Read Online a Touch of Revenge (Romantic Mystery - book 6): The Everly Gray Adventures by L.j. Charles - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: L.j. Charles
Ads: Link
weapon than to be caught without one. I stood, rolling to the balls of my feet, and then balanced my weight, slowly shifting to check the path behind me. Feigning interest in the object I’d supposedly picked up, I tilted my hand toward a weak shaft of sunlight and opened the Boker.
Movement on the far side of the hedges. Furtive? A fresh rush of adrenaline hit me, and blood pounded in my ears.
Two inhalations. The panic churning in my stomach pissed me off, so I swung into offensive mode. Long, even strides took me toward the back of the cottage. The scent of cherry tobacco intensified, and I honed in on the source, calculating the time it would take me to reach my target. Ten seconds, max.
A hand landed on my shoulder. Squeezed.
I spun, my knee halfway to the attacker’s groin.
“You knee me and I’ll have to hurt you.” The brogue was heavier than usual, and his blue eyes sparkled with laughter. There was a polished tobacco pipe in his hand, and a single wisp of smoke trailed into the air.
“Damn it, Pierce.” Surely he wasn’t… I spun to scan the area where I’d last sensed my target. No movement. No prickles. “I lost him.”
“No, you didn’t. I’m right here. Doubled back on you. Let’s move, Belisama. Tour group coming this way.”
I puffed out a sigh. “Fu…udderbudder.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Maddie. I’ve been trying out new words to replace the ones Annie would rather not hear coming from her daughter’s mouth. Flippydoodles and fudderbudder make the kidlet giggle, so they’re keepers.”
Pierce grunted. He’d clearly won this round, but I soldiered on. “Annie texted me a photo of Fion Connor. I know it’s a long shot, but the woman who served my cream tea went squirrely and disappeared after I asked about her, and Annie said she owns the tea room in the Manor House. I thought maybe… You know how I am about there not being any coincidences.”
He laid his arm across my shoulders, and propelled me along the path. “Yeah. And I’m with you on that, but timing and location play a part in successful covert work.”
“I’m learning.” And then the reality of his presence crashed into me. I jerked from under his arm. “Where have you been? I’ve been sending messages, trying really hard to be patient. Unsuccessfully, but still—”
“Eamon Grady.” Four blunt syllables that leached most of the brogue from his voice.
Curiosity won over my natural inclinations—impatience and annoyance—when dealing with Pierce. “And?”
“He’s in Ireland. We’ll get to that, but you’re onto something with Fion Connor, and we should probably work that angle before we leave England. Could be Hunt’s assignment was less about you and more about Loyria Gray’s formula.”
Pride curled in my belly that I’d already started thinking the same thing. I was learning. I nudged him with my elbow. “I haven’t gotten into a single speck of trouble since I’ve been here.”
Pierce’s left eyebrow hiked. “Your knee was damn close to my balls.”
I fought an eye roll. Won. “Trained reaction. Annie and Whitney are excellent teachers. My plan was to see if it was someone connected to Connor, then tail him and keep sending you messages to get your butt here because I needed you. I learned my lesson about having backup.”
His fingers grazed my cheek.
The gentle touch slipped under my defenses and latched onto the fragile part of my heart, the part that hadn’t completely recovered from losing Mitch. My breath stuttered. “I don’t want to get myself killed, especially before I have all the answers I need, and before I’ve avenged what happened to Mitch and my parents.”
A shadow crossed Pierce’s face. “Closure and revenge aren’t the same, Belisama.”
Every one of my nerves bristled. Guess I wasn’t ready for a philosophical approach to the deaths of my family. “How about we wander around the main part of Cockington, maybe feed you lunch at the Manor Tea Room
Movement on the far side of the hedges. Furtive? A fresh rush of adrenaline hit me, and blood pounded in my ears.
Two inhalations. The panic churning in my stomach pissed me off, so I swung into offensive mode. Long, even strides took me toward the back of the cottage. The scent of cherry tobacco intensified, and I honed in on the source, calculating the time it would take me to reach my target. Ten seconds, max.
A hand landed on my shoulder. Squeezed.
I spun, my knee halfway to the attacker’s groin.
“You knee me and I’ll have to hurt you.” The brogue was heavier than usual, and his blue eyes sparkled with laughter. There was a polished tobacco pipe in his hand, and a single wisp of smoke trailed into the air.
“Damn it, Pierce.” Surely he wasn’t… I spun to scan the area where I’d last sensed my target. No movement. No prickles. “I lost him.”
“No, you didn’t. I’m right here. Doubled back on you. Let’s move, Belisama. Tour group coming this way.”
I puffed out a sigh. “Fu…udderbudder.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Maddie. I’ve been trying out new words to replace the ones Annie would rather not hear coming from her daughter’s mouth. Flippydoodles and fudderbudder make the kidlet giggle, so they’re keepers.”
Pierce grunted. He’d clearly won this round, but I soldiered on. “Annie texted me a photo of Fion Connor. I know it’s a long shot, but the woman who served my cream tea went squirrely and disappeared after I asked about her, and Annie said she owns the tea room in the Manor House. I thought maybe… You know how I am about there not being any coincidences.”
He laid his arm across my shoulders, and propelled me along the path. “Yeah. And I’m with you on that, but timing and location play a part in successful covert work.”
“I’m learning.” And then the reality of his presence crashed into me. I jerked from under his arm. “Where have you been? I’ve been sending messages, trying really hard to be patient. Unsuccessfully, but still—”
“Eamon Grady.” Four blunt syllables that leached most of the brogue from his voice.
Curiosity won over my natural inclinations—impatience and annoyance—when dealing with Pierce. “And?”
“He’s in Ireland. We’ll get to that, but you’re onto something with Fion Connor, and we should probably work that angle before we leave England. Could be Hunt’s assignment was less about you and more about Loyria Gray’s formula.”
Pride curled in my belly that I’d already started thinking the same thing. I was learning. I nudged him with my elbow. “I haven’t gotten into a single speck of trouble since I’ve been here.”
Pierce’s left eyebrow hiked. “Your knee was damn close to my balls.”
I fought an eye roll. Won. “Trained reaction. Annie and Whitney are excellent teachers. My plan was to see if it was someone connected to Connor, then tail him and keep sending you messages to get your butt here because I needed you. I learned my lesson about having backup.”
His fingers grazed my cheek.
The gentle touch slipped under my defenses and latched onto the fragile part of my heart, the part that hadn’t completely recovered from losing Mitch. My breath stuttered. “I don’t want to get myself killed, especially before I have all the answers I need, and before I’ve avenged what happened to Mitch and my parents.”
A shadow crossed Pierce’s face. “Closure and revenge aren’t the same, Belisama.”
Every one of my nerves bristled. Guess I wasn’t ready for a philosophical approach to the deaths of my family. “How about we wander around the main part of Cockington, maybe feed you lunch at the Manor Tea Room
Similar Books
