The Athena Factor Read Online Free PDF

softly. “If he’d wanted to hurt me, he could have. And that grenade, dear God, you have no idea how terrifying that was. I couldn’t hear, couldn’t think, couldn’t see. But for Lymon pushing me down, I hate to think what it would have been like.”
    Lymon spread his hands. “Paul heard the flash-bang go off at the same time the guy burst out the door. Our attacker ran all of twenty yards, dove into a cab, and was gone. Vanished.”
    Rex was still giving him the predatory eye. “Sheela is one of the hottest talents in film today, Lymon. She’s worth thirty million a picture. Not to mention that she’s a nice person. Our person. And you let someone get that close to her? What if that had been a real hand grenade?”
    â€œWe’d be dead,” Lymon replied reasonably. “But he wasn’t trying to kill her.”
    â€œBut he could have!” Felix thundered. “For God’s sake, man! That’s why we pay you!”

    â€œEnough!” Sheela cried, her blue eyes hardening. “I was there. I’m satisfied. I’ve been with Lymon ever since the event. He’s done his job.”
    Rex, as always, was the first to back down. “Yeah, well, we’re scared, that’s all.” He looked at the newspaper. “It could have been a lot worse than just a couple of canceled shows. And there’s the upside. The phones have been ringing off the hooks. Everybody under the sun wants an interview. Larry King wants first crack at you. He said he’d bump whomever to get you.”
    â€œScrew him!” Dot cried. “Last time, he dumped Sheela for Julia Roberts. Paybacks are a bitch.”
    Felix continued to study Lymon. “You’re sure the syringe was empty?”
    Lymon shrugged. “I’m not sure of anything. I’m not even sure it was a syringe. It didn’t look quite right. In the police report I told them it was ‘syringelike.’ When he jammed the stun gun into my ribs and I didn’t go down, I think he got spooked. I had on enough layers that he didn’t get a good connection on the electrodes. Sheela was behind me, supporting me so that I didn’t fall. Then there was Dot—she was screaming her head off. I think the guy figured the attack was blown, so he dropped the flash-bang and ran.”
    â€œFor God’s sake, why?” Felix repeated the question that had been tormenting Lymon for two days.
    â€œWho knows?” Dot looked from one to the next. “Maybe he’s sitting in some bar at Lex and Twenty-fifth saying, ‘Hey, wow! I just scared the shit out of Sheela Marks, man.’”
    Felix cocked his head. “I don’t get it.”
    â€œNeither do I,” Lymon answered with a shrug. “It was just a glimpse, but like I say, the syringe looked empty.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?” Rex narrowed one eye into a threatening squint. “What good is an empty syringe?”
    â€œI don’t know.” Lymon looked up as Tomaso stepped into the room bearing a tray. He placed a glass of sparkling water in front of Sheela and set a cup of coffee to Lymon’s right. It was black, just the way he liked it.

    â€œSo, what do we do?” Tony leaned forward, a sharpening in his eyes. “ Jagged Cat is in preproduction. Costuming wants Sheela in for fitting on Tuesday. Shooting starts on the first.”
    â€œSo what?” Rex asked. “Sheela’s there. What’s the big deal? This is our turf.” He glanced meaningfully at Lymon. “We can handle it, right?”
    Lymon nodded.
    Sheela had continued to stare absently at the table in front of her, the sparkling water fizzing by her hand. “It changes your life”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Felix asked.
    â€œKnowing that someone can get that close to you.”
    â€œIt won’t happen again,” Rex started, but Sheela raised a hand, cutting him off.
    She looked