The Ninth Day Page 29
“Leaving already?” Her voice was low and husky. She stood in front of him holding a stack of chips in one hand and her drink in the other.
He nodded. “Quitting while I’m ahead.”
“The house isn’t going to like that.” She smiled at him.
“It’s such a small amount, I doubt they’ll care.”
“Maybe you should stay and have a drink in the bar. It’s quite early by island standards.” Her words were light but her gaze pointed. Sumner had the fleeting thought that perhaps she was a call girl working the casino, except for what he saw in her eyes. Sumner thought he read a warning in them.
“Do you work for the casino?”
She looked surprised and shook her head. “Not at all. What gave you that impression?”
“You seem reluctant to let me leave.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Just thinking that you’ll enjoy yourself more here than at home.”
“I have a good book.” She looked a bit stung and he said, “But I thank you for your concern. I’ll enjoy the quiet.”
She shrugged. “I hope you do. Goodbye.” She turned and walked back into the maze of tables.
The balmy air smelled of salt water and engine grease, a combination that wafted off a nearby pier. He crawled into the small rental car and started back home. He drove carefully, keeping with the flow of traffic on the narrow road with one lane in either direction.
His rental was actually the beach house for a much larger estate. St. Maartin’s crime rate had been escalating in recent years, and as a result the estate was gated, with three large dogs that roamed the grounds. Sumner hit the button and watched behind him in the rearview mirror while he waited for the gate to open. In the distance he heard the dogs barking. He’d have a few minutes if he was lucky to drive through before they swarmed over the road. The gate swung closed behind him just as the dogs appeared. They were in full howl and the largest, an Akita with an impressive ruff around his neck, began snapping at the car tires. Sumner proceeded ahead at a slow pace, using the car bumper to nudge the dogs out of the way. One, a large Rhodesian ridgeback incongruously named Susie, put her paws on the drivers’ side window and peered in at him, her big nose sniffing at the glass. Her bark turned to a sound of welcome once she recognized Sumner.
The big house sat on the bluff above with lights blazing, and even at the distance of four hundred yards Sumner could hear the beat of heavy dance music as the inhabitants partied. He drove through the palm trees on either side and down the winding road to the beach. His house was considered a small guest house despite its three bedrooms, dedicated pool, and location on the water. He killed the engine and stepped out of the car.
He was alone. The dogs had followed him halfway down before heading back to the entrance. A sliver of moonlight shot across the gently moving waves and he stood a moment, enjoying the sound of them lapping against the shore. He heard a padding noise and Susie loped into view, her long tail wagging as she approached. She pushed her head against his knee in greeting. He reached down to scratch her ears before turning to the door. He was three steps away from the entrance when Susie began to growl.
He paused, straining his ears to pick up any hint of what Susie had noticed. He focused his senses around the heavy bass still pounding from the house above. Hearing nothing else he took another step toward the door. Susie’s growls grew louder and she began to pace in front of him. He kept moving forward and the dog subsided, walking alongside him. When they reached the entrance Susie began to sniff at it in loud inhalations, her sides heaving as she did. She snorted and shook her head, stepping back.
Sumner paused again. The back of his neck tingled and he wondered if something, or someone, was waiting for him on the other side of the panel. He reversed away. The beach house had a second, rarely-used rear door off the laundry room that led onto the backyard where a clothesline stretched. Sumner headed that way, keeping his head down and moving with as much silence as he could. Susie stayed with him. He reached the door and slid his key into the lock. It turned with a snick and he slipped inside. Susie pushed in after him, knocking the door wider with her big body. He grabbed her collar to hold her in place.
He decided against turning on a light as he worked his way down the hall, holding Susie’s collar. Her nails clicked against the floor and for a moment he wished he’d left her outside, except he had no weapon other than Susie. In full howl and enraged she made a formidable sight. He peered into the darkened living area. A far bank of windows faced the ocean, taking full advantage of the view. To his left was the front door.
A glance at it told him everything he needed to know. A tangle of wires ran from what looked like a car battery to the door handle. An LED display glowed red. Sumner couldn’t see what it was and he didn’t bother to stay. He spun around, dragging Susie with him, and ran back the way he came. His heart beat in a crazy rhythm and his hand on the leather collar was suddenly slick with sweat. He had made it into the laundry room and had managed to slam the door closed when the bomb exploded.
About the Author
JAMIE FREVELETTI is a runner and a former trial lawyer. The author of the international bestsellers Running from the Devil and Running Dark, she lives with her family in Chicago, Illinois.
www.jamiefreveletti.com
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Resounding praise
for the previous award-winning thrillers by
JAMIE FREVELETTI
“Just terrific—full of thrills and tradecraft, pace and peril. . . . Outstanding.”
Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of Worth Dying For
“While women are well-represented in crime fiction as cops, private detectives or amateurs, the female adventure story often gets short shrift. Jamie Freveletti is changing that. . . . Freveletti combines realistic scenes with believable characters in a gripping, timely plot.”
Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
“A breathless, hair-raising read, one of the most gripping thrillers I’ve read in a long, long time.”
Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of Ice Cold
“Harrowing. . . . Fast-paced . . . and the ‘ripped from the headlines’ angle adds further frisson.”
Booklist
“Validates Freveletti’s decision to leave [her] law career. . . . She’s off to a running start.”
Chicago Sun Times
By Jamie Freveletti
The Ninth Day
Running Dark
Running from the Devil
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE NINTH DAY. Copyright © 2011 by Jamie Freveletti LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition OCTOBER 2011 ISBN: 9780062096258
Print Edition ISBN: 9780062025319
FIRST EDITION
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Author's Note
Acknowledgments
Sneak Preview of the Next Installment
About the Author
Resounding Praise for Jamie Freveletti
By Jamie Freveletti
Copyright
About the Publisher
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Author's Note
Acknowledgments
Sneak Preview of the Next Installment
About the Author
Resounding Praise for Jamie Freveletti
By Jamie Freveletti
Copyright
About the Publisher