Abducted: Reconnaissance Team (Texas Rangers: Special Ops Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

suspect you have a great many brains.” 
    “You’re a terrible flirt, Mrs. Remmey.” 
    “Don’t worry,” she said. “My husband isn’t the jealous type.” 
    “Lucky me,” Ben said.
    “Indeed,” she replied. “So, shall we find out why Tanya is here with Carlos Sanchez and wearing Jorge Estonia’s dress instead of that delicious confection Liz is wearing?” 
    Ben smiled. “You are a troublemaker, Mrs. Remmey.” 
    She squeezed his bicep. “Then I am in good company.” 
     
    The problem, Ben realized twenty minutes later as Larissa hugged yet another model, was escorting a woman everyone liked. He didn’t blame them, but even two minutes was enough time for Sanchez to slip through the door. Ben had considered excusing himself from Larissa and simply walking up to Sanchez and talking with him. In the end, though, what he had to say demanded privacy. If Sanchez gave him any trouble, being in a crowded room could get Ben killed.
    Larissa murmured something to the young model then faced Ben. “I’m sorry, darling. I know you’re anxious to be done with this business.” 
    Ben flashed a smile. “There’s no business more pressing than you, Mrs. Remmey.” 
    She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. “Larissa, and, please, we can be honest with one another. Wouldn’t you agree?” She drew him away at a sedate stroll.
    “Of course,” he said.
    “They make an interesting couple, don’t they?” 
    “Who?” 
    A corner of her mouth lifted. “Honesty, remember?” 
    Ben knew better than to hesitate. “All right, Larissa, why don’t you tell me what you have in mind?” 
    She looked at him, her smile wide. “The direct approach. I like that. I have in mind us solving one another’s problems.” 
    Ben lifted a brow in question.
    “I will take care of her.” Larissa angled her head discreetly to the right. He didn’t have to look to know she meant Tanya. Larissa smiled as if they were sharing an intimate moment. “If you take care of him.” 
    Ben’s mind snapped to full attention, but he managed in a casual tone, “Take care of him?”
    “You know I am Russian, yes?” 
    “Yes, ma’am. The slight accent gives you away.” 
    Her voice softened. “When I came here, I was a sensation. I was very beautiful, which is why Francis married me.” 
    “You are still very beautiful.” 
    She laughed. “I was right. You are a charmer. Well, what you do not know—I think—is that my father was Russian mafia.” 
    “No,” Ben admitted, “I didn't know that.” 
    “It was long ago,” she said. “But you never forget such a life.” Ben was startled to detect pain in her words. “One lasting effect,” she went on, “is that I still recognize one of their kind quite easily.”
    His step nearly faltered and a hot rush charged up his spine, the kind felt when one steps on a nail. It doesn’t hurt so much at first, but the shock and anticipation of yanking that nail out turned the stomach.
    “Mrs. Remmey—” 
    She looked at him. “I love my husband, young man.” 
    Ben paused. “I’m sure you do, ma’am.” 
    She wrinkled her nose. “That makes me sound so old.” 
    Ben blinked, then couldn’t help a smile. “Forgive me, Larissa.” 
    She beamed. “Now, then. I will take care of her. You take care of him.” 
    Ben kept his voice neutral. “What do you suggest I do?” 
    “I will arrange privacy. But first, we must do something with that pistol strapped to your ankle.” 
    This time he blurted, “I beg your pardon?”
    “Young man, I can just as easily recognize an officer of the law as I can a member of the mob.”
    They reached a private corner of the room and Ben stopped cold. He glanced around. The nearest guests conversed fifteen feet away. He shifted his attention back to Larissa. “You’re very observant, Mrs. Remmey.” 
    “As I said, one never forgets.” 
    He nodded. “Have you confided this information to anyone else?”
    “My