Banishing Shadows Read Online Free PDF

suddenly as she’d been grabbed she found herself free. Kayla lay on the sidewalk, dazed and disoriented. Turning toward the thick, thudding sound of flesh hitting flesh, she gasped. There was Cord, his face calm, his movements brutal as he beat the shit out of the man who’d attacked her.
    The sound of squealing tires barely registered. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the scene in front of her. Cord landed a heavy blow to her assailant’s face as a dark van raced toward her, driving up onto the sidewalk. She stared at the approaching vehicle, stunned.
    “Kayla!”
    Time slowed. The air grew thicker, smothering all sound. Sprawled on the ground, she felt numb. Her heart wasn’t racing, her hands weren’t shaking, panic no longer clawed at her. Instead a strange calmness descended over her, shielding her, and she welcomed it with open arms.
    Cord picked her up, his firm arms surrounding her, piercing her tranquility. He jumped out of the path of the racing van, which slowed briefly so her assailant could scramble inside. Cord put her down before turning to race after the van.
    Exhaustion washed over her in a suffocating wave. Kayla sat on the hard ground, eyes closed, willing her body and mind to drift away. It was simply too much. She couldn’t deal with this.
    “Kayla, honey, are you all right? Talk to me!” Hands touched her, moving over her, forcing her to face reality. She opened her eyes to a wall of people. Along with her brothers, it seemed as though most of The Rusty Hammer’s patrons were staring down at her in avid curiosity. Air escaped her lungs with a whoosh, her stomach rolling as sweat coated her skin.
    “Kayla, breathe, you’re having a panic attack. Come on, honey.” Luke’s voice made little impact. Black edged her vision.
    “Kayla. You come back right now. You hear me? Kayla? Hell!”
    Caught in a well of darkness, she struggled to surface. Cord’s voice caught her, dragging her into consciousness. Her first breath was more a hiccup. As she breathed in the second, she caught the mingling scents of sandalwood and sexy man.
    “Kayla, don’t you dare fucking faint!” His face swam in her vision. “Breathe. Breathe. In and out, there you are. Do it again, in and out.” She was trembling, but the tightness in her chest eased with each breath. Scooping her up, Cord carried her inside.
    “Use my office.” She stared over at Tim, The Rusty Hammer’s owner. He was a good friend of Luke’s. By the time they made it to his office, her breathing had evened out, her heartbeat slowing.
    Cord marched in as though he owned the place, slamming the door behind him and quickly turning the key, locking her brothers out.
    “Cord—” She winced when Quinn pounded on the door, yelling.
    “Give us ten,” he called back before turning his glare on her.
    “Don’t talk, Kayla, not yet.” He set her on a scarred wooden desk that dwarfed the small office. His face could have been made of granite were it not for the small tic at the side of his mouth, indicating how livid he was.
    “I’m mad as hell with you, Kayla.”
    Mad at her? She scowled. Where was the sympathy? The soothing words? Would it kill him to smile at her? Yeah, it probably would. The man rarely smiled, probably didn’t even know how.
    “Are you hurt? Did he harm you?” Even as he asked, he was running his hands over her body, checking her. She shied back, causing him to glance up, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. Kayla forced herself to sit still.
    “I’m fine. He didn’t have a chance to hurt me before you came along.”
    “You’re white as a ghost.”
    “I was just attacked, of course I’m pale,” she snapped back, folding her arms to try to still the trembles running through her. Why was this happening to her again?
    “How did you know I was in trouble?” she asked.
    “You were taking too long. I checked the bathroom and when I saw you weren’t there, I opened the fire exit door that leads to the alley. That’s