Dark Warrior Untamed Read Online Free PDF Page B

fingers through her hair, clearly frustrated. “Yes, and maybe I shouldn’t have, but I was more curious than worried. Sandor says our system is hacker proof.”
    “I don’t doubt that, but we both know no system is totally safe from attack when someone knows what he’s doing and is determined to get in.”
    He was glad to see some of the color returning toPiper’s face. “Why don’t you run a full scan on your system while I check my e-mail? Maybe we all got the same message.”
    “Good idea.” Just that quickly, Piper was back to business, but he noted that her fingers hovered over the keys, hesitating before she started typing.
    Grey returned to his own computer and did a quick check of his e-mail. Nothing odd there. Next he’d check in with Kerry and Ranulf to see if they’d received anything similar. The cryptic message was clearly a threat. But with no indication for whom it was intended, it was impossible to know how seriously to take it or who might need additional protection.
    Piper’s reaction had been genuine, if perhaps a bit extreme. It was impossible to tell if she knew more than she was letting on. He tended to think not, or else why would she show the e-mail to him? Too many questions and too few answers. After lunch, when she was gone, he’d start digging into her past. Although part of him wanted to accept her at face value and not delve too deeply, he’d do his job. When he finished, there wouldn’t be much about her he didn’t know.
    “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Piper. Yell if something else happens. And let me know what the virus scan shows. I need to check in with Dame Kerry.”
    “Okay.” Piper took a healthy swig of her tea. “Iprobably overreacted, but that was just so strange. If I find out who did this, I’ll show
them
a reckoning.”
    “I’d pay to see that.” He resisted the urge to pat her on the shoulder on his way out. “I’d appreciate it if we kept the specifics of that e-mail between us for now. If it is just a prank, there’s no use in getting everyone in an uproar. I’ll check with Kerry and Ranulf, though, to see if they’ve had any problems.”
    Piper frowned. “All right, but if it happens again, I need to tell Kerry.”
    “Agreed.”
    Basking in sunshine, Kerry moved down the row deadheading her favorite roses, stealing a short break from her paperwork. She planned to prune one last stretch before tackling that stack of correspondence piled high on the dining room table. By then, Hughes would have had time to sort the day’s mail, so she had that to look forward to as well.
Great.
    When the sliding door opened, she cut another wilted rose and dropped it in her basket before looking up. She’d hoped it was Ranulf, but it was Grey. She hid her disappointment and studied her new Chief Talion.
    “Good morning, Grey. How are you settling in?” Something about him made her think he’d never really left the military. Despite his casual sports shirt and khaki pants, he always carried himself as if he were still in uniform. She knew he thought he should bow in her presence and only held back because he knewshe wasn’t comfortable with such gestures.
    “Better, thanks. I met Sandor for breakfast at a wonderful local café this morning, so that got today off to a good start.”
    “That’s great. I’m sure he can give you lots of pointers about the area.”
    Grey’s eyes maintained a constant surveillance of their surroundings. “It’s nice that you’ve kept up the rose garden. It’s always been quite a showplace; Dame Judith took great pride in it.”
    Kerry dropped another handful of rose petals in her basket and looked around. “I’m pretty new at this, but I’ve consulted a local master gardener on what to do when. I’m thinking about adding a stone bench and fountain in the far corner in Judith’s memory. You know, a quiet place to read and enjoy the flowers.”
    He nodded in approval. “She would’ve liked that.”
    Grey silently