Black Pawn (Michael Cailen Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

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futon sat another Vicodin pill and a glass of water.  For a man who was so gruff
and cold, he sure was thoughtful, she thought.

Chapter 4
    The TV served as a good temporary distraction until fatigue
took over.  Around 2:30 a.m., her eyes became heavy and she turned off the TV. 
It was a mistake.  The silence was frightening.  She started thinking she would
have felt safer if Michael were there.  With no way to defend herself, she felt
vulnerable cuffed to the pipe.  Wild thoughts ran through her mind and suddenly
she was wide awake again.  Her heart raced.  She felt as though she was going
to have a panic attack.  Every sound outside seemed so loud.  She could hear
the water lapping at the dock.  Were there footsteps?  No.  Just then, she
heard a car in the distance.  It was getting closer.  Was it Michael?  Maybe it
was someone coming to rescue her.  Maybe it was someone worse.
    Her heart was pounding as the door unlocked.  It must be
Michael.  She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep as he walked in.  She
heard his footsteps as he approached her.  What was he doing?  Too scared to
open her eyes, she felt his fingers touch her wrist.
    “Why are you so scared?” he asked.  “Did something happen?”
    She wanted to answer, but couldn't find her voice.  How did
he know? She looked up, his silhouette in the moonlight hovering over her. 
Still holding her wrist, she realized he was checking her pulse.  She pulled
her arm away.
    “Get some sleep.  Everything's fine.”
    He retreated to his bedroom and she imagined he'd have no
trouble getting to sleep.  She on the other hand, wasn't sure she would ever
sleep.  Although knowing he was there made her feel oddly safer.  After a few
minutes, she was more relaxed and her eyes became heavy.
    She awoke to a sharp pinch in her arm, but within seconds
felt like she was dreaming again.
    Making sure she never saw the syringe, Michael held her face
and looked into her eyes.  “Jessica ... Jessica, can you hear me?”
    “Yes, I hear you,” she mumbled.
    He checked her pulse again.  “What's your name?”
    “Jessica.”
    “Your last name.”
    “Nickoli,” she answered in her foggy, dream-like state.
    “Where do you live, Jessica?”
    “92 Carter Road, Apartment 6.”
    “Do you live with anyone?”
    “No.”
    “Do you have family?”
    “No.”
    “Boyfriend?”
    “No.” Her eyes closed.
    “Jessica, wake up.” He lightly tapped her face.
    “Huh?” Her eyes opened.
    “Where do you work?”
    “Home.  I work for myself,” she drifted off.
    That was all he needed to know.  The rest he could find on
his own.  He had drugged people many times to extract information.  It was one
of the easiest ways to get someone to talk.  Having received interrogation
training from the military, he knew all the tricks of the trade.  He waited for
her to fall asleep before drugging her though.  Drugging her while she was
fully awake and aware of what was happening would've been too traumatic for
her.  She was so out of it, there was a good chance she would never remember
telling him anything.  He let her drift back to sleep, then crawled into bed
himself.  With a lot of work to do tomorrow, he needed a few hours of sleep.

Chapter 5
    Jessica woke to the smell of coffee brewing.  I must be a
heavy sleeper she thought, since it seemed nothing Michael did woke her. 
He was sitting at the table reading the paper.  Was that today's paper?  How
the hell did he leave and come back without waking her?
    “Good morning,” he greeted her without taking his eyes off
the paper.  He seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.
    “How did you know I was awake?”
    “Your breathing changes.”
    She wondered how loud her breathing must be for him to
notice.  The beeper went off on the coffee maker, signaling it was ready.
    “You want some coffee?” he asked.  “Cream, no sugar.”
    “Yes,” she replied still half-asleep. “Wait, how did