Chapters (75)
- Cover
- Contents
- Dedication
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- Acknowledgments
- “We Are Very Different People”:Stuart Woods on Stone Barrington
- Stone Barrington: The First Five
- About the Author
- Praise for Stuart Woods and
- Books by Stuart Woods
- Credits
- About the Publisher
“Please don’t worry about that; this is just a security precaution.”
The man reluctantly took his wife’s arm and steered her toward the rear of the room.
Bergman walked up, looking panicky. “What’s going on?”
“A suspicious van outside; please help Dino get all these people out the back door.”
“Right in the middle of an opening? Are you crazy?”
“Mr. Bergman, this is very serious. Don’t waste another second, and get this woman out of here,” he said, indicating the receptionist. Bergman did as he was asked.
Sarah came over, “Stone, what’s happening?”
“Possibility of a bomb outside,” he whispered. “A crew is on the way to deal with it, now let me get you out of here.” He started to move away from the front of the gallery, then, as an afterthought, he went back to the front window and drew the heavy wool curtains. “Let’s go,” he said to Sarah, taking her arm.
At that moment there was a huge noise, and the front-window curtains billowed as the plate glass behind them exploded inward.
33
STONE WAS THROWN THROUGH THE AIR, taking Sarah with him, landing hard on the gallery’s marble floor. He lay, dazed, on top of her, and then he realized she was struggling to get out from under him. He rolled over. “Are you all right?” he asked, groggily.
Sarah said nothing, but scrambled up and began running toward the back of the gallery, screaming.
Stone got unsteadily to his feet as Dino arrived and slipped an arm around him. He looked back at the window: the window frame was empty, and fragments of broken glass were everywhere. The heavy wool curtains had disappeared, leaving only fragments clinging to the rod. Outside, where the van had once been, there was only a shallow crater in the asphalt. The cars on either side of the crater were on fire. The noise was incredible. Men and women were screaming inside the gallery and fighting to get out the rear door, as the approaching sirens got louder and louder.
Dino got out a handkerchief and held it to the back of Stone’s head. “You’re bleeding, pal; hold this against your head.”
“I’m okay, Dino; find Sarah for me, will you? And get her to my car; it’s the safest place right now.”
“Okay, but don’t go out front; there might be somebody out there to take a shot at you.”