Guns & Burning Rubber: The Iron Brotherhood series Read Free Page A

drag.  “What is it - or were you just messing with me?”
    “Love, I’d never mess with you,” Cross replied smoothly, wrapping one hand around her waist and tugging her in a slow turn until she was up against his chest.  The man’s leather was still warm from the sun’s rays, and he felt good pressed against Kara.  Really good.  Especially when his arm slid possessively around her waist and kept her close…
    No.  She stepped back to put a few inches between them.
    “Than what’s this lead?” she pressed.
    Cross sighed, shaking his head at her.  “You’re all business, no pleasure, aren’t you?” he asked, lifting her glass of water out of her hand and taking a sip himself.
    “I am when I have a case to solve.”
    “Okay, okay.”  Cross set the cup back down on the counter, and put his other hand on her hip as well.  Kara didn’t let herself get pulled back in against the big hunky biker, but she didn’t step away, either. 
    “It turns out,” Cross told her, “that I’ve got a friend of a friend, who happens to himself be a friend of a couple Hellraisers.  He’s not actually a member, but he’s trusted by them, and he’s been to a few of their meetings.  He also helps them out with some of their more illicit ventures,” he added, giving Kara a meaningful nod.
    It wasn’t much, she had to admit - but she didn’t want to tell Cross that it was still better than any other leads she still had left.  “Does he know about the gun running?” Kara asked, not yet letting herself feel much hope.
    “He says that he does.  I don’t know how much he knows, whether it’s anything more than what you’ve found out already, but it might be what you need.”
    There was a prickle of hope in Kara’s chest, but she stamped it down mercilessly.  Wait until she actually had the information in her hands, she told herself.  “So when can I meet him?”
    Cross looked a little uncomfortable.  “Keep in mind, this is the friend of a friend - it takes a little bit to get these meetings set up, especially when I’m bringing along a ‘friend’ of my own,” he cautioned, giving Kara’s hips a little squeeze at that last ‘friend.’
    “So how long?”
    The man shrugged.  “My buddy’s supposed to give me a call tonight, hopefully with a location for tomorrow,” he said.  “So maybe a day or so before the meeting.”
    Kara groaned at that.  More delays, delays everywhere.  “Well, it’s better than nothing,” she tried to say, not even managing to convince herself that she was okay with having to wait.
    Cross gave her hips another squeeze.  She really ought to brush his hands away, Kara thought to herself.  But it did feel nice, a little comforting, so she let them stay.  “I’m sure we can find some way of making the time pass faster,” he commented, his tone sounding innocent - far too innocent.
    She didn’t break away, keeping eye contact with him.  “Oh?  What exactly do you have in mind?”
    The man didn’t reply, but his grin widened, and he switched his grip from Kara’s hips to scooping up her hand.  With a gentle tug, he led her out of the kitchen, his grip just tight enough so that she had no choice but to follow him down the hallway and up the stairs, towards the second floor of the house.
    What in the world did Cross have in mind?  Kara wasn’t sure that she could trust her guesses as to what might be on his mind.  But knowing the man, it was going to end up being something rough, crude - and somehow still utterly alluring to her...

CHAPTER 3
    “Hah!  Take it from me - you can’t get away!”
    Gritting her teeth in frustration and agony, Kara twisted, her hands flying, but Cross was speaking the truth.  He had her pinned down, and she couldn’t manage to dodge as his attack came closer and closer…
    The screen in front of them emitted a sad little bloop as the green shell slammed into the little cartoon race car on the lower half of the screen, and