Living on the Edge Read Online Free PDF

wasn’t the first wealthy woman to cross his path and that whoever had done it before had scarred him in some way. A lover? A client?
    Tanner straightened. “I’m moving you to a safe house. No one will be able to find you there, so you can eat and get some sleep. I’ll keep on investigating Hilliard. If I turn up enough evidence to validate what you’ve told me, we’ll talk about you hiring me to protect you. If you’re lying…”
    His voice trailed off. She had no doubt there would be some serious punishment involved. Still, she wondered if he could come up with anything worse than what she’d already endured. He didn’t seem to be the type to use physical force against someone so ill equipped to handle it. She supposed rape was a possibility, but she doubted that was his style. Wasn’t rape supposed to be about power? Tanner was the most powerful man she’d ever met. He would hardly need to prove himself.
    Oh, but he would think of something. She was confident. She supposed she should worry about that, but she couldn’t. After all she’d been through in the past tendays, she couldn’t find the strength to be any more afraid.
    â€œI accept your terms.”
    One corner of his mouth turned up in an almost smile. “You don’t have a choice.”
    â€œPerhaps not, but I accept them anyway.”
    â€œI’m going to have to blindfold you. The safe house works only as long as no one knows where it is. If the idea of a blindfold freaks you out, I can sedate you.”
    The idea of a blindfold terrified her. It was too much like being kidnapped all over again. But the thought of being drugged was worse.
    â€œI prefer the blindfold. I don’t like the idea of losing control.”
    â€œSome people spend their whole lives looking for the perfect way to do just that.”
    â€œNot me.” She stared at him and had the odd thought she very much wanted him to like her. “I’m not what you think.”
    He looked instantly bored. “I’ll be right back.”
    He walked out of the room, leaving the door open. Madison stared at the narrow concrete hallway and wondered if his actions were a test to see if she could be trusted. It didn’t matter. She had no plans to bolt for freedom. Right now Tanner was all that stood between her and Christopher. She already knew what her ex-husband was capable of. For now she was more than willing to put her fate into the hands of a stranger. With Tanner, the odds were a whole lot better.
    If Madison had been asked to guess, she would have said the drive had taken about forty-five minutes. She’d been put in the rear of a van of some kind. There weren’tany seats, but there were plenty of blankets. She’d curled up on them and listened to the sound of the engine and the road. Exhaustion had claimed her a few times and she’d dozed for a second or two.
    When the van stopped, she straightened. She heard a garage door opening, then the van moved forward and the garage door closed behind it. There was the click of the lock followed by the creak of metal as the rear of the vehicle opened.
    â€œYou can take off the blindfold now,” Tanner said.
    For reasons that had made no sense to her, he hadn’t tied her hands. She reached up and pulled off the blindfold, only to find herself in a dark box inside a van. Of course, she thought, knowing that if she’d been less exhausted she would have found the situation humorous. He hadn’t tied her hands because once she was in the van it hadn’t mattered if she’d removed the blindfold. There was nothing for her to see.
    Very slick, she thought as she crawled to the end of the van and stepped down.
    Lack of food and sleep made her shaky. She stumbled as she tried to stand. He grabbed her by the arm and held her steady.
    â€œYou’ve been tough all through this,” he said gruffly. “Don’t faint on me