Invasion of Justice (Shadows of Justice) Read Online Free PDF Page A

you playing this game out or should I call your bluff?"
    She didn't like the way he crowded her, or the glint in his eyes that suggested either answer would suit him. "What did you see?"
    "What didn't I see?" He whistled again.
    She scowled and he laughed, letting the sound carry out to Maggie and barely giving Petra time to prepare before his arm cinched her waist.
    "We'll take it all."
    "We'll take the red," Petra contradicted. She smiled sweetly up into his face. "Some things should be a surprise."
    "Ah, baby, think of her commission. She stayed open late just for you."
    "True enough." Petra noticed Gideon's offer to pay seemed to have slipped his mind. Handing over her bankcard, she miraculously kept her face in neutral when she confirmed the total.
    Gideon chuckled over her shoulder. "Real leather. Mmm-mmm." He drew Petra closer. "Can't wait to feel that."
    She'd give him something to feel all right.
    "You okay?" Maggie asked.
    The concern behind the question told Petra her expression betrayed her. "Yes, of course." She formed a smile with no little effort and, when Gideon took the bag, wished Maggie well.
    Outside, Gideon maintained the physical contact, steering them clear of others as he aimed for the hotel. His touch annoyed her on many levels, especially safety. Blocking herself from him meant limiting her awareness of other threats. Based on what she'd felt in this city so far, that worried her.
    "Please, let me go now."
    "As soon as you're safely tucked back in your room."
    "A safe arrival could be in jeopardy if you don't let go."
    "Do you always talk like that?"
    "Like what?"
    "Like you've got a stick up your ass."
    "I refuse to dignify that," she said, pulling away, but he held fast.
    "Guess that's a yes."
    He barreled them through the lobby and into the first elevator, assuring them a private ride by sending a wicked look at the few people who'd been waiting.
    "That was quite rude."
    "Uh-huh." He pressed the button for the sixth floor. "So report me."
    "Actually, I plan to do just that. When Kincaid downloads your file–"
    "He'll find what I want him to find."
    The doors opened and Gideon stepped out, but Petra jerked away from him at the last second, intending to slip away and find a safe house until Kincaid could bring her in.
    The exercise she'd mastered in training failed her in the field. Gideon's lightning-quick reactions resulted in her arm clamped in his invincible grip, the elevator door opening wide, and her being dragged into the hallway.
    She opened her mouth to protest when a resounding endorsement echoed in her head.
    "Trust Gideon. Trust only Gideon."
    "No," she cried, when the precious connection to her brother ended so abruptly.
    "Quiet." Gideon clapped a hand over her mouth and tucked her into an alcove near the stairs.
    In her distress, she'd left herself completely open. Gideon's memories blurred her vision and tumbled through her mind, unwelcome and disorganized.
    She struggled to block the influx, to deflect it somehow, for his privacy and her sanity. She didn't want to know he'd been juiced with the human growth hormone cocktail used by the military. She didn't want to see any part of the covert operation that ended in his painful shoulder injury. She didn't want to understand his deep-seated frustration and she certainly didn't want to believe she was his assignment.
    Desperate, Petra launched herself away from the flood that was Gideon and into the peace that was her spiritual flight.
    Petra's vain struggle against his hold suddenly ended. Gideon waited several seconds sure she was faking it. Then he swore softly at the increasing dead weight that indicated she'd passed out.
    Consulting his multi-purpose card he took note of the infrared readout showing the positions of everyone on this floor. If he moved quickly he could get them into her suite before anyone turned the corner into this hallway. Tossing Petra over his good shoulder, he hustled to her door.
    The multi-purpose card got