Dangerous Liaisons Read Online Free PDF

breasts and a hand clamped over her mouth. The others fanned out in a gauntlet between Jesse and the woman.
    The hairs on the back of Jesse’s neck tingled. Had the men been a typical street gang, they’d be jostling one other and joking over who would be the first to fuck her. She started to turn back toward the street, but stopped when the girl let out a muffled scream.
    She flailed as her captor yanked her off her feet and backed away. “Get lost, lady,” he growled at Jesse.
    She silently cursed. The men could be Lanton’s boys and still take down an innocent victim along with her. She advanced, counting five men in addition to the one with the woman. Fair enough. Of course, a single gun could prove a problem even for her Ten Shin Ichi Ryu training. Just like the good old days in Bethesda. A hop, skip and jump from Langley, and one short step from hell. She halted fifteen feet from the men. The tallest measured six-one, the rest were toadies, under five-eight.
    One stepped from the group and moved to her right. “Baby doll,” he made kissing noises, “come join the party.” He stood close enough for her to unman him. “You’ve come this far,” he said. “There’s no turning back now.”
    How right he was.
    The one held the girl backed against the wall, while the remainder of the pack advanced. Cowards , Jesse telepathed. She hated bullies. The thug spun the girl to face him, pressed her against the wall, and groped her breasts. She batted his arm, whimpering loudly.
    Three men rushed Jesse. She lashed out with a kick to the man on her right. The familiar crunch of leg bones vibrated beneath her sneaker. He fell with a shriek. She sidestepped the center man, landed a forearm to his back. As he stumbled past, she seized the back of his collar and propelled him downward using his own momentum. His face hit asphalt and he lay immobile in pooling blood.
    The thug on the left who had called her baby doll swung a fist. She blocked, forearm to forearm, then wrapped his arm in hers and yanked up. His elbow popped. He dropped to his knees. She pivoted, side-thrust-kicked between his shoulder blades. He bounced off the wall and crumpled onto littered pavement like a limp dishrag.
    Jesse scanned the alley. Three down, two to go. One man had melted into the shadows. Mr. Six-One circled her. This one knew something—or thought he did. Toothless took a step forward and gave a low, gravelly laugh. She stood stock-still.
    A male voice behind her boomed from the mouth of the alley, “What’s going on?”
    Toothless’ gaze broke from her face for a fraction of a second, then he shot forward, punching.
    Jesse blocked, blocked, blocked, stepping backward. He tried a roundhouse. She ducked, snapped a punch to his groin. He doubled over. She leaped into the air, right leg extended. Her foot caught his jaw. His head snapped back and he crumpled backwards into a trash bin.
    She whirled to face the fool who had yelled, and cursed at sight of the six-foot-three figure pounding down the alley toward her in cowboy boots.
    “You idiot!” she shouted. “You could have gotten me killed.”
    “What is—”
    The cowboy fell back a pace as Toothless burst from the shadow of the dumpster. The thug rammed his shoulder into the cowboy’s ribcage, and a ‘whoof’ of air erupted from his lungs as the two men crashed to the ground. Jesse started toward them, but a muffled cry came from the pitch darkness deeper in the alley. She whirled and squinted, but could discern nothing. With a muttered curse, she glanced over her shoulder to see the cowboy stumbling to his feet beside his prostrate attacker.
    “Let’s go!” he yelled, backing up, but Jesse started down the alley. “For God’s sake, lady,” he said with a pronounced southwestern drawl, “are you nuts?”
    A low growl, then a woman’s shriek issued from the dark ahead. “Bitch,” a man hissed, and a slap followed.
    The cowboy halted his retreat, then started toward