The Collected (A Jonathan Quinn Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page A

hair with it.
    Standing in front of Nate was a tall, bald man in a dark suit. Like a lot of men with no hair, it was hard to tell his age. He could have been anywhere from forty-five to sixty. Neither fat nor skinny, he wore a scowl on his face that made it clear he was the one in charge.
    Behind him was a hard-looking, middle-aged Mexican man in a uniform. There were two others in the room, younger men in police uniforms.
    “Are you going to be a problem?” the bald man asked Nate.
    Nate didn’t respond.
    The bald man looked back at the suited Mexican. “Captain Moreno, I’d like a couple minutes alone with our friend here, if you don’t mind.”
    There was a hint of relief in Moreno’s eyes. He looked at the two officers and nodded. “We’ll be right outside if you need us,” he said, and the three of them left, closing the door behind them.
    The bald man stared at Nate, his eyes narrowing. “You’re younger than I expected.”
    Nate kept his mouth shut.
    “Or is it just that you have a young face?”
    Alarms were starting to clang in Nate’s head, as he began to realize this was not what he’d thought it was.
    “Well, it doesn’t matter,” the man said. “I’m just finally glad to make your acquaintance, Mr. Quinn.”
    No, Nate realized. This was much, much worse.

CHAPTER 5
     
    LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
     
    A S SOON AS the tone bonged and the seat belt light went out, Liz Oliver stood up and retrieved her bag from the overhead compartment.
    For the first time in her life, she had flown business class. That had been Nate’s doing. She had told him it was an unnecessary expense, but after the nearly twelve-hour flight from Paris to Los Angeles, she was glad he’d paid the money. Usually when she arrived back in the States, she’d be totally worthless for a couple days. But here it was, just after one p.m. in California, and she felt fresh and awake and ready to go.
    Another perk of business class was that she was one of the first ones off, and able to beat the crowd to passport control. Once her booklet was stamped, and the officer said, “Welcome home,” she headed straight for the nothing-to-declare exit, her carry-on the only bag she’d brought.
    A ramp led out of Customs to an area where dozens of people were jammed off to the left side, craning their necks every time someone new came out like fans watching movie stars walking down the red carpet at the Academy Awards. Liz knew Nate wouldn’t be sandwiched among them, though. He’d told her specifically to continue on through the door to the outside, opposite the ramp, and he’d be right there.
    Knowing she was going to see him in a matter of seconds sent a spike of anticipation up her spine as she weaved through the crowd and walked out the door. To say she was excited to see him would have been an understatement. It had been nearly a month and a half since he was able to visit her in Paris, and it had started to seem like forever. She’d had her share of boyfriends before, but it had never been like this. Despite the fact they had met each other under false pretense, she felt an intense connection to Nate, and it was obvious he felt it with her, too.
    A few feet beyond the door, she paused. While there were several people around, Nate wasn’t one of them. Maybe he was at the sidewalk, or waiting at the curb with his car. She headed over. Nate wasn’t there either, and neither was his car.
    She checked her watch. One fifteen. Her flight was a bit early, but Nate would have surely been tracking her flight online, and would have left home in plenty of time to meet her. He was thorough that way.
    Parking. That had to be it. LAX was a crazy, congested airport. No doubt he was having a hard time finding a space.
    She moved out of the flow of foot traffic, and kept her gaze fixed on the crosswalk that led from the parking structure. When five minutes passed without him joining her, she brushed it off as nothing. When fifteen more went by, her