Shadowman Read Online Free PDF Page B

then, Adam Thorne had a mint to spend. The rest of the room was similarly Thorne-fabulous, moldings edging the walls, as well as ornately framing the flat expanses all the way to the high ceiling. The floor was made up of glossy wood squares, diagonally arranged in alternating deep and lighter tones. A ballroom with a conference table. Okeydokey.
    She shrugged off her backpack, dropping it onto the floor, swiveled the nearest chair out from the table, and collapsed into it. Chairs were lovely things. The long-dry film of sweat that coated her skin cracked with the movement and she caught a whiff of herself. Wow. But very lost hiker–ish.
    Now a wait while they decided what to do with her.
    kat-a-kat-a-kat-a-kat
    Layla leaned forward, her elbows propped on her knees, and massaged her temples. If this kept up, she was going to have a raging migraine.
    She lowered her hands and noticed the pale pink band of skin where her engagement ring used to be. A pang of sharp regret hit her hard. She never should have said yes. Sure, she cared for Ty, but . . . But she couldn’t help who she was, and she couldn’t change either. Calling it off had been the decent thing to do. She had the engagement ring reminder to show for it, and this one she couldn’t take off.
    The only thing left was work. Work kept her focused, her mind from wandering, which was becoming a problem. Work was important. She raised her gaze to the ballroom door. She had no patience for waiting. Too long, and she’d begin to see things.
    On cue, the door clicked and opened. Thank goodness.
    Layla was startled to recognize Adam Thorne, the man himself, as he strode in.
    She started to rise, but he waved her down, dragged a chair out from the table, and lowered himself into it. He was tall, a little too lean, and had a handsome face lined with stress and worry. Exactly how the man who bioengineered the wraith disease should look—except for the handsome part.
    Still playing lost hiker, she sat slowly back into her chair, twitched a smile on her face, and innocently asked, “Can you please tell me where I am? The man who escorted me to this room wouldn’t answer any of my questions.”
    Thorne lifted a brow. Not buying her story either.
    In the spirit of plausible deniability, she forged on. “Though, naturally I am very grateful to have been found. I’d been lost for hours. . . .”
    Thorne shook his head slightly, raising a hand. “Ms. Mathews, save your breath.”
    Layla closed her mouth, heart stalling. He knew her name, which she hadn’t yet given. The jig was officially up.
    â€œWhat would possess you to wander unescorted on private property you know very well is dedicated to wraith research?”
    Layla straightened to cover the sudden tremor that ran over her body and lifted her own sarcastic brow in spite of the rapid pounding in her chest. “You let them out to roam the woods?”
    â€œI don’t need this today,” Adam muttered. He cocked his jaw while he regarded her. “For the record”—he gestured to her backpack—“do you need a little notepad to write this down?”
    â€œI think I can remember,” Layla answered, narrowing her gaze as the zaps in her brain got faster. If he wanted her to take notes, he wasn’t likely to feed her to the wraiths today. Just give her the official line and then the boot.
    Right. She wasn’t about to let him off that easy. Not the man who’d released a pandemic on the world. How to pin him?
    â€œAs our press release clearly states,” Thorne began, “Segue researches wraiths and other paranormal phenomena. We have the cooperation and backing of the United States government, as well as formal agreements with seven other countries. We are a target for wraith attacks, as any intelligent person in the know might surmise.” He smiled slightly. “Now, once again, why would you roam the private