16
Harlow hurried past Ryske, out of the closet, and across to the dining table.
Unzipping her sports bag, she dug around to find her ringing cellphone and answered it. “Hello?”
“Harlow,” Clyde’s said down the line.
Closing her eyes, she tried to readjust her thinking. The first thought that sprang to mind was that she couldn’t deal with him while Ryske was nearby.
“I can’t do this right now,” she murmured.
“I’m sorry,” he said with a desperation that made her feel for him. “We were drinking and I was… I don’t know what I was… There’s no excuse, I’m sorry.”
Keeping her head down, she tried to be as quiet as she could without raising Clyde’s suspicion… either of the men’s suspicions. Though she didn’t know exactly where Ryske was, she’d guess he wasn’t far away.
“You don’t have to a
