The Arx (40 page)
Authors: Jay Allan Storey
Rebecca ran a finger under the lapel of his rented tuxedo. “You know, you didn’t have to wear this. You could have worn jeans if you wanted. The old thing about opera being just for stuffed-shirts is a bit passé.”
“I do feel kind of overdressed.”
“I’m impressed that you could get it on over all this,” she gestured at the neck brace and cast he still wore.
“You look like the walking wounded,” she laughed.
“Thanks,” he said.
“On the other hand,” she smiled up at him, “there’s a new gleam in your eye. You’ve got some kind of inner thing going I haven’t seen before.”
They exited the ornate facade of the theater and strolled down Granville Street, headed for Frank’s car. Rebecca hooked her arm in his.
“I saw a newscast about the case on TV a few days ago,” she said, smiling. “You know, the case that wasn’t a case. They never even mentioned you.”
Frank said nothing, just kept walking.
“You asked them to leave you out of it?” she said.
“I’ve had enough of the limelight to last a lifetime. The important thing is that the truth came out about Olmerol.”
“Are they at least keeping in touch with you about the Savants?”
“Reid called me a few days ago. They’re trying to track them down. Turns out Deputy Chief Constable Chase himself was one. He’s disappeared without a trace. Reid said it’s like chasing ghosts. They’ve got some kind of medical test for the condition, but they can’t force people to take it.”
“Any thoughts on what you’re going to do now?”
“Reid’s trying to convince me to come back to the squad. I’m thinking about it.”
“So I won’t see you on stage in Vegas anytime soon?”
He scowled down at her.
“Just kidding,” she said. “Don’t be so sensitive.”
His car was parked on the street. He was still nervous around parkades.
He stood by the passenger door.
“As a matter of fact I think you look incredibly handsome.” She moved her hand to his cheek. “I could just eat you up.”
“You know, I moved into my new place yesterday,” he said. “There’s not a spilled beer bottle or a cigarette butt in sight. You wouldn’t recognize it.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?”
The colourful menagerie of the city passed them by: street people, bikers, punks with purple hair, couples in evening clothes.
Frank turned and studied the crowd. For a moment he wondered if any of them were…he put it out of his mind.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading The Arx!
I know there are thousands of books out there for you to choose from, and I’m honored that you chose mine. It’s a challenge for relatively unknown authors like myself to reach new readers, and this is where you can help.
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About the Author
Born in Victoria, BC, Canada,
Jay Allan Storey
has traveled the world, passing through many places in the news today, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Swat valley in Pakistan. He has worked at an amazing variety of jobs, from cab driver to land surveyor to accordion salesman to software developer.
Jay is the author of two novels, THE ARX and ELDORADO, a novella, CHOPPER MUSIC, and a number of short stories. Two new novels are in the works. His stories always skirt close to the edge of believability (but hopefully never cross over). He is attracted to characters who are able to break out of their stereotypes (as Jackson Reilly does in CHOPPER MUSIC) and transform themselves.
He loves both reading and writing, both listening to and playing music, and working with animals. He's crazy for any activity relating to the water, including swimming, surfing, wind-surfing, sailing, snorkeling, and scuba diving.
Jay is married and lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Contact Jay at:
Website:
www.jayallanstorey.com
Email:
[email protected]
Also From Jay Allan Storey
In an energy-starved future, Richard Hampton's world is blown apart when his younger brother Danny disappears and the police are too busy trying to keep a lid on a hungry, overcrowded city to search for him.
"...I was hooked right from the get go, on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing, and I couldn't put it down."
-Tahnee Justus
"...the plot and the backdrop of this book are so well written that they are completely believable, which makes this a page-turner"
- BigBangBookGeek
"...Amazing read of an amazing futuristic journey"
- P. J. Winn
After years in the dark, nightclub bouncer Jackson Reilly finally learns the meaning of ‘follow your bliss’, but has the lesson come too late?
"Deeply Moving, Inspired, Great Writing"
--Tower Lowe, author of In Zuni Zymotic
"Jackson Reilly is hardly a man you would want to befriend, but with
Storey's writing it is impossible not to find yourself cheering him on"
--Martin Hill, author of Killing Depths
"This story is for all of us that want to be offered a second chance,
to make different decisions in our lives"
--Cheryl Stout, Top 1000 reviewer
