The Shadow Zone 2: Winning Madeline Read Online Free PDF Page B

seems willing to go out day after day to look for work. I wouldn’t say he’s a lazy man.”
    Rick nodded.
    “So they could be brought here? The two of them? He could work for me. He’d be paid well, he could feed his child. They couldn’t be used against her.” Rick tilted his head in Madeline’s direction, his expression thoughtful. “Since she won’t be leaving the property without you, it might even be a small comfort to her. Someone familiar. Her kind.”
    Maddox hadn’t considered that. He was grateful. It was a good plan, at least in the short term.
    “You’re welcome.” Rick’s mouth curved up into a smirk. “Wait. She’s not attracted to the man, is she?”
    Not that Maddox was aware of.
    “Was he ever a… client of hers?”
    So Rick had picked that out of his thoughts? Her profession? Well, her former profession. Very thorough. “Not often.” Maddox knew the answer to that. “He couldn’t afford it.”
    Ricked laughed at that. “Good enough. Now, we need to consider how to get the man and his daughter here safely. The sooner, the better.”
    Maddox couldn’t agree more. “I’ll go. Right now. Offer him a job.”
    Rick shook his head. “Take someone with you. If you have to move against the Lycans, two of you will dispatch them faster. You’ll have a better chance staying beneath the notice of the humans.”
    Maddox agreed. He turned to where Madeline was still out, hoping she wouldn’t awaken before he returned. He didn’t want her more scared than she was already bound to be.
    “Best get going then,” Rick told him. “And, yes, she’ll be scared. I can’t help you with that.”
    Maddox shook his head as he watched his friend lead the way out of the room. After knowing Rick hundreds of years, he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to his unique style of conversation.

 
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
    Madeline stretched, very comfortable and warm where she lay.
    Then she started awake. Where was Ivy? Ivy! Her heart thumped in her chest as she took in the enormous bed, the rich blue of the fine coverings draped over her body like a caress. She’d never even seen a bed so fine, much less slept in one, but she couldn’t focus on that. She had absolutely no idea where she was.
    The room beyond the bed was beautiful, clean, and richly furnished. Blue draperies were pulled closed to only allow a sliver of daylight to filter through. At least it was still daytime.
    Madeline just hoped it was the same day. How long had she been here? How had she gotten here? She stretched again, doing a physical inventory. No injuries. She felt fine. Her neck was a little sore at the back.
    Shaking, she tried to remember what had happened as she slid to the edge of the bed. On trembling legs, she rose from the bed and headed for that window where a beautiful wooden table and chairs, the likes of which she’d never seen before, sat in an elegant display. Maybe a glance outside would help her determine where she was. She could hope…
    No sooner had she reached the curtain to pull it back than the door opened behind her. Barely a whisper but audible in the silence of the room. “Madeline?”
    Whoever he was, he knew her name. She didn’t know whether to be comforted or terrified by that. Turning slowly, she faced the speaker, staring at the man who slowly closed the door behind him.
    It was an understatement to say he was as beautiful as his surroundings. The man who stood there watching her was incredible. Beyond words. He was tall, nearly as tall as Vincent, with the same wide shoulders and powerful, long limbs. He wasn’t as thick as her werewolf client, however. He was sleeker, elegant.
    His blond hair was swept neatly from his face, shining and straight. His hair was pale, his skin was paler. And the blue of his eyes was the deep hue of a summer sky. The features of his face were a study in perfection, all smooth lines and hard angles. His mouth kept his face from being too hard, his lips softer.
    Yet,