Invisibility Cloak Read Online Free PDF Page A

“The one that was killed not too long ago, right?”
    Ryder looked over at Amanda and her face paled to an alarming white shade. He softly walked over by her. His protective instinct had turned on full blast.
    By now, Jeffrey had let go of his hold on her arm.
    “Ah ha! You are right, Rog.” Smeth closed his eyes and tipped his head back. His glasses reflected the chandelier’s tiny light strands before he swiveled his face around to Amanda. “Dr. Wayne Harris. He was your husband? Good God, he was be―” He stopped mid- sentence after looking at Amanda.
    Thankfully the asshole stopped right there before saying it out loud, or else Ryder would’ve been more than happy to shut his mouth another way. Seeing the expression on her face, Jeffrey walked swiftly back to Amanda and put his arm around her shoulders. “Oh, you poor dear.”
    Amanda’s frame stiffened and she looked blankly at Sophia’s and Jeffrey’s face before she refocused her eyes to look out the darkened window. After a few strained moments she softly said, “Excuse me,” and walked to the hallway.
    Ryder had no idea if Amanda was set on gathering herself together in the restroom, or actually just leaving. He didn’t care where she was going, he just knew he wanted to be right there with her. It was hard enough being around Sophia, let alone a few of her pretentious friends, and if Amanda was leaving, well hell, he was out of here too.
    “Amanda.” Ryder caught up with her and put his hand under her elbow. “You okay?” She didn’t slow as he came up beside her, but she didn’t have to since she was taking slow, methodical steps. When she didn’t respond, he tried again. “Do you want to leave?”
    She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to be rude.”
    Ryder felt that odd feeling take hold of him again as he turned to look at her. A sense of pride swam through him and he didn’t have a clue to why or where the fierce protection came from, but he did know he liked this woman. But then she was a widow, and her husband had been Wayne Harris?
    Damn. That was some bad stuff. It’d been all over the television and he read about it on the internet. The brilliant scientist was sliced and diced; beheaded and his body cut into pieces. Dismemberment was the modus operandi of the Mexican Drug Cartel. They were the roughest and meanest around. Anyone with half a brain wouldn’t go near them. Now why was Amanda’s husband mixed up with them? They were bad to the bone. Was she involved? He hoped not, because he liked and admired her. And he was drawn to her; a whole hell of a lot.
    His respect for her grew. She wasn’t anything like Sophia Edgington or the other bozos there tonight. She had no hard edges and false body parts. And the parts Ryder had seen made him catch his breath―especially the way her little white dress clung to her hot little figure. With her hair pulled up in a soft twist on her nape, her neck looked long and slender. Thoughts of kissing and stroking her neck, down to her shoulders, then lower still, flashed through his mind.
    Looking at her this close, he realized how pretty she was. It didn’t look like she even wore any make-up, but shit, he couldn’t tell, he was no expert on that stuff. All he knew was he really didn’t like the overloaded look some women sported. It made him want to see if her lips were really as soft as they looked. He wondered what she looked like with her hair down, loose and around her face. He glanced around for a place where they could be alone. When tall French doors came up on his left, he peered out and spotted a white balcony.
    Perfect.
    “Here, let’s head outside to the back patio, then.” Ryder opened a door that led out to a beautifully landscaped brick porch and saw a place to sit between some bushes. “Over here, let’s sit on the bench.” He led her to an artfully carved stone bench and sat down beside her. “We can just sit here and calm down, take a few breaths or we can