On the Edge of Love (Mama's Brood Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

to press back against Zeus’s chest. She tried to scream, but it came out as a strangled squawk.
    A click reverberated through the hallway, the sound of a safety coming off.
    Zeus’s eyes, his grasp, didn’t release her, but he stopped manhandling her. He tilted his head, taking in every detail of her face. His thumb caressed her jaw.
    He took a deep breath and sighed loudly as if greatly put-upon. “You’re right; you’re right, too soon.”
    And Coen withdrew the gun.
    Sabrina stepped away from Zeus, trembling from panic and then with rage. She hated the feeling of powerlessness, hated feeling trapped, hated admitting that on more than one level, this thing that called himself a man affected her. She was confused, and she wanted to cry. Real tears this time. She never cried real tears anymore. Doing the only thing she knew would make her feel better, she punched Zeus dead in the mouth.
    It hurt her hand, but she instantly felt better, especially when she saw blood trickle from his busted lip.
    Let’s see him try and force a kiss on her now.
    “Move,” she ordered as his tongue darted out and licked away the blood. He did that caricature of a smile and took two steps back. Coen, careful not to touch her, directed her in front of him and pointed her toward the door at the end of the hall.
    “I really want her,” Zeus said in a low tone as if conversing with the shadows of the hallway. “Can’t be normal to want something so much.”
    “As if he has any clue about what’s normal,” she muttered.
    “And you do?” His voice was flat. “I watched The Cosby Show . I recognize normal when I see it, and you ain’t it.”
    “Are you serious?” she yelled, turning. Coen blocked her from attacking the crazy man. “Is he fucking serious?”
    “Come on. Don’t let him drag you down into his madness.”
    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm the agitation. “I need another drink.” Her voice sounded tremulous, even to her own ears.
    “Bottle’s waiting for you on the other side of the door.”
    Coen looked up at a camera attached to the corner of the ceiling, and a soft buzz sounded. He reached around her and pushed the door open. “Go on in. Me and Zeus will be inside in a minute.”
    She nodded and walked into the space the others had called the living room without looking back.

Chapter Two
    Zeus watched her until the door closed, then turned his gaze upon the other man.
    “Stop freaking her out with your psycho bullshit, Zeus. We need her rational. We need to understand what Kragen’s motives are for kidnapping her, figure out how she fits into his trip to the Bay Area. You’re making that job harder.”
    Zeus looked up at the camera, wondering who had eyes on them. Wondered if Sabrina was watching him. He liked the idea. Liked imagining her watching him, enjoying the opportunity to take him in at a distance, feeling safe in letting her eyes leisurely linger on all the places she yearned to touch.
    “Zeus.”
    He looked down at the man in front of him. Coen was a pest. Almost as bad as an unhappy old nun with his constant nagging.
    “I don’t give a shit about how hard things get for you,” Zeus clarified.
    “Yeah, I expect you don’t, but think about this: that woman you want so bad? Kragen hurt her. If he gets a chance, he’ll probably hurt her again, kill her even. Are you going to let your lack of control terrify her into silence, or are you going to work with us to keep what you claim as yours safe?”
    “She’s not like your spineless women, Coen. Not some terrified victim you need to lend a shoulder to cry on.”
    “Well, I think you’re both right,” Terry said as he walked down the hall toward them. “You’re definitely freaking her out, big guy, but this situation doesn’t seem to be putting her under too much duress.”
    “What, because she’s not falling down in a puddle of tears? She’s in shock, Terry. You more than all of us know how it affects