The Caledonian Inheritance (The Athena Effect) Read Online Free Page A

school anywhere in the state of California. There was something fishy going on, and Ramon couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that it was something illegal.
    He was after all, a lawman.
    It was troubling, because he really wanted to get to know Layla a whole lot better. The first time he met her she seemed so sweet and friendly that he was immediately attracted to her, and he could have sworn the feeling was mutual. She’d disappeared abruptly that very same day, in the wake of a visit by some pretty shady characters. He still couldn’t quite figure out what had really gone down that day, and it only added to the cloud of mystery that swirled around her.
    The courthouse door swung open and Ramon watched as Layla burst out, blinking in the bright sunshine. She wore a pencil skirt topped with a lacy blouse and a multi stranded pearl choker that gleamed around her slender neck. High heels accented her long legs, and her hair was pinned up with just a few tendrils coming loose around her face. In a jeans and cowboy boots kind of town, she stood out like a sore thumb.
    She looked younger than she was, but sophisticated at the same time. She looked like a city girl– a rich girl. And once again, that begged the question … Just where did all of that money come from?
    Layla looked up to the clear blue sky, and he saw her chest rise as she took a deep breath with a smile of satisfaction. He watched as she smoothed her skirt, zipped open her bag and fished for her keys as she walked to her car. She suddenly pitched forward, letting out a squeak as she lost her balance. Her foot wrenched out of the shoe whose heel had wedged into a crack in the sidewalk, she caught herself for a moment, hovering in the air for a split second before she went down onto both her hands and knees.
    Ramon was out of his patrol car in a flash, bounding across the street to crouch by her side. “Are you okay?”
    Layla lifted her head to see a familiar pair of dark eyes filled with concern. She nodded mutely, speechless with a mixture of shock and surprise. Strong hands took hold of her arms just above her elbows, and he lifted her to her feet like she was weightless. Still stunned, she faltered, wobbling on her lone spike heel. He gripped her firmly, guiding her to the bench in front of the courthouse.
    “You’d better sit down,” he told her, turning to retrieve her shoe. He wrenched it out of the crevice and brought it to her, squatting down to feel her ankle while she watched him with big eyes. “Can you bend it?” he asked, his hands warm on her skin.
    She nodded vigorously, snatching her foot back like he’d just burned her. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”
    He seemed taken aback, and extended his hand for a shake. “Layla right? We met last fall… Remember? Ramon?”
    “Y- yes,” she nodded again. She took his hand tentatively, forgetting to breathe when his thick fingers closed over hers.
    “You need to be careful on these walkways. There’s a lot of cracks in this old cement.”
    She watched his dark eyes crinkle at the corners as his face broke into a friendly grin, “Here you go, Cinderella.” He handed her back her shoe while kneeling down on one knee like a man proposing marriage. Her throat tightened and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. His eyes narrowed, and he scrutinized her with a frighteningly powerful fuscia interest. Her heart started racing with a sudden, irrational panic.
    She broke eye contact, snatching her shoe from him and slipping it on. “Thank you. I… I… I… have to get going… I’m going to be late,” she stammered. 
    They both stood, and Layla smoothed her skirt self-consciously before pulling her keys out of her purse. She took a step towards her nearby car, but her nervous hands fumbled the keys, and they went clattering down onto the pavement. The two of them bent to pick them up simultaneously, bumping their heads together on the way down.
    “Sorry,” he chuckled, rubbing his temple. “You