Shadow Touch Read Online Free PDF Page A

him, but it didn’t sound good for Eleanor Russo. “Mr. Thorne, who exactly am I expecting?”
    “It’s not for me to explain,” Thorne answered. “In Ms. Russo’s case, defer completely to the rep’s judgment.”
    “If he wants to take her into his custody?”
    “His call.”
    But Ms. Russo hadn’t come for help from the aide from The Order, whatever that was. She’d come to him, so she was his responsibility. “And if she doesn’t want to comply?”
    Thorne’s eyes narrowed at Cam’s question. “She gave up that choice when she entered Segue.”
     
     
    Ellie gripped the edge of her seat as the jeep sped down a wide access road toward a massive white building with historic flair. On her entry into the Segue compound, she’d caught a brief glimpse of it before she was taken to the underground prison. Now she had a view of a modern, crate cluttered loading dock of sorts, over which the white building loomed. Her pre-trip research told her the place was once The Fulton Hotel, but the idyllic resort in its Segue incarnation looked more intimidating than welcoming. A soldier drove, a second sat next to him. And another jeep followed behind, for backup. So many people concentrated on her.
    Her shadow had curled up, half on the seat, half on Dr. Kalamos’s lap, not unlike the way she used to occasionally behave around Gran, needy and whiny, but now with an attention seeking body awareness, arching to form the most provocative curves for the good doctor’s benefit. And here Ellie felt crushed by the proximity of so many people. She wanted to be alone. Felt best alone.
    Pathetic. That’s what Ellie and her shadow were.
    Ellie knew it was all her fault. For her part, she’d simply never been exposed to complex social situations. As for her shadow, well . . . her dark half’s earlier seductive talk and poses were for random male attention. But now she’d fixated on Dr. Kalamos, which was infinitely more embarrassing. Ellie let no part of her body touch him. She sat as straight as she could, recounting in her mind his claims that he could not help her. His work was in a different field. She’d made a mistake, that’s all.
    Ellie flicked her gaze over at her shadow. Her dark half sent a resentful look her way and cuddled deeper, clearly not accepting the idea of a misunderstanding. She was holding on to Cameron Kalamos, no matter what Ellie decided or what the reality of the situation was.
    “I’m keeping him,” her shadow said.
    Ellie blushed and looked out at Segue’s grounds.
    “Would it help if I told her I wasn’t interested?” Dr. Kalamos asked.
    “But I know you are,” her shadow put in, and adjusted to an even more intimate position.
    Ellie kept her gaze fixed out the window, but shook her head. “No. Only her own interests matter to her. We came here to see you, so her focus is fixed. I’m sorry. Maybe tomorrow”—with the aide—“she’ll be better.”
    Dr. Kalamos had lost his irritated manner, and was now more friendly. Hours ago, Ellie would have told this version of him everything. Now she wouldn’t tell him anything at all.
    “Apology not necessary,” he said. “She must’ve been very hard to live with.”
    He still didn’t get it. Ellie kept quiet. Was her predicament so hard to understand? She guessed so. Even with all these people pressing in around her, she was still alone with her shadow.
    “So you’ll be staying here tonight,” Dr. Kalamos said, with too much energy and brightness. “The place is supposed to be haunted, though I’ve never witnessed a ghost myself. It’s possible that your shadow might interact with the very long-term residents of Segue. Please let me know if a ghost makes an appearance. There’s a pool going between the research teams for who sights one first.” He smiled as if it was a joke. She had no idea what he was talking about. “Anyway,” he continued, “if you have any problems, you’ll be able to signal an alarm, and a team of