BooksBarbecue
Back Vortex Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. Epilogue
  57. Epilogue
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. About the Author
  60. Also by Catherine Coulter
  61. About the Publisher

Olivia said, “Gay, I’ll speak to him, explain it wasn’t your fault, that I insisted since it was only a short drive.” She glanced over at the intersection. “My poor RAV, it really came through for me, gave itself up. Now I’ll have to get another one. Hey, maybe the pizza’s still okay, just needs to be heated up—”

Savich nodded. “Yes, to all those things. First, though, I’d like you both to come with me to the Hoover. Agent Hildebrandt, I’m going to make sure you’re never lost to me again.”

29

Mia

New York City

Wednesday evening

Two hours later, Mia walked into her condo, shed all her winter gear, turned up the heat to roast. What a day, since six a.m. this morning to Boston, then to Connecticut, then back home. She wasn’t exhausted, though; she was revved. She looked around her small living room and realized she hadn’t cleaned before she’d left. It showed. She picked up a sweater draped over a living room chair, dropped it on the blue comforter on her bed, decided it was enough, and walked back to her table, spread all her work out, and googled Jordan Jeffers, the captain of the lacrosse team who’d accidentally hit Alex’s earlobe with his lacrosse stick before a hit-and-run driver ran him down. She had a few minutes before changing to meet Miles Lombardy, Alex Harrington’s senior staffer.

Of course she got caught up in the tragic story of Jordan Jeffers. When Mia looked at her watch, she jumped out of her chair, knew she had to hurry. She thought about Miles as she changed, fair complexioned and only a couple of years older than she was. He was known as a political whiz. She remembered he looked like a wise owl in round glasses and neatly trimmed goatee. They both knew the rules: he wanted to find out what she was going to do and she wanted to find out what he knew about Alex. She hoped her wits would win out.

Mia wound her long blue-and-green woolen scarf around her neck, buttoned her coat to her chin, pulled her watch cap down to her eyebrows, and found her Uber waiting for her. At least she wasn’t walking from the Guardian, head down into a tonsil-freezing glacial wind. The streets weren’t congested. The only New Yorkers outside were those leaving work, rushing toward the subway.