Read Online Hot Toy by Jennifer Crusie - Free Book Online Page A

his eyes still red and streaming from the Mace as he raised his gun. He grabbed for her, and she stabbed him in the gun arm, dropping her Twinkletoes bag but still clutching the Mac as he screamed, and then she kicked him in the knee and ran like hell for the door, wrenching it open as Reese fired, hearing the bullet ping on the metal as she dove for the darkness.
    *   *   *
    Trudy ran for the edge of the parking lot, clutching the Mac, adrenaline pumping, not stopping when she heard, “Hold it!”
    Somebody grabbed Trudy’s arm and swung her around and she saw it was the cabdriver. “Give me that doll,” he said.
    â€œNo.” She smacked him with the bag and as he raised one hand to protect his head, she saw the gun in the shoulder holster under his leather jacket.
    â€œDamn it,” she said, and swung her elbow sharply into his solar plexus, stamped down on his instep, punched him in the nose, and then tried to kick him in the groin and missed and got his thigh instead, collapsing him onto the pavement.
    Good enough, she thought, and took off for the street, only to have somebody else grab her arm just as she reached the chain-link fence.
    â€œNo,” she said, and tried to turn, but whoever it was wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her back against him.
    â€œStop it!” Nolan said. “It’s me. Give me the Mac.”
    â€œNo,” Trudy said, furious, and smacked her head back into his nose. She heard him swear and knew she’d gotten him, but he didn’t let go, so she tried for his instep, but he jerked her off her feet.
    â€œTrudy, stop it.”
    She swung her elbow back again and missed, and he kicked her feet out from under her and dumped her onto the grimy, wet pavement, yanking her arms behind her.
    â€œYou couldn’t make this easy, could you?” he said as her cheek scraped on the ground. “You had to be a hard-ass.”
    â€œYou bastard, you promised me I’d keep the doll,” she said, and then she felt him yank her wrists together as he slapped handcuffs on her and took the Mac away from her.
    â€œTrudy Maxwell. You’ve been taken into custody for criminal obstinacy.”
    â€œFuck you,” Trudy said into the pavement. “And you have to be an actual cop to take me into custody, which you are not, so don’t think I’m not going to sue your ass for kidnapping.”
    He put his arm under her and lifted her gently back onto her feet. “I’m not kidnapping you.”
    â€œYeah?” Her hair fell in her eyes and she couldn’t brush it out, which made her madder. “You and Reese, this was all a setup. He didn’t even shoot at you back there, he shot at me. You were working together.”
    Nolan swung her around and gave her a gentle push back toward the warehouse. There were more cars there now and a van, and while she watched, somebody shoved Reese into the back of one of the cars. He was handcuffed.
    â€œNot working with Reese,” Nolan said.
    â€œI don’t see any police department insignia on these cars,” Trudy said, shrugging off his hand as he prodded her forward. “In fact, I don’t see any insignia at all.”
    Nolan stopped her in the pool of light from one of the warehouse lamps and showed her his ID.
    â€œâ€˜NSA,’” Trudy read. “Very cute. Got one for the CIA and the FBI, too? How about FEMA, I hear they’re really tough. Not as tough as double agents for the Chinese, of course. How dumb do you think I am?”
    â€œTrudy, I am NSA, Reese was a double agent for the Chinese, and I really did try to help you.”
    â€œYeah,” Trudy said bitterly. “That’s why I’m in handcuffs now.”
    â€œYou’re in handcuffs because you’re resisting,” Nolan said. “I’m trying to get a promotion here, and you’re beating me up. It makes me look