Read 9 The Hitwoman's Downward Dog for Free Online Page B

hear?" I whispered to God.
    "Most of it I imagine."
    My heart sunk. Did Zeke now know I was a killer? I buried my head in my hands. Could the day get any worse?
    There was a knock on the inside of the bathroom door and then it swung open. "She wants to talk to you." He held out the phone.
    Jumping off the couch, taking care not to look directly at him so I wouldn’t have to face the revulsion or fear I imagined were in his gaze, I snatched the phone out of his hand. Grabbing my wrist, he dragged me into the bathroom with him and shut the door behind me.
    "Now what?" I snapped into the phone.
    In the mirror’s reflection, I saw Zeke wince at my impatient tone.
    "You’re not making much progress," Ms. Whitehat replied mildly, seemingly unperturbed.
    "I’ve been ordered by the police to stop looking for Armani. I don’t want to risk attracting too much attention."
    "You’ll have to risk it," Whitehat said coolly.
    That was easy for her to say, she didn’t have the whole future of a little girl’s life on her shoulders. Seeing my defeated posture in the mirror, I squared my shoulders and firmly said, "No. I don’t."
    There was a long silence. Knowing that she had some pretty damning evidence against me, and some killer connections, I wondered if my refusal had signed my death warrant or guaranteed me a prison sentence.
    Finally, she sighed.
    Realizing I’d been holding my breath, I angled the phone away from my mouth and exhaled stale air.
    "There are more lives at stake here than your friend and Detective Gilbert."
    An icy chill snaked down my spine. "Are you threatening my family?"
    Zeke’s gaze collided with mine on the glass surface, his eyes wide.
    "That’s not how we operate, Ms. Lee."
    I choked back a hysterical laugh. They blackmailed and killed people, but she wanted me to believe they didn’t threaten the families of their victims.
    "Thousands of innocent lives are at risk," Whitehat informed me gravely.
    I clutched the phone more tightly. "What? How?"
    "I can’t tell you. All I can say is that Detective Gilbert’s safe return is a necessary component."
    "But I’m just an office drone," I protested. "How am I supposed to—?"
    "You have proven yourself to be intelligent and resourceful on any number of occasions," Whitehat interrupted. "You’re properly motivated and I have no doubt you’ll accomplish your mission."
    "Mission?" I practically shrieked. "You’re talking like I’m some kind of covert operative or something. I’m telling you, I don’t have the skills for this kind of assignment."
    "I believe you do," Whitehat replied quietly. "In the meantime, I need Zeke’s specialized skill set to take care of another part of the problem, so you won’t have his assistance with this."
    "I’m supposed to do this alone?" I sat down on the closed toilet seat, my knees suddenly weak.
    "You’ll have to do it without the help of Zeke. Whether you choose to do it alone or with help is your choice."
    Thinking of how Patrick had already refused to help me find Armani, I hung my head. Zeke placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. I leaned into his support, knowing it was fleeting.
    "I know I’m asking a lot of you," Whitehat said in a kinder, gentler tone than I’d ever heard her use before, "but I think you’re up to the job."
    "I’m extraordinarily ordinary," I told her, thinking of how many times my grandmother had used those very words to describe me.
    "But even ordinary people can do extraordinary things when the opportunity presents itself," Whitehat countered. "Save Joy Gilbert."

 
     

Chapter 8
     
    Before I could save Joy Gilbert and thousands of others, I had to get out of being under unofficial house arrest.
    The moment Ms. Whitehat disconnected our call, I handed Zeke his phone back, got to my feet, left the bathroom, and marched straight upstairs so Detective Brian Griswald’s uncle would know I was there.
    I found him and Aunt Susan polishing silver in the dining room. That’s their