Mine To Take (Nine Circles) Read Online Free PDF Page B

discuss your proposal.”
    He wasn’t much for fancy restaurants or exclusive bars. That was Alex’s territory, not his. But Honor St. James didn’t belong in a place like O’Rourke’s. With her brother’s coloring, black hair, and blue eyes, she had a delicate, catlike beauty that drew the eye. Drew attention.
    And he didn’t want attention. He preferred to get on with the job, not create a fuss.
    “Okay.” She patted the top of the briefcase. “I brought along some information you might—”
    “I’ve got the information already,” he interrupted. After the meeting with the others two nights ago, he’d got his research team to look into Tremain Hotels, turning up everything they could find.
    The chain was, indeed, seriously in debt, which was excellent news from his perspective. And also the basis for the plan he’d been turning over in his head for the past couple of days now. A fairly simple plan when all was said and done—sink money into Tremain. Buy as much stock as he could. Make sure he had the controlling shares. Then maybe he’d bankrupt it. Or maybe he’d keep the lot and make Tremain Hotels part of his own empire.
    Whatever he’d do, one thing was certain. He’d take something of his father’s and make it his. And he’d make sure Tremain knew who it was who’d made him pay. And why.
    “You have?” Honor blinked. “Oh, right. Of course you have. And I guess you’ve read over the various reports that I sent to Eva?”
    “Yes. But I’m not discussing that now. We’ll have plenty of time after we reach the club.”
    She opened her mouth. Shut it again. “Perhaps we can talk about my brother then.”
    He hadn’t quite decided how he’d tackle her questions, because obviously she would have them. Alex had just shrugged his shoulders when Gabriel had asked him about it. “Tell her or don’t tell her,” he’d said. “I don’t give a shit.”
    “I’m still his friend,” Gabriel said, deciding. “If that’s what you want to know.”
    Her eyes were dark, like Indian sapphires, the expression in them unreadable. “So you see him then? Regularly?”
    “Semi-regularly, yes.”
    “Does he know…” She stopped, looked down at her hands. “Does he know you’re meeting me?”
    “Yeah, he does.”
    “I see. I don’t suppose…” She trailed off again. “No, don’t answer that question.”
    “Did he want me to pass a message on to you?” Gabriel finished for her. “No, he didn’t.” Brutally honest perhaps, but it was better to know these things straight up.
    Honor’s posture stiffened a little but her expression remained neutral. So she had armor. He supposed a woman like her must need it, working as she did in such a male-dominated industry. “Well,” she said, a thin film of ice coating her words, “I didn’t expect him to. Not after nineteen years of silence.” Her blue eyes were very direct. “I don’t suppose you had anything to do with that, did you?”
    “No. That was all Alex’s decision.”
    “Ah, okay, then.” She looked down at her hands again. “That answers pretty much all my questions in that case.” The cold had bled out of her tone, leaving behind it a hint of pain.
    Gabriel studied her. He’d never judged his friend for leaving his mother and sister after his father’s death. Mainly because he’d known a man driven by demons when he saw one and Alex seemed driven by the entire population of hell. So when Alex had told him he’d left home and wouldn’t go back, Gabriel had accepted it. Who was he to judge anyway? After the things he’d done? If Alex needed to leave to survive whatever was eating him up inside, then Gabriel had no problem with that.
    Yet looking at Honor now, hearing the echoes of an old pain in her voice, he couldn’t help wondering at his friend’s continued refusal to make contact.
    It’s not your business. And you can’t afford to get involved.
    No. He couldn’t. The only thing that mattered was taking down