Read Online Sweet Revenge by Christy Reece - Free Book Online Page A

girl in the mirror, Jamie headed to the door. This man would not defeat her.
    An hour later, she wasn’t feeling quite as confident. When Dylan handed her the one-page sheet, her alarm grew with each line she read. She had expected the regimen to be difficult, not impossible. “I have to be able to do all of this before my self-defense training begins?”
    Without glancing up from the wicked-looking gun he was cleaning, he answered with a nod and a grunt.
    Jamie stared back down at the list. In her best shape, she would never have been able to perform half of these: thirty push-ups, seventy-five sit-ups, ten chin-ups, and an eight-minute mile.
    “Why do I have to be able to do all of this?”
    “Because if you’re not at least at the minimum required fitness level, you’ll never be able to complete the final exam.”
    “Final exam?”
    “Yeah. You don’t leave here until you pass.”
    She shook her head. “Noah never mentioned—”
    “Noah’s not your trainer … I am.”
    Biting back a sarcastic reply, she asked, “What does the final exam consist of?”
    He shrugged. “Just one thing.”
    “And that is …?”
    He raised his head and looked directly at her. His expression was characteristically blank, but his eyes held a dead seriousness. “Bringing me down.”

four

Madrid, Spain

    The thousand-dollar Gurkha cigar puffed like a chimney from his mouth; Stanford Reddington sat in his leather recliner and observed the new merchandise. As each item was hauled out of the darkened storage room, in mere seconds his experienced eye evaluated it with the expert precision of a true connoisseur of human flesh.
    He was going to miss this aspect of his business. Every other Tuesday, for the past six years, had been market day. Deciding which newly acquired piece of merchandise would go where was a tradition he’d only begun to train his son in when the shit had hit the fan. And now, because of one little bitch, he had to put his profitable business on hold until things settled down.
    Why the hell hadn’t he killed her when he’d had the chance? Second-guessing himself wasn’t something he did often. Usually when he made a decision, he knew it was the right one. But how was he supposed to know that a piece of merchandise he’d picked up on a whim would end up costing him so much? Hell, she’d been so bruised and battered, he’d seen himself as doing her a favor. No one else would’ve touched the bitch.
    Who could’ve known that Jamie Kendrick was not only the sister-in-law of one of the wealthiest men in the world, but that she’d be rescued by Last Chance Rescue, an organization that could bring his entire financial kingdom down if it had its way?
    Between the legal maneuvers from Lucas Kane’s attorneys and the concern that Last Chance Rescue would try to infiltrate his organization, he could now trust only his closest associates. LCR had a reputation for destroying flesh-trading organizations. He refused to get caught in its net.
    Able to compartmentalize between business woes and business at hand, Stanford gestured with his head toward the line of females. “Tell the third one from the right to stand up straighter.”
    He waited while Armando went over and whispered something in the girl’s ear. Whatever he said worked like a charm. The skinny, slumped-over girl straightened her shoulders immediately, her previously sullen expression turning to wild-eyed terror. He nodded his approval as the man returned to stand beside him. Taking another puff of his cigar, Stanford reflected on what a treasure his employee was … he always knew the right words.
    Dissatisfaction grew within him as he continued to study the merchandise. This was one of the worst batches they’d had in years. And to think he wouldn’t be having any more for a while. It sickened him to think of all the prime flesh he was going to miss. “Where the hell did you come up with these skanks?”
    Armando shrugged his brawny shoulders.