Two-Way Split Read Online Free PDF Page A

he didn't touch anyone else, I was prepared to take his best shot."
    Gently, Pearce prised one of her fingers off the gun.
    "This is nothing." Her hands fell apart and the gun slid onto the bed. She touched her bruised eye. "Compared to what he did to Becky."
    "Your sister?" He picked up the gun. It was heavier than he'd anticipated.
    Ailsa Lillie shook her head. Her eyes blazed. "Rebecca's my daughter."
    He examined the weapon. Nickel, he guessed. CCCP engraved on the butt. "How old?"
    "Eighteen." She paused, then added, "Old enough."
    "For what?"
    "A fractured cheekbone and a broken jaw."
    "She doesn't live here?"
    "You kidding? Becky left home when she was sixteen." She smiled and said, "She's a hairdresser."
    "She his daughter?"
    "No, thank God."
    "This isn't loaded." He showed her the empty magazine.
    "Christ, don't I know it."
    He shoved the clip back in.
    "After I'd paid for the gun," she said, "I didn't have enough money left to buy bullets. I didn't realise a box of ammo cost half as much as the gun."
    "That's a hell of a mark-up." He looked at her and started laughing. She joined him and sounded as if she meant it. He said, "What's your boyfriend's name?"
    "Why do you want to know?"
    "You're in a mess, Ailsa. If you want out of it, here's what you do. Tell me his name and where I can find him."
    She told him. "He's dangerous," she added.
    "I'll be very careful." He handed her the gun. "Take that to whoever you bought it from and demand your money back. You won't get it all, so hold out for half. That's reasonable. Enough to be useful to you, but not too much for him to lose face. He'll see the sense in it if you point out that he can sell the gun again. Will you do that?"
    She nodded.
    He stood. "I'll be round tomorrow to pick up the money."
    She grabbed his hand. "What are you going to do?"
    He shrugged. "Have a word with your boyfriend. Tell him it's over. That you don't want to see him again." He slipped his fingers out of hers and rubbed his chin.
    "He'll kill her." She clutched his hand again. "He'll kill Becky."
    "She has nothing to worry about."
    She didn't believe him. Creases lined her forehead and wrinkles erupted at both sides of her mouth.
    "I promise you," he said, "neither you nor Becky will ever see him again."
    Her forehead smoothed out once again and she looked almost pretty. "I owe your boss money. Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me? You some kind of vigilante or something?"
    "Remember what I said?" He gazed down at her. "That I wanted to negotiate mutually acceptable repayment terms? Well, that's what we've been doing. I never meant to imply that I wanted to…" He made a circular motion with his hand. "All that, anyway. It's just business, Ailsa. You're an investment and I'm protecting you like I would any other investment."
    She levelled the gun at him, closed her puffy eye and said, "I should shoot you for being such a crap liar."
    He turned his back on her. "I'll see myself out."
    "Hey," she said. "There's a big guy who works with Pete. His name's Tony. He's nice too. Like you. Say hi to him for me."
     
     
    11:15 am
     
    "Not now, Mum." Pearce hung up and turned off his mobile.
    "Mothers, eh?"
    The male voice registered as an anomaly, although he wasn't sure why. He couldn't think of a compelling reason why a sauna had to have a female receptionist, but that's what he'd expected. Maybe this guy doubled as a security guard. Pearce looked up. So much for that theory. You didn't see many security guards less than five feet tall. Behind the semi-circular counter Shortarse's face was a bag of tension. "Where's Pete?" Pearce asked him.
    "Pete?" Shortarse's mouth stretched and slackened and stretched again. You couldn't tell if he'd just stubbed his toe, or if he was about to burst into hysterical laughter.
    "How many Petes you got working here?"
    Shortarse shrugged.
    "Any of the girls called Pete, are they?"
    Shortarse's lips twitched.
    "Thompson," Pearce said with his eyes closed.