Admission (27 page)

“Couldn’t get a flight out?”

“Didn’t even try.”

“You got a night out on the town. I should be there with you.”

“That could be dangerous.”

“It could be fun. Look—you’re in Manhattan. It’s a Friday night. And you’re what? Watching
Law and Order?”

“ESPN.”

“Harsh. They’ll be showing the same stuff in eight hours. Go out. Do something. Anything.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“I’d take you out if I was there. If you were a going out sort of guy.”

“I go out. I just don’t black out like you.”

“Funny. Hey—I gotta get my luggage. Call me when you get back in.”

“Sure.”

“And Mike. Man—don’t dwell on it. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Who said it was?”

“Connelly will.”

“Yeah, right.”

He laughs.

“See ya.”

You hear the phone click and you just hold it in your hands. You’d like to throw it or at least bash it over someone’s head. Maybe your own.

The line goes dead.

And the numbers draw you in.

You look back at the handwritten note. Very pretty handwriting.

Without thought, you dial each number.

One. After another. After another.

And then you hear the ring.

You don’t really want to do this
.

But you stay on. And on the fourth ring, on what should be voicemail, on what should be you hanging up and tearing up the sheet and waiting for your wife to call, you hear the same voice you were talking to earlier.

“It took you long enough,” she says.

You feel a head rush and can’t say anything for a minute.

“I haven’t given my number to anyone else, Chicago boy.”

And you suddenly realize that this might not be a con, or an indecent proposal, or anything other than a stranger like you in a strange land.

“I didn’t expect to get you.”

The laugh she gives is gentle and friendly. “I’m here. For now.”

You can’t say anything. You have no idea what to say.

“You were more talkative in person.”

“Yeah.”

“So I’ll make this easy.”

Here it comes
.

“I’m heading over to Atmosphere. A great lounge. I’m sure you can find a cab to take you there.”

“Yeah.”

Again, you hear her laugh. Not mocking. More playful, like she finds your Neanderthal conversation amusing.

“And I’ll be with several friends, so don’t worry.”

“About what?”

“I won’t bite.”

And before you can say something, she hangs up.

Again, you’re left with the receiver in your hand.

Your forehead feels sweaty but the air conditioner is cranked. You go over to the windows and open the drapes, revealing a New York just ready to turn on.

Go on out, a voice tells you.

You deserve a drink.

Make something out of this abysmal failure.

She’ll be with several friends.

There’s nothing wrong with going out and having a conversation and enjoying yourself. Nothing at all.

You stare at the city and the motion and you feel lonely and
you hate being all alone. There’s something about the silence, even with white noise around you, that feels hollow. That feels threatening.

You don’t do well alone.

Tonight, you’re not going to be alone.

The Second Thief
ISBN: 0-8024-1707-8

Meet Tom Ledger. Disillusioned. Bored. Willing to sell his soul—or at least his company’s most guarded secrets—to the highest bidder. Tom has no way of knowing that within hours of committing his first felony he’ll be catapulted into a high-stakes drama as the airplane he’s on drops like a rock into a Nebraska cornfield.

Author Travis Thrasher takes readers on a fast-paced journey through the seamy underworld Tom encounters after the crash, replete with espionage, terror, and murder. Tom must confront his past and its consequences and decide his next steps.

Gun Lake
ISBN: 0-8024-1748-5

Five escaped convicts looking for freedom. A woman on the run from another life. A father carrying sins of the past. A broken county deputy who can become a hero. And a dangerous ringleader who will bring all their paths together.

Once again Travis Thrasher takes readers on a thrilling ride, this time through the story of escaped convicts and the people whose paths they cross. Weaving together twists of fate and fast-paced action, Gun Lake examines the consequences of evil and asks some compelling questions: Where do you turn when there is no hope left? How do you leave past mistakes behind?