The Deadly Game(57)

‘Give him my love,’ said Lauren.

‘Of course,’ said Jake.

Suddenly, in one corner of the screen, appeared a box with the instruction: This call will terminate in 60 seconds.

‘Looks like Gareth is going back on his promise,’ said Jake bitterly.

‘Don’t let’s waste the precious time we’ve got left taking about Gareth,’ said Lauren. ‘Or the books.’

‘I love you, Lauren!’ burst out Jake. ‘We will see each other again. Not like this, but together, holding one another . . .’

‘I know,’ she said. ‘I love . . .’

And then the screen went blank.

Jake shouted out, ‘It hasn’t been sixty seconds!’ But there was no response from Janet outside in the outer office, or from Gareth, or from anyone else.

Jake sat, staring at the blank computer screen.

This isn’t over, he thought defiantly. Not by a long way. There’s a whole library hidden out there, and Lauren and I, we’re going to find that library and show it to the world. This isn’t the end; it’s the beginning.