Claiming Their Cat Read Free

Rio’s mind, it was a no brainer
    The guy’s gaze dropped to his dead compadres . “ No,” said the lone kid . “You’ll let us walk out th e door, or she’s going to die.”
    The teen and his hostage inched toward the door. Rio took a sip of coffee while he waited. All he needed was a few inches of that ugly face , and the youth would be dead. Over the rim of his cup, he saw her eyes narrow. Oh, shit! What was she going to do? Stay c al m, little girl. In a smooth move, she pretended to stumble , and Rio didn’t waste the opportunity. As the bullet sent the man careen ing backwards, the woman broke free and charged for the door.
    “Why is she running?” Rio asked Fred . “I just saved her life.”
    Fred glanced at the carnage on his diner’s floor. “You’ve killed four men without leaving your seat at the same time you’re sipping your coffee. Hell, you even scared the shit out of me. Or maybe she’s afraid of the Rabid part of your name. Or maybe you’re just butt ugly. ”
    Rio stood, holstered his pistol, and stretched his back to ease the tension. “I’ll go get her , and then I’ll help you clean up this mess.”
    “Be careful . S he’s armed and dangerous.”
    “What?” No way.
    “Yep, she pilfered one of my best steak knives.”
    Rio grinned. “Thanks for the heads-up.” He pulled his cowboy hat down over his eyes, buttoned his duster, and stepped out into the pelting rain.
    Damn, women sure were a pain in the ass.
     
     
     
     

Chapter Two
     
     
     
     
    Cat Watson bolted into the rain, wincing with each step she took. She fumbled with the door to the ragged car that belonged to Alvarez’s goons and slid in the seat. No keys. Damn it. She searched the front seat and then the back for a weapon but didn’t find any.
    Peering out the windshield, she saw Rabid Rio stand. She had to get out of there. After stumbling from the car, she limped across the road hoping to disappear in the brush.
    Her stolen shoes had made mincemeat of her feet. The blisters on her heel and the tops of her toes throbbed with pain , but she wasn’t about to stop. The sores were nothing compared to what Rabid Rio would do to her when he found out how much she was worth.
    Rabid Rio. What a nightmare. He killed ruthlessly, worked for anyone, and would do anything if the money were right. She’d heard rumors that he’d done jobs for Alvarez, and those men just confirmed it. A man w ho did Alvarez ’s dirty work couldn’t be trusted.
    What rotten luck. She’d managed to escape the compound, made her way across the border and right into the hands of the most notorious killer around. If there ever were a legend, it was Rabid Rio. Funny, but nobody ever mentioned how handsome he was underneath all that scary. Yep, those sharp planes of his face, and predator eyes made him Mr. Scary. Even though he saved her life, he frightened her even more than Alvarez did.
    Everything Alvarez did was for more money or more power. Rabid Rio just liked to kill people. He didn’t even blink when he pulled the trigger back there, and never missed a sip of coffee.
    Cat tripped and caught herself. Running through the desert at night in a heavy rain wasn’t her best idea, but she’d managed the last three days on her own, and she was damned sure not going to let that rabid man take her back to Alvarez. Going back would be the deaths of her and her baby. She turned and moved parallel to the highway, hoping she’d lose Rabid Rio if he was hunting her.
    God, she didn’t even know how her baby was still alive. Three days without food couldn’t be good. The baby was so little. A floppy shirt and no one knew. The stress alone should have killed them both.
    It was wrong to bring a baby into the world the way she planned . All her lies and deceit made her an unfit to be a mother. Months ago, she’d made the decision to buy her time to do what she needed to do. Now, she regretted that decision.
    In the beginning, the getting pregnant was