In Death 30 - Fantasy in Death

Table of Contents
    Title Page
    Copyright Page
     
    Chapter 1
    Chapter 2
    Chapter 3
    Chapter 4
    Chapter 5
    Chapter 6
    Chapter 7
    Chapter 8
    Chapter 9
    Chapter 10
    Chapter 11
    Chapter 12
    Chapter 13
    Chapter 14
    Chapter 15
    Chapter 16
    Chapter 17
    Chapter 18
    Chapter 19
    Chapter 20
    Chapter 21
    Chapter 22
     
    Epilogue
    Also by Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb:
    Naked in Death
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Vengeance in Death
Holiday in Death
Conspiracy in Death
Loyalty in Death
Witness in Death
Judgement in Death
Betrayal in Death
Seduction in Death
Reunion in Death
Purity in Death
Portrait in Death
Imitation in Death
Divided in Death
Visions in Death
Survivor in Death
Origin in Death
Memory in Death
Born in Death
Innocent in Death
Creation in Death
Strangers in Death
Salvation in Death
Promises in Death
Kindred in Death
     
     
     
    Fantasy in Death
     
     
    J. D. ROBB
     
     
    Hachette Digital
    www.littlebrown.co.uk
     
    Published by Hachette Digital 2010
     
    Copyright © 2010 by Nora Roberts
     
     
    The moral right of the author has been asserted.
     
     
    All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without
the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated
in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published
and without a similar condition including this condition being
imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
     
     
    All characters and events in this publication, other than those
clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance
to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
     
     
    A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library.
     
    eISBN : 978 0 7481 1594 5
     
     
    This ebook produced by JOUVE, FRANCE
     
     
    Hachette Digital
An imprint of
Little, Brown Book Group
100 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DY
     
     
    An Hachette Livre UK Company
Which would you rather be—
A conqueror in the Olympic games,
Or the crier who proclaims who are conquerors?
    —PLUTARCH
     
     
     
True, I talk of dreams,
Which are the children of an idle brain,
Begot of nothing but vain fantasy.
    —WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

1
     
     
     
    W hile swords of lightning slashed and stabbed murderously across the scarred shield of sky, Bart Minnock whistled his way home for the last time. Despite the battering rain, Bart’s mood bounced along with his cheerful tune as he shot his doorman a snappy salute.
    “Howzit going, Mr. Minnock?”
    “It’s going up, Jackie. Going way uptown.”
    “This rain could do the same, if you ask me.”
    “What rain?” With a laugh, Bart sloshed his way in soaked skids to the elevator.
    Thunder exploded across the island of Manhattan, midday commuters sulked under overpriced umbrellas bought from enterprising sidewalk hawkers and maxibuses spewed up walls of wet. But in Bart’s world the sun beamed in golden rays.
    He had a hot date with the sexy CeeCee, which in itself was nothing to sneeze at for a self-proclaimed nerd who’d been a virgin until the somewhat embarrassing age of twenty-four.
    Five years later, and largely because of the success of U-Play, he could have his pick from a bevy of eager women—even if the eager was mostly due to the money and media his company generated.
    He didn’t mind.
    He knew he wasn’t especially good-looking and accepted his own awkwardness in romantic situations. (Except for sexy CeeCee.) He didn’t know art or literature, didn’t know a good vintage from a bottle of home brew. What he knew were computers and games and the seduction of technology.
    Still, CeeCee was different, he thought as he turned off the locks and security on his trilevel apartment with its four-star view of downtown. She liked gaming, and didn’t care about vintage wine or art galleries.
    But even the evening with the sweet and sexy CeeCee wasn’t the reason for the whistling or the big, bright grin on his face as he reset the door locks.
    He had the latest version of Fantastical in his briefcase, and until he tested it, played it, approved it, it was all his.
    His in-house intercom greeted him with a cheery Welcome home, Bart, and his server droid—custom-made to replicate Princess Leia, classic Star Wars, slave-girl mode (he was a nerd, but he was still a guy)—strolled out to offer him his favorite orange fizzy with crushed