Free Reawakened by the Surgeon's Touch by Jennifer Taylor Page B

whole life!
    â€˜Skip the coffee if you value your health.’
    Jude glanced round when Matt Kearney called over to him. He nodded when the other man held up a flask and waggled it at him. Picking up his tray, Jude went to join him, forcing himself to smile. Maybe he was starting to have doubts about the life he’d led for the past five years but he would keep them to himself. Pride dictated that he present a confident front.
    â€˜I take it that’s a tad more palatable than Moses’ special brew,’ he said lightly as he picked up a mango and started to peel it.
    â€˜Too right.’ Matt poured a small measure of coffee into a plastic cup that he produced from his canvas holdall. ‘Wrap your taste buds round that and see what you think.’
    Jude’s brows rose as he took a sip. ‘Delicious! Where on earth did you get it?’
    â€˜Let’s just say that I have my sources.’ Matt tapped the side of his nose and winked.
    Jude laughed. ‘In other words, ask no questions and hear no lies.’ He took an appreciative swallow of the coffee and sighed. ‘I hope you can get some more. I may just survive the next few months with coffee as good as this on tap.’
    â€˜I’ll do what I can but I can’t make any promises.’ Matt refilled the cup. ‘There’s a lot of stuff only available on the black market. Oh, I know we’re not supposed to buy from the racketeers but it’s part of everyday life over here. If you want something badly enough then you have to pay the going rate for it.’
    â€˜Well, I’m more than happy to contribute, although I only have dollars with me, I’m afraid. I was told that it wasn’t possible to get hold of the local currency outside the country.’
    â€˜That’s right. The government put a stop to it being traded but dollars are fine. Folk prefer them, in fact. There’s less chance of the dollar being devalued,’ he explained when Jude looked questioningly at him.
    â€˜Oh, I see. In that case, then, just tell me how much you want.’
    â€˜Will do, once I know what my contact is charging. Prices tend to fluctuate according to demand, if you get my drift.’ Matt screwed the lid back on the flask and stood up. ‘Right, I’m off to bed. Have a good one.’
    â€˜I’ll try.’
    Jude sketched him a wave and turned back to his breakfast, savouring the sweetly tangy flavour of the mango which tasted so much better than the ones he bought at home. The bread was rather solid and chewy but he made himself eat a whole slice. He didn’t want to risk passing out from lack of nourishment, definitely not if he was in Theatre this morning. Why, who knew what he might have to deal with?
    The thought of what the day might bring sent a rush of excitement coursing through him. He was smiling as he picked up his tray and took it over to the rack where the dirty dishes were stacked. There were several trays there which meant that most of the others had eaten already. He had better get a move on, he decided. He had no idea what time they were due to be picked up: Claire hadn’t told him that.
    Bang! That was all it took, just the thought of her and his pulse was off and running again like an Olympic sprinter. As Jude made his way outside, he tried to tell himself that it meant nothing, that it was merely the result of him and Claire having been thrust together into that highly dangerous situation the day before. Why, it was common knowledge that even professional soldiers formed a close bond when they were forced to face untold dangers together, so it was no wonder that he was having all these crazy thoughts after what had gone on.
    Jude did his best but no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that was the real explanation, he didn’t actually believe it. Somehow, some way , Claire had cast a spell over him and no amount of rationalising seemed able to break it.
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