Red-Line: The Shift (Volume One) Read Online Free

my radar’s going off. You heard anything?”
    “I know the Council’s watching this one. They want to see how you do. Don’t know anything about the assignee, though.”
    “Yeah, well, do me a favor,” said Ramsey. “See what you can find out, will you? I’m curious. Don’t need to find myself in deep water without a life jacket.”
    “I’ll look into it. See what I can find. Have you made contact?” Leroy asked.
    “Yes and no.”
    “What does that mean, or should I even ask? Did you embarrass yourself, Sherlock?” His chuckle traveled over the line.
    “Let’s just say I’ve had better introductions.”
    “They’ve never been your strength,” said Leroy. “Remember that bar in New Orleans? The young guy, Randal was his name, I think, that you were assigned to? Now that was a memorable first contact.”
    Ramsey sighed into the phone. “He was a cross-dresser. How the hell else was I supposed to get to know him?”
    “Did I ever tell you, you look great in heels?” Deep laughter carried through the phone.
    “You never forget to remind me. Just let me know when you’ve got some info for me.” He hung up before his friend could respond.
    He stood by his car, debating his next move. If there was more to this story than he was aware of, then maybe he should move his timetable up a bit, be a little more aggressive. If Sarah Randolph had some mystery about her, then he should figure it out sooner rather than later.
    He looked at the time, thought for a moment, and made up his mind. He had a few hours to kill, but he headed back down the street.

CHAPTER THREE

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    AFTER ENTERING THE diner, Ramsey approached the counter and perused the menu on the wall. He wasn’t hungry, but he figured he should order something. He’d already appeared a little strange in the bookstore. He could at least try to appear less awkward in the diner.
    “Um, let’s see. Can I have the tuna salad on wheat? And a cup of coffee, please?” he asked the cashier behind the counter. She rang up his order and gave him a number. He paid and went to find a seat. He didn’t look around, just took a seat nearby. He pulled out his paper, opened it up, and started to read.
    Two tables down, Rachel elbowed Sarah. “You should go talk to him.”
    “What? What for?” asked Sarah.
    “Because you should! Heck, you talked to him this morning. It’s the perfect icebreaker.”
    “He was a customer! Of course I talked to him. That doesn’t mean I should talk to him now. I don’t know him.”
    “But you should. Look at him. He’s cute. So what if he was a little odd before. He seems perfectly normal now. I think he likes you.”
    “You think he likes me?” said Sarah, keeping her voice down. “What are you talking about? He doesn’t know me. He doesn’t even see us. I doubt he would recognize me from this morning.”
    “I bet he would,” said Rachel. “Go get some more coffee and make eye contact. I bet he’ll say something to you, and then you can go from there. What’s the harm in that?”
    “I told you I’m not interested in meeting anyone. Come on, let’s go. We’ll be late if we don’t.” Sarah started to gather her things.
    “We’ve got a few minutes. Don’t be a fuddy-duddy. Go for it!” said Rachel with impatience. “I’m here to back you up if you need it.”
    “Back me up?” asked Sarah. “What are you going to do? Punch him if he rejects me? Please be serious. Can we go now?” She started to stand, but ducked back down as the cashier called a number and the man they were discussing got up and grabbed his sandwich from the counter. He walked back to his table and sat down to eat. He never looked up.
    “Fine,” said Rachel. “I can see when you’ve put your foot down. You know I’m just thinking of you. I want you to find some happiness, you know? You’ve been so down lately.”
    Sarah relaxed a little, accepting her friend’s concern for her. She tried to be a little less defensive. “Thank