Hope Restrained (Estate Series) Read Online Free PDF

for the chains to drag her across the floor
and up so that she was hanging from the wall. He lifted her enough that her
feet barely touched the ground. She winced in her sleep when the arm of her
injured shoulder was forced above her head, but she didn’t wake as a result of
it. He smiled to know he’d caused her pain: the bitch deserved it after
attempting to take the life of his friend. Walking towards her, he went through
her clothing again in search of weapons or identification. She moaned when his
hands ran over her hips, her thighs, and higher over her stomach and chest. Xander
bit back his reaction to the sound, not wanting to feel anything for this woman
beyond his hatred for what she’d done. But he found himself staring at her, his
eyes studying her body. Her hair fell in dark waves down her back, perfectly
framing an angelic face. Every muscle of her arms, legs and torso were sculpted
and toned, but not so much that she was bulky. Her body curved slightly in all
the right places, but she was still lean and fit. She was a fighter of some
sort, but the to what extent, Xander didn’t know.
    She was clean and he cursed under his breath that he’d have
to extract the information from her rather than it being as simple as reading
an I.D.
    After taking one last look, he turned to exit the cell on
his way to speak with Aaron about what should be done with their guest.
    ~     ~     ~
    “Stop laughing, Aaron, it isn’t fucking funny! I’m telling
you, that bitch is a skilled fighter. We need to find out why she’s here and
who sent her. There could be more coming and we can’t allow our guards to be
down if that occurs.”
    Chortling in an attempt to stifle his laughter, Aaron
eventually gained control of himself before responding. “I find it hard to
believe you were so badly beaten by a woman. You’ve been fighting me since we
were kids; I’ve never actually had the opportunity to stab you. You know better
that to leave yourself open.”
    Xander rolled his eyes while breathing out a frustrated
breath. He winced from the antiseptic that Maddy brushed across the skin of his
leg before responding, “I didn’t expect it. I was surprised by her strength. Whoever
trained her was, obviously, very good at what he did. But a woman?”
    Aaron nodded and sat on the corner of the wing-backed chair
facing the couch. “I’ve heard of a female assassin within a smaller network. We
have limited information on her, but I know there was a rumor that she could
compete against me.”
    “Why would Joseph let something like that slip by?”
    “She was never a problem, from what I know. Unless she did
anything that threatened The Estate, Joseph wouldn’t have concerned himself with
her; none of that matters. She’s attempted something now and we have to deal
with this quickly. It pisses me off that someone has dared strike out at The
Estate.” Aaron stood up, pacing back and forth, rubbing his hand across his
chin while he thought.
    “All done.” Maddy packed up the small medical kit they kept
in the apartment and smiled up at Xander. Turning to look at Aaron, her voice
was almost a whisper when she asked, “What are you two going to do with her? I
assume if she’s been trained, she’s a threat, but will you treat her
differently than you would a man who’d made such an attempt?”
    “No.” Xander’s response was solid and immediate. “That bitch
deserves what’s coming to her, Cricket, and I don’t want you concerning
yourself with her.” Standing, he pulled his pants back up, now that Maddy was
no longer tending to the wound. He looked down at the hole from where the woman
had stabbed him. “Fuck. And these were my favorite pair.”
    “Xander, I want you to do whatever is necessary to gain
information from her. After that, you are ordered to kill her. She attempted my
life, or possibly, the life of Maddy. I don’t give a shit what her reason is,
she will not leave the compound alive, do you understand