Banishing Shadows Read Free Page A

shoulder.
    “Cord, no!” she cried out, wriggling frantically. “Please.” The please did it—as well as the tears in her voice. Turning her, he clasped her close to his chest and carried her into the building.
    “What floor?” he asked as he entered the elevator.
    “Second,” she muttered. She remained silent until he stepped out onto the second floor.
    “This is my door.” She pointed to a narrow wooden door on the left. “You still have my keys.”
    He shifted her weight, freeing a hand so he could pull the set of keys from his pocket. Unlocking it, he quickly strode inside, slamming the door shut with his shoulder.
    Cord set her on a couch inside the small apartment. Snatching her ankle, he whisked off her ridiculous shoe, happy to note there was only a little pain when he rotated her foot.
    “Cord, I’m fine. You can leave now.” He rose, but instead of leaving, moved toward her kitchen.
    “Where are you going?” Ignoring her, he located a bag of frozen veggies, then placed it on her ankle as a cautionary measure. Satisfied he’d done all he could, Cord turned to examine her apartment in interest, taken aback by the feminine look of the place. Soft green walls were a perfect match for the cream-colored sofa and dark green throw. Kayla had always been a messy tomboy. He’d half expected to find clothes strewn about the place and baseball posters tacked to the walls.
    “Surprised? What’d you expect, beer bottles and deer heads?”
    He almost winced at her caustic tone.
    “You’re in enough trouble, sunshine,” he replied calmly. “I wouldn’t try to prick my temper more.” He turned back to find her staring at him warily.
    “Oh, I’d be very, very nervous if I were you,” he drawled. “You don’t even realize that you walked into a bar filled with some of the lowest scum in the city, do you? You know the big man who approached you, the one with the beard?”
    She nodded.
    “Well, that pillar of society just got out of jail for assault with a deadly weapon. He’s known for his particular skill with a knife, he loves to carve things and I’m not talking turkeys, you get me?”
    She paled. “How do you know that? Why were you there? Who was that man you were talking to?”
    “I know because I do my research before I walk into strange places.” He was satisfied when she lowered her eyes guilty. “That man I was talking to belongs to a gang called The Vipers. Heard of them?”
    She nodded. He knew she would have, they’d been in the news a lot lately—none of it good.
    “An army buddy’s little sister moved here six months ago. She’s gotten herself in a bit of trouble with The Vipers, not that she’ll admit it. So I told my buddy I would look into it, seeing as how I’m on leave and he’s halfway across the world. I was trying to find her tonight. If those guys had discovered my identity or even suspected what I was there for… Well, let’s just say you walking into Purgatory like that could have ended very badly. For both of us.”
    She remained quiet as if assimilating that. When she’d walked into Purgatory, his stomach had dropped. Arousal and fear a sickening mix. He’d had to work hard not to react visibly. Fury had quickly followed. His stomach churned with thoughts of what could have happened to her tonight.
    “Now, your punishment can go two ways.” He dropped his voice to a soft croon, causing her to glance at him warily. “Either you can be a good girl and raise your skirt and bend over that table, or you can be a bad girl.”
    If circumstances had been different, he would have laughed as her jaw dropped in shock before anger lit her eyes. But now that she was safe, his command over his temper was slipping.
    “What the hell are you talking about?”
    He sighed in mock disappointment. “Looks like you’ve opted to be bad then.” As he took a large step toward her, she quickly threw up a hand to ward him off.
    “Stay right there!” Panic shone brightly her