Shatterproof Read Online Free PDF Page B

face.
    “No need for tears. I can help. I am a policeman.”
    “I’m not crying,” Dan said, turning his face away. “And I don’t need your help. I just need you to let me go.”
    “That might be possible,” Vanek said. “After you tell us about stealing the Caravaggio ‘Medusa’ and the Marco Polo manuscript, and your escape from jail. When I get you and your sister into head-quarters I should not take more than a week to straighten this out.”
    Dan did not have a week, or a day, or a minute. He dragged a hand across his face to wipe the tears away. He didn’t have time for crying, either. Vesper One could kill all of the hostages in a week.
    “The Caravaggio painting we took from the Uffizi Gallery was a fake,” he said. “We found the real one and it was returned. No one even knew the Marco Polo manuscript existed, so you can’t very well accuse us of stealing it. As for the jailbreak, we didn’t escape. Your coworker Luna Amato let us out.”
    “Luna Amato is not my coworker!” Vanek spit the words out like he had just taken a bite of cow dung. Dan felt spittle spray his face. “She is a traitor! If I could just get my hands on her I would . . .” Vanek raised his hands like he was throttling someone. “Wait a minute, what!?”
    Dan stood up, rubbing his wrist. “Sorry, Milos, I gotta go.” He reached down and took the flashlight and grabbed his pack.
    Lightfinger Larry would have been proud. While Vanek was talking, Dan had lifted his keys and wallet. He had removed the handcuff from his wrist and reattached it to a stanchion.
    “Unlock these cuffs!” Vanek shouted.
    Dan raced off, taking little satisfaction in getting away from the Interpol agent. He ran across the lobby, trying to keep back fresh tears, his thoughts focused on the diamond. His only hope was that Amy had found a way to grab it. People were pouring out through the front doors. The police and television crews had arrived and were setting up equipment. He was reaching for his cell to call Amy when someone grabbed him. But Dan wasn’t going to be taken again. He swung the heavy flashlight.
    “It’s me!” a familiar voice shouted as Jake wrenched the flashlight out of his hand.
    “I thought you were in the car,” Dan answered lamely.
    “I got tired of waiting. And it’s lucky I did. I got here just in time to see two guys manhandle Atticus and Amy through there.” He pointed the flashlight at a door.

    “‘Security. Do not enter,’” Jake translated.
    “We have to get Atticus and Amy out of there.”
    Jake nodded. “Where were you?”
    “Up in the Jubilee room with Milos Vanek.”
    “He’s here?”
    Dan explained what had happened.
    Jake’s voice brightened. “So you have his wallet?”
    Dan took it out. “And his car keys.”
    “We don’t need the keys for what I have in mind.” Jake raised his eyebrow. “Do you
really
know how to drive?”
    Despite the tears and the tight feeling in his chest, Dan managed a weak smile as Jake explained what he wanted to do.
    This sounded like Dan’s kind of plan.

Amy and Atticus had been handcuffed together and pushed into two hard chairs against the wall. Rommel stood in front of them, flicking a flashlight beam on their faces as he interrogated them. So far neither one had answered any of his questions, which seemed to make him very angry. A guard stood nearby, shifting from foot to foot, and Amy could only guess that he was a little uneasy watching his boss yell at two children. Amy was trying to think of a way of taking advantage of the guard’s nerves when there was a knock at the door.
    “Tell whoever it is to go away,” Rommel shouted.
    The guard opened the door, spoke to the visitor for a moment, then walked back and whispered something to Rommel.
    “Really?” Rommel said. “By all means, let him in. Perhaps these two will talk to Interpol.”
    Atticus leaned over to Amy and whispered, “Milos Vanek?”
    “It must be,” Amy whispered back.
    “What do