Latymer Read Online Free PDF Page B

top of her thighs and her dark patch of curls came into view. He cupped her, and his cock surged high inside his breeches, anticipating. Humid warmth drenched his palm, and her musky scent floated up between them.
    As if sensing her own crumbling control, she said, “Darling, that’s enough.” Her words came out in a pant, hard and shaky. She made to push away.
    His middle finger slid inside her slick passage. The pistol slipped.
    Latymer slammed his forearm into hers. The weapon exploded. Searing heat cut across his scalp, and the world went blindingly quiet. He staggered back, touching his fingers gingerly to the side of his head. Pain hissed between his teeth.
    A fist plowed into his kidney, sending him to his knees. Rolling away, Latymer jumped to his feet and shoved the heel of his hand into the guard’s nose. Cartilage snapped. He didn’t stop there. Folding his three fingers over once, he jabbed the hard edge of his knuckles into the bastard’s throat.
    The guard gagged, but no noise emerged. He wrapped his hands protectively around his neck while attempting to take a breath. His efforts were met with chilling resistance. When the guard’s face started to turn blue and his body tilted sideways, Latymer whirled to meet the next challenge.
    With a knife in one hand, the second guard stood between Latymer and Collette. Lust no longer softened the female assassin’s features. Fury contorted her beauty into an evil mask of retribution.
    “Philippe,” she said in a low barely contained voice. “Bring me his manhood and his tongue. I’ll take care of his heart.”
    Blood trailed through Latymer’s hair in angry, pulsing rivulets. He had to get the blood loss under control, or he would find himself sprawled on the floor at this witch’s mercy. For now, he settled with swiping his arm over his face to keep his vision clear. A wave of dizziness hit him at the same time the second guard charged.
    Giving in to his weakness, he dropped to his knees at the precise moment the guard reached him. The guard’s leg connected with Latymer’s shoulder. He used the guard’s momentum against him and flipped the hulking bastard over. The guard landed hard, heaving for breath, but Latymer didn’t allow him to catch it. He reached inside his coat sleeve and slid his blade from its protective sheath. One slice across the neck, and a death rattle replaced the guard’s heaving.
    A rabid, feminine snarl rent the air, followed by a loud click. A second pistol .
    Latymer whirled but not soon enough. The full impact of her bullet struck his chest, drilling deep into flesh, muscle, and bone. He staggered a moment, his mind full of disbelief, his body flooded with pain. He fell backward, catching the back of his knees on an ottoman. His world teetered for a moment and finally collapsed. Shards of lightning ripped through him.
    Disdainfully, Collette said, “You never gave my warnings due care. Did I not tell you this would not go well if you betrayed my trust?”
    He blinked hard to bring the chamber back into focus. “And you never learned that duty comes before pleasure.”
    She laughed. “Spoken like a real traitor.”
    “There is more to duty than one’s country.” Gritting his teeth against the onslaught on impending pain, Latymer used his good hand to push himself up into a sitting position. His first attempt failed, leaving him breathless. The next time, he managed enough elevation to prop his shoulders against the foot of the bed.
    “Please do not tell me you are plagued by disillusions,” she said. “Greed drove you to betray your precious island.”
    Greed, lust, power—they had all conspired against him. They made him hunger for more, always more. But those passions had dwindled to dust the moment the French had threatened his family. Then his passions became protection and survival.
    “My reasons no longer matter and are of no concern to you,” he said, panting. “You’re going to take me to my son, and then