Viper's Kiss Read Online Free PDF

He waited. She reluctantly edged past him, keeping as much distance between their bodies as the door frame would allow. His lips twitched. She probably knew seven different ways to kill a man with her pinkie, but she sure could act.
    They entered through the U-shaped kitchen, with its white timber cupboards and granite countertops. He led her across the black and white tiled floor into the living room, and guided her toward the couch.
    He pulled out his cell phone and speed-dialed Reese, keeping a watchful eye on the woman. She sat on the edge of the couch and looked like she was ready to run at the first opportunity. His lips twisted. Just try it .
    His boss answered immediately. “Reese, here.”
    “I’ve got Viper.”
    “We heard about her escape and the cop murders. It’s all over the news. I’ve got Richard Bates on the other line. Let me conference this call.”
    Luke managed to contain his surprise as the billionaire CEO of the world’s most iconic software and hardware development company greeted him.
    “Fletcher! I’m glad to hear you’ve recovered our thief. What about the research and the prototype she stole?”
    Luke’s eyes met Viper’s. She was staring at him warily.
    “I’m still working on it.” Luke narrowed his eyes. Viper had shifted on the couch, eyeing the hallway to the front of the house. He shook his head, and casually moved into her line of vision.
    “Where are you?” Bates asked.
    Luke hesitated. Bates was the client. His company, Tek-Intel, owned the technology Viper had stolen. But he wasn’t McCormack Security.
    “We’re at a safe house,” Luke answered. Bates didn’t need to know where that safe house was.
    “I’m sending Drew and Noah down as backup,” Reese informed him.
    The corner of Luke’s mouth kicked up. “Good.”
    Drew Michaels and Noah Samuels were excellent agents and good friends. Much as Luke wanted to prove his worth, he appreciated the skills his colleagues would bring to the mission. They had to recover the stolen research. Period.
    “And let me know if you need anything else.”
    “Keep me updated too,” Bates said. It sounded like a demand.
    “Sure.”
    Luke disconnected the call and glanced at his watch. It was roughly a four-and-a-half-hour flight from Chicago to Seattle. Drew and Noah wouldn’t arrive sometime until late evening
    “I need to call my mother.” The soft voice interrupted his calculations. He looked at the woman responsible for the recent deaths of two detectives and a security guard. She sat primly on the edge of the couch, her bound hands resting neatly on her knees. “She’ll be worried sick.” Despite her disheveled appearance, she still managed to exude an air of injured propriety.
    “Not a chance,” he said, and crossed to what looked like a custom-built enclosed entertainment unit. Mother was probably a codename for an accomplice. He folded back the doors to reveal an array of monitors. Reese liked all the mod cons in his safe houses. Luke pressed a button to the side of one of the monitors, and a desktop slid out of the wall, bearing several keyboards and remote controls. He typed a command, and all the monitors flickered to life. Several twenty-four hour news channels popped up, as well as satellite imagery and scrolling data.
    “Oh my God. Who are you?” Viper whispered, gaping at the wall of monitors.
    “Luke Fletcher, McCormack Security Agency.” He turned and bowed toward her.
    She tore her eyes away to meet his gaze. “Are you some sort of spy?”
    Luke laughed, but cut it short when he realized what he was doing. He cleared his throat. “Uh, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?”
    The woman stared at him for a moment.
    “That. Is. It.” She stood and raised her cuffed hands, fingers curled into fists. Her ripped shirt gaped at the front. He caught a glimpse of a white cotton bra and had to work hard to ignore it.
    She advanced on him, her eyes lightening to silver as color flagged her