Read Online Tempted by the Night by Colleen Gleason - Free Book Online Page B

muttered, and removed her hands from his chest before they got too settled there. The light filtered over his thick blond hair, giving him a moonbeam halo. A silvery glaze touched his nose and chin and kissed his lips. Damn, it was difficult to ignore how gorgeous he was in the uneven light—dark and shadowy and powerful, yet soft and glowing and sexy. And earnest, as he began to talk her off the ledge.
    â€œThe thing is,” he explained in a low, rapid-fire tone, “I sort of alluded to this earlier. I’m not back here by chance. I was sent here by some guys I know from Envy. They wanted me to do something, and since I’m from River Vale and know the area and the people, they thought I’d be the best person to do it without—er—drawing attention. And so, when I got here, I left the equipment—it’s contraband, Marisa; dangerous stuff that if the snoot were to find, well…there’d be a lot of shit hitting the fan. So I left it outside in case I got nabbed, and besides—I didn’t want to leave it with anyone here at River Vale and put them in danger as well.”
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œIt’s called an NAP—network access point. It’s for a… Dammit, Marisa, the less you know, the safer you are.”
    â€œ Tell me. I let you into the secret room—against my better judgment—even though you weren’t nearly as injured as you led me to believe. I’m the only one living besides the Waxnickis who know about—”
    â€œDid you say Waxnicki?” Luke grabbed her arms, gaping at her. The whites of his eyes glowed large in the low light.
    â€œYou know them?” She fixed her crooked glasses.
    â€œThey’re why I’m here. They’re the ones who sent me.”
    â€œLou and Theo sent you?”
    His lips twitched. “How many Waxnickis do you think there are?” The tension seemed to leave him, his grip on her arms relaxing into something more like a caress. Then he released her abruptly. “So you know the Waxnickis. Well, I guess that makes things a little easier.”
    â€œThey built the safe-room for Grandma Nell and Dad. He was…he was part of something called the Resistance.”
    Luke gave a soft laugh, shaking his head. “I should have known. That secret door contraption has Lou and Theo Waxnicki written all over it.” He paused, then reached up to touch a lock of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “So you’ve known about them all along. You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”
    Marisa’s heart tripped a little at the way his voice dropped. “What did they send you here to do? Are you part of the Resistance too?”
    He nodded. “They sent me to set up the NAP. It’s a weatherproof device that sits high on a building—usually on a rooftop—and runs on solar power. It’s hardly larger than a dictionary, so no one would see it from the ground. It will help the Waxnickis connect computers to each other in what they are calling the new internet. Sort of a communication system.”
    Marisa knew, at least in theory, what the internet had been. But the whole idea of being able to talk to anyone, anywhere, at any time, was mind-blowing. And while she knew the Resistance existed, she knew few details. Her father, like Luke, had wanted to protect her. The less you know, the better.
    Yeah, well, that was bullshit—but what could she do about that now?
    â€œSo you hid the NAP outside the wall? And now you want to go get it.”
    â€œRight. I’m going to…I want to set it up on top of the Shelby. And then I want to take something—it’s a photograph I stole from Marck—back to Envy.”
    Something metallic clanged softly, the warning ringing with foreboding through the night. The hair shot up on the back of her neck, and Marisa nearly lurched into Luke’s arms. They’re coming, she mouthed.