Read Online Marked (Hostage Rescue Team Series) by Kaylea Cross - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kaylea Cross
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skip town.
And besides, it gave him a rush to know he’d invaded her most personal domain and likely left a psychological mark on her. Made him understand why some guys got hooked on shit like that. Rape wasn’t part of his credentials yet. Maybe he could change that with her.
“Why?” he demanded when Brandon didn’t reply. Rubbing his fingers over the lacy thong in his pocket, imagining the look on Rachel’s face when she saw what he’d done, he turned to face the tall windows that gave him a commanding view of the city and Chesapeake Bay in the distance.
The view was spectacular, the best money could buy, but what he enjoyed most was being able to look down on the world. From this height the people moving around on the sidewalks looked like insignificant little ants running around in their meaningless lives.
He’d lived like that once, back in Xinxiang with his family when he was young. Every day the same monotonous drudgery of struggling to find enough work to put food on the table. Then one day Chinese soldiers had come to take his father and older brother away, calling them terrorists for their affiliation with a radical group from their mosque.
Xang hadn’t fully understood what had happened to them both after that; he’d only known that they never came back. It wasn’t until he was older that some of the elders had shown him the pictures of what had been done to them that he’d truly understood and started on the path that had led him here.
Brandon sighed. “Look, man, just be straight with me. If you have something just give it back to me and I won’t say anything.”
“I don’t have anything,” he said, this time with a sharp edge to his tone.
A few seconds passed, as though Brandon was searching for the right words. “My sister just called to say she got into an accident earlier. I don’t know how bad she’s hurt, but she doesn’t need to get in trouble at work because of missing files on top of that.”
Xang was unmoved by the not-so-subtle plea for the USB drives, and if Brandon thought about it for two seconds he’d realize that even if Xang admitted it and returned them, he’d already have made himself copies.
Still, he frowned. Had she been in an accident? She had shown up in that guy’s pickup. Or was the story a lie? It didn’t sound like she’d told Brandon about the underwear thing. Why wouldn’t she? Unless she hadn’t noticed yet? She was quite intelligent. Xang had a feeling she was up to something.
His heart rate barely picked up at the thought. “Did she call the police?” Not that they’d find him. He might not be military or special-police trained but he knew enough about field craft to cover his tracks and make sure no one could trace him via phone or other electronic devices.
“She didn’t say, but I assume so. Look, sorry, just forget I said anything, okay? I’ll talk to you later.”
“Yeah.” He hung up and stared down at the busy city spread out below him, his for the taking once he got the money from this job and put it to good use buying pieces of Baltimore’s underworld. Then he could continue the fight his father and brother had begun.
He was still admiring the view when the burner phone rang again a few minutes later. Xang answered immediately, already knowing who it was because his contact was the only one who knew the number. “What’s up?”
“I thought you said no one saw you.”
Xang’s muscles tightened in reflex at the buried rage in that voice. For the first time a trickle of unease slid through him. “They didn’t. Not other than some footage on the cameras I couldn’t disable, and I kept my face pretty well concealed.” He hadn’t cared all that much about being seen on camera at the time, since he never planned to go back there.
“Well someone did, and the woman is on to you. I had someone run those pictures you sent through a Chinese security database. The man she was with has connections all over the military
And besides, it gave him a rush to know he’d invaded her most personal domain and likely left a psychological mark on her. Made him understand why some guys got hooked on shit like that. Rape wasn’t part of his credentials yet. Maybe he could change that with her.
“Why?” he demanded when Brandon didn’t reply. Rubbing his fingers over the lacy thong in his pocket, imagining the look on Rachel’s face when she saw what he’d done, he turned to face the tall windows that gave him a commanding view of the city and Chesapeake Bay in the distance.
The view was spectacular, the best money could buy, but what he enjoyed most was being able to look down on the world. From this height the people moving around on the sidewalks looked like insignificant little ants running around in their meaningless lives.
He’d lived like that once, back in Xinxiang with his family when he was young. Every day the same monotonous drudgery of struggling to find enough work to put food on the table. Then one day Chinese soldiers had come to take his father and older brother away, calling them terrorists for their affiliation with a radical group from their mosque.
Xang hadn’t fully understood what had happened to them both after that; he’d only known that they never came back. It wasn’t until he was older that some of the elders had shown him the pictures of what had been done to them that he’d truly understood and started on the path that had led him here.
Brandon sighed. “Look, man, just be straight with me. If you have something just give it back to me and I won’t say anything.”
“I don’t have anything,” he said, this time with a sharp edge to his tone.
A few seconds passed, as though Brandon was searching for the right words. “My sister just called to say she got into an accident earlier. I don’t know how bad she’s hurt, but she doesn’t need to get in trouble at work because of missing files on top of that.”
Xang was unmoved by the not-so-subtle plea for the USB drives, and if Brandon thought about it for two seconds he’d realize that even if Xang admitted it and returned them, he’d already have made himself copies.
Still, he frowned. Had she been in an accident? She had shown up in that guy’s pickup. Or was the story a lie? It didn’t sound like she’d told Brandon about the underwear thing. Why wouldn’t she? Unless she hadn’t noticed yet? She was quite intelligent. Xang had a feeling she was up to something.
His heart rate barely picked up at the thought. “Did she call the police?” Not that they’d find him. He might not be military or special-police trained but he knew enough about field craft to cover his tracks and make sure no one could trace him via phone or other electronic devices.
“She didn’t say, but I assume so. Look, sorry, just forget I said anything, okay? I’ll talk to you later.”
“Yeah.” He hung up and stared down at the busy city spread out below him, his for the taking once he got the money from this job and put it to good use buying pieces of Baltimore’s underworld. Then he could continue the fight his father and brother had begun.
He was still admiring the view when the burner phone rang again a few minutes later. Xang answered immediately, already knowing who it was because his contact was the only one who knew the number. “What’s up?”
“I thought you said no one saw you.”
Xang’s muscles tightened in reflex at the buried rage in that voice. For the first time a trickle of unease slid through him. “They didn’t. Not other than some footage on the cameras I couldn’t disable, and I kept my face pretty well concealed.” He hadn’t cared all that much about being seen on camera at the time, since he never planned to go back there.
“Well someone did, and the woman is on to you. I had someone run those pictures you sent through a Chinese security database. The man she was with has connections all over the military
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