The Shadow Men Read Online Free

looked at the box of a dozen donuts and burst out laughing.
    “Hey, comfort food!” Jonathan said. “I’ve just suffered a very traumatic separation, and considering I haven’t had a drink or a smoke in years, what do I have left?”
    “Hard drugs,” Jim said, still chuckling.
    “They don’t agree with me,” Jonathan said, arching an eyebrow.
    “So, donuts it is.”
    Jonathan bit into his donut, sugar speckling the stubble across his top lip.
    Jim could see already that Jonathan’s spirits had lifted in the few minutes he’d been here. Jenny had always had that effect on him. She was one of life’s calm ones, and she seemed to be able to pass her gift on to anyone who needed it, whatever the circumstances. They chatted some more, shooting the breeze, and Jim refilled their coffee mugs. Jonathan laughed a lot, and mostly Jim could tell that it was genuine, though sometimes it was not. It would take him a long time to get over Philip, tempestuous though their relationship had been. Once when Jim had asked about it, his friend had replied, I just love loving someone who’s so fucking alive!
    Jenny finished a donut and went to take Holly upstairs to wash and dress. The two men waited in companionable silence for a couple of minutes—the sort of unpressured quiet that only good friends or lovers could ever maintain. Jonathan rested his elbows on the counter and kept his mug pressed to his lips, looking into the middle distance.
    “Dude, nine inches?” Jim said. “Dude” was a word he only ever used when the subject was a little uncomfortable; it softened the blow.
    Jonathan looked at him, mug still in front of his mouth. He raised an eyebrow. “Better believe it, dude.”
    The two men laughed again, and when Jonathan left with Jenny and Holly, everyone seemed happy, looking forward to the day. Even Jim. He’d resolved to stay out of his studio, spending the time instead catching up on some reading, and if he drifted off to sleep, well … he’d welcome it.
    He kissed his wife good-bye at the door while Jonathan strapped Holly into his BMW.
    “Have fun,” Jim said as they hugged.
    “Will do,” she said. They both squeezed a little bit harder.
    “Love you.”
    “Love you more,” Jim said. He watched her walking down their front path to the car, then closed the door, breathing in the silence.
    When he awoke, the house felt empty. Not just silent or still, but empty . He sat up quickly, gasping as if startled awake by the phone or doorbell. But there were no echoes, and his phone was on the carpet beside the sofa. Christ, me and these fucking dreams!
    Jim rubbed his eyes and looked around. The large living room seemed different, and he couldn’t quite place why. Something appeared to be missing, but recognizing things that had gone was not as easy as seeing things that shouldn’t be there. He frowned and shook his head, resting it in his hands for a few moments while he gathered his thoughts. He glanced at his watch—almost five p.m. Jenny and Holly had left with Jonathan over six hours ago; he’d had no idea that they would be gone so long.
    Picking up the phone, he expected to see a text, but there was none. That was weird. Jenny usually kept in touch when she was out, especially when she was going to be home later than expected. They’d never lived in each other’s pockets. They both had space to spread out—he with his art, she with her teaching and wide circle of friends—but they both understood the limits of their relationship. If Jim expected her and Holly home at a certain time and they were going to be late …
    He opened a new text and keyed in, Hi sexy, got an ETA? Then he scrolled down his contacts list, missing Jenny’s name, pressing the red button by mistake, and having to enter the list again. Damn it , he needed to get up, stir himself, have a strong coffee and a shower.
    He smiled at the memory of that morning’s shower. Her deep sigh as she came, her leg hooked around his.