Living on the Edge Read Online Free PDF Page B

now.”
    â€œI won’t,” she promised, although she wasn’t completely sure of her facts.
    â€œCome on. I’ll give you the quick tour, then you can crash for a few hours.”
    Sleep sounded like heaven. Maybe here, with Tanner watching over her, she would feel comfortable enough to relax.
    He released her arm and motioned for her to step around him. After closing the back of the van, he led the way into the house.
    She wasn’t sure what she’d expected—perhaps some high-tech, modern space done in shades of white. What she found instead was a sprawling single-story ranch-style home with a few modifications.
    From the garage they passed through a laundry room and into a hallway that led into a large family room. There was a big-screen television and several electronic components, along with two black leather sofas. The house itself might be forty or fifty years old, but the paint and the furniture looked relatively new.
    Madison glanced at the ceiling, looking for cameras or some kind of monitoring device. She didn’t see any. She did notice a strange screening material over the windows and pointed to it.
    â€œNo one can see in,” Tanner said. “And you can’t get out. But the windows all open if you feel the need for fresh air.”
    She was less worried about that than being trapped. “What if there’s a fire?”
    â€œThere won’t be.”
    He walked into a large kitchen and pointed out the basic amenities. There was already plenty of food in the refrigerator and pantry. Simple things that were easy to prepare.
    â€œHelp yourself,” he told her.
    She nodded, knowing she had to eat something eventually, but right now all she wanted was sleep.
    Next up was what would have been the formal living and dining room. Instead she saw several desks and shelves, all crammed with electronic equipment. None of it made sense to her. There were screens and keyboards and odd display units.
    Tanner stepped inside and grabbed something from a nearly empty desk. She didn’t see what it was until he returned to her side and snapped it on her wrist.
    â€œWhat on earth?” She stared at the gray metal bracelet. There was no visible catch, no markings of any kind.
    â€œMy game, my rules,” he said. “You play by them or I return you to your ex.”
    â€œWhy?” she asked, not sure if she was asking why he’d done it or why she didn’t get a say in the rules.
    â€œI don’t trust you,” he said flatly.
    Good to know where she stood. “You could just let me go. I’ll be fine on my own.”
    â€œIf he’s everything you say, he’ll find you within twenty-four hours. Is that what you want?”
    No, but she didn’t want this either, she thought as she rubbed the bracelet. “What does it do?”
    â€œKeeps you safe and keeps you here.” He motioned to the control center of the house.
    Madison glanced at him, then back to the bracelet before taking a step forward.
    â€œYou have entered an unauthorized area,” a female computerized voice said. “Please return to an authorized area or an alarm will sound.”
    She jumped back. “It’s some kind of monitoring system.”
    â€œExactly. You can go anywhere you want in the house except for in here and within five feet of the front and back door. There’s a patio off the family room. You can go as far as the overhang.”
    She tried to make herself feel better by thinking that at least an alarm sounding was better than him blowing off her hand, but she wasn’t all that comforted. Tanner might be her only shot at staying alive, but she’d just exchanged one prison for another.
    â€œMy rules,” he repeated.
    â€œI got that.”
    She had a choice. She could accept them or she could be returned to Christopher. On second thought, not much of a choice at all.
    For the first time since she’d been kidnapped,