Traitorous Attraction Read Online Free PDF Page B

statement. Connor wasn’t big on sharing details. According to what she knew of him, while at Sphere, he’d frequently worked alone. She could see why. At least he had a dry sense of humor that charmed her. “You need to give me more than that.”
    “I don’t need to do anything,” Connor said, “except find my brother. You forced this partnership. You’ll have to deal with me as I am.”
    “Are you trying to be difficult?” Kate asked.
    The pause before he answered told her he was considering her question. “No. I am difficult. I don’t try to be. Didn’t my file tell you I don’t play nice with others?”
    How had he known she’d read his file? It was a fair assumption. “You’ll have to learn.”
    “You’re withholding information, too,” Connor said. “When you give me what I need, I’ll tell you more about my plan.”
    Give him what he needed? He needed to relax a bit and trust her a smidgen.
    “You want to trade information?” she asked.
    “Tell me what you know about my brother and I’ll tell you how we’ll find him,” Connor said. He grabbed her hand. “But later. We’ve been found. Come on,” Connor said, turning the corner of the building.
    Kate didn’t have time to see how close the Sphere agents were. They faced more open space and they ran across the tarmac. A baggage handler en route to a plane shouted at them in Portuguese to stop. They continued to run. When they reached the narrow strip of grass on the far side of the airport, a fence topped with barbed wire prevented them from leaving the airport grounds. “What do we do now?” Kate asked. She wasn’t climbing into the barbed wire. She’d heard of Sphere agents doing extreme things, but she wasn’t an agent. Her threshold for pain was minuscule.
    “Look for another way out,” Connor said.
    At least he hadn’t suggested taking their chances with the barbed wire.
    Cutting through the grass, they followed the fence until it opened into an oncoming stream of cars, buses and taxis moving slowly toward the airport’s departures terminal. Kate felt better being among people. The more people around them, the safer they were. Sphere liked to work in secret.
    If the Sphere agents had no other choice, how aggressive would they become to meet their agenda?
    Connor’s gaze was sharp as he searched the scene, but his posture was relaxed. She was taking her cues from him. Going up against Sphere alone was a risky, and some would say foolish, decision. Having Connor on her side leveled the playing field.
    “How will we avoid them?” Kate asked. The Sphere agents had disappeared from view, meaning they could be anywhere. “Maybe we should go back and explain.”
    Connor whirled on her. “Go back?” He brought his face close to hers. “Do you have a death wish? Because we’re beyond playing nice and talking things over. Do you think you can reason with them? They know you’ve betrayed them. Sorry, sweetheart, but you’ve passed the point of return. We’ve got to forge ahead.”
    Kate grasped for calm in a swelling sea of fears. He was right. Her throat was tight and her breathing came in shallow breaths. She was all in now.

Chapter 3
    C onnor knelt and dug through his bag. Removing a knife in a sheath, he slid it into the pocket of his pants.
    A knife? “How did you get that on the plane?” Kate asked.
    “Greased a few palms,” he said.
    Unbelievable. He was full of surprises.
    “No time to change now. You’ll have to change in the taxi,” Connor said, lifting his hand to hail a cab. When one stopped, he practically lifted Kate inside. He climbed in after her and barked the name of the closest city to the airport in perfect Portuguese with a hint of a Tumaran accent. The driver didn’t turn around to look at them, just jammed the gas and pulled away from the airport.
    “Are we being followed?” Kate asked, turning to look out the back window and searching for any cars that were too close. In the distance, she could