Michel/Striker Read Online Free PDF Page B

before the driver arrives to take this last load to Mr. Locke.”
    The younger guard grunted as he picked up a crate and headed toward the van. “What time is he supposed to be here?”
    The gray-haired man checked his clipboard. “Eight a.m. sharp.”
    Michel smiled. So. A driver was going to take the van to Locke.
    How convenient.
    A smile of anticipation curled his lips. The sight would have caused the two humans to piss their pants if they’d seen it. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t even know they were in danger before Michel had pounced, knocking them both senseless with more force than necessary. Then, dumping them into an open crate, he put the lid on top and nailed it shut.
    Hey, it seemed fitting.
    Pausing long enough to call for a local Hunter to come and pick up the unconscious men, Michel jumped out of the loading bay and hurried to the side of the building where he’d left Chelsea waiting.
    A strange warmth spread through him at the sight of her crouched behind the Dumpster, a worried expression tightening her pretty features.
    She’d waited.
    Breaking the lock on the narrow gate, he gestured her forward, instinctively wrapping his fingers around her wrist to tug her thumb away from her mouth as she halted at his side.
    “Is Locke there?” she demanded.
    “No.” He frowned. There was something in her voice…something he couldn’t put his finger on. “There were two goons packing up a bunch of files.”
    She grimaced, smart enough to know that he hadn’t just walked away from them. “Are they…?”
    “Dead?” He shook his head. “No. I locked them in a crate and called a Hunter to pick them up and take them to the Wildlands. They might have information we need.”
    She glanced down to where his fingers were absently running a path up and down the satin skin of her inner arm.
    “What do you want from me?”
    He jerked away his hand, feeling as if he’d been scalded. Since when did he touch her like they were lovers?
    “I’m going to finish loading the crates in the van,” he said in clipped tones. “I want you to go through the offices and make sure nothing’s been overlooked. The guards didn’t look overly bright.”
    She gave a jerky nod, her face flushed. “Fine.”
    Leading her to the front of the building, he busted open the door to urge her to the upper floor. During his earlier sweep, he’d noticed there was a private apartment he assumed belonged to Locke.
    He waited at the doorway as she entered the front room that had been converted to an office. On the point of joining her, he was halted as his phone vibrated. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced at the screen.
    “The Hunter is here,” he murmured. “I need to meet him in the loading dock.”
    “Okay,” Chelsea murmured, her expression distracted as if she was considering where she wanted to start the search.
    “I won’t be long.”
    She was headed toward the desk when he was jogging back down the stairs and into the dock to help the Hunter load the crate with the guards, along with all the other boxes, into the back of his truck. Once he was sure nothing had been overlooked, he commanded the Hunter to drive non-stop to the Wildlands.
    He paused to lock the van and shut the doors to the loading dock. He intended to have a little surprise for the driver when he arrived in the morning. But for now, they needed to finish their search and get some sleep.
    Turning off the lights, he moved through the empty building. He could see perfectly in the dark, but he didn’t need his heightened vision to be able to find Chelsea.
    Her scent tugged at his senses until he was fairly certain he could have found her if she was hiding on the other side of the world. Knowledge that was more than a little disturbing.
    ***
    Chelsea fiercely concentrated on the files she’d managed to discover locked in a safe that had been hidden in the floor. They were heavily encrypted and so far all she’d managed to figure out was that they