Tales of the Red Panda: Pyramid of Peril Read Online Free PDF

an inadvertent jump into her throat at this, which she had ignored as best she could, as he was clearly talking about something else.
    “And it isn’t just because I’m a man and you’re a woman,” he had continued. She had said nothing at this, but had perhaps raised an eyebrow in surprise that he had actually noticed this point. “People aren’t just leaping to idle speculation based on nothing. There are other lady drivers around town, you know.”
    “Yeah, I’m a real trend-setter,” she had deadpanned.
    “ People see us together and see something between us that they don’t understand,” he had continued, choosing his words carefully, but doing it quickly. “They leap to what must seem like the most obvious conclusion, and never guess that the truth is much more… interesting than they imagine.”
    Kit had paused just an instant. She actually thought the obvious conclusion to which he referred sounded plenty interesting. Indeed, in spite of her best efforts, she spent a great deal of her spare time thinking about exactly that, but this didn’t seem like the moment to say so.
    “If it helps you,” she had said, “I care more about keeping you alive than I do about my reputation.”
    “And I’m not entirely certain that I do ,” he had blurted out crossly, and without really thinking.
    Kit had smiled like she had been given flowers and candy, and as always when she did, it was like the sun coming out. “Yes , Boss,” she had purred. “You protect me, I protect you. That’s what we do.”
    “Yes it is,” he had said, knowing that his case was lost.
    “That’s why I’m coming with you,” she had said quietly.
    “But Kit,” his protest was clearly on its last legs, “there is more to think of than just… there is the matter of… I am considering the impact all the attention would have on our secret identities, you know. This could compromise us entirely.”
    Ah, the secret identities. It was usually his trump card, and it was a good one. Unless you knew that it was coming.
    “Yes, Boss,” she had agreed. “And whatever they might have done when they were younger, idle young billionaires do not simply throw a satchel over their shoulder and slink off to see the world.”
    He had blinked at her twice. And that was that. Another call to the Imperial to reserve the entire top floor for an indefinite stay. Several more to arrange the long series of charter flights she was currently enjoying. One final one to notify Weston that he was being thrown in the deep end to establish a comically oversized retinue of staff for the expedition, and voila – the Red Panda and the Flying Squirrel were off to Egypt.
    Except the trip had been long and dull. They were off together, all right, but he was up front and she was in the back with the giggling maids and the footmen who looked upon the whole thing as a jolly holiday with the giggling maids and who-knew-what-else. Kit had no friends on the household staff, and even if she had, she had work to do. She had spent the long flight pouring over every atlas and road map of Cairo and Egypt she had been able to get her hands on. She might never know her way around the way she knew Toronto, but by golly, she wasn’t going to have to get out at a Sphinx and ask for directions either.
    An hour out of Madri d, Weston appeared in the aisle beside her.
    “May I sit down?” he asked.
    Kit folded up her notebook, stuck her pencil in her teeth and began clearing the seat beside her of books.
    “I must say, Miss Baxter, you are very serious about your work,” Weston said. “I wish it was an attitude some others seemed to share.” He hadn’t said that loud enough for it to be intended as a message to anyone else, but she supposed it couldn’t hurt to play nice.
    “Due respect, Mister Weston-” she began.
    “Weston, will be fine, Miss,” he said with a pleasant smile.
    “Weston, right.” She smiled back and tried not to show that she had not really had the