Rhys Read Online Free PDF Page A

guess. Someplace safe ,” she parroted his deep voice.
    He fixed her with his blue stare. “The less you know, the better off you are.”
    Her brows pulled together as she shook her head. “You are aware that makes absolutely no sense, right?”
    He didn’t answer, but bent down to wrap a steadying arm around her shoulder.
    “How could ignorance possibly serve anyone better than knowledge?” she went on. “To say otherwise is to discount thousands of years of scientific progress.”
    “Are you a scientist?” he asked, helping her to her feet.
    “I am,” Tessa said proudly. “I have a doctorate in bio-engineering. And I don’t need your help to walk.”
    She might have been in bad shape before, but now she felt fine. Better than fine. Hell, she was pretty sure she could dance her way into the house if he let her.
    But it didn’t look like that was going to happen.
    “Humor me,” Rhys said.
    He swooped her up again, and for a second Tessa felt like she was floating. Then she was pressed up against his body, his strong arms supporting her. Suddenly, she forgot what they were arguing about. Tessa let out a long sigh as her head fell against his hard chest.
    “You feel good,” she said.
    His mouth tightened at her words, but Tessa didn’t mind. For the first time in days, she felt safe, rising and falling in his arms. Safe and warm and protected.
    All was right in the world as he carried her out into the crisp night air. So right, that her eyelids started to flutter with every step.
    She was so tired. It wasn’t surprising. Dylan hadn’t allowed her to sleep. Surely, there wasn’t any harm in taking just a little nap.
    No harm at all.

 
    Chapter Three
     
     
    “Don’t fall asleep on me yet,” Rhys said as Tessa’s head lolled against his chest.
    He rushed across the back lawn of the safe house and up the steps. The lights were off and the neighborhood was quiet. He was confident that no one was watching as he unlocked the door.
    Which was good. Barely conscious, bleeding women were notoriously difficult to explain away to neighbors and police.
    At least the morphine had done its job. Having her nod off before he was able to get more information out of her would be a pain in the ass, but at least she was no longer in agony.
    For now at least.
    Tomorrow morning would be a different story. He might have taken away the worst of her pain, but she still had a long road to travel until she was truly healed. And based on her near feral behavior in the car when she’d tried to get away, he had the feeling that Tessa Rosenthal wasn’t going to consent to bed rest without a fight.
    So, he would just have to convince her.
    Rhys walked her down the hall to the back bedroom. He laid her down as gently as he could, but she still flinched as her back pressed against the soft mattress. She looked up at him with heavy hooded eyes.
    She looked particularly small down on top of the king-sized bed. Vulnerable. Hardly worthy of the half dozen guards that Boyd had posted at his house. And yet, she’d escaped them all.
    But what had they done to her? And why?
    A fresh wave of anger surged inside him.
    “I need to take your shirt off,” Rhys said through gritted teeth. Her eyes widened, showing a glimmer of fear. He forced himself to relax and softened his voice. “To check your injuries.”
    She didn’t look all that reassured, but she didn’t fight him as he peeled back the mottled brown T-shirt from her chest and pulled it over her arms and head. It wasn’t until he held it in his hands that Rhys realized the fabric used to be white. He tossed it on the ground at his feet.
    Rhys’ hands curled into fists at his side as every muscle in his body went tight.
    Her left side was covered in red and black bruises. He lowered himself down to his knees to get a better look. Finger-width welts still showed on her flesh. But that wasn’t all.
    There were clean cuts all over her torso. Some short. Some long. All superficial,