Midnight Rescue: A Killer Instincts Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

restraints, but a hesitant knock came from the door. Devlin craned his head, squinted, and recognized Delgado, the guard who manned the security monitors. The young man’s hands shook as he approached Blanco and held out a piece of paper. “The cameras caught one of the intruders. It’s just a profile but—”
    Blanco grabbed the photo and studied it. Then he dismissed Delgado and thrust the photo at Devlin. “Recognize him?”
    There was a moment of silence, broken by Devlin’s harsh chuckle. “Oh yes.”
    “A friend of yours?”
    “Not quite.” His lips tightened. “Tell your people to call off the search. They won’t find the woman. These men don’t leave a trail.”
    Blanco narrowed his eyes. “You know them?”
    Devlin smirked. “Jim Morgan has her. The man in the security photo—that’s Holden McCall, a colleague of Morgan’s.”
    “Jim Morgan—the mercenary? You mean to tell me that Morgan’s team of amateurs were the ones who breached my property?”
    “Trust me, they’re not amateurs.”
    Blanco seemed uncharacteristically flustered. With a frown, he turned to the doctor. “Release him. Mr. Devlin has a job to do.”

Chapter 4
     
    Kane stared at the unconscious redhead sprawled across the bed and cursed under his breath. Goddamn it. She was in bad shape. Her swollen face was various shades of purple, and the young doctor Morgan kept on the payroll had stitched up some of the deeper cuts along her stomach. A few ribs were bruised, her wrist was fractured, and the welts covering her entire body weren’t pretty to look at.
    But at least she was breathing.
    A knock sounded on the bedroom door and D strode in. He let out a low whistle when he caught sight of their patient. “She looks dead,” he remarked. “Devlin?”
    Kane’s jaw tightened. “Has to be, unless Blanco hired himself a new enforcer.”
    D shook his head. “Nah. Last I heard, Devlin was still employed by the son of a bitch.”
    His gaze drifted back to Abby. “Then this is Devlin’s work. We both know how much he enjoys his whip.”
    “He also enjoys slitting throats. Why didn’t he kill her?”
    “No fucking clue.”
    “Has she woken up yet?”
    “No.” Kane paused. “Did Sam make arrangements with the airfield?”
    “Everything’s set. The jet’s ready when we need it.” D absently stroked the tattoo circling his wrist, a stream of tiny black text that Kane couldn’t decipher. “The sooner we get this chick back to her assassin boss, the better.”
    Kane cocked his head. “Why’s that?”
    D shrugged, his gaze moving to the woman on the bed. “Got a bad feeling about this one, man. She’s supposed to be a pro, right? So how the fuck did she wind up in Blanco’s jail?”
    “Even pros make mistakes.”
    D’s black eyes narrowed. “Not this one, bro.” He made for the door. “My advice? Don’t let her out of your sight.”
    After D left the room, Kane gazed at the woman again. She was attractive. Well, probably. Once the swelling eased and the bruises faded he’d be able to make a better assessment. She didn’t look dangerous though. Probably the jaw, too soft and delicate. But D was rarely wrong. The guy had a sixth sense about people.
    He walked over and sat down at the edge of the bed. He didn’t like this. What the hell had gone down in that prison tonight? The screams, the male body being lugged out. What had this woman gotten herself into?
    A soft whimper.
    Kane went on alert. He watched as the redhead stirred, her eyelids fluttering. With a sigh, he touched her cheek. Immediately, he withdrew his hand. Touching her felt… wrong. Or maybe it wasn’t the contact itself, but the way he’d done it. Tenderly. Fuck. What was thatabout? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d touched a woman with tenderness.
    “Hey,” he said gruffly. “Wake up.”
    No response.
    He leaned closer.
    The next thing he knew, he was caught in a headlock and a lethal little hand was gripping his neck. “Touch