Trigger point, p.23
Trigger Point, page 23
Teddy reaches the apartment. Ella lets him in. He’s on crutches. His right leg is in a thick cast. “I’m really glad the elevator was working,” Teddy says, laughing. There are some scars on his face, too. A split from his lower lip down his chin, and a deep gouge in his left cheek. He was never a big guy, but he’s thinner now, too.
Ella embraces him. “I thought you were dead,” she says. “I thought they’d killed you.”
“Not quite,” Teddy says. “But they did put me in hospital for a while.”
From the sofa, Tom can see the way Ella and Teddy look at each other. The way they smile. How pleased they are to find that the other is still alive, and that they’re reacquainted. Tom is happy to see it. Tom has high hopes for them both.
Ella assists Teddy into the living room. He sees Tom. “Rollins,” he says. “I see you made it out the other side, too.”
“Despite their best efforts.”
Teddy hops closer to him, holding out a hand.
Tom stands and takes the hand. They shake. “I’m on my way out,” he says. “I’ll leave you all to get caught up.”
“No, Tom, you don’t have to go,” Ella says.
He smiles at her. “This was never going to be a long visit. I just wanted to check in, to make sure you were both all right. To say goodbye properly. And now I know Teddy’s alive, too. It’s time for me to get going. I was heading out of Vermont when we first met. I’ve been here long enough.”
“Do you have any idea where you’re going to go?” Ella says. “Or are you keeping that to yourself?”
“When we were in New York, it got me thinking about New Jersey,” Tom says. “I was thinking about visiting.”
Ella frowns. Teddy looks surprised, too. “New Jersey?” Ella says.
“Freehold, specifically.”
“Why Freehold?”
“It’s the Boss’s hometown.”
“The Boss?” Ella repeats. Then her face lights up. “Oh, Springsteen? I didn’t know you were a Springsteen fan, Tom.” She shakes her head, smiling. “You really are a man of mystery, aren’t you?”
“I figure while I’m so close, I should really swing by. I don’t know when I’ll be out this way again.”
“Well, enjoy yourself out there.” Ella takes his hand. She strokes it. She looks into his eyes. “Thank you,” she says.
Tom turns back to Kit. He strokes his cheek with one finger. He nods goodbye to Ella and Teddy, and then he leaves.
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Paul Heatley left school at sixteen, and since then has held a variety of jobs including mechanic, carpet fitter, and bookshop assistant, but his passion has always been for writing. He writes mostly in the genres of crime fiction and thriller, and links to his other titles can be found on his website. He lives in the north east of England.
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www.PaulHeatley.com
ALSO BY PAUL HEATLEY
The Tom Rollins Thriller Series
Blood Line (Book 1)
Wrong Turn (Book 2)
Hard to Kill (Book 3)
Snow Burn (Book 4)
Road Kill (Book 5)
No Quarter (Book 6)
Hard Target (Book 7)
Last Stand (Book 8)
Blood Feud (Book 9)
Search and Destroy (Book 10)
Ghost Team (Book 11)
Full Throttle (Book 12)
Sudden Impact (Book 13)
Kill Switch (Book 14)
Choke Hold (Book 15)
Trigger Point (Book 16)
The Tom Rollins Box Set (Books 1 - 4)
Paul Heatley, Trigger Point
