Burning Yves (Benedicts #2.5) Read Online Free

flannel with her tongs.
    ‘Perfect. Thank you.’ Victor rubbed his face and the back of his neck, mustering more of his defences. Yves took the fresh towel she handed to him, knowing that he wasn’t going to get any further details from his brother; but he could be patient. If he paid attention, he would get a better idea of how he could help his brother keep the Savant Net safe and put the bad guys away. Yves had long felt that his family underestimated him, still seeing the gawky little boy when they looked at him, being more protective of him than even his younger brother, Zed. Yves had changed, learned some hard lessons; he was ready to play in the big league, and now he might get a chance to prove it.
    He handed back the used towel, and got a shock when it was to him that the flight attendant slipped her phone number, written on a serviette. She walked away with a coy smile over her shoulder.
    Victor just raised a brow, managing to be mocking and amused all in the same little shift in expression. ‘Looks like you could be very busy in London, Yves.’
    Yves folded up the serviette and tucked it in a pocket. He wasn’t planning to call but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings by throwing it away where she might see. He had a science conference and a bunch of criminals to catch; there was no time for a holiday romance.
     
    Xav woke up as the plane descended to Heathrow.
    ‘You missed out on all the fun,’ said Victor, putting his laptop away. ‘Little bro here scored while you were asleep.’
    ‘Really?’ Xav stretched. The tallest of the Benedicts, he found plane seats particularly torturous. ‘I suppose some girls go for the nerdy type. Looks aren’t everything.’
    Yves knew he would have to put up with a lot more of this before they let it drop. He was watching the city pass beneath as the flight path followed the Thames. He had never been to England before and his images of it were heavily influenced by the books he had read, mainly Dickens and Orwell. Their depictions had been more powerful in his imagination than the modern novelists, the Ali Smiths and the Ian McEwans, so he was a little surprised to see the shiny skyscrapers and green gem-like parks. London was buffed up to a fine shine.
    ‘Looks good in the sunshine,’ he said, gesturing to the London Eye and Westminster.
    ‘It’s had a facelift for the Olympics,’ said Victor, ‘but London’s improved a lot in the last ten years. I really like it—my second-favourite European city.’
    ‘The first being … ?’
    ‘Prague, though if I were going to live in one of them, I’d pick London. Great cultural life, interesting crimes.’
    That was Victor summed up: a mixture of the highbrow and the darker side of life. Yves envied his brother his widely travelled experience. He felt very parochial, having never spent much time out of the States. A trip to Paris with the school a few years ago was the sum total of his voyaging and there he had hardly made contact with any French people, wandering round in a flock of yellow-T-shirted classmates, shepherded by an anxious teacher. He wondered if the other students at the conference would mock him if he admitted his limited knowledge of other parts of the world.
    They took the Heathrow Express to Paddington then changed on to the rickety Underground to the Barbican. Every fresh sight was like a shot of caffeine to Yves’ tired body, pushing him beyond exhaustion and into an over-bright awareness, with a slight side effect of feeling punch drunk.
    ‘Did you know this was the first ever metro system, built about a hundred and fifty years ago?’ Yves told a yawning Xav as their Tube train pulled into Baker Street.
    ‘No. And do I care right now? No.’ Xav closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the window.
    Yves could tell Victor was listening even if Xav wasn’t, and couldn’t seem to stop himself babbling. ‘They built it by digging down and back-filling rather than tunnelling. Steam