Bait: A dark erotic thriller (Hunter & Prey Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

acknowledged, not batting an eyelash. Maybe I should have just sent him for fresh underwear after all.
    The ride in the elevator was uneventful and quick, making me stare at nothing beyond the dark wood panelling. Then the doors opened on my floor and I stepped into the foyer, barely noticing the black marble floor and tasteful terra-cotta walls. The lights were off in the room beyond, letting the city lights flood through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I halted for a moment, tempted to go explore and take the view of the city in from the terrace, but instead sat down on one of the sofas.
    Just sitting there, thinking—inactive—tore at my nerves. Now that things were in motion, I had a million tasks to do, people to call, meetings to arrange. To make sure that no one would be able to follow us, Adam had enforced a mandatory complete blackout, to the point where I had no idea what was up with my finances or anything. The fact that I was sitting here, in this suite, I only owed to the fact that I’d known Philip for a long, long time, and when I had called, he had not only recognized me immediately, but known what kind of weight I could throw around if I wanted to. Had been able to, rather, but he didn’t know that yet, and if things went as planned, he never would. I was aware that I was burning the candle at both ends right now, but I couldn’t make myself care.  
    Exactly seven minutes after I’d entered the suite, the fury in the pants suit came crashing into the room, her small entourage, consisting of Adam, Michaels, the driver, and the two not-waiters, trailing after her. I didn’t even flinch, but neither did I try to put any kind of emotion onto my features as Agent Smith stopped in front of me, seething.
    “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she railed, looking a second away from blowing a gasket.
    “Replacing your good-for-nothing plan with one that will actually work?” I suggested, looking back at her calmly.
    Her dark eyes went wide as if she couldn’t fathom how anyone dared have the gall, but before she could go off on me again, I forestalled her by getting to my feet and stepping up to her, meeting her glare from up close.
    “That was not what we agreed upon,” she reminded me.
    “Actually, it is exactly what we agreed upon, only that you read something else into it. Did you really think that you could catch a fish the size of Darren Hunter with a low-budget operation?” Her eyes narrowed, but when she held her tongue—grudgingly, without a doubt—I went on. “I agreed to help you, and this is what I will do. Am doing, as of this very moment, in fact. I knew that you wouldn’t listen to me, so I didn’t bother boring you with the details of my plan.”
    “And what is your plan? Seeing as you can’t even follow the simplest instructions?”
    I ignored her insult. She could do so much better, and it really wasn’t worth it to get riled up over petty squabbles.
    “The opposite of yours, actually. I mean, just show up, let him see me from afar while I keep weaving in and out of the crowd, like a ghost? What did you think that would accomplish?”
    “Make him aware of your presence and lure him closer,” she pressed out between gritted teeth.
    “You are aware that Hunter isn’t just some random little street crook who will run at the very notion of the cops being on to him? Just seeing me somewhere in the crowd would barely even draw his attention, let alone make him jump to action.” That part I wasn’t sure about, but my entry certainly had made it impossible for him to remain passive.
    “So instead you did what?” she asked, still exasperated, but I could see that I had her there. She hated it, but she’d known from the start that sooner or later she’d have to let me have the reins. Maybe not this soon.
    “Instead, I put myself in easy reach of him where he simply cannot ignore me,” I offered.
    “This is a risk.”
    I couldn’t help but snort at that.
    “Are you