Hard Target Read Online Free PDF

“Let’s go.”
    “Where?” she asks as the elevator doors close.
    “To the top.”
    She sags against me.
    I can’t help but put my arms around her. It’s not the best position to be in, but I’m not expecting another attack. The shooter acted alone. The gun and the bullets he used were made of the same kind of plastic used in 3-D printing—so neither would set off an alarm. It’s how I get through security every day as well. The little metal required in the making of each is no more than the amount of jewelry a woman wears each day.
    “I’m scared,” she admits, tipping back her head to look at me. “What if they did mean to kill me?”
    “Who would want to kill you?”
    She shrugs. “Rival moonshiners.”
    “Pardon?”
    “I’m from the mountains of Georgia. My family was the preeminent family in the production and selling of moonshining, which is illegal in the states.”
    “ Was? ”
    “I’m all that’s left… well, along with a few cousins.”
    “Your government did this?”
    “No.” She shakes her head. “Some guys from a Tennessee family, who thought we were poaching on their territory, dressed up as Federal Agents. My mother had turned my dad in and wanted protection for me and her, so she let them come on our land.” A tremor rolls through her. “It was a massacre. No survivors.”
    “You witnessed it?”
    “No.” I hear her swallow. “I found them. I was twelve.”
    “Fuck.” I gather her tighter to me, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m… I don’t know what to say.”
    “Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, but you can Google it.” The elevator stops. “It was twelve years ago. I’m mostly fine… now.” Her voice wavers at the end, but she takes a deep breath, as if girding herself against the past and possibly the not-so-distant future.
    The doors swoosh open, and I push her behind me, palming my gun at the same time. After checking the hallway and finding nothing but the usual hustle of employees, I grab Morgan’s arm.
    “Why are you holding on to me? I’m not going anywhere,” she says under her breath.
    “I have to have a reason for bringing you up here. Hauling you to the boss’s office means that I’ve caught you in the act.”
    “Act of what?”
    “Selling company secrets.”
    “Oh.” Her arm goes limp. “That’s embarrassing.”
    “Perhaps, but once we get everything sorted, I’ll make sure to let everyone know that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
    “Story of my life,” she mutters.
    David’s personal assistant, Patrice, greets us. Her gaze bounces between Morgan and me.
    “You actually did it, eh?” This she directs to Morgan.
    Morgan gives her a wan smile. “Yeah.”
    “All for a pair of sparkly pink shoes with butterflies on the toes.” Patrice laughs. “You’re hard core, Mr. Romanov. I’ll let Mr. Pinter know you’re here.”
    As soon as she disappears into his office, I turn my attention to Morgan.
    “Did what?”
    Color blooms on Morgan’s cheeks. “I took the bet.”
    “What bet?”
    “The ladies and I had a pool going on who would be first to break company policy by asking you out. As of yesterday, it was up to three hundred pounds. I’ve had my eye on a pair of shoes in a Covent Garden’s shop for a while now.” She lifts a shoulder. “Obviously, I won. Go me.”
    “You only asked me out because of a wager?”
    “Not only because of that.”
    Patrice appears in front of us. “Mr. Pinter will see you now.”
    As we pass by, Patrice whispers, “You won’t tell him I nicked the laptop from the break room, will you? It was only for the night.”
    Morgan shakes her head as I lead her into David’s office.
    He is standing at the windows, his hands clasped behind his back. A man against the world, or so he wants to project to his employees, as well as clients.
    “Ms. Tanner. It’s such a shame to see you in my office.” He turns, facing us. Streaks of grey are at his temple, but