Secret Obsession Read Online Free PDF Page A

need a favor,” Noah said, ignoring further proof of CTC’s tracking prowess. He’d need every advantage. “It’s a big one.”
    “Name it.”
    Lyssa pulled from his grip. Noah tried not to consider the loss of her touch. When she tugged at her bag, he slid it from his shoulder. She walked across the alley, crouched down and rummaged through her purse. She didn’t fool Noah. She listened intently to every word he said. One misstep and she’d take off.
    “I need a full team. We may have to tap into WitSec. Maybe even an FBI task force.”
    Grainger let out a low whistle. “I’ve got an insider—”
    “No good. I have it from a top-notch source there’s a leak.”
    A low whistle escaped from Grainger. “That’ll be harder,” he said, “but it can be done. You know better than anyone how to circumvent—”
    “It’s Archimedes.”
    At the mention of the serial killer’s name, Lyssa’s fingers fumbled momentarily at the duffel’s zipper, then she shook it off. She yanked a sheath from the bag, followed by a knife. Noah couldn’t take his eyes off her. With practiced moves she attached the weapon to her ankle. God, she had guts.
    Grainger went silent. “What are you into, Noah? That guy makes some of our intelligence operatives look like amateurs.”
    “Long story. I’m standing across the alley from the only woman to survive an attack by Archimedes. She needs help. He’s found her. Again.”
    Lyssa didn’t pause this time. She removed her ragged coat, slipped on a shoulder holster and fitted the oversize garment over the weapon. Yeah, she definitely knew her way around a firearm.
    He understood the move. She’d decided to give him a bit of room, but she wasn’t trusting anyone with her safety—not him, not CTC. She had armed herself with easy access to the .45 and her knife.
    “What do you need?” Grainger asked. “Safe house?”
    “She wants to track him down and eliminate him.” Noah lowered his voice. “She wants to be bait.”
    The sound of drumming fingertips filtered through the phone. “It’s risky.”
    “I know.” Noah said. “If you can’t do it—”
    “I didn’t say that. If half of the murders they’ve assigned to him are true, he needs exterminating. I’ll pull Rafe, Zane and Elijah.” Grainger paused and Noah could almost hear the man he had once called partner thinking through every conversation they’d ever had. “She must be important.”
    Noah’s memories of a flag-draped coffin lingered in his mind, of the woman broken and sobbing, struggling to remain standing. No comparison to the warrior she had become. “She is.”
    “Expect the team in a few hours at Chicago Executive Airport. Elijah will want a firsthand look at the crime scene.” Grainger let out a long, slow breath. “You want this done so the feds can prosecute?”
    “Not necessarily,” Noah said as he took in Lyssa’s strained features. “I want her safe.”
    “You got it. No rules.”
    Grainger hung up, and Noah pocketed his cell. He faced Lyssa. “They’ll be here soon.”
    “You trust them?”
    “They’re smart, savvy and won’t run from a fight,” Noah said. “And they’ve saved my life more than once. Kind of like Jack.”
    She shoved her hands into the pockets of her wool coat. “I can’t afford to pay you,” she said. “Everything I made while in WitSec has gone to training and weapons.”
    “I owe Jack my life.” Noah gritted his teeth until his jaw ached. When he, Jack and Reid had started out in the Marines together, they’d covered each other’s backs. That had never changed. Once Jack proposed to Lyssa, he’d taken a job stateside. Supposedly safe, to live out his life with Lyssa. He wasn’t supposed to die at the hands of a madman in his own home. Noah would keep that oath. He’d cover Jack’s back this time. “The last thing you need to worry about is money.”
    “Thank you.”
    “Thank me when Archimedes is behind bars.”
    “Or dead,” Lyssa said, her