    Maud raised her brows.
    “The name is Drake Sebastian,” Drake said.
    “You’re not from ’round here, are you?” Maud said.
    “No. Just visiting.”
    “They wear sunglasses after dark where you come from?” Maud asked.
    “I do.”
    “Huh.” Maud did not look impressed. “What can I get you?”
    Drake sat down across from Alice. “I’ll have a beer.”
    Maud looked at Alice, awaiting direction. The ghost hunters followed suit. A distinct hush fell over the small crowd. Everyone was suddenly watching the booth where Drake and Alice were seated. There was a little hum of energy in the atmosphere. Drake wondered if he was going to find himself in the middle of a barroom brawl. He, too, looked at Alice, politely waiting for her to decide if there would be a fight.
    “He’s okay,” Alice said. She wrinkled her nose. “At least for now. He helped me deal with a couple of lowlifes who were waiting for me in the alley behind the theater tonight.”
    “Damn,” Maud said. “Are you all right?”
    “I’m fine,” Alice assured her. “But we left a couple of unconscious thugs back there, thanks to my new friend.”
    There were murmurs of approval from the hunters.
    “Huh.” Maud looked satisfied. She turned back to Drake. “What kind of beer?”
    “Whatever you have on draft is fine,” he said.
    Maud selected a glass. The ghost hunters at the bar went back to leering at the giggling young women. The energy level in the room went down.
    Drake looked at Alice. “Thanks for the character reference.”
    “You’ve got five minutes to convince me you are not going to be a problem for me,” she said.
    “The thing is, I probably am going to be a problem. But on the positive side, I may be able to help you with your current unemployment situation.”
    She sat back and watched him warily. “You need a box-jumper?”
    He thought about it and then smiled. “That’s as good a description as any. A couple of very important items have disappeared. We need to find them, and fast.”
    “We?”
    “Let’s start at the beginning.”
    “Where is that, exactly?”
    “The last time you were on Rainshadow Island.”
    Alice went very still. She got a little blurry around the edges. It was suddenly hard to focus on her. Drake was pretty sure it was not deliberate. Her instinct to disappear when she felt threatened was a natural aspect of her talent. He jacked up his senses a bit so that he could see her clearly once more and waited.
    She took a sharp breath and snapped back into focus. Her expression gave nothing away, but it didn’t take any psychic talent to know that her anxiety level had spiked.
    “What does this have to do with Rainshadow?” she asked, her voice unnaturally even.
    Before he could answer, Maud bustled around the end of the bar with two glasses in her hands. She set the beer in front of Drake and the white wine in front of Alice.
    “Eggs and pizza will be out in a minute,” she said to Alice.
    “Thanks.” Alice gave her a grateful smile.
    Drake waited until Maud was out of earshot.
    “Eggs and pizza?” he