The Seven: A Taste for Jazz: Book 3 of The Seven series Read Online Free PDF Page B

hidden from us."
    "Like I said, he hates war. Anything else?"
    "Yes. We have a leak. Asha has been in communication with someone. We found what is referred to in the vernacular as a burner phone but cannot trace the number we found on it. I've asked that it be delivered to you in hope that you might determine who she is speaking with."
    "You might want to take a closer look at who's guarding her."
    "Quite so. The person responsible for providing her with the phone is now in detention. I would like security heightened, however. Suggestions?"
    "Yeah. Call the Colorado station and ask for Angelo. He has all the latest updates on security protocols. Get him over there to upgrade with the X3-9m. Better yet, I'll call him."
    "Thank you. And now something closer to home - at least for you. Severin's people in Florida have detected an unusual energy. Have you noticed anything strange of late?"
    Rock's mind went immediately to Jazz, but then dismissed the thought. His growing obsession with her was a bit strange, but he chalked that up to wanting and not having.
    "No."
    "Well keep your eyes and ears open."
    "Will do. So, you and Layla going to stay in Europe?"
    "For a few more weeks and then we will return to Texas."
    "Okay, tell her hello for me."
    "I will. Be safe, my friend."
    "And you."
    Rock ended the call and swiveled his chair to stare out of the window. After centuries of hiding, his people had dared to make their presence known. Years of negotiations and they'd made substantial strides toward forming a lasting peace with humans.
    Asha Iltani, the Queen of the Vampires had destroyed all they'd worked for in an hour. Well, that was not correct. She'd obviously spent a good deal of time planning, but the result was the same. The Seven were right back where they'd started. They could chose to hide who and what they were, or conquer humanity.
    Thank the stars Augustus ruled the Council. Rock had no desire to conquer anything.
    Well, aside from what was uppermost on his mind at present, namely his case of the hots for Jazz Boudreaux.
    *****
    Fred Mindleton stood behind the leather chair at his desk, staring out at the city through the wall of glass. Below lay his empire. Thanks to Asha Iltani, it was a city that had been his for nearly thirty years. A city he governed from behind the scenes, his money paving the way for progress while simultaneously affording him control and power.
    He was accustomed to calling the shots. Used to having people jump through hoops to please him. People did not say no to him. And yet, RC Burns had been saying no for the last six months, despite the lavish offers that had been made to him.
    Fred was tired of the word no. It was time to raise the stakes. If money would not prompt Burns to do his bidding then he'd find another incentive. He turned and punched a button on his phone.
    "Get Barnette. I have a job for him."
    He didn't wait for a response to his command. It would be carried out. He took a seat and turned his attention to the report displayed on his laptop. One of his many companies, FM Analytic, was showing phenomenal earnings, thanks to the success of the nanoscale polymer membranes Burns had developed. Using these membranes to increase the efficiency of cooling and heating systems had proved to be a highly lucrative design.
    Burns had developed a polymer membrane configured exclusively for such applications by selectively engineering the size of the pores in the membrane to prevent air from passing, and at the same time allowing moisture to pass through.
    He'd leased the patent to FM Analytic for ten years. Mindleton wanted more. He wanted the patent for himself. Every year his company paid Burns millions on the lease. Millions that could be going into his coffers. Mindleton was not a man who liked to share.
    Particularly since he'd discovered that a competitor in LA had used another of Burns' patents to develop a consumer product that showed exemplary earning potential. The product Burns