Dangerous Ground 3: Blood Heat Read Online Free PDF

true!” Hedwig said shrilly. “That"s insane. None of it is true.”
    Will turned on her. “You"re not married to Bashnakov?”
    “Yes. All right, that part is correct, but—”
    “That"s something you left off the CV.” He hadn"t thought that drug lords bothered with polite conventions like marriage.
    “No way are you collecting that reward,” Taylor said. “She"s already in federal custody.”
    “She was. Now she"s in my custody. Get over here, milaya moyna. I won"t ask so nicely again.”
    If only the bastard would look away from Taylor long enough for Taylor to make a move for cover. But Nemov was too experienced.
    “Don"t let him…take me,” Hedwig panted, clinging to the front bumper like an old-fashioned suffragette.

    Dangerous Ground 3: Blood Heat

    27

    “He"s not taking you anywhere,” Taylor said.
    He had to speak up to be heard over the rain now rattling loudly off the surface of the car and pouring to the ground. At this rate, they were going to be mired in mud.
    “Let me explain your options,” Nemov said. “Or rather my options. Option one.
    I give up and go home. That is not going to happen. Option two—”
    “My partner blows your head off while we"re standing here shooting the breeze.”
    That was Will"s order to shoot. That was Taylor telling him as clearly as he could to take the shot . And Will could do it. He had about as clear a shot as he was going to get, and he was an excellent marksman. But there was still the chance that Nemov"s dying reflex would be to blow Taylor"s head off.
    Nemov laughed. “I think your partner is not so reckless as you, little man. He knows it will be very hard to explain away two bodies—especially if one of them is yours. I think he will wait to hear option three.”
    Will said, “Which is?”
    Taylor was apparently still trying to absorb “little man.”
    “I take the girl and deliver her safely to Los Angeles, and we all forget about this unpleasantness. No good can come to any of us if word of tonight"s showdown gets out. True?”
    “You"ve got to be kidding me,” Taylor said. “You think we"re going to hand her over and let you walk away?”
    “Yes. Why not?”
    “No. Way.”
    But Will was already convinced. They had to end this standoff. Get themselves into strategic position. Let Nemov take Hedwig. Worst-case scenario, they"d have the cops pick them both up at Sierra Blanca. But better yet, they"d overtake them on the way to the airport, retrieve Hedwig, and continue on to LA. If it was true 28
    Josh Lanyon

    that he and Taylor couldn"t afford to let anyone know about this evening"s activities, it was equally true Nemov couldn"t.
    “Deal,” Will said.
    Hedwig cried out. Taylor looked his way in disbelief.
    Nemov laughed. “What did I tell you? Your partner is a practical man.”
    “ Brandt —”
    “He"s got a fucking gun to your head, MacAllister. Now is not the time.”
    Nemov said, “Throw your weapon away, Agent Brent.”
    Will tossed his weapon to the sand.
    Nemov made a sound of disgust. “Now kick it away where you cannot grab it quickly.”
    Will kicked his piece farther away.
    “Now clasp your hands behind your head and stand up slowly.”
    “You can"t let him just take me!” Hedwig cried as Will complied.
    Will spared her a look. He"d lost whatever sympathy he had for her—pretty much nil—at the news that she"d been married to the Technician, but she was his prisoner and he had a sworn duty to protect her. He reassured himself he was only temporarily relinquishing custody, but he didn"t like what he was doing. He was furious at being placed in the position of having to choose between her and his partner, but there was no question in his mind whose life was more important.
    “Just calm down and do what he says. You"ll be fine.”
    “I won’t be fine. He"s been sent to kill me.”
    “If that was the case, I"d have shot this agent when he opened the trunk,”
    Nemov pointed out. “Then I"d have shot Agent Brent,