Hunted Read Online Free PDF Page A

give him a run for his money.
    Literally.
    When he raised his head, his eyes were glittering and she could feel the heat emanating from him. There was a good bit of it emanating from her, too, and her puss was demanding satisfaction.
    But Shara took a deliberate step back, enjoying the surprise that touched Damon’s expression.
    He was in for another one.
    She gathered her skirts up in her fists as he watched her warily.
    “Catch me if you can,” she taunted, then ran. She smiled when she heard Damon give chase, and the other patrons in the bar shouted encouragement to him.
    Her fantasy had already begun.
    * * *
    Steele was clutching at straws and he knew it.
    He’d initially thought there might be something to the tip about The Phoenix club being involved in human trafficking. The owners of the club liked to bury their personal details below layers of shell companies and numbered corporations. That was always a trick that attracted his interest, because such people often had something to hide.
    Usually something illegal.
    That made them interesting to cops like Steele.
    On the other hand, providing a haven for the kinds of sexual games played at The Phoenix and previously at The Plume wasn’t interesting to Steele, even if it was illegal in many places. Mutual consent lowered the stakes, and he’d seen immediately that the owners of this club were diligent about documenting consent.
    He had played up his doubts to his superiors in order to have the opportunity to come inside the headquarters at Athena’s London home. It wasn’t a crime to be curious.
    The problem was that he was intrigued by the house and the games, and enjoyed sex with Athena. She was unlike any woman he’d ever known—the heat, frequency and originality of their encounters made him want to stay as long as possible. He wanted to push the limits with her, to have her enslave him totally. Then he wanted to turn the tables and dominate her. Steele suspected that exploring every option, thoroughly, was the only way he’d get enough of Athena.
    That was personal, though. Professionally, he hadn’t found a damn thing.
    He knew in his gut he wouldn’t.
    So, Steele needed an excuse—no, a plan—to present to his superior to extend his assignment. He scanned the display on his laptop and returned to the one item that offered any kind of promise.
    The coffin would have to do.
    It had been shipped to Windswept Island, and it had been sealed for transit. Steele knew who was supposed to be inside it and why. He’d seen the consent form from the individual. Maybe, just maybe, there had been a substitution. He owed it to the investigation to make sure.
    It was less than a straw.
    It was a long shot and a wild improbability.
    But there was nothing else to pursue, and if he admitted to his superiors he had no leads or prospects, then his assignment to The Phoenix would end.
    Steele wasn’t quite yet ready to leave.
    Amy entered the administrative office, her eyes alight after her time on Windswept Island, and Steele nodded good morning.
    That was when he realized all the pieces could come together. It was possible he could leave a little mole inside the club after he was gone. The one person whose loyalty was divided was also the one who might know more about the coffin’s contents.
    Amy.
    She was the one who had hacked The Plume’s computer systems before him. She was cute, passionate and smart. Steele smiled into his coffee. She had two days off, beginning the next morning, to make up for the weekend she’d worked at Windswept. Any discussion about private Phoenix business would have to be done off-site to ensure that Amy told him the truth.
    What if he interrogated Amy in a way that ensured Athena’s anger?
    What if Athena decided to punish him for stepping beyond the boundaries?
    What if Steele made sure Athena found out? He felt his own body react to the notion of provoking Athena, never mind of their encounters being hotter than they already were.