Free Uneasy Alliance by Unknown Page B

good," Torr mused as he glanced at her hands.
    "You're right. I've never been in a situation like this in my life. I'm
    furious and I'm scared and I feel so awfully helpless. What if my idea
    doesn't work?"
    "Oh, I think whoever it is will follow you. We left enough of a trail.
    Between meeting your neighbor in the hall and leaving a message with my
    answering service, it should be easy enough for anyone to figure out we're
    at my cabin near the Columbia River gorge. We didn't exactly make a
    secret of our exit."
    Abby chewed on her lower lip, remembering the conversational way
    Torr had told her neighbor they were off on a trip. Mrs. Hammond's alert
    gaze had flashed to Abby and then back to the solid dark-haired man who
    stood by her side holding a suitcase.
    "Excellent idea, if you ask me," Mrs. Hammond had volunteered. "I'm
    nearly eighty years old and I can tell you right now that if I had the first
    thirty years to do over again, I'd make a few interesting memories for
    myself. Have a good time, Abby dear. He looks like he can take care of
    you." The tiny woman beamed up at Torr. "Don't let her scare you off,
    young man. She's really much softer than she makes out at times."
    "I'll keep that in mind," Torr had murmured obligingly.
    "Lovely day for a drive," Mrs. Hammond had said, beaming.
    "We thought we'd head for my place overlooking the Columbia."
    "Up near the gorge? Wonderful country!" Mrs. Hammond had
    enthused. "Whereabouts?"
    Torr had smoothly given the name of a small community and smiled
    blandly at Abby. "Ready to go?"
    "Yes." Impulsively Abby had turned toward the older woman. "Mrs.
    Hammond, I wonder if you…"
    "Don't worry about your plants, dear. Between Bonny Wilkins and
    myself we'll see to them. Run along now."
    And Abby had allowed herself to be escorted into the elevator and out to
    the waiting BMW. There had followed a quick stop to Torr's house, a stark
    modern structure that she'd had no time at all to investigate. Torr had
    packed a bag with his usual efficiency and they had been on their way
    before Abby had seen anything other than the coldly contemporary
    black-and-tan decor of the living room.
    "Abby," Torr said, interrupting her thoughts. "The real problem isn't
    whether or not the blackmailer follows you and shows himself. The
    problem is dealing with him when he does."
    "I know," she answered, sighing.
    "What did you plan to do then?" Torr pressed gently.
    "I don't know! Torr, I can't even imagine what the person could want
    from me. I mean, I'm reasonably successful but I'm certainly not rich.
    There is no way I could give the blackmailer huge amounts of money."
    "If he or she is a small-time sort of blackmailer, the demands will
    probably be correspondingly small," Torr asserted, shrugging.
    "You don't seem overly concerned about them," she accused.
    "The size of the demands? I'm not. You're not going to pay off, so it
    really doesn't matter how big they are."
    "I may have to pay him off until I find a way to stop him."
    "No."
    "Torr, I have to be logical about this. Paying the guy off for a while will
    give me time."
    "Whatever happens, you won't pay him. I can't let you." Torr's gaze was
    fixed on the highway, his profile set in stone.
    Abby drew a deep breath. "You will have nothing to say about it. If I
    decide that the best way to handle the situation is to make a payoff, I will
    do it. My cousin's happiness is at stake here and I will do whatever has to
    be done to protect her. I'm not interested in any of your macho stands
    against blackmailers."
    "Honey, you can't pay him off," Torr explained gently. "Once he has his
    hooks in you it will only get worse. The reason I'm going along with you at
    this point is because I think it's logical to try and draw whoever it is out
    into the open. Knowing your enemy is always a rational policy. After that
    we act."
    "We'll see," Abby declared mutinously, not liking the way he was
    assuming control of the situation. "Have you had a lot of