Taking Chances Read Online Free PDF

door, followed by running footsteps and ‘Daddy! Ellen! Daddy!’
    Michael’s eyes started to twinkle. ‘Sounds like the hell-raiser’s back early,’ he said, as the kitchen door flew open and Robbie burst in. ‘Five minutes earlier …’ he grinned , as Robbie came breathlessly towards them, his loyal puppy, Spot, bouncing eagerly at his heels.
    ‘Daddy, Ellen, Jeremy says I can go watch the Raiders with him and his dad. They’re outside in the car. Can I go? Thanks, you’re cool. See you later.’
    ‘Not so fast,’ Ellen cried, grabbing his arm and swinging him back. ‘Did you eat yet?’
    ‘Not hungry.’
    ‘Have you got any money?’
    ‘Jeremy’s dad’ll pay. He’s loaded.’
    ‘Is this my son?’ Michael demanded.
    Robbie looked up at his father, his thick, untidy dark hair badly in need of a wash, his bright blue eyes glowing with impatience. ‘I’ve got to go, Dad, this is a real important game.’
    ‘Really,’ Michael corrected.
    ‘Yeah, really,’ Robbie responded.
    Michael rolled his eyes. ‘Then I guess I’d better go and talk to Jeremy’s dad.’
    ‘Michael,’ Ellen called after them as they headed off, Spot tacking on behind them, clearly thinking he was going too. ‘Why don’t you go with them?’
    ‘Oh yeah!’ Robbie cried, punching his fist in the air. ‘Please Dad, please, please, please.’
    Michael looked at Robbie, then at Ellen. Tonight would be the first they’d had free for over a month, and the plan had been to spend it together, at home.
    ‘Go on,’ Ellen prompted.
    ‘Sure you don’t mind?’ he said.
    ‘Why would I?’ she laughed.
    He came back, deposited Spot in her arms, then kissed her lingeringly on the mouth while Robbie made like he was throwing up in the background.
    They’d only been gone a matter of minutes when Michael’s private line started to ring again. As Ellen was trying to catch Spot, who was attempting to head off down the road after his master, the answerphone had already picked up by the time she got to the study.
    ‘Michael, I forgot to ask just now,’ Chambers was saying, ‘did you speak to Michelle? I really think we could be on for this, that is, if I manage to hang on to my mortal coil. Say hi to Robbie. Be in touch in a couple of days. Over and out.’
    The line went dead and Ellen stood staring at the machine, trying not to feel offended, and failing. OK, she and Chambers had never met, while he and Michelle, Robbie’s mother, were practically old friends, but she didn’t much like the way he had just made her feel as though she wasn’t a part of Michael’s life. After all, he must know that she was every bit as involved in the movie as Michael was, so at the very least he could have had the good manners to remember she was there.
    Rewinding the tape she listened to the message again and wondered what Chambers, Michael and Michelle might be on for. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to include her, and though she disliked herself for such pettiness, she was sorely tempted to erase the message altogether. She didn’t, but she knew she’d regret it bitterly if Michael had some crazy notion of going down there to join Chambers in Colombia, because it was precisely the kind of thing Michelle, the highly acclaimed British actress turned devoted humanitarian, could be relied upon to suggest. But no, Michael wouldn’t, couldn’t, leave LA right now. There was too much going down with World Wide and besides, he just didn’t have the kind of training Chambers did in handling such hostile and dangerous conditions as those offered by Colombia and its infamous cartels.

Chapter 2
    GETTING UP FROM the spare, rough-hewn table he was working at, Tom Chambers took a beer from an icebox in the corner of the shady room and went to look out the window. The narrow street was quiet, just a couple of kids kicking around a punctured ball, scuffing the gutters and scattering clumps of filth-sodden trash. The cacophony of boombox music and