For the Good of All (Law of the Lycans Book 7) Read Free Page B

now.”
    “Okay.” She slid a sideways look at him. “But I really have no control over the men who work for me. You know how rogues are. They do as they please.”
    “I’ll deal with them. Ensure they get what they deserve.”
    “Elijah Stone, judge, jury and executioner. Is that how you see yourself?”
    He ignored her comment. “I meant what I said. You’re out of the ‘mercenary for hire’ business.”
    “Even if you manage to hunt down and eliminate all my old employees there will just be more to take their place. There’s no saving the world, Eli. There’s only survival of the fittest. Your time as a prisoner should have taught you that.”
    “It taught me a lot of things, Dee. One was when to be merciful and when not.”
    “Is that a threat?” She narrowed her eyes.
    “Take it as you want.” And with that he left.
     
    Dee sat down, her bravado now gone, and rubbed her arm. Eli’s grip had been tighter than she’d let on. There’d be bruises on her skin in the morning. She reached out for the phone and dialled a number she’d long committed to memory. A groggy voice answered her summons.
    “There’s no time to explain. Just listen. We’re closing up shop. Everyone is being cut loose. Back up the records, make sure they’re encrypted and then purge everything. I’ll give you more details in the morning.” She hung up before any questions could be asked and tossed the phone on the bed.
    Damn Elijah for reappearing. All reports had indicated that he’d died in the Middle East. The news had briefly saddened her but she’d realized early on that their goals would eventually clash. His absence had been...convenient. When her network of spies and mercenaries had informed her of his return she’d known it would only be a matter of time before he came looking for her. He was too clever, too pig-headed, too in love with the idea of justice, to leave her be and walk away.
    Bending, she picked up the knife she’d kept under her pillow. It had been grasping at straws, hoping that she’d be able to dispatch him so easily but, she shrugged, nothing ventured nothing gained. Now she’d move on to her back-up plan. Make it seem like she was closing up shop. There were plenty of places where her skills and contacts could be used. Places where Eli would never find her.
    She walked to the French doors to push them shut. It was a beautiful night, but she’d not linger to admire it. Her brother was out there somewhere and she had no desire to cross paths with him again any time soon. She’d been lucky tonight. Next time...
    A shiver passed over her and she gave the lock on the door a decisive twist shut.

Chapter 1
     
    A year later...
     
    Tina stood behind the bar at Club Mystique, pouring a shot of whiskey while scanning the patrons waiting for their orders. It was the usual Friday crowd. Most came often enough that she knew their orders even before they placed them. The tall fellow always ordered a beer, his girlfriend was a daiquiri. Two Mystique specials for the blond couple at the end. She kept up a seamless stream of banter, pocketing tips and gathering empty glasses without thought.
    The job was second nature to her now; tiring on her feet but not too taxing on her brain which gave her time to think about other things, like midterms and if she was going to continue the courses she was taking at college or switch yet again.
    A sigh escaped her.
    After almost a year of classes, she was coming to the conclusion that a career as a theatrical make-up artist, while fun and creative, wasn’t a good fit for her. She might have a flair for costumes and make-up but, just like the other career paths she’d explored, it lacked an indefinable something that she craved.
    She picked up a glass and began to polish it. Why did all jobs have to be so…predictable? Something exciting, something that stretched her abilities, or allowed her to help people or at least make them happy, that’s what she wanted, not