Read Online Jenna Petersen - [Lady Spies] by Seduction Is Forever - Free Book Online Page A

of agility and athleticism. Grant took a step toward her on instinct, watching as she peered over her shoulder. He tracked her line of vision to see two men come barreling out of the hallway behind her, shouting curses and waving their hands.
    Fights and even shootings were a common occurrence at The Blue Pony. Most of the patrons didn’t even look up from their gin as the woman continued to bolt through the main room as if the demons of hell itself were upon her.
    And when Grant got a good look at the man in the lead of the pursuit, he realized at least one of them was as close to a demon as a man could get.
    Cullen Leary.
    Grant’s blood nearly froze at the sight of the massive Seven Dials thug smashing across the large room like a monster freed from a nightmare.
    The last time Grant had seen him was almost a year ago, on that dark, horrible night he had tried to forget every moment since. Leary’s face had haunted his dreams, along with other images that turned his stomach.
    And now, there he was, chasing a woman with the intent to kill slashed across his face as surely as his scar. Grant didn’t think about what he was going to do. He didn’t plan it. He just stepped into the woman’s path and let her smash into his chest. Her gaze darted up, as blue as the sea…and somehow familiar, though he was certain he’d never met the flame-haired woman before.
    She ducked her head, dodging his gaze. “Oh, sir! Please, you’ve got to help me, sir! Will you help me get away from them thugs?”
    Grant knew he wasn’t acquainted with her now. He’d surely remember that heavy accent and husky tone of voice. It seemed to coil into his chest and squeeze.
    “Please, won’t you take me away?”
    Normally Grant would have thought her request a ruse meant to separate men like him from their pocketbooks. He’d seen women of the streets use it before. Pretend to be in peril, then take advantage of their rescuers. But since it was Leary coming through the room after her, with death in his eyes, Grant was more apt to believe that she was truly in danger.
    “I’ll help you, girl,” he said as he shoved her behind him.
    She caught his elbow with a surprisingly strong grip and tugged. “Come on, then! We can escape if we run!”
    Grant smiled as he swept up the nearest bar stool and swung it up in front of him. He had no damn intention of running. Not tonight. Leary’s eyes met his and a cold, dangerous sneer curled up his scarred lip.
    “Want to pick on a woman, you coward?” Grant growled as he began his charge against the bigger man. “Why don’t you try someone your own size?”

Chapter 6
    E mily watched in stunned horror as Grant lifted the heavy chair over his head and swung it toward Cullen Leary’s shoulders. The wood splintered over Leary’s massive body, but the man’s only reaction was a grunt. His face hardly registered any pain.
    That didn’t seem to deter Grant as he pulled back and connected against Leary’s jaw with a powerful right hook. To her surprise, the punch actually rocked Leary back and elicited a cheer from the crowd who had parted from their cards to watch the famed prizefighter brawl with a man who looked every inch a gentleman.
    What the hell was Grant thinking? Leary was a beast, a monster who had killed two men in the ring and who knew how many more outside of it. Grant had to be aware of that fact if he was frequenting hells like The Blue Pony, even if he didn’t know that Leary was a villain in other ways. Was he actually courting death?
    It seemed so as he threw another punch. This time, Leary was in a boxer’s stance, crouched low, bobbing and weaving. He dodged Grant’s blow and threw his own. Grant ducked as skillfully as any trained fighter, but Leary’s knuckles still grazed his ribs and sent Grant flying backward toward her.
    This was her chance. She had to get Grant out of here before he was killed. Before Leary remembered she was his true target. If he got ahold of her, she