His Heart's Revenge (The Marshall Brothers Series, Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

He wanted something from her, but he never said what it was, never told her more than that he wanted to touch her. Still, even to Mary Catherine's young eyes, he always seemed expectant.
    "Tell me about the hairpin," he said. "That's what you used to pick the lock to my desk. Your mistake was to use another pin to lock it up again. You left the first one in plain view on the desktop. I saw it as soon as I lifted the cover this morning. I've straightened it already but it was slightly bent when I found it. What were you looking for, Mary Catherine?"
    The neckline of her cotton nightshift was rounded. Her robe wasn't closed tightly enough to shield the smooth line of her collarbone from the colonel's gaze. She could feel his eyes on her. His fingers trailed from her cheek to her throat. She held herself very still.
    "Was it money? Is that what you hoped to find?"
    How foolish she had been! Of course the colonel wouldn't suspect she was a spy. Money was the obvious answer. She should have thought of it herself. Mary Catherine averted her head, feigning shame and guilt.
    "I thought as much." He sighed. His large hand cupped the side of her neck. He could feel the wild flutter of her heartbeat in her throat. She was a fragile, fey child; he had thought so from the first. Her mother was handsome, her sister, lovely. But being with Mary Catherine made him feel powerful beyond all his imaginings. Her immature beauty drew him. It was his darkest, most guilty secret.
    "If you wanted something, you should have told me," he said. "You know I like to buy you things. You liked the shoes, didn't you?"
    She nodded.
    "Come closer, Mary Catherine, whisper in my ear. Tell me what it is you want."
    She didn't move. "I don't want anything. Really, I don't. You've given me quite enough. I'm not ungrateful." Even as she spoke, the colonel was pulling her closer. She strained against his grip.
    "Just a little kiss for the colonel," he cajoled. "One kiss, on the lips, and I'll forgive you for breaking into my desk."
    Mary Catherine wanted to cry. She hated this part of the colonel's game. She didn't want to kiss him on the lips or anywhere. The pressure on her neck increased. She gasped, a puff of air caught in the back of her throat. She felt his fingers dip just below the neckline of her shift. Her skin burned. Her ears were ringing and there was a blackness clouding the edge of her vision. She suspected she was going to faint.
    "Take your goddamn hands off her." Logan spoke from the doorway. One shoulder was braced against the jamb for support. The muscles in his forearms bunched as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
    "Now see here, Marshall, just what do you—"
    Logan crossed the room in four long strides. Mary Catherine was terrified by the hardness in his face, the repulsion in his eyes. The colonel's hold on her was even tighter than before. There would be bruises later. But as hard as her stepfather held her, it was nothing compared to the grip that Logan placed on her. His fingers ringed her upper arm and with an ease that surprised Mary Catherine and shocked the colonel, he yanked her free. She stumbled across the floor, falling to her knees as she was flung away.
    The colonel was jerked out of his chair. "How many times?" Logan demanded. "How many times have you touched her?" He didn't wait for an answer. "How long has this been going on?"
    "Look here," Allen said stiffly. Logan's youth, his strength, or his anger did not intimidate him. "I don't know what you think you saw, but you've got it all wr—"
    "Stuff it, you miserable bastard. I know exactly what I saw. I know what I heard."
    "Take your hands off me." The colonel glanced beyond Logan's shoulder to Mary Catherine. "Say something," he said impatiently. The look in his eyes was meaningful. Say the right something, it said. Remember our secret.
    "Please don't hurt him," she said. The tears that came to her eyes were real. "It's a mistake. You don't understand."
    Logan ignored