Twice as Hot Read Online Free PDF

of fire suddenly licking at my skin and
melting the ice. “I’m going to capture the bastard who hurt him.”
    “It
will be my pleasure to help you.”
    “Thank
you.” I’d take any help I could get. “I doubt John will balk. The guy who
attacked you and Rome is linked to Desert Gal, since she’s the one who rounded
up all of Pretty Boy’s experiments, so technically his case should be mine,
anyway.” God. This might not have happened if I’d taken care of her already.
She wouldn’t have gathered those people, that horrible body-entering man, and
Rome wouldn’t have gone to that warehouse. “As soon as Rome wakes up, I’m
hunting them both.” No longer would I be lax in my duties.
    “I’ll
be ready,” Cody said. “From what I hear, Desert Gal is worse than Pretty Boy.
More coldhearted, hungrier for power, with no perceivable weakness.”
    Didn’t
matter. I would not fail. Not again. “I’m going to request Tanner and Lexis as
backup.” The two might not get along, and Lexis might not be my favorite person
right now, but they were amazing agents. If anyone could help me find and
destroy my fiancé’s tormentors, they could.
    “The
bastard is going to suffer,” I said with determination.
    “Belle,”
Cody said gently.
    “Yes?”
    “Look
at me.”
    And
away from Rome? “No, I—”
    “Please.”
    When
a strong, dominant man said please, it was best to give in unless you wanted
six-foot-four of solid muscle breathing down your neck. Something I knew
firsthand from Rome. I’d delighted in refusing him, and he’d delighted in
changing my mind.
    Eyes
welling, I slowly turned to face Cody. He was almost as beautiful as Pretty Boy
had been. Like a fallen angel or a glamorized devil. He had silvery-blond hair
and silver eyes with a hint of violet that actually sparked with the
electricity he contained inside himself, allowing him to shift into nothing but
energy particles.
    But
he wasn’t Rome, wasn’t my Cat Man, and he’d never made my heart pound or my
skin tighten with anticipation. I wiped at the droplets splattering my cheeks
and arms.
    He
stepped away from me, clearly not wanting any of that water to hit, and perhaps
electrocute, him. “Don’t do anything rash, okay,” he said, gaze sharp. “Rome
would have my ass if something happened to you.”
    Yes,
he would. Rome was wonderfully protective, one of the many things I loved about
him. “He’d have mine, too.”
    Softening,
Cody covered his fingers with his shirt and skimmed his hand over my brow,
mopping up the moisture. “John doesn’t want the man who did this killed. He
wants him brought in for testing.”
    I
should have known, I thought, looking back at Rome. John had wanted me for the
same reason. Testing. Like an animal. Rome was supposed to be the one to bring
me in; instead, he’d been the one to shelter me, teach me how to use my powers,
how to love. He’d helped me escape. In the end, though, I’d turned myself in to
save him, and I’ve never regretted it.
    “Some
scrims aren’t meant to be saved,” I said.
    “That’s
not for you to decide.” There was an edge to his tone, an edge I did not like.
    I
stiffened, gave him my full attention. “Who’s to decide, then? John? What gives
him the right? The guy who attacked you and Rome attacked agents who were there
to help him. He lost his right to live.”
    The
flickering lights in Cody’s eyes brightened, spreading and deepening, becoming
an electric storm that reminded me of lightning in black velvet. “Lexis told me
the man was crazed. He’d been locked in one cage after another for God knows
how long. Who knows if he’d been fed. Who knows what kind of torture he’d
endured. He wasn’t in his right mind.”
    I
popped my jaw, refusing to soften. “I still plan to find him.”
    “Just…promise
me you won’t kill him. I ask this for your own good.”
    “I
can’t promise that. If Rome…if Rome doesn’t…” Stop! Just stop.
    “He’ll
wake up. He’ll