Bond Betrayed Read Online Free PDF Page A

want to me after.”
    “But what if it doesn’t work?” She’d just touched on his worst fear. He really was willing to lose everything if it meant bringing Rathe down and getting Molly back, but what if he was wrong? What if he’d done all this and the man slipped through his fingers—again?
    He took a deep breath and pushed the doubt from his mind. It had to work. He had to make it work. “It will. Rathe’s time is done.” He hit the end button on the cell phone.
    There. The truth was out. Now she’d have to decide whether to tell the Council or let this play out. Not that he thought the Council could do much about it. Sure, they could strip him of his title, but he’d still have Nikki. They’d have to kill him to break the bond. And they wouldn’t do that. He may not be important to the Council, but his magic was.
    Walking into the kitchen, he turned on the oven before going to the freezer. His housekeeper, Lesli, always left several nights worth of dinners and casseroles ready to heat. Somewhere along the line she’d decided it was her job to make sure he didn’t starve to death. He’d insisted he could take care of himself, but she’d argued that she’d be making meals for her kids anyway and that a couple more weren’t any bother. Who could argue with that? Especially given how great her food was.
    He spotted the lasagna and smiled. Maybe tonight wasn’t going to be all bad after all. The house was quiet. Nikki was resting. And he had food. Good food at that.
    But, even as the thought flickered through his head, he realized he didn’t actually trust the peace. It was too much to hope he’d seen the worst that the night was going to deal him. And the waiting made him edgy. Not even acknowledging the calm was temporary helped him embrace it. The other shoe was going to drop. And it was going to land hard when it did. Every creak of the house made him twitch. And every noise from outside was amplified, demanding his complete attention. Even the clock conspired against him, marking each minute as it passed, reminding him that even sleeping beauty hadn’t slept forever.
    Finally, when the scent of the cooking cheese and tomato sauce filled the house, the doorbell chime broke the insidious silence. Looking at the clock, he smiled to himself. It was too late for visitors. At least, visitors unrelated to his current houseguest. Good. Maybe he’d be able to work off a little of his tension before he had to face Nikki again. The doorbell chimed a second time and he rushed to the door before it could wake up his guest. Nothing could be worse than dealing with her right now.
    Then again, he could be wrong. He swore softly when he opened the door and saw Nikki’s Uncle Gus standing next to a man he didn’t recognize. A man who was wearing a business suit. Who wore a business suit this time of night?
    He didn’t even bother with pleasantries as he kept the door open just wide enough for him to see them. “What?”
    “Isaac Marrow, I’m Agent Jacob Phinney.” The man in the business suit offered him his hand as Gus decided to study an invisible speck on his shoe.
    “And?” Isaac ignored the hand, choosing to keep his grip firmly on the door instead. The agent didn’t look like the rushing type, but he wasn’t going to take the chance.
    “And your momma called and asked us to come fetch Nikki.” Gus’ voice drew his attention away from the agent.
    “I’m not going to just hand her over.”
    “Then you’ll be charged with kidnapping,” Jacob said sternly.
    “Which agency is it that you work for, Agent Phinney?”
    The man pulled a badge from his pocket and flashed it at him.
    “I didn’t think kidnapping fell under the DEA’s jurisdiction,” Isaac challenged.
    “I didn’t say I would be the one pressing the charges. I have friends I could call at the FBI, but I was hoping to resolve this quietly. Out of respect for the family.”
    “And which family is it you’re respecting?” Isaac