Read Online Call of the Wolf by Madelaine Montague - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Madelaine Montague
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him, feeling her throat close. Tears stung her nose and eyes. She looked away. “It doesn't matter what I want. I don't have a choice. I don't have any choices anymore."
Seth moved closer and crouched in front of her. When she refused to look at him, he lifted a hand to her face, applying pressure along her jaw with his fingertips until she met his gaze. “Tell me, Abby. I can't protect you if I don't know what's going on."
Abby swallowed against the hard knot in her throat and finally dragged her gaze from his, glancing at the others. “They told me not to trust anybody,” she said hoarsely, “not to tell anybody anything except what they'd coached me on."
He studied her face for a long moment and finally turned and glanced at the others. She could see they weren't pleased about the question in his eyes. Their faces tightened angrily, but after a tense moment, Adrian and Jerico strode from the room. Cameron lingered for a long moment after they had gone but finally stepped away from the door. “We'll be out back."
"You don't know them,” Abby said uneasily when they'd left.
Seth seemed to consider it for a moment. He shrugged. “I know them in the sense that I know what they are ... and what they aren't. Whoever it is you're running from, they would have no connection with them."
Abby rubbed shaking hands over her face, but she didn't think it really mattered what she told Seth. Despite the fact that they'd scared her witless earlier—maybe because they had—she realized that it was her own behavior that had prompted it. It seemed indisputable that if they'd meant her any harm they would've already done the worst. If she'd hadn't behaved so ... suspiciously, she didn't think any of it would've happened.
She'd panicked, plain and simple. If she'd kept her wits about her and tried to brazen her way through their suspicions she might have had a chance of smoothing things over without it going as far as it had.
It wasn't paranoia, although she supposed it must look like that to them. It was perfect awareness that her life could just be erased any second of any day merely by turning the wrong corner or speaking to the wrong person.
Dragging in a shaky breath, she dropped her hands, studying them in her lap instead of meeting Seth's gaze. “My name's Kylee Bennett. I suppose you thought I was involved in some kind of scam and that's why you came after me, but I thought you—y'all—must be somebody he'd hired. But this was actually set up for me by the witness protection program. I testified against a Russian mob boss by the name of Mikhail Zodorf, who's currently serving time but appealing his conviction and who also, the Feds are almost certain, has a contract out on me to make sure I'm not available if they have to call upon me to testify again."
"What was your involvement with Zodorf?” he asked tightly when she'd finished.
She sent him a resentful glare. “I dated him. I'd gone out with him on three whole dates and then the Feds descended on me and threatened to charge me with conspiracy and everything else they could think of to charge me with unless I wore a wire on the next date and managed to get him to talk ‘business’ with me. They suspected that he'd targeted me for my business connections so they prepped me on it and told me to angle for a percentage for myself.
"I thought he was going to kill me right then, but when he'd calmed down a little, he decided it was better that I work with him as a partner, instead of what he'd intended. Which was to manipulate me and slip his transactions through without my knowledge."
He rose after a moment and began to pace the room again, obviously thinking. Finally, he dropped into the chair Adrian had vacated a little earlier. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on his splayed knees. “You'll be safe here. When Agent Milner comes, we'll have to convince him."
Abby studied him a little doubtfully. “You really think I'll be safe?"
His eyes gleamed
Seth moved closer and crouched in front of her. When she refused to look at him, he lifted a hand to her face, applying pressure along her jaw with his fingertips until she met his gaze. “Tell me, Abby. I can't protect you if I don't know what's going on."
Abby swallowed against the hard knot in her throat and finally dragged her gaze from his, glancing at the others. “They told me not to trust anybody,” she said hoarsely, “not to tell anybody anything except what they'd coached me on."
He studied her face for a long moment and finally turned and glanced at the others. She could see they weren't pleased about the question in his eyes. Their faces tightened angrily, but after a tense moment, Adrian and Jerico strode from the room. Cameron lingered for a long moment after they had gone but finally stepped away from the door. “We'll be out back."
"You don't know them,” Abby said uneasily when they'd left.
Seth seemed to consider it for a moment. He shrugged. “I know them in the sense that I know what they are ... and what they aren't. Whoever it is you're running from, they would have no connection with them."
Abby rubbed shaking hands over her face, but she didn't think it really mattered what she told Seth. Despite the fact that they'd scared her witless earlier—maybe because they had—she realized that it was her own behavior that had prompted it. It seemed indisputable that if they'd meant her any harm they would've already done the worst. If she'd hadn't behaved so ... suspiciously, she didn't think any of it would've happened.
She'd panicked, plain and simple. If she'd kept her wits about her and tried to brazen her way through their suspicions she might have had a chance of smoothing things over without it going as far as it had.
It wasn't paranoia, although she supposed it must look like that to them. It was perfect awareness that her life could just be erased any second of any day merely by turning the wrong corner or speaking to the wrong person.
Dragging in a shaky breath, she dropped her hands, studying them in her lap instead of meeting Seth's gaze. “My name's Kylee Bennett. I suppose you thought I was involved in some kind of scam and that's why you came after me, but I thought you—y'all—must be somebody he'd hired. But this was actually set up for me by the witness protection program. I testified against a Russian mob boss by the name of Mikhail Zodorf, who's currently serving time but appealing his conviction and who also, the Feds are almost certain, has a contract out on me to make sure I'm not available if they have to call upon me to testify again."
"What was your involvement with Zodorf?” he asked tightly when she'd finished.
She sent him a resentful glare. “I dated him. I'd gone out with him on three whole dates and then the Feds descended on me and threatened to charge me with conspiracy and everything else they could think of to charge me with unless I wore a wire on the next date and managed to get him to talk ‘business’ with me. They suspected that he'd targeted me for my business connections so they prepped me on it and told me to angle for a percentage for myself.
"I thought he was going to kill me right then, but when he'd calmed down a little, he decided it was better that I work with him as a partner, instead of what he'd intended. Which was to manipulate me and slip his transactions through without my knowledge."
He rose after a moment and began to pace the room again, obviously thinking. Finally, he dropped into the chair Adrian had vacated a little earlier. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on his splayed knees. “You'll be safe here. When Agent Milner comes, we'll have to convince him."
Abby studied him a little doubtfully. “You really think I'll be safe?"
His eyes gleamed
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