Guardian Bears: Lucas Read Free

leave her here. Sighing, he picked her up and carried her around the building again, hoping no one would see him. It wouldn't be easy to explain what had happened, and he could hardly be sure that she'd vouch for him when she regained consciousness.
    Luck was with him, though. The street was still deserted and while the door might have been locked, that wasn't much of an impediment to him. Slipping a set of lock-picks out of his pocket, Lucas had it open in seconds and carried his new client into her living room. The apartment was small, very small for a man his size, but at least it was decently furnished. He put the woman down on her sofa to recover and considered his options.
    First of all, he took a good look at his client. Usually, he'd at least have had a photo to work from if he hadn't already met whoever he was working for. Another problem with that damned website, he thought, cursing himself for having come up with the idea.
    She wore her hair long, and the tangled blond hair fell over her round face, hiding it. Her eyes were closed now, but he'd seen them when she had stared up at him in terror. Bright blue, sparkling like the sea. She was wearing old blue jeans and a baggy top that obscured her figure, though it looked like she was curvy under it, and she had a pair of sneakers on. At least if she was going to try to run, she was dressed reasonably for it.
    I guess I might as well get on with my work, Lucas thought when it became clear she wasn't waking up straight away. He set about securing the small building, closing and locking the door. He made a mental note to upgrade the locks into something he wouldn't be able to open with a paperclip and half a minute. The door wasn't solid enough to resist much force, but that would have to wait.
    The kitchen area was small, and there wasn't anything there to worry him. The bathroom was secure, windowless, and cramped. Last, he checked the bedroom, closing and locking the window Emily had escaped out of.
    And that was that. It was a tiny place to call home, and he noticed that there were no personal things in it. There were no personal touches at all, really, almost as though it was a hotel suite. By the time he had come back to the living room, Emily was stirring on the sofa, so he sat down in the chair opposite her. If he could make himself smaller, maybe she'd find him less intimidating? It seemed worth a try.
    Emily still squealed when she opened her eyes and saw him there, sitting across from her. She sat up, clutching a cushion to herself like a protective amulet, and stared at him for a long second.
    "Don't be so scared," he growled, and then breathed deeply, trying to control his irritation. That tone wasn't likely to reassure her, he realized, and tried again. "My name is Lucas Barns, I'm from Guardian Bears Security, and I'm here to help. You hired us, remember?"
    "I – I'm sorry," she said, voice small and scared. "I didn't know who you were. I thought you were here to hurt me!"
    She was looking at him with a mix of terror and awe, which only fueled the anger burning inside him. He didn't like that she was afraid of him. And he didn't like that someone was scaring her enough that she'd react to a stranger at her door like that. First running, then trying to fight. And when that didn't work, she'd just given up.
    It made him mad that she'd just begged him not to hurt her, just given up on fighting back or escaping him so easily.
    With an effort, he hid his emotions as best he could. The effort came too late: Emily shrank back into the sofa and he cursed under his breath, sitting back and trying not to loom over her. The small space made that difficult, but it was all he could do.
    Now that she was awake, he could see her better. She pushed the hair from her face and looked at him, blue eyes wide. Her face, now that he could see it properly, was pretty, though she was pale enough that he thought she didn't spend enough time outdoors. Still, she had a charm about