Hard Core (Onyx Group) Read Free Page A

nude.
    On occasion, people came to the island to explore, or lost
travelers would stumble across it, but not often. Gavin Ross pretty much took
care of anyone who wanted to visit his island.
    Just the thought of Gavin Ross made her go cold. He was a
lot of things, but not the type to hide in the bushes and watch her. He’d made
it known where he stood when it came to her. So who, or what, was out there?
    “I know you’re there.” She spoke clearly into the night.
“You may as well show yourself.”
    The bush rustled some distance away and she tightened her
hand around the handle of the knife. Something moved, followed by a grunt, then
a loud thump.
    Without letting go of the knife, she dressed quickly while
keeping her eyes on the jungle where she’d heard the sound. One of Ross’s
guards maybe? She wouldn’t put it past them to spy on her. They were as
despicable as their boss. On the flip side, her experience with Gavin showed
him to be the type of man who demanded obedience and control. If one of his
guards had snuck off, he would know about it. Given his interest in her, he
never would allow one of them to spy on her. Especially while skinny-dipping.
    Well, she wasn’t hanging around to find out. That was a
too-stupid-to-live moment in a horror film. She picked up the lantern and
booked it for home.
    A few steps later, she gasped and dropped her lantern.
     
     

Chapter 2
     
    Slade heard her crashing through the jungle before he saw
her.
    His hands were the only weapon he had and they shook too
damn much to do him any good. He’d lost the AK-47 somewhere in the jungle. He
didn’t remember putting it down, but the weapon was gone. The bullet he’d taken
must have done more damage than he’d thought. Felt like the damn thing was
still lodged. He couldn’t afford an infection in this environment.
    Crouched low, he waited, hands poised to defend against
whoever came toward him. The lantern, a beacon in the night, wavered, then
fell.
    In his narrowing vision he saw her and blinked, certain he
hallucinated. The woman stopped a few feet away, her fiery red hair, aflame in
the light, clinging to her shoulders in wet strands. Slender and lithe, her
startled gaze trapped him.
    He must be imagining things. Lost too much blood. This was a
remote island in the Caribbean Sea. Only one man lived here. The one he was
supposed to kill. And would still eliminate as soon as he felt better.
    Maybe he hadn’t made it off Ross’s estate after all. Must be
dying in the bastard’s basement and she was a figment of his imagination.
    He’d always liked redheads.
    This could be a ploy. Ross may have sent this redheaded
beauty to kill him. For most men, women were a weakness, but not Slade. He’d
put a wall around his heart long ago. He could go long periods without sex.
He’d gone this long, he’d go longer. Ross would be disappointed when Slade sent
this one back.
    He wasn’t going to wait for her to take him out first.
Gathering his waning strength, he attacked.
    * * * *
    The man leapt at her, his hands poised for her throat, but
he stumbled, swayed, and did a face-plant at her feet. Alana set her lantern
upright and knelt down beside him, knife gripped in her hand in case this was a
ruse.
    But when she nudged his shoulder, he didn’t move. She tucked
the knife into her pocket and carefully rolled him onto his back. It took
effort. He was over six foot and solid muscle.
    She gasped. For a second she could only stare at the sharp
angles of his battered face, a mass of bruises and scrapes, some open and
bleeding, others red and angry. Someone had broken his nose and split his lip
open. Yet, she couldn’t look away.
    He’d been worked over good.
    She could think of only one person capable of such brutality
on the island. Gavin Ross. The guard’s uniform confirmed it. What had this man
done to warrant such a beating?
    Not the time to worry about it. Quickly doing an
on-the-spot assessment, she discovered bruises and bumps