Circle of Danger Read Free

close to her. He steeled himself for when she opened her eyes and they filled with pity.
    That was the last emotion he ever wanted from her. He inhaled deeply. Why was he worrying about her feelings? His only concern should be getting her out of here.
    Thankfully she kept her eyes closed as he carefully pulled the duct tape off her mouth. The bruise on her cheek and numerous others dotted across her body shot his temper sky-high. Marie would never hurt another human being. He’d tried protecting her the best way he knew how: by placing her in the Information Systems department of his organization. What was the worst that could happen? Carpal tunnel syndrome? He’d ordered Bryan to give her internal assignments. No external data retrieval. But the bastard claimed he’d forgotten. Forgotten, my ass!
    He slipped out of his leather jacket and wrapped as much of her as he could. Seeing the dirty sheets, he wanted to tear them off the bed and use the strips to hang the man who’d done this to her.
    â€œMarie, I’ll be careful picking you up. Let me know if you hurt anywhere and I’ll stop.” She felt good in his arms, solid but soft like a woman should. Over the last year, she’d gained a little weight and it looked good on her, gave her a more womanly figure.
    Holy shit, he needed to keep his mind on the matter at hand. And not where he would like to put his hands. Shit.
    He settled her against his chest, and she released a long groan.
    â€œAre you okay?” he asked.
    He stopped near the doorway. His men swarmed around him, searching the house for clues. Refusing to move another inch, he waited for her answer. She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. Then moss-green eyes opened. Her pupils were unnaturally dilated.
    The son of a bitch had drugged her.
    â€œWhat did he give you?” His jaw shifted when she played with the hair at the back of his neck. His fingers spread wide on her back as he fought the need to squeeze her tighter to his chest.
    â€œI don’t know. He injected me with something green and shiny. He just said it was a gift and something about it being addictive.” She licked her lips and winced.
    â€œHang in there and we’ll have the doc check you out.” With each step he made toward the van, she whimpered. It broke his heart. He’d never felt so clumsy, but he still refused to let anyone take her. No one could be gentler. Yet having her nearly naked in his arms was a temptation he didn’t need. His hands shook in fury with himself for the sick thoughts and with the certainty he was no better than the asshole who did this to her.
    The shiny green stuff she mentioned was called Blossom Flower. The new drug kept popping up and causing trouble. All the information they’d received so far pointed to the Wizard as the designer. They’d hoped this information would lead them to the psycho’s lab. For the past year, Ryker had planned to stop the nut job from killing more women in his area by either running him out of business or destroying his resources in producing the drug, but the game plan had changed when he stripped Marie and hurt her. The asshole’s death certificate only needed a signature and Ryker was the one who would provide the ink.
    Within moments, he strode across the yard and into the van. He nodded at the driver to go. If he had anything to do with it, she’d never leave Sector again. The farther away she was from psychos, the better.
    She shifted in his arms and his cock hardened. Jesus H. Christ! Why couldn’t he just hold her without acting like a sex fiend? He looked at the dark circles beneath her eyes and the paleness of her cheeks. What else had the asshole done to her? He squeezed his eyes shut for a couple seconds, trying to escape the thought of her being raped. Please, no human deserves being treated like that. He understood more so than most men the horror in being held down and forced to endure.