Stone Cold Read Online Free PDF Page A

his mouth.
    After several minutes he ceased his rambling and came to a standstill. With regained composure, he reached inside his trench coat and removed his cell phone. Once again looking at the paper, he took a picture of it and typed something into his phone.
    “ Judging from her photo, maybe all is not lost. This girl may be worth all the trouble I’ve had to go through.” With a slight grin on his face, he gently caressed Hannah’s picture on the paper with his index finger.
    “ Hannah, lovely Hannah. In the European market, you would, I mean you will definitely command a high price.”
    Seconds later he turned, checked his surroundings in a 360 degree motion and began walking swiftly in the direction from which he came.
    Jack could see a trash can on the corner, the perfect place to lay the pink paper to rest. With few people around no one would be the wiser and he could get on with his day. As far as he was concerned, he’d gotten more than he’d bargained for.
    When he neared his destination, he tore the paper, crumbled it into a ball, and without hesitation threw it into the can with a sky hook motion.
    “Score! The basket is good and he was fouled on the play! He get’s to go to the line for a …,” his words were cut short when he was startled by a figure that darted behind a dumpster in the alley next to the trash can.
    Taken aback, Jack’s heart leapt into his throat.
    “Who’s there?”
    He walked at a fast yet cautious pace toward the dumpster.
    “I said who’s there?”
    As he neared, Jack could see the shadow of a person crouched behind the far corner of the dumpster. For a moment he contemplated whether or not to proceed with his pursuit, unaware if this person was armed or not. His curiosity got the better of him.
    W hen he was within ten feet of his target, with a deepened voice he asked, “Who’s there? Is there something I can help you with?”
    Before he could take another step, the shadowy figure abruptly stood, took off on the run down the alley and disappeared around the corner. Jack’s instinct was to give chase but decided to forego that option when he reached the end of the alley. He no longer had a visual on who he’d determined to be a young boy in a royal blue jacket.
    “That w as the kid who’d been standing on the paper! He must’ve followed me here. I wonder what he’s up to?”
    It took what seemed like a long time for Jack to catch his breath. His legs were wobbly and he bent over with hands on knees, trying to slow his breathing to keep from passing out. Although in his early twenties he’d neglected his physical health for the past few years while focusing on building his business. Add that to the instant fear he’d felt when the boy suddenly leapt from behind the dumpster and it was no wonder he could barely breathe let alone move. As he slowly stood up he reached for his cell phone. His words were halting and breathy as he made a call.
    “I’m on the corner of East 106 th Street and 2 nd Avenue. Please pick me up immediately. No, I’m fine. I’m just a little out of breath. Please just get here as soon as possible.”
    The limousine arrived witho ut fanfare within minutes of his call. Clutching his stomach and not in the mood to wait for the driver, Jack opened the rear passenger door and got in. No sooner had he closed the door than did he see a trash collection truck emptying the trash can containing the pink paper.
    “Drive slowly past that trash truck,” he instructed the driver.
    He wanted to make sure the trash in that can was on its way to its final resting place. Jack was relieved to see that it appeared as though everything made it into the trucks compaction bin.
    “You can take me straight home. It’s been a long day.”
    Jack closed his eyes. It seemed as though his daily meditation was needed to clear his mind of the stressful events that had taken place over the past hour. He began with deep breathing, in and out, slowly, in and out. His