Secrets of the Lynx Read Online Free PDF Page B

what he was talking about, but it was too dark. “Come on, let’s go back inside. I don’t want to stay out here any longer than necessary. This is the best time for a sneak attack.”
    “Yeah. It’ll be dawn soon,” he said, letting her take the lead in the walk back around the house. “Why don’t you get a little more rest?”
    “Can’t. I’m wide awake now.”
    “So, how about a real early breakfast then?” he asked.
    “Thanks, but, no. It’s too early for me to even think of food,” she said, glancing at her watch. It was a little after five. “Unlike my brother, I’m not a big fan of breakfast. But our father, the colonel, used to insist on it. Personally I feel more primed for work if I have a mug of strong coffee and something sweet, like a doughnut.”
    He laughed. “Not much for health food, are you?”
    “Hey, I grab a sandwich at lunch. My anchor is a good dinner, when I’m not on the run.”
    When they stepped back into the house, Paul walked over to his chair and picked up his jacket. “Since we’re both up, why don’t we get an early start and head back?”
    “If we start too early, we’ll have to wake people up. We want them relaxed, not cranky, when we ask for their cooperation,” she said. “Besides, you need to get some rest, too. I need you alert.”
    “I grabbed some shut-eye before you arrived here. I’m not tired, and right now there are some things I need to do, like contact Nick and tell him I won’t be at home. I need him to steer clear of my apartment.”
    “Nick?”
    “He’s the son of the man who owns my rental unit, which is over his coffee shop. Nick also cleans for me and makes sure my fridge is stocked.”
    “With my crazy work hours, the food at my place is usually leftover takeout with a coating of green fuzz.”
    “So you’re not exactly a domestic goddess, I take it?”
    She laughed. “Not even close. You know what it’s like, working double shifts, pulling all-nighters, traveling the red-eye with a prisoner at your side. When I first started out, I put in long hours, but there was time off the clock, too. Then somewhere along the way, the balance shifted.”
    He nodded, setting his jacket down again. “It happens like that.”
    “One day I discovered that whether I was on the clock or not, my mind was always on the job.”
    “Law enforcement is like that. It starts out as a job you love, but pretty soon it’s your life,” he said.
    “It gets under your skin,” she said, nodding. “What I love most about it is that every day brings its own challenge.”
    “I miss the constant change of pace,” he said. “When I started my agency, my shoulder was still holding me back. All I could really do was set up security, conduct interviews, and manage surveillance monitors for my clients. I spent most of my time pushing paper or watching screens.”
    “And it drove you crazy?”
    “Oh, yeah,” he said. “I’m a lot happier in the field.”
    “I asked you about painkillers before. How much trouble does your shoulder give you these days?”
    “It aches from time to time, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. It’s healed up nice.” Rather than have her wonder, he stepped over by the fire and shrugged out of his wool shirt. “Take a look.”
    She drew closer to him, started to touch his shoulder, but then changed her mind and dropped her hand to her side. “Through and through, though it must have taken out a lot of muscle. A rifle bullet can do a lot of damage. Rehab must have been tough,” she said softly.
    He nodded. “It was, but the daily grind of exercises helped me get everything working again.”
    He saw her gaze drop from his shoulder and run slowly down his chest. Women generally liked what they saw, and he was man enough to know when they did. As Kendra licked her lips, a flash of heat shot through him. His shoulder had taken a hit, but the rest of him worked just fine.
    “It’s cold. You better put your shirt back on,” she said,