Read Online Lethal Consequences by Elisabeth Naughton - Free Book Online Page B

the conversation with Chantal. It was possible the woman had been telling the truth—that she was working undercover for the French government—but then why the kidnapping? Why the injections? Why wouldn’t they just arrest Landon if they really thought he was plotting to kill some poor girl?
    That was the one part of this she couldn’t wrap her mind around. Yes, she’d just seen him kill two men right in front of her with precision and stealth, and yes, she could totally buy into the fact he’d been highly trained—maybe even as an assassin. But to plan the murder of some young girl . . .
    That didn’t fit with what she knew of him. Landon Miller was not the kind of guy who got off on hurting women and children. If he were, he would not have saved her life. He would have left her in that hospital in Seattle without a second look. He never would have held her and comforted her on that street outside Pike Place Market when she’d freaked out and had that panic attack.
    Olivia slammed into Landon’s back, not even realizing he’d stopped. His heat seeped into her skin, and she caught her breath and tried to back away, but he wrapped an arm behind him, holding her still. “Quiet,” he whispered.
    Her heart rate kicked up, and her skin grew hot as the memory of his mouth slanting over hers, of the way he’d backed her against that wall in his hotel room and all but devoured her whole filled her mind. Even after everything she’d seen in the last twenty-four hours, her body still came to life close to him like this, as if he had some magical switch to turn her on. Why, dear God, couldn’t she be attracted to a teacher or a salesman or a golf instructor? Why did it have to be him, here, now? She didn’t even know the man, and what she’d learned the last few hours had only pissed her off. So why was she still reacting to him like this?
    “There are stairs that lead up,” he whispered, turning his head just enough so she could see the hard, strong line of his jaw and the tiny bump in the slope of his nose that told her he’d broken it more than once. “Stay here while I check it out.”
    She nodded because she still couldn’t seem to get her voice to work. As he moved away, she slipped into the darkness at the bottom of the stairwell and waited. A chill spread over her skin, replacing the warmth of his body, and she shivered, rubbing her hands over her arms to stimulate blood flow. Her fingertips grazed that spot on her arm again, only now it wasn’t just itchy. It was sore.
    Oh man. She couldn’t think about the drug they’d given her. She was just thankful it hadn’t knocked her out or immobilized her. Long minutes passed in silence. She looked up the dark stairwell but couldn’t see Landon.
    The fine hairs along her nape stood straight. He wouldn’t have left her. She believed that in her gut. No matter who or what he was, he’d never done one thing to hurt her. At least so far.
    A sound echoed down the corridor at her back. Olivia jerked in that direction and tried to peer through the darkness to see where it had come from. A hand landed on her shoulder. She lurched around and swung out, ready to fight if she had to.
    “Sh,” Landon said. “Just me.”
    Pulse racing, she pressed a hand against her chest. “You scared me.”
    “Sorry, I—”
    The voices grew stronger. Landon lifted his head and peered past her. She watched his eyes harden, watched his jaw tighten, but she didn’t have time to ask what he saw. His arms closed around her, and he pulled her with him, beneath the metal staircase, into an even darker corner.
    Fear lurched into her throat. Footsteps echoed closer, followed by voices and words shouted in French. Landon tuned them around, so his back was plastered to the wall and she was at his front, his eyes carefully searching the space beyond her. Boots hitting the metal stairs just above sounded through the hall, and Olivia gasped. Landon’s hand closed over her mouth, and his