Defying Asher (Knight Security 1) Read Online Free PDF

two together, and realize they had a past history together. Or try to control his smile when she stomped on Ash’s instep with the stiletto heel of her boot.
    “No, not even him,” she said firmly.
    “Why the hell are you being so difficult?” Ash ran an impatient hand through the dark thickness of his hair. “A man is already dead. I fully intend to catch this bastard before the body count gets any higher.”
    “My mother and Harvey were shot at in New York. There is absolutely no reason to suppose the killer followed her to London.”
    “There’s no reason to suppose he didn’t either.”
    “Or that he will come after me,” Lissa added.
    “Again, we have no reason to suppose he won’t. Prevention is better than having another dead body. Yours,” he added pointedly.
    “This is just bullshit.” Lissa began pacing again. “I don’t have time for this. I have a business to run. You should be concentrating on narrowing down the possibilities of who’s responsible, find them, and put an end to this situation.”
    He scowled. “You think I don’t know that?”
    “I’m sure you do. You just haven’t done so yet.”
    “We’ve only been looking into this for a couple of days. Your mother is…not the easiest of people to work for or with.”
    “Tell me about it!”
    “Never doubt we will get this guy,” Ash assured her.
    “Or her.”
    “Or her,” he conceded.
    “In the meantime, what I need to do is make arrangements for someone to take over the travel agency while I attend Harvey’s funeral. Then I need to book my flight—”
    “No.”
    She stilled. “No…?”
    Ash shook his head. “To my knowledge, the funeral hasn’t been arranged yet, but if it takes place before we catch his killer, I can’t allow you to go to the funeral. It would make you a sitting target.”
    “You can’t allow me to go?” Lissa repeated with deceptive calm. “Last time I checked, I didn’t need your permission to do anything, least of all attend the funeral of a friend.” This was Harvey’s funeral they were talking about.
    A man who had played with her for hours when she was a child, on the occasions her mother was too busy to leave whatever it was she was doing in order to spend time with her. Which had been many.
    Her shoulders slumped as her initial shock began to fade, to be replaced by the stark reality and pain of Harvey’s really being dead. It was… She couldn’t…
    A sob caught at the back of her throat as she tried to stop the tears and failed.
    “Oh hell!” Ash, like most men, had no idea how to deal with a woman’s tears. Even more so when it was the tough and feisty Lissa crying them.
    Lissa buried her face in her hands as deep sobs now racked her body.
    Shit.
    What was he supposed to do now?
    Comfort her, idiot , came the immediate answer.
    Except comforting Lissa would involve taking her in his arms. Not only was that unwise in his current state of arousal, but putting his arms about Lissa would be a little like trying to cuddle a killer shark. One intent upon separating him from one or more of his body parts. And if Lissa didn’t get him, there was always the possibility the cat would.
    Wuss.
    Maybe. He just happened to be fond of all his body parts, thank you very much.
    Oh, to hell with it, he couldn’t just stand here allowing Lissa to sob as if her heart was breaking. “It’s going to be okay.” He put his arms about her cautiously, just in case she decided now was the time to attack.
    She rested her forehead against his shoulder. “How can it be? Harvey is dead because he tried to protect my mother. You didn’t know Harvey, but he was a good man. Kind. He always had time for me when I visited my mother in New York.” She began to sob harder.
    Now that Ash knew of the estrangement between Lissa and her mother, he could all too easily imagine the scenario of a young Lissa being left in the care of Claudia Reynolds’s bodyguard while the older woman pursued her career.
    His