The Glass Man Read Online Free PDF

enough to peek inside, but the darkness kept me from seeing much of anything. As my eyes adjusted from the moonlight to the inky shade inside the barn, a tiny flicker of candlelight caught my eye. Damn. Clancy had said that he’d sleep in the barn.
    “What you doin’ out here?” A gruff voice came from behind me.
    I whirled and jammed my knuckles against the wooden panel. Cursing, I shook out my fingers while searching for the owner of the voice. My heart thumped a frantic tune against my ribs. How did he sneak up on me?
    “Boss don’t like people snoopin’ ’round his business.” The old guy from the shed stepped out of the barn’s moon shadow. I could have set a plate on top of his grey brush cut, and it wouldn’t have moved. The eerie light cast shadows onto his face, leaving pools of darkness where his eyes should have been. I shivered.
    “I’m sorry, I just …” Think, dammit, think! “I grew up on a farm. Seeing this barn just brought back some memories. I didn’t mean to be so nosy.” I chuckled.
    He walked toward me with a limp. His left leg appeared to be an inch or two shorter than his right one. “Where’s this farm you grew up on?”
    Those eyes weighed on me, even though I couldn’t see them. My pulse betrayed me, leaping out of my neck. All of the places I’d travelled scrolled through my mind. “A town in Ontario.”
    “Canada? Which town?”
    Danger alarms blared in my head. I had to get him out of my face before he forced me to say something I shouldn’t. “Just a little one stoplight town, farms mostly.”
    The man shifted forward. I could have sworn he grew. He seemed more imposing than he had a minute before. “Why are you avoidin’ the question?”
    “Lakefield. Happy now?”
    He made a low, growly noise. It took me a second to realize he’d laughed. “You’re a real piece of work, lady. What the hell you doin’ down here if you’re from up there?”
    Shit, he’s not going to give up. “I want to see some of the country before there’s nothing left to see.” I stretched and forced a yawn. “Well, I’m off to bed.” I tried to skirt around him, but he shifted to block me.
    “What you really doin’ here?” He stepped in close, but I still couldn’t see his eyes. A deep scowl arranged the rest of his face.
    Maybe a half truth would do? “I’m looking for some friends of mine. Have there been any strangers here lately?”
    He stood a little straighter. “Some. Had a small group yesterday. Passed along the hill up the way you came from.”
    That had to be it. A whole group of people like me. Excitement surged through my chest, but I held my reaction inside. That didn’t explain why the energy had disappeared so abruptly earlier.
    “We found a bunch of tools missin’ this mornin’.” He poked a finger into my shoulder. “That what you’re doin’ in the barn? Comin’ back for the rest?”
    I shoved his finger aside and rubbed my shoulder. “I’m not here to steal anything, buddy. Now, I’m going for a walk, and then I’m going to sleep, so get the hell out of my way before I knock you on your wrinkled ass.”
    I returned his glare, pushed past him and strode along the river until I cleared the barn. When I turned, his gaze continued to stick to me, though his body remained by the doorway. I wondered if he’d tell Liam about my extracurricular activities. My cover story needed some work just in case.
    When I made it around the barn, I scanned the ridge of trees where the energy had been the strongest. I wanted another taste before turning in. If I left the next day, I could catch up to the group, using their trail to draw me to them.
    I walked all the way to the top of the hill before stopping. Nothing. Not a trace of energy remained. Deflated, I slumped down on a boulder and pounded my fist against it. How could I have come so close to others like me, missing them by a day with no way to track them? Their trail must have dissipated in the last few