Read Online Hunting Her (The Keeping Her #6) by Kelly Lucille - Free Book Online
Authors: Kelly Lucille
Ads: Link
surprised her. He had a precise English accent that belied the
unrefined Italian features. "Thought you were dead." He stood to
come around his desk and stopped at the sight of Logan standing in the shadows
behind her. It was late in the day in Anchorage, so those shadows were long,
but even so, he was hard to miss.
For all
his size, the man had zip lined over and followed her nimble moves up the
slick, brick Council building as if he had been doing it all his life. Xena
was not sure whether to be irritated at his continual ability to confound her,
or turned on by it.
"Yeah,
I've got a tag along," Xena said with some of her irritation flowing
through the words. She motioned to the hulking shadow behind her. "This
is..."
Sterling
interrupted her right before she could make up a name. "Logan
McCord," he said mildly. But he came no closer. "I know who he
is."
Xena
glared at Logan. Small chance of being recognized, her padded ass.
He
shrugged, his eyes firmly fixed on Sterling.
Whatever. She would so tell
him "I told you so," at the first opportunity.
"I
take it you were not in the hotel when someone incinerated it?" The words
were dry, but the meaning behind them had both Xena and Logan's attention
sharpening to a razor point in an instant.
"Come
again?" she asked, thinking she misheard him.
Sterling
raised a brow, finally looking away from Logan. "You didn't know someone
blew up the hotel the council set up for your use in Prague."
"I
never even saw that hotel," Xena answered, not liking the implications at
all. "You know I never use them."
"I
know that. He looked tired all of the sudden. His age, which he usually wore
well, seemed to drag him down a bit. He rubbed a hand over his eyes.
"When I heard about the bombing I worried you had changed your habits and
your enemies had followed you there.”
Xena
shook her head, and felt Logan's heat move close up at her back; though she
didn't turn around to look at him, she allowed that heat to comfort her. She
suddenly needed it. "Casualties?"
"Extensive."
The one grim word said it all.
"Someone
expected you to be there, and knew the identity we had you booked under. If
they didn't follow you there..." The words trailed off but they all knew
the implications.
"I
assume the humans working with us had no way of knowing this?" She knew
they would not. They had a vague inkling of the organization they worked with
on occasion, but the council shared with no one anything they did not have to,
the humans least of all.
"You
assume rightly."
"Then
I am thinking you have bigger problems than I do at the moment old man."
Sterling
shook his head at her, a little humor leaking through the gravity in his eyes.
"Someone wants you dead, and is willing to go to extreme measures to do
it, how is a possible leak a bigger problem here?"
Logan
grunted his agreement, but kept his silence, which she appreciated.
"In
any case," Sterling said before she could answer. "Until we find the
leak I want you off the map. I’m giving your assignment to someone else. You
are done with this.”
She
opened her mouth to argue cursing fluidly in her head when the old man just
gave her a look.
“No,
it’s past time this goes to an enforcer anyway. You have done your job on this
one. You’re out. No discussion. I know how invested you were in this, but
right now I want you to concentrate on staying alive."
Xena
gritted her teeth . Though luckily, she refrained from speaking her
feeling on that decision out loud. She let it go, irately, and with a hiss.
“You
need protection,” he started but she interrupted.
"I'm way ahead of you." She motioned her thumb over her shoulder at
Logan. "The cowboy here is guarding my body indefinitely."
Sterling
did not look impressed. He studied them both for a moment but spoke directly
for Xena alone. "I know a few things about Mr. McCord here, and one of
them is that his pack
unrefined Italian features. "Thought you were dead." He stood to
come around his desk and stopped at the sight of Logan standing in the shadows
behind her. It was late in the day in Anchorage, so those shadows were long,
but even so, he was hard to miss.
For all
his size, the man had zip lined over and followed her nimble moves up the
slick, brick Council building as if he had been doing it all his life. Xena
was not sure whether to be irritated at his continual ability to confound her,
or turned on by it.
"Yeah,
I've got a tag along," Xena said with some of her irritation flowing
through the words. She motioned to the hulking shadow behind her. "This
is..."
Sterling
interrupted her right before she could make up a name. "Logan
McCord," he said mildly. But he came no closer. "I know who he
is."
Xena
glared at Logan. Small chance of being recognized, her padded ass.
He
shrugged, his eyes firmly fixed on Sterling.
Whatever. She would so tell
him "I told you so," at the first opportunity.
"I
take it you were not in the hotel when someone incinerated it?" The words
were dry, but the meaning behind them had both Xena and Logan's attention
sharpening to a razor point in an instant.
"Come
again?" she asked, thinking she misheard him.
Sterling
raised a brow, finally looking away from Logan. "You didn't know someone
blew up the hotel the council set up for your use in Prague."
"I
never even saw that hotel," Xena answered, not liking the implications at
all. "You know I never use them."
"I
know that. He looked tired all of the sudden. His age, which he usually wore
well, seemed to drag him down a bit. He rubbed a hand over his eyes.
"When I heard about the bombing I worried you had changed your habits and
your enemies had followed you there.”
Xena
shook her head, and felt Logan's heat move close up at her back; though she
didn't turn around to look at him, she allowed that heat to comfort her. She
suddenly needed it. "Casualties?"
"Extensive."
The one grim word said it all.
"Someone
expected you to be there, and knew the identity we had you booked under. If
they didn't follow you there..." The words trailed off but they all knew
the implications.
"I
assume the humans working with us had no way of knowing this?" She knew
they would not. They had a vague inkling of the organization they worked with
on occasion, but the council shared with no one anything they did not have to,
the humans least of all.
"You
assume rightly."
"Then
I am thinking you have bigger problems than I do at the moment old man."
Sterling
shook his head at her, a little humor leaking through the gravity in his eyes.
"Someone wants you dead, and is willing to go to extreme measures to do
it, how is a possible leak a bigger problem here?"
Logan
grunted his agreement, but kept his silence, which she appreciated.
"In
any case," Sterling said before she could answer. "Until we find the
leak I want you off the map. I’m giving your assignment to someone else. You
are done with this.”
She
opened her mouth to argue cursing fluidly in her head when the old man just
gave her a look.
“No,
it’s past time this goes to an enforcer anyway. You have done your job on this
one. You’re out. No discussion. I know how invested you were in this, but
right now I want you to concentrate on staying alive."
Xena
gritted her teeth . Though luckily, she refrained from speaking her
feeling on that decision out loud. She let it go, irately, and with a hiss.
“You
need protection,” he started but she interrupted.
"I'm way ahead of you." She motioned her thumb over her shoulder at
Logan. "The cowboy here is guarding my body indefinitely."
Sterling
did not look impressed. He studied them both for a moment but spoke directly
for Xena alone. "I know a few things about Mr. McCord here, and one of
them is that his pack
Similar Books
