My Soul to Take Read Online Free Page A

changing shape. Vivid, ugly imagination. But moving or not, she knew the lump was there. Her hand brushed it in the shower each day. After losing her mother to breast cancer five years earlier, Phoenix would have thought she’d rush to her doctor’s office at the first sign of trouble. She’d promised Mom she would guard her health. Instead, much to her amazement, she wasn’t picking up the phone to call her doctor. She expected to each day, and never did.
    As soon as I know Carlos is all right, I’ll call
, she thought, a new variation of the vow she’d been making for nearly a month. Maybe the psychic part of her was steering clear of doctors because a doctor would make it real.
    Wright studied her face. “You can lock the vial in a drawer and never touch it,” he said. “It doesn’t need refrigeration. Take your time. Have it studied by someone you trust. Keep it for when you need it. Authentic Glow is very hard to find in the States. Some of the trash products are only poison.”
    “I have to ask you to leave now.”
    “I’m sorry, Phoenix,” he said, stepping away, hands slightlyraised. “If you knew what I knew, you’d understand why I’m trying so hard. I really only came with a simple request….”
    Phoenix was already leading him to the door.
    “One night only,” he went on, following her. “Johannesburg. A concert for worldwide health care. Lifesaving treatments for adults and children. I know you don’t need money, but we’ll donate five million in any currency to your favorite charity.” He spoke faster as they neared the door, fumbling with his briefcase to bring out a glossy black folder.
    “Five million for one night? Must be expensive damn tickets.”
    “Tickets are free. We’re not raising money—we’re raising awareness.”
    Nice touch
, Phoenix thought. But she donated plenty of money through her foundation. She and Carlos had been living on a fraction of her earnings since she’d retired, designating the rest to charity and Marcus’s college fund. She had long ago run out of things to buy.
    “I don’t do airplanes,” she said. “And I don’t sleep away from home. Not anymore.”
    “Name your venue,” Wright said, holding the folder out to her with the same pleading expression. “What about L.A.? Four hours’ drive, and you’re back in your own bed.”
    Phoenix opened the front door, inviting in the dry, cool air. “I’m sure you can find a whole lot of other folks who’d be happy to help. I’ll tell my cousin to send you some names.”
    “My employer wants
you
, Phoenix,” Wright said, nearly breathless. “She’s a lifelong fan. It’s not a stadium or arena concert—it’s intimate. With two or three songs, you can help spread the word about Clarion.”
    “You mean Glow,” Phoenix said. She wouldn’t let him PR his way out of illegal drugs.
    “Do your research, Phoenix,” Wright said. “In this folder, you’ll find a link to a website set up by independent medical scholars, one at Harvard Medical School, one at Cambridge. A Lasker Award winner is on our board of directors. Glow
heals
. The only side effect is a mild euphoria. We’re running out of time to fight the propaganda. This new infection in Asia …”
    Despite herself, Phoenix’s heart jumped with thoughts of Carlos. “How bad is it?”
    “Bad,” he said. “We have doctors on the ground in North Korea, so we’ve penetrated the news blackout. We’re ninety-five percent sure it’s airborne. It’s a tragedy.”
    Airborne
was a scary word. Carlos had overheard that word and tested it in his blog. “How tragic?”
    Wright blinked, lowering his face to hide the mania dancing in his eyes. “The question may not be how many will die—the question is, how many will survive?”
    Phoenix felt icy panic, until she remembered Wright’s gift for overstatement. Why was she asking his opinion anyway? But even if John Wright was a quack or a nutball, she and Carlos both needed to research the