Running on Empty Read Online Free PDF Page A

them, so Sabrina had been able to fall back into her role as Lucia with no glitches.
    Reuben Pierce had been on the government’s radar for years. His elusiveness had been both infuriating and costly. Sabrina had been on several task forces to bring Pierce down, and each time he had evaded capture. Now she was going to be able to achieve a goal she had never been able to obtain in her previous job.
    Declan would be so pleased to know that Pierce was about to go down. How many nights had they sat around and planned his demise only to have him evade them once again? Wouldn’t Declan be…
    Shit. How had he gotten into Lucia’s head? Those totally out-of-place thoughts rattled her. 
    A soft, melodic chime sounded outside her door. Show time. Spine straight, shoulders back, the too-vulnerable, brokenhearted Sabrina Fox disappeared. Lucia was back in place.
    With one more glance to make sure her game face was set, she turned from the mirror and exited her room. Her sleeveless black evening gown floated around her long legs, creating a fluttering subtle wave of femininity and elegance. Snuggly hugging her body just enough to outline her slender frame, the gown left much to the imagination. She would be accepted in any high-society dinner party and would likely be one of the most conservatively dressed women in attendance. 
    There was little reason to blatantly flaunt herself. Pierce could have her stripped with one look. Not that she planned to allow that, but advertising her body wasn’t her intent, either. Mystery and allure would hook the man, not overt sexuality. With Reuben Pierce’s money and influence, he could have some of the most beautiful women in the world with a curl of his short, stubby finger. Though men found her attractive, Sabrina knew she was no great beauty. What she lacked in looks, she made up for in many other ways—talents that would appeal to Pierce.
    A tall, gaunt man stood at the entrance to the room Sabrina had been told to come to at the sound of the chime. Slightly bugged eyes dragged down her body, and then he gave what sounded like a disapproving sniff. Extending his wrinkled, scrawny neck only slightly, the man intoned in a pretentious and laughably fake British accent, “Mr. Pierce will see you now.”
    The Igor-like man pushed the door open, and Sabrina stepped into another world.
    “Welcome, Lucia.”
    Her smile as seductive as the viper tempting Adam and Eve in the Garden, she glided toward Reuben Pierce. He sat at a low table, leaning back against a long couch. Sabrina didn’t even let herself think about the times he had probably shoved the table away and used the couch for more than just sitting. She made a vow to herself that it would never be used in such a way again.
    “I am pleased you accepted my invitation.”
    “How could I not? It was uniquely intriguing.”
    The invitation had been delivered by one of Pierce’s men. Not the usual discreet white card with a request for her to dine with him. Instead, the package had included a financial portfolio, photographs of his many houses, and a short but explicit list of expectations. 
    She had to hand it to the guy, the financial offer was a generous one. Or so it would seem. She knew more than most people about his past liaisons. Many were no longer living, and the man responsible for their deaths reclined indolently against the sofa as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Before she left him, she planned to give him something to care about.
    Extending his hand, he waved at the straight-back chair on the other side of the table. “Come. Don’t be shy.”
    Relieved she wouldn’t have to submit to being on the sofa with him just yet, she gracefully made her way to the chair and seated herself.
    As if her sitting had been a signal, servants holding trays with a variety of delicacies scurried around them. Sabrina knew better than to look at them to see if she recognized any of the young faces. Giving away her interest in anyone