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  85. 81
  86. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

He was glad to have the afternoon to himself.

49

ADAM HAD WORK TO catch up on, work he’d put aside during the turmoil surrounding Elle’s lost-soul appearance in his life. Today he would start the creation of a nineteenth-century fencing sword, an épée, something that required all his concentration. Going to his kiln, he fired it up. As it heated, he went inside to further research Elle’s mother.

Nothing. Peru had clamped down on archaeological information, and he didn’t have the contacts or the hacking skills to get the information. In his mind, he ran through his old contacts, people he had worked with before the Big John Hammer scandal, people with whom he had ceased contact. Although they’d never indicated anything but staunch support, he had told himself they wouldn’t want to be burdened with knowing a man with his now-doubtful character. But right now, one of those contacts in South America could possibly assist in finding Sofia Neely.

For Elle...

He painstakingly typed an email to Ezra, his old friend, asking for help and sent it off. He started to turn off the computer when a reply arrived in his inbox. Warily he opened it to read an enthusiastic, excited reply from someone, he realized, who had been missing him and his friendship. Maybe he had taken this retreat from the world a little too far. He wrote back, explaining the situation, and got an assurance Ezra would search his contacts for Elle’s mother.

Adam logged out and glanced at the clock.

Elle had been gone forty-seven minutes. Not that he was counting.

Secure in the knowledge that within days they would know the location of Elle’s mother, he went to his shop and chose the pieces of metal for the épée. This was exactly what he needed to calm his turmoil after last night’s riot of ecstasy.

What had he been thinking, making love with Elle?

He hadn’t been thinking.

Feeling. He’d been feeling, with his hands, his tongue, his dick. She had touched him, he had touched her. Last night, emotions had not been involved. Had not. Today he wasn’t so lucky.

He wondered how it was going in Rune’s shop, whether Rune would spend enough time teaching her the ropes or whether one of Rune’s festival emergencies would call her away and leave Elle hanging.

He walked out of the shop and looked up the road.

This was ridiculous. Except for losing a fight with a much larger opponent, Elle had proved to be very capable.

He went back inside and returned to heating and pounding the blade into shape, then repeating the process.

Being killed had put a dent in her self-confidence. Naturally. What if the bastard who had done that to her showed up in Rune’s shop? What then?