The Harder They Fall Read Online Free

him.”
    “Not
quite right, my sanctimonious friend. He didn’t do it because of guilt. He did
it because he was backed into a corner, and he knew the only way to get out of
a life prison sentence was to stop the program.”
    The
way they’d handled Dave Perry at the end was one point on which Blaine
disagreed with most of his friends. Dave had written the Tommy Twister virus
not to hack into The Madeline Project and send it on its rogue course of
destruction, but to take it back for himself. He had always resented Ronnie
Treadway, the man who got credit for being the program’s chief architect.
    Dave
hadn’t shown the Weathermen the back doorway into the program that only he knew
about, or the suggestions he’d programmed into it that led to it shutting
itself down, out of a sense of guilt or global social responsibility. He’d done
it because he’d become complacent working at HCS for thirty years, and had
believed he’d never be caught. He’d been wrong. And once he was caught, he knew
he was up shit creek without their help.
    “Did
he get his Presidential pardon yet?” asked Ace.
    “I
haven’t heard that he did.”
    “He’s
been waiting two months on house arrest.”
    “Better
than waiting inside a federal prison.”
    “He
betrayed all of us.”
    Blaine
finished his glass and then put it down on the coffee table. He was done. Any
more and he wouldn’t be able to walk home. “I know that, but at least it’s
over. We can all go home now.” Eventually .
Once the building was complete. If their fucking government didn’t hold that up for all eternity.
    Blaine
rose to his feet slowly, testing his balance. So far, so good. Perhaps he
wasn’t quite as drunk as he’d imagined?
    “So,
when are you going to ask Colleen out?”
    Emitting
a loud sound of disgust, just in case Ace had any doubts how Blaine felt about
his prying, he took out his phone. It was close to midnight on a Friday night.
Would the fiery redhead be asleep? Was she in another man’s bed? That would
prove awkward if he called her.
    “Want
me to dial her number for you?”
    “Fuck
you, Ace.” Blaine punched in the numbers. She answered on the third ring, and
it was clear from her voice he’d woken her. Shit .
“Hi. Um, Colleen?” Oh my God . Could
he sound anymore like a teen calling the first girl he’d ever asked out if he
tried?
    Blaine
turned away from Ace’s obvious efforts to keep from laughing out loud.
    “Who
is this?”
    She
was clearly annoyed. He would disconnect the call, but she might find out who
had called her another way. That would prove even more embarrassing. “Blaine
Parker.” He counted three seconds of silence and thought he’d lost the call,
which would have been a huge relief at that point.
    “Why
are you calling me at this hour?”
    Still
annoyed, but not quite as much as before. Interesting .
    “I
was wondering if you’d like to have dinner tomorrow night?”
    “Excuse
me?”
    Ouch . He might as well have asked her
if she wanted to bathe in lava, judging by her tone.
    “I’m
asking you out to dinner. Tonight. I mean Saturday night. Though technically it’s already Saturday since it’s now after midnight.”
    Ace’s
efforts failed, but at least he left the room. Blaine only hoped Colleen hadn’t
heard the loud guffaw in the background.
    “Is
this an effort to get me to let you build without permits?”
    Oh,
this girl was good. Very good.
    “Partly.
But mostly because you have the prettiest green eyes I’ve ever seen.” No point
in lying about the permits. She knew anyway.
    “Is
that so?”
    Her
voice was no longer annoyed, but she wasn’t quite convinced he’d told the
truth, either.
    “Yes.
I never lie about eye color.”
    He
counted five seconds of silence this time, and wished he’d never made the call.
    “All
right, Blaine Parker. I’ll have dinner with you tomorrow night. I mean tonight . Saturday night.” Smart ass . “Where should I meet you?”
    “I
don’t like to ask